Winning national awards hasn't just happened overnight for Ashley Gale. It has taken him nine years to rise from Saturday worker to pet shop manager, and he's constantly learning skills to elevate him to greater success.

Here Ashley reveals what makes him tick.

How have you worked your way up to your current position?
I began working with Not Just Pets as a Saturday worker at the age of 16 in 2005 and progressed to working in the bigger team at the main Bath store where I was eventually given my own department, the Aquatics section, to run. I was able to turn this section around and maintain nine coldwater and 18 tropical tanks to a very high standard. We introduced new products including new tanks and lighting which were a hit with customers. Last year I was offered the management post at our Larkhall store and I was delighted to step up to this new challenge. I now run this store single-handedly. I can say that I have really worked my way up from the bottom rung to the post of manager. 

What qualities do you bring to your position?
I feel I have contributed to the success of the business by showing true commitment, always wanting to learn new things, able to turn my hand to any job, being a proactive member of the team, suggesting ideas for the business, giving excellent customer service and having a passion for my work. I have undertaken various training courses so that I can constantly improve my knowledge of all things pet- and business-related. 

Give us an example of how you drive footfall at the Larkhall store?
One example of one of my ideas is that since taking over the role of manager I regularly look at the sales figures and numbers of customers, average spend per customer etc to see where I can improve sales and find out when and why customers are buying. I want to drive customers to our store and recently noticed that the average spend per customer was just under £20, so I have set up a monthly draw whereby customers spend £20 or more and are entered into a free draw for a small prize voucher at the end of the month. This has already seen an increase in spend per customer. 

How are you perceived by your customers?
I have been told I am more like a friend to customers rather than a salesperson in the way I treat them and I think this is key to the future success of the business.

What are your goals for the future?
I am grateful to have learned so much in the nine years I have been with Not Just Pets and I have a passion for this industry. I would like to possibly own my own pet store in the future and I am also keen to see high standards of care and responsible pet ownership across the trade. I have considered working alongside organisations such as NOAH or with local council licence inspectors to help further the cause of high standards of animal care, or even visit breeders and kennels to check conditions for breeding of pet animals.

How will you be developing your current role at Not Just Pets?
It is early days for me as manager of a pet shop and for the moment I want to see the Larkhall shop grow and I want to be the best that I can be at Not Just Pets. I want to make this shop more profitable, encourage shop growth and improve sales, and come up with ideas to help this shop always looking good. I will be looking at ways to improve margins, looking at price matching and talking to suppliers to get the best deals for the future. I want to make sure we have good quality products for customers and offer the best nutrition advice. My goal is to be recommended by other people, not just customers but also vets and the like. I love to hear customers say “so-and-so recommended you” and I am working towards much more of that. I would also like to be more involved with the bigger picture for the company and possibly attend more trade shows and the like to get a greater insight to the industry.

Why do you think you won the two retailer awards?
I always put  the customer first. I also think about the effect anything I do has on the company. I'm extremely easy to get along with and as I stated earlier the customers regard me as their friend.

Have you got any pets yourself?
I have a cat named Misty – she is 11-years-old – and large tropical fish tanks. I don't give the fish names but I do have four shrimp named Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and Starscream.