A FAMILY-run florist has seen off 1,800 others to be crowned the flower shop offering the best customer service in the country.
Fleurtations in Braintree high street has been recognised by Interflora – the world's largest flower delivery network.
The shop is run by Yolande Turgoose, a florist of 30 years, with her daughter Nadine Keeble, 26, and her son-in-law Christopher Keeble.
"We pride ourselves on giving a very good service to our customers," she said.
"We look after them because that's what being an independent trader is all about," said the 52-year-old from Halstead.
To crown the success Interflora sent Fleurtations, which has been open for ten years, a 'Mercury Man' for a day. The Mercury Man was revered as the Roman's messenger god and has been Interflora's emblem since 1914.
Kate Mollart, an Interflora brand manager, said: "We really appreciate how hard florists such as Yolande work, particularly during these challenging economic times, and wanted to thank and reward Yolande for being so successful.
"Customer service is particularly important and Fleurtations has excellent levels of service."
The family-run store put their success down to hard work and the loyalty and friendliness of their Braintree clientele.
"I've been here a long time and I've got some fabulous customers in the town," said Yolande.
"We are a small, family-run business.
"There's only three of us, so to beat all of the big florists is absolutely brilliant – we're thrilled to bits."
As well as selling direct to the people of Braintree, Yolande supplies flowers to wedding venues, including Gosfield Hall, and the town's shops.
"We all work very hard here, so we are delighted that our efforts have been recognised," added Yolande. "We know what goes down well here and being with my family means we're all working to the same goal."
