May Retailer of the Month - Mango Monkeys 

Monkey business is a winner. Northside fruit and vegetable shop Mango Monkeys has been announced as Brisbane Markets Fresh Tastes Retailer of the Month for May 2008.

Mango Monkey’s owners Mark Bevan and Helen Kerr are pleased with the recent announcement, having owned the Carseldine store for two and a half years and recently expanding their offering by adding a popular deli.

“As a small business we place a large emphasis on the personal service we provide our customers. From immediate greetings, through to discussing the latest in-season fruit, we want our customers to feel like they are getting the best service possible,” Mr Bevan said.

Mr Bevan is quick to point out that their customers are their number one priority.

 “Being a Fresh Tastes retailer is brilliant. It is uplifting to be part of a larger group who have a genuine commitment to excel in the industry. We feel like we have assistance if we need it and the materials provided by Brisbane Markets really enhance the shop,” Mr Bevan said.

The Fresh Tastes program is designed to encourage excellence in fresh produce retailing. Participating retailers are provided with point of sale materials, in-store competitions, e-newsletters, development sessions, promotional opportunities and mystery shopping.

They are visited by a mystery shopper twice throughout the year for the Retailer of the Month and Retailer of the Year awards.

More than 150 independent fruit and vegetable retailers throughout South-East Queensland participate in the Brisbane Markets Fresh Tastes program.

Brisbane Markets Marketing and Communications Manager, Ann-Marie Johansen said the Fresh Tastes program provided stores the key promotional skills to develop their customer service skills and ability to supply the highest quality fruit and vegetables.

"The Fresh Tastes program is a key initiative for Brisbane Markets to support independent fruit and vegetable retailers,” she said. “By being part of the Fresh Tastes program our retailers demonstrate their commitment to excellence in produce, service and continual improvement which means a great shopping experience for their customers.”

“I congratulate Mark, Helen and the team at Mango Monkeys on being named as a Retailer of the Month,” Ms Johansen said.

Mango Monkeys is located at 7/1754 Gympie Road, Carseldine and is open Monday to Friday 9am - 6pm and Saturday, Sunday from 9:00am-5:00pm.