Parksville Company Earns Top Marks at Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards
CHIMS Motel sponsored the Retail Business of the Year Award at the MNP LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards. From left, Ed Nicholson of CHIMS, River Keller, Mark Nagra and Liam Bolger of M&N Mattress & Sofa Shop, and Naomi Nicholson of CHIMS
PARKSVILLE – M&N Mattress & Sofa Shop was been named Retailer of the Year at the MNP LLP Vancouver Island Business Excellence Awards in Nanaimo, and owner Mark Nagra credits the victory to his staff and the store’s commitment to quick customer service.
“Having the right team and every member of the team on board having the same customer service goal is key,” he states. “Our specialty is speedy service, and our team is trained to go out to service any calls asap. We also have a very supportive community and customers.”
It’s the latest award for M&N in downtown Parksville, which Mark and his wife Neelam opened in 2000. They have won numerous customer service Torch Awards from the Better Business Bureau of Vancouver Island, as well as the BE Business Excellence Award for Retail in 2019.
They also attribute their success to not only having great staff, but the fact most of the products they sell are made in Canada. Their company logo sports a red maple life to remind customers of their dedication to furniture and mattresses made in this country since 2000.
M&N Mattress & Sofa Shop’s team members at the Parksville store
“All of the mattresses, solid bedroom furniture and cabinets are BC made,” notes Mark. “80 to 90 per cent of the sofas we carry are made in Canada. The low carbon footprint that results from this is important, and I believe we’re winning some of these awards because dealing with local suppliers allows for better and faster service.
“Stylus is in Burnaby, Palliser is in Winnipeg and DecorRest is from Ontario, and they’ve all been in business for over 50 years. We definitely get a lot of customers who like the fact we sell Canadian made products, primarily B.C. made. How can we expect them to buy local if we don’t buy local?”
M&N also offers adjustable bed bases from Ergomotion, the biggest adjustable bed company in the world.
“Ergomotion has allowed our two stores to carry the parts in stock so we can service them ourselves,” he says. “During the supply chain crisis, we didn’t want our customers waiting for 5-6 weeks for parts. We wanted to send our technicians out right away, and if we had the parts in stock, we could send them out the same or next day.”
M&N is a family business, as Mark notes that Neelam runs the Parksville operation.
“I more or less supervise, but she’s the manager and she runs a very smooth ship. She’s on top of everything,” he states.
“She has a degree from Malaspina University-College (now Vancouver Island University) in business management, and she’s a great knowledgeable salesperson. She’s like three people in one, and she’s the same at home.
“She keeps the family all in check at the store and home. Our daughter Natasha works at the store and manages it when we’re away, and she will be moving to our South Surrey sister store WR Mattress Gallery for the next chapter of her
life.”
Natasha provides a testimonial from a satisfied customer: “Hats off to your company! I had an issue with my electric bed that I bought from you three years ago. When I called, you sent an employee the same day. Liam is a personable, knowledgeable young man who diagnosed the problem, left and returned with the necessary part that immediately fixed everything. When he was here I asked him questions about settings for the electric bed, the Bluetooth app and lots more. He knows his stuff! Service and product highly recommended.”
Mark adds: “Our team strives to go over and above, and that is our highest priority.”