For the sixth consecutive month, Harris Scarfe has taken out the top spot in the discount department store space.
This is according to the Roy Morgan Research Customer Satisfaction Awards.
Harris Scarfe scored 90%, ahead of 2014's Discount Department Store of the Year Target (88%).
During the survey period, Harris Scarfe served 656,000 customers to the 7.5 million frequented at rivals Target, Big W and Kmart.
Harris Scarfe and Target Country are the big improvers since the same time last year.
The former jumped from an 83% satisfaction rating in August 2014 and the latter increasing from 82%.
Roy Morgan Research GM Andrew Price said the findings revealed some interesting insights.
"Since we last reported on customer satisfaction for discount department stores, Harris Scarfe has snatched top spot from last year’s Discount Department Store of the year, Target, and held onto it for dear life.
"It may be modestly sized in department store terms, but Harris Scarfe’s excellent scores over the last few months suggest that size does not always matter.
"The remaining months of 2015 will be very interesting indeed: will Harris Scarfe repeat its 2013 triumph and regain the Discount Department Store of the Year title, or will Target stage a customer-satisfaction comeback and make it two years in a row?
"Meanwhile, Woolworths-owned Big W, in the news recently for its declining profits, has at least managed to maintain a stable level of customer satisfaction over the last 12 months.
"But with supermarket chain ALDI’s entrance into the discount children’s-wear market through a much-feted collaboration with Aussie designer Colette Dinnigan, one has to wonder whether Big W (or any of the other discount department stores) will be affected by this powerful new player in their space…"
