Lifestyle Aggregates, trading as Stones4Homes, is a leading supplier of decorative stones and cobbles, slate chippings and rockery stones for domestic and commercial use.

Based at Barlby, near Selby, Stones4Homes, was established in 2008 and has based its strategy for growth on delivering excellence in customer service to its range of customers, whether they are merchants, professional landscapers or homeowners.

Staff there like to think they provide the shopping experience that they would like to receive when they go shopping, and it is this philosophy which they hope will stand them in good stead in the Small Business category of The Press Business Awards 2013.

Stones4Homes has invested in the development of its website, recognising the importance of the internet when customers are searching for decorative aggregate for their garden.

And they believe they can offer personal service even through this “remote” medium, answering queries promptly and providing advice in the same way that they do over the phone or face to face.

While the company offers national delivery it has focused its efforts on the local market, serving York and the surrounding areas. It has built relationships with landscapers and homeowners to encourage repeat custom and word-of-mouth recommendation. By concentrating efforts on this area Stones4Homes is able to control the quality of service that is offered by employing its own delivery drivers and using its own Stones4Homes trucks.

This ensures that there is no reduction in service to the customer by passing this key element of the process to a third party. This demonstrates the importance that Stones4Homes places on customer service and delivering excellence at every stage of the buying process.