Centra Brookmount, Omagh

Ask its customers and they’ll tell you that Centra Brookmount Omagh is a great store. The owners know it as well and now it’s been made official after being named Centra Store of the Year at the Musgrave Retail Partners annual awards.

Centra Brookmount beat off stiff competition from 81 Centra stores across Northern Ireland and it’s testament to owners Jackie McElhinney and Neil Sweeney who have grown the business since its inception in 1984 with a small VG shop and four staff.

After various renovations the business has expanded over the years and in In 2004 Neil and Jackie bought property adjacent to the store and in 2008 commenced building a new 4,000sq foot building which opened in 2008 and is operating successfully today.

The new store included the addition of an off-licence, hot food and a deli.

The old store building was then renovated again and converted into four rental units which now house Brookmount Pharmacy, Edge Barbers, Mr Chippy and Blush Beauty Salon – all bringing footfall to the new Centra store.

One thing remained constant; the staff. In fact, manager Earl Patterson has been with the company since the outset in 1984.

“We had a huge capital expenditure programme in 2008,” explained Neil.

“Initially, our main objective was to build a sustainable and viable business but our focus in the past year was to aim to become ‘best in class’ and the team have achieved this with the Musgrave award.”

He added: “We have grown from a £1.5 million business to a £3m business since the new build – which itself has brought its own challenges due to such sudden growth but it’s all positive.”

As Neil and Jackie were massively overtrading on their floor space, they knew that a bigger store would achieve its aims, despite being built as the recession took hold.

Today business is strong in store with sections such as fresh meat being a real traffic builder.

With the butcher, fresh, deli, hot food, and coffee offering it’s a destination shop, more than a convenience store which draws people in from outside the local area.

The staff have obviously played their part too and Neil is quick to praise the team for all the work they have put in over the years.

“The dedication of our manager, Earl Patterson and our staff, has been instrumental in getting us where we are today.  It takes everyone to play their part to make a business successful.

“Appreciation must also be given to our regional manager, Colum Durey, who is an excellent support to us at all times.”

The store was named Centra Store of the Year this month and Neil and the team were extremely proud of their achievement.

“There was great excitement among the staff when we arrived back the following day from the gala event in Newcastle,” enthused Neil.

“Even our customers were delighted for us, which is great to see!”

Looking to the future, Jackie and Neil are looking to build n the current successes and keep growing the business organically.

“Even during the financial crisis we were confident that if we put up the right offer, service and quality that we would grow the business,” said Neil.

“We have now achieved that growth which has been fantastic when many businesses are declining.”

He added: “Our plan for the future is simple.  We intend to improve in price, quality and service for our loyal customer base.”

* Download the digital issue on the homepage to see the full article. 

 Pictured top are: Neil Sweeney (left) and Jackie McElhinney