Musgrave stores honoured at internal awards

Three local SuperValu, Centra and MACE stores have clinched the coveted title of ‘Store of the Year’ at Musgrave’s annual awards event on Friday, March 22.

McCool’s SuperValu in Ballymoney claimed the title of SuperValu Store of the Year for a second year. The store, known as the ‘heart of the community’, was recognised for championing local suppliers and causes and consistently keeping local at the forefront.

Boyd’s Centra, Junction One picked up this year’s Centra Store of the Year award. Consistently high standards and a strong sales growth, driven by a strong team, have all contributed to the store’s recent success. It was a family affair for the owners, who pride themselves on high store standards across all of their sites, as the team also picked up MACE Store of the Year for Boyd’s MACE, Toomebridge. The store underwent a substantial development last year, transitioning into a Store of the Future, recently recording its highest week of sales since opening.

Lilley’s Centra, Dublin Road in Enniskillen was announced as this year’s Newcomer of the Year, sponsored by Cushelle. The awards also saw SuperValu Limavady clinching the crown for Fundraising Store of the Year for Action Cancer for a fourth year and McDonald’s MACE, Lurgan winning Fundraiser of the Year for NI Chest Heart and Stroke, both Musgrave’s charity partners.

For the first time, winners of the Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA) Q Mark Awards were also revealed at this year’s Store of the Year Awards, with two stores being recognised this year: Long’s SuperValu Woodburn and Bradley’s Centra, Maghera.

This year’s awards were hosted by TV presenter Eamonn Holmes, taking place at Culloden Estate and Spa.

The annual awards showcase and recognise all of Musgrave’s 240 independent retailers in Northern Ireland across the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands. Finalists are selected following several rigorous rounds of performance and standards audits, with the highest accolade being ‘Store of the Year’.

A shortlist of 31 finalists competed in 13 categories, sponsored by Irwin’s, Britvic, Coca-Cola, Denny and Cushelle.

Categories included Fundraising Stores of the Year across all three brands, as well as MACE Store of the Year under and over 18,000 sqft, whilst Centra stores battled it out for Foodmarket and High Convenience retailer awards. SuperValu and Centra finalists competed in the Company Owned categories before the coveted ‘Store of the Year’ titles were awarded.

Speaking at the event, Musgrave Northern Ireland managing director, Michael McCormack, said:

“Congratulations to all of our finalists and winners at this year’s Store of the Year Awards. We are proud to be able to recognise those retailers who are breaking new ground and who are redefining convenience.

“Our stores and our retailers are at the very heart of their communities, right across Northern Ireland. They deliver a unique customer offering, setting themselves apart from their competitors with a pioneering approach to retail and their commitment to delivering best-in-class customer service.

“The Musgrave Store of the Year Awards are a part of a continuous drive to maintain the highest possible retail standards across the company, with the judging process getting more and more rigorous each year.

“A huge thank you to each and every one of our retailers who work tirelessly to set themselves apart from competitors through hard work, passion and commitment to excellence.”