Sustaining success at Milestone
Some 37 years in business and with countless award wins under his belt, the thrill of success remains for County Down retailer, Tom McAvoy. Following a triple win at this year’s NR Awards, including the overall Retailer of the Year, NR visited Milestone Rathfriland to see what it takes to stay on your A game.
The crowded Grand Ballroom erupted into cheers when Milestone Rathfriland was named the 2025 Retailer of the Year at this year’s NR Awards.
For a record-breaking fifth time, Tom and Ann McAvoy and the team at Milestone were awarded the most prestigious title in Northern Ireland retail – a remarkable success and one that goes down in the history books.
Almost four decades in the business, Tom and the whole team at Milestone Rathfriland do not rest on their laurels, continuing to lead the charge on innovation and setting the standards in the grocery industry in Northern Ireland.
Indeed, judges heaped praise on the store, highlighting how it had distinguished itself through its “superior and diverse range”, balancing popular essentials with specialised and bespoke goods, including many crafted on-site.
“This expansive selection is complemented by an unfailingly excellent service culture, which has fostered powerful customer loyalty and guaranteed a positive shopping journey,” said the judges.
“Furthermore, this is a business that takes its role in the community seriously, actively investing in resources that, in turn, fuels the store’s sustained success.”
Milestone Rathfriland secured two more trophies on Friday 17th October, with a win as Fresh Food Store of the Year and Neighbourhood Store of the Year Category 3, further cementing their status as the retailer to beat. As Tom explained to NR during a visit to the store, they were delighted to win the Fresh Food Store award as this category is where they have focused over the last few years.
“We were hoping to win the fresh food award as we have worked hard on that,” said Tom.
“Fresh is a big sales driver in the store and it’s something we have focused on growing and delivering on for our customers.”
Having opened in 1988, Tom has seen many changes and developments within the industry in the last 37 years, with the growth of fresh food amongst them.
“There has definitely been a big push towards more fresh food offering. It’s a way of hunting for more business – if you do not do that you are limiting yourself in getting people in.”
Milestone Rathfriland started life as a small filling station with a kiosk, bought some 37 years ago by Tom, who was an engineer by trade. He has previously admitted to not intending to stay in the business for long, aiming to get it up and running before moving on. However, once he got immersed into the business he couldn’t leave.
“I really do enjoy it and it’s all-consuming, but it’s rewarding at the same time,” Tom previously told NR. “If I don’t keep pushing, it gets boring, so that’s why we keep trying to innovate and in turn, elevate the business.”
With a background in engineering, it has always ensured he has a great interest in machinery and production lines, experimenting with the latest machines and demonstrating those machines to other retailers.
Over the years, there has been an increasing demand from customers who want restaurant-quality food, ready-made for them to take home and Milestone Rathfriland has been ahead of the curve on this, with the business going from strength to strength with continual investment and development in these areas.
With a plan to continue developing their food to go and fresh food elements of the business, this has been a key focus for the team at Milestone and it has been reaping rewards. Over the last few years they have claimed awards wins in Food to Go, Store of the Year Cat 4 and Retailer of the Year – cementing an already well-established status as one of the top retailers in Northern Ireland.
Renowned across the region and indeed throughout Ireland and GB, Tom has put the success of the store down to their ability to provide several services under one roof, with a comfortable setting, a place to meet, greet, eat and shop all in one exceptional space.
Milestone Rathfriland proudly stands at an impressive 16,000 sq ft, a bright, modern store that works hard to serve the local community as well as enjoying custom from shoppers who travel from further afield.
Following an extensive renovation and expansion, Tom and Ann opened the larger store in 2014, however they continue to move with the times, and over the last 11 years they have continued to upgrade and modernise the store.
READ THE FULL FEATURE ON MILESTONE RATHFRILAND IN THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE
