A five-star night at 30th Neighbourhood Retailer Awards!

It was a night to remember at the 2026 Neighbourhood Retailer Awards, as the event returned to the venue where it all began three decades ago.

As Northern Ireland’s top retailers came together at the Europa Hotel, there was a real sense of celebration, as finalists, sponsors and guests looked forward to an exciting night.

It was a very special night for County Down store, Fiveways Newry which was named as Northern Ireland’s Retailer of the Year, winning the coveted title for 2026.

The family-run store, which is well-known and widely respected right across the region, enjoyed a hugely successful night as they also claimed the Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 3 title and Off Licence of the Year award.

In a particularly special part of the night, the 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Debra Johnston, the formidable force behind FFI.

A very deserving recipient, the audience took to their feet, giving Debra a standing ovation as she received her award on stage. With decades of service given to the grocery industry here and 25 years with Food Force Ireland, Debra is set to retire next January and so this special accolade was a fitting celebration of her lengthy career.

The night was also a notable success for Creightons of Balmoral, which claimed the Food to Go Store of the Year award for the second consecutive year, as well as winning the Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 2 award. Meanwhile, Milestone Rathfriland also enjoyed repeated success, claiming the Fresh Food Store of the Year title for the second consecutive year and securing this year’s Bakery of the Year award.

There was also a great buzz in the room with the return of the New Product Launch of the Year award, with an impressive 12 finalists in the running. This year the title was claimed by Boost for their Water+ Electrolytes.

The category was a very competitive one, with two Highly Commended titles handed out respectively to Swizzels for their Triple Dip Sour and Britvic Ireland for their Pepsi Zero Sugar Cream Soda and Strawberries & Cream.

Hosted by Pamela Ballantine, the winning stores across 18 categories were announced over the course of the gala awards evening, with store owners and representatives appearing on stage to collect their awards.

It was another record year for entries, culminating in a fantastic awards evening for winners and finalists on the night.

Huge congratulations to all our winners and finalists – find out the full list of winners below!

Retailer of the Year 2026:

Winner: Fiveways Newry

Helen Meehan (centre) manager of Fiveways Newry is pictured with (from left) Dominic O’Hare, Olivia Meehan, Declan Byrne, Noel Loughran, Yvonne Carr and Matt Mclean, Symbols Manager at category sponsor, BAT UK

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Debra Johnston

Store Manager of the Year:

Winner: James Kelly, Lynch’s EUROSPAR Trench Road

James Kelly (right) is pictured with Gavan Morris, International Business Unit Director at AG Barr, category sponsor

New Product Launch of the Year:

Winner: Boost Water+ Electrolytes

Gavan Morris, International Business Unit Director at AG Barr (left) is pictured with Daniel Comiskey, Head of Marketing at S&W Wholesale, category sponsor

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 1:

Winner: Maxol Hilden

Nicola Farrell from Maxol Hilden is pictured with Ben Lyons, Assistant Vice President at Lockton, category sponsor

Outstanding Customer Service:

Winner: Nearby Monaghan Street, Newry

Jennifer McQuillan (right) from Nearby Monaghan Street is pictured with Dawn Cartmill, on behalf of category sponsor, Ireland’s Wedding Journal

CTN of the Year:

Winner: Simpson’s MyDaily

Leslie Harte, store manager at Simpson’s MyDaily (left) is pictured with Iain Levy, Director UK Field Force at category sponsor, Philip Morris International

Bakery of the Year:

Winner: Milestone Rathfriland

Katie McAvoy from Milestone Rathfriland (left) is pictured Caroline Rainey, Editor at NI Baker Magazine, category sponsor

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 2:

Winner: Creightons of Balmoral

Jack McCullough from Creightons of Balmoral (left) is pictured with Michael Flannigan, partner at category sponsor, FEB Chartered Accountants

Off Licence of the Year:

Winner: Fiveways Newry

Dominic O’Hare is pictured with Nikki George, on behalf of category sponsor Diageo

Forecourt of the Year Cat 1:

Winner: Centra Lake Road

Tom Greene (left) from Centra Lake Road is pictured with Eddie Devine, Head of Symbol & Independents BAT UK from category sponsor, Velo

Sustainability Champion of the Year:

Winner: Musgrave Northern Ireland

David Higgins (left) Retail Sales Director at Musgrave Northern Ireland is pictured with Oliver Rowntree, who leads Business Development at category sponsor, RVM Systems

Community Store of the Year:

Winner: Kelly’s EUROSPAR Maghera

Tiarnan Kelly (left) from Kelly’s EUROSPAR Maghera is pictured with Dave Allwyn, Retail Sales Manager at category sponsor, Allwyn

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 3:

Winner: Fiveways Newry

Helen Meehan and Declan Byrne (right) from Fiveways Newry are pictured with Jamie Thompson, Director at Thompson’s Tea, category sponsor

Butcher of the Year:

Winner: JC Stewarts EUROSPAR

Andrew Scott (right) from JC Stewarts EUROSPAR is pictured with Marty Donnelly, Senior Business Development Manager at category sponsor, Spice O’ Life

Food to Go Store of the Year:

Winner: Creightons of Balmoral

Frank Place (centre) from Creightons of Balmoral is pictured with Bill Penton (left) and Patrick Graham, Senior Regional Sales Manager at category sponsor, Stephens Catering

Newcomer of the Year:

Winner: EUROSPAR Moira Road

Szandra Pap from EUROSPAR Moira Road is pictured with Michael Flannigan (right) partner at category sponsor, FEB Chartered Accountants and Bill Penton, MD of Penton Media Group

Forecourt of the Year Cat 2:

Winner: Bells SuperValu Crossgar

Gabriel Bell, from Bells SuperValu Crossgar (left) is pictured with Richard Sweet, Sales & Marketing Director at category sponsor, AIR-serv

Fresh Food Store of the Year:

Winner: Milestone Rathfriland