The night proved to be another hugely successful one for County Down retailer, Tom McAvoy who scooped the coveted Northern Ireland Retailer of the Year 2025 title for his noted Milestone Rathfriland store.

One of Neighbourhood Retailer’s most successful winners, this is a record fifth time they have taken this prestigious award home.

Another successful year for the team at Milestone Rathfriland, they also scooped the Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 3 title and Fresh Food Store of the Year award.

In a particularly special part of the night, the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to CEO of Maxol Group, Brian Donaldson.

A deserving recipient, the 500-strong audience took to their feet, giving Brian a standing ovation as he received his award on stage. Approaching almost 40 years with Maxol, the award is a testament to Brian’s dedication to Maxol and the McMullan family.

A hush descended on the Grand Ballroom at the Crowne Plaza Hotel as all those present listened intently to Brian, who paid tribute to everyone at Maxol as well as the third generation of the McMullan family. He also had a special word of thanks for his wife, Alyson and daughter Jessica for their continued support over the years.

The night was a rousing success for another notable Northern Ireland retailer, as all four Creighton Group stores claimed titles, with Alan Gilliland from Creightons of Finaghy securing the highly regarded Store Manager of the Year award.

There were wins for Creightons of Blacks Road in Forecourt of the Year Cat 1, Food to Go Store of the Year for Creightons of Balmoral, Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 2 for Creightons of Finaghy and Butcher of the Year for JD Hunter & Co, Markethill.

There was huge excitement in the room for our new category, New Product Launch of the Year as everyone waited with bated breath to find out which company would take home the award – and a huge round of applause for the winners, McCain Vibes.

Swizzels Squashies Tropical were Highly Commended in this category and their representatives were also present on the night to collect their certificate.

Hosted once again by Donna Traynor, 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 of our winners and finalists on the night – find out the full list of winners below.

Retailer of the Year 2025:

Winner: Milestone Rathfriland

Lifetime Achievement Award:

Brian Donaldson

Store Manager of the Year:

Winner: Alan Gilliland, Creightons of Finaghy

New Product Launch of the Year:

Winner: McCain Vibes

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 1:

Winner: Lynch’s SPAR Coalisland

Outstanding Customer Service of the Year:

Winner: Bell’s of Crossgar

CTN of the Year:

Winner: ViVO Dunamore

Bakery of the Year:

Winner: Greens Food Fare

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 2:

Winner: Creightons of Finaghy

Off Licence of the Year:

Winner: Kenny’s Food Fare, Kilrea

Forecourt of the Year Cat 1:

Winner: Creightons of Blacks Road

Sustainability Champion of the Year:

Winner: Musgrave NI

Community Store of the Year:

Winner: Scotch Street Filling Station

Neighbourhood Store of the Year Cat 3:

Winner: Milestone Rathfriland

Butcher of the Year:

Winner: JD Hunter & Co. Markethill

Food to Go Store of the Year:

Winner: Creightons of Balmoral

Newcomer of the Year:

Winner: Nearby Monaghan Street, Newry

Forecourt of the Year Cat 2:

Winner: Maxol SPAR Belvoir

Fresh Food Store of the Year:

Winner: Milestone Rathfriland

The post Another Milestone marked at the 2025 Neighbourhood Retailer Awards! first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Renowned across the region as the pinnacle of retail success, the NR Awards have been recognising excellence in retail here for almost 30 years.

It has been another impressive year for entrants to the awards, and with some exciting category updates, we pride ourselves on staying ahead of the curve and reflecting the ever-changing developments in the market here.

We would like to thank Allwyn, operator of The National Lottery, which has returned as our platinum sponsor for the 2025 NR Awards, and category sponsor for the Community Store of the Year award.

Divisional Sales Manager at Allwyn, Wendy Craig spoke of how important it was for Allwyn to highlight and champion the importance of independent retail, describing local retailers as the life and soul of high streets and local communities across Northern Ireland.

“Independent retailers are a vital part of high streets in Northern Ireland and have huge value at the heart of their communities,” said Wendy.

“The majority of Allwyn’s 1500 retail partners in the province are independent stores, many of them in rural areas. Selling National Lottery tickets not only creates footfall and associated sales, but it also generates millions in retail commission each year.

“Independent retailers are also crucial to the enormous good that The National Lottery brings to society through funding to Good Causes,” added Wendy.

The National Lottery recently celebrated the landmark achievement of £1.6 billion being distributed to over 35,000 Good Causes in Northern Ireland, contributing and making a significant difference to the lives of people across the region since funding began in 1994.

From grassroots sports, heritage projects, and arts initiatives to vital health and well-being services, The National Lottery funding has made an impressive difference to the lives of people across Northern Ireland.

Grants big and small have been awarded across the region in every single community. Some of the largest grants ever awarded here include the Odyssey Trust, which was awarded £45 million for entertainment and educational facilities and the construction of the SSE Arena, and the Ulster Folk Museum, awarded £10 million to help preserve history for future generations.

One of the first National Lottery grants was awarded in Northern Ireland back in April 1995 to Belfast City Council, when they were awarded £195,000 for the construction of a pavilion at the Mary Peters Athletics Track.

Meanwhile, we are thrilled to announce that Donna Traynor will return to host this year’s proceedings and look forward to welcoming everyone to the Crowne Plaza Belfast for the biggest night for the Northern Ireland grocery industry.

We will soon begin revealing some of the fantastic finalists shortlisted for this year’s awards – keep your eyes peeled!

DON’T MISS OUT – BOOK YOUR TABLE AT THE 2025 NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER AWARDS HERE!

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Innovation is one of the keys to success and for food producers and manufacturers across the region, getting ahead of the competition is critical to ensuring the success of your products.

New product launches, product innovation and new concepts are essential for the ongoing success of a business.

Following trends and staying ahead of the competition are a sure-fire way of ensuring the success of your products and realising the profit potential.

Now in their 29^th year the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards are Northern Ireland’s most prestigious awards for the grocery industry with a captive audience of over 500 top retailers at the Gala Awards dinner.

The Neighbourhood Retailer Awards recognise the best of the best, celebrating and championing the innovation and dedication of retailers, food producers and manufacturers, and provides you with the perfect opportunity to network with the top names in the industry here.

Independently judged, the NR Awards are a benchmark of success and are highly regarded in the industry, while attending the NR Awards enables you to increase awareness of your brand, putting you front and centre of the biggest and best retailers from across Northern Ireland.

We will be revealing our shortlist for this exciting category in the next issue of Neighbourhood Retailer – stay tuned!

The post Rewarding innovation and success – the 2025 New Product Launch of the Year first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The NR Awards are an annual gala event which recognises and celebrates the innovation, ingenuity and dedication of the grocery industry in Northern Ireland.

Set apart from others, the NR Awards are independently judged, with Spotcheck judges assessing a number of criteria and compiling a shortlist of the brightest and best in Northern Irish retail.

Noted for being the biggest night of celebration for independent retailers here, the NR Awards gala night gives you the opportunity to celebrate your staff, network with colleagues and catch up with old friends, all against the backdrop of top entertainment and food in an exciting setting.

Friday 17^th October is the date for this year’s NR Awards, when the top retailers, brand owners, service providers and top executives will come together at the Crowne Plaza Hotel for the most prestigious retail awards in Northern Ireland.

So don’t miss out on being at the biggest night for the industry here – book your table today!

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