There is no time like the present to start your entry process and we can reveal that we have already received some fantastic entries, highlighting the importance of this annual event each year.

A recognition of the continued ambition, innovation and dedication of independent retailers throughout Northern Ireland, the NR Awards celebrate what is a very special industry.

An exciting development for the 2026 gala awards dinner is the return to the iconic Europa Hotel – seeing the event return to the venue where it all began three decades ago.

Renowned for welcoming famous faces and hosting a plethora of prestigious events, we are delighted that the NR Awards will once again be held at this stunning venue.

A core part of the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards is the independent judging process and we are delighted to once again be associated with Spotcheck NI, a relationship that has been going for as long as the awards themselves. With mystery shoppers and independent judges, the process is committed to finding the best retailers across the region, guaranteeing integrity and quality.

With a host of unique categories, the NR Awards draw entries from more than 500 retailers here, all vying to be the best at what they do. Since the awards were launched, they have become an absolute must-attend on the annual calendar, the perfect place to meet and greet as well as network and celebrate with your colleagues in the industry.

The 2025 gala awards dinner was a night of glitz and glamour as the best in the business from across the region gathered together, while host Donna Traynor ensured the special occasion went smoothly.

The top award – the 2025 Retailer of the Year went to Tom McAvoy, owner and director of Milestone Rathfriland, who made history claiming the title for a record fifth time.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have been named Northern Ireland Retailer of the Year 2025. It is a real honour to be recognised among the very best in the industry once again,” said Tom.

“This award is testament to our incredible team at Milestone Rathfriland, their passion, creativity, and commitment to excellence drive everything we do.”

Meanwhile, sponsor of the Forecourt of the Year Category 1 award, Monster Energy spoke of their delight at being involved with the awards.

“Monster Energy was delighted to attend and support the NR Awards. It was our first year partnering with the event and it proved to be a fantastic night enjoyed by all,” said Brian Connolly, Business Director Island of Ireland at Monster Energy.

“The awards provided a brilliant opportunity to connect with the very best in Northern Irish retail and celebrate their success.”

We are thrilled to have Allwyn back on board as our platinum sponsor for the 2026 NR Awards, we look forward to working with them in the months ahead as we count down to this year’s event.

Now is your chance to be part of the biggest night in Northern Irish retail – start entering today!

The post ARE YOU AN AWARD WINNER? first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Business owners across the region are working hard to stay open while they battle against these costs, trying to keep prices down, taking care of their staff and is some cases have pivoted their business in some manner to keep drawing consumers in.

Back in October 2024, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves put forward the first Labour Budget in 14 years, announcing a raft of measures which impacted the retail sector and SMEs generally. Since then, these businesses have had to address these financial implications and assess the viability of their businesses.

Having come through the pandemic, praised for being key workers and being on the frontline of an unprecedented lockdown period, retailers have been bombarded with significant challenges from huge rises in energy bills, the cost-of-living crisis and continued rising business costs, leaving the last few years a hardened battleground for SMEs.

On top of this, legislation working through government will see new challenges within the tobacco and vaping sector, while the single-use vape ban has already made its mark, and illicit tobacco remains a thorn in the side of retailers here.

Post Offices across Northern Ireland are also calling out for an increase in their services, stating they have faced a decade of decline, and are asking MLAs for real help and tangible support to battle the challenges they are also facing.

NI President of the Fed, Julie Brown told NR that they had met with Jim Shannon MP to stress the difficulties independent retailers here are facing, and warned that if higher tazes and energy costs weren’t addressed, they would likely lead to shorter shop opening hours and cutting staff hours.

“These have been very trying and testing times, that is what we are all facing generally,” said Julie.

“So far, we have managed to negotiate our way through without many changes, but we are constantly looking for new suppliers, new lines to bring in and ways to keep our costs under control.”

Meanwhile, Stormont is considering whether to bring forward an Employment Rights Bill that proposes to reform 17 separate areas of employment law in one move. As Roger Pollen, Head of the FSB NI told NR, were it to proceed, the Bill could cause extraordinary turmoil within NI’s vital SME community.

“The Department brought forward a massive suite of proposals nearly two years ago, called the ‘Good Jobs Bill’, yet their consultation process has meant that few employers are aware of them in outline, let alone in detail,” said Roger.

“We now await the revised Bill which, once published, will let business owners start to get to grips with what it might mean for them as employers. This matters; not least as the recent actions of Westminster have repeatedly driven up the cost of employing people, with a worrying contraction in graduate jobs offers perhaps being the harbinger of worse things to come.”

SEE THE FULL FEATURE IN THE MARCH ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

The post What lies ahead for NI’s high streets? first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Applegreen will open Northern Ireland’s first Taco Bell at its Lisburn North location on the M1 next month.

“We are really excited to announce this partnership to launch the iconic Taco Bell brand in Northern Ireland,” said John Diviney, Managing Director of Applegreen UK.

“Taco Bell has been a huge success on the island of Ireland since we launched our first outlet in Dunshaughlin, Co Meath last September, and it has also been very popular with our customers in Britain.”

Bringing Taco Bell to Northern Ireland will provide consumers with additional choice, added Mr Diviney.

“Applegreen’s core goal is to offer our customers high quality roadside hospitality by partnering with leading brands such as Taco Bell. The enhancements that we constantly make to our business are designed to delight our customers and to provide them with an even better experience.”

Applegreen currently operates three Taco Bell outlets in the Republic of Ireland and 10 Taco Bells at its Welcome Break business in the UK. The Taco Bell at Lisburn North will be open seven days a week, from 11am to 10pm.

“Taco Bell’s opening in Northern Ireland marks another exciting step forward in our rapid expansion across the UK and Ireland,” said Keyur Patel, Market Leader, Taco Bell UK & Ireland.

“We’re proud to expand Taco Bell’s footprint and bring our bold flavours and iconic products to new consumers.”

Taco Bell, which is based in Irvine, California, operates more than 8,700 restaurants worldwide. Known for its craveable and bold Mexican-inspired flavours, Taco Bell’s menu offers a variety of delicious products and unique tastes. Consumer favourites include the famous Crunchy Taco as well as Burritos, Quesadillas, Nachos, and the iconic Crunchwrap Supreme.

Applegreen operates five locations in Northern Ireland. The two largest sites are just outside Lisburn, on the northern and southern sides of the M1 motorway, and it also has sites in Templepatrick, Ballymena, and Hillsborough.

Opening Taco Bell in Northern Ireland is part of a €1 billion upgrade and expansion plan by Applegreen that will see significant investment across the company’s operations in Ireland, the UK, and the United States.

Applegreen, which is one of Ireland’s leading hospitality brands, currently operates about 435 locations and has more than 700 branded food outlets across its international network. The company employs about 17,000 people and had annual sales of €3.8 billion in 2024.

Applegreen has almost 200 sites in the Republic of Ireland and also operates 61 service areas and 31 hotels in the UK through its Welcome Break business. Welcome Break employs more than 6,000 people in the UK and serves more than 85 million customers annually.

Welcome Break, which can trace its roots back to 1959 and the beginning of motorway services in Britain, is a leading operator of motorway and roadside service areas in the UK.

The post Applegreen to launch Taco Bell in Northern Ireland first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

From 7^th June, every £2 Lotto line will give players two chances to win – all for the same price and with the same number of balls to choose from, with a new two-round format every draw.

The change improves players’ chances of winning any prize from 1-in-9.3 to 1-in-4.9 and is expected to more than double the number of Lotto millionaires from around 140 a year to around 345.

As the nation’s ‘millionaire maker’, the new Lotto format will be the perfect complement to the UK’s first £1bn+ mega-jackpot game, which is coming this summer with the launch of a UK-specific version of Powerball. This will see UK players playing alongside their US counterparts for a chance to win the mega, shared jackpot – which will be paid out over 30 years to UK jackpot winners. The game is expected to deliver around £1bn more to UK Good Causes over the first five years, with over 30% of the ticket price returned to UK Good Causes.

Allwyn CEO, Andria Vidler said: “We are delivering on our promise to bring more games, more entertainment and more innovation to The National Lottery.

“With extensive upgrades to our digital and retail channels now complete, we have a fantastic summer lined up, as we are now able to bring these exciting new games to our players.”

Tickets for new Lotto will go on sale from Sunday 7^th June*, with the first draw taking place on Wednesday 10^th June. The Lotto draws will continue to take place at around 8pm every Saturday and Wednesday.

The new two-round structure will see two sets of six main balls and a Bonus Ball drawn using two separate draw machines. This means a player could win in Round 1, Round 2, or both rounds, all from a single Lotto line.

Founded in 1992, Powerball is the world’s biggest rolling jackpot game, with an uncapped jackpot starting at £12m and transformational prizes on offer. In addition to making its biggest-ever winner of over $2.04bn in 2022, over the past 34 years, Powerball has generated an estimated $38bn for good causes, including education and scholarships, veteran services, parks and recreation, and more.

Powerball is launching in the UK in partnership with the Multi-State Lottery Association (MUSL) – a non-profit association owned and operated by its member lotteries. With 48 US-based lotteries already participating in Powerball, Allwyn will be launching a tailored version of the game for UK players.

Priced at £4 per line, this will see them playing for a chance to win the shared jackpot, paid out over 30 years for UK winners, by matching five main numbers plus the Powerball.

More info on the two new games can be found here: Powerball: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/powerball / Lotto: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/new-lotto / Lotto HotPicks: https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/new-lotto-hotpicks

*Game launches are subject to final regulatory approval

The post Two huge new National Lottery games launching this summer first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

A group of passionate and innovative independent butchers from across the island of Ireland, the Irish Butchers’ Guild was formed in 2019 initially as an initiative for butchers to support themselves and each other.

Dedicated to delivering uncompromising quality and great service, there are approximately 50 members of the Guild, with a number of those being Northern Irish butchers, including several award-winning businesses.

As founding member and chair of the Guild, Jason Corrigan explained to NR, it is a place for sharing ideas and asking for advice.

“I found that butchers were always seeing each other as competition, but what it comes down to is that we are all looking for customers the same as each other,” said Jason.

“The competition is really with the supermarkets and big multiples.

“There was never any help out there for people and so I decided that we needed to set something up that would give butchers the chance to talk to each and have somewhere to share advice and support each other. We have all gone through similar situations and challenges.”

Now in its seventh year, there was a steady uptake to the Guild and over the years this has grown to around 50 members, with approximately five from Northern Ireland, including Cunningham’s Butchers in Kilkeel, McKay Family Butchers in Ballycastle and Millar Meats in Irvinestown. Guild members regularly travel to member stores and other butchers, something Jason described as very important.

“I really find that physically being in the shop is so beneficial, you see more of what is happening and how things work practically and in the shop context,” said Jason.

“It’s all about helping each other out; everyone is always so approachable and willing to show you around their shop and take the time to explain what they’ve done, it’s really helpful.”

One of their recent trips to Northern Ireland saw Guild members visit the butchery at JD Hunter & Co. in Markethill, notably the 2025 Butcher of the Year at last year’s Neighbourhood Retailer Awards. Head Butcher Adrian Boyd and the team welcomed Guild members as part of their tour of top butchers in Northern Ireland, with the store hailing it a “very special day”.

“We share ideas and new products we have developed ourselves or those that our suppliers have brought to us, and which have worked for us,” said Jason. “It’s about helping each other come up with a new perspective.

“The visits to other butchers are really important. You get together in the evening and talk about everything. Yes, we can do that via WhatsApp, but being together and being able to talk in-depth about a range of things is so important.

“You can pick up little nuggets of gold and you may not have thought about doing something a certain way but hear of how it worked for another butcher. I am a big advocate of going to see other butchers.”

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH JASON CORRIGAN IN THE 2026 NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER YEARBOOK HERE

The post Irish Butchers’ Guild – setting the gold standard for butchery first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.