The local business stood out among a competitive array of businesses who competed for the title, showcasing creativity, thought, and a festive spirit that captured the essence of Holywood’s unique charm.

This recognition is a testament to Urban Orchard Giftshop’s commitment to enhancing the visual appeal of Holywood’s unique High Street and contributing to the vibrant local, independent business community. The award celebrates the effort and creativity invested in creating a captivating and visually stunning window display.

Gayle Johnston, the owner of Urban Orchard Giftshop, expressed her surprise and gratitude.

“We are absolutely thrilled to be recognised by Holywood Chamber for our window display – it was totally unexpected but very much appreciated,” said Gayle.

“We worked hard this year to make sure our window showcased our products whilst creating a little bit of magic for shoppers. To be recognised for our efforts is just lovely.”

Leslie Waite, member of Holywood Chamber and owner of Hannah’s Florist, commented on the significance of recognising businesses that contribute to the town’s aesthetic appeal.

“A well-designed and thought-out window display not only attracts customers but also adds to the overall ambiance of our town. Urban Orchard Giftshop has excelled this year, and indeed throughout the year, and their win is very well-deserved,” said Leslie.

“It’s wonderful to see local businesses taking pride in presenting Holywood as an inviting and a must-visit place offering a unique products and services unavailable in other towns.”

The post Urban Orchard Giftshop in Holywood wins Best Dressed Window Display first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The event has become an integral part of the company’s annual programme for customer engagement and provides an excellent platform to meet with retailers and exhibit new products.

Gary Hopkins, National Account Manager, said: “We were delighted to participate in the Food Force Ireland trade show again in person this year after two years of virtual shows, and took the opportunity to showcase our PRM and Galberts brand refreshes.

“We have a number of exciting new products within our Galberts portfolio including our luxury trifles, cheesecake and salad range. We also featured our new Bol Foods range which would make a great addition to any stores chilled convenience meals and soup offering.

“In addition we featured our key range of brands available to Food Force Ireland members including Muller, Alpro, Kinder Chilled, Total, Galberts and HB Ice Cream to name but a few.  We always look forward to engaging with our customers at this event and our strong ‘Deals of the Day’ always create excitement amongst Food Force Ireland members.

“At PRM Group we are committed to excellent customer service, freshness of product, delivery on time and order fulfilment. Based in Lisburn for 35 years, we pride ourselves on the strong reputation we have built in providing a price-competitive, local solution for retailers.

“Thank you to Debra Johnston and the Food Force Ireland team for organising another successful tradeshow.”

To find out more about PRM Group’s complete range of products please contact them via phone on (028) 92 620200 or email sales@prmgroup.co.uk

The post PRM Attends Food Force Ireland Tradeshow first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The initiative has been introduced by Holywood Chamber of Commerce and created by local business, JohnsonWestco, using both drone technology and 360-degree VR photography.

The digital tour commences with a 360-degree birds-eye view of the Co Down village, allowing the user to move between 11 drones to view the entire town as if in the sky.  It also allows full zoom-in access with an option to enter the shops in a first-hand immersive experience, virtually placing them in the picture, allowing exploration of the location.

Holywood Chamber of Commerce, whose mission it is to promote the business interests of Holywood town and the surrounding areas, say they feel the project will help put them on the map both locally and internationally.

Leslie Waite, Joint President of Holywood Chamber of Commerce, and owner of Hannah’s Florist, said: “As a business owner in Holywood for over 52 years, I am really excited about this new technology which will really help us shout about just how amazing Holywood is to visit, shop and do business in.

“The drone footage and photography are second-to-none and really brings our town to life showing everything from the beautiful seafront, historical points of interest, to public transport links, parking, to the 70+ independent shops spanning everything from ladies clothing boutiques, to silversmiths, award-winning restaurants and the many delicious coffee shops and delicatessens.”

The Holywood Virtual Tour is accessible via smart phone, tablet, computer or VR headset, and the different businesses featured can embed the link to the tour within their own website and social media channels.

Call-out tags have been placed throughout the Tour which give further details about an individual business’s product or service, allowing a photo gallery, digital brochure, voucher or menus to be uploaded, linking to external websites or E-commerce store.

David Johnson, co-owner of JohnsonWestCo said: “We are over the moon to be finally launching Holywood’s Virtual Tour after many months of planning and hard work.

“The technology will not only help tourism, but it will also help boost sales and footfall as it allows potential visitors to get a glimpse of what’s on offer before they embark on a trip. It also allows businesses to link their own E-commerce websites to the tour, boosting sales internationally.”

Susi Diesel, Co-President of Holywood Chamber and Manager of Camphill Coffee Shop, said: “We are delighted that Holywood is the first to invest in this technology – it is such a unique town, rich in both history, character and culture and made up of so many different amazing independent businesses that allow visitors to get a real-life glimpse onto the High Street and the surrounding areas.”

Susi concluded: “35 businesses have already signed up to the project, with more being added weekly. We urge anyone who hasn’t signed up yet to get in touch as the more businesses we have listed, the more it offers the viewer.”

Visit www.holywoodchamber.co.uk for further details on the Holywood Virtual Tour.

Caption: Leslie Waite, Co-President of Belfast Chamber with David Johnson, co-owner of JohnsonWestCo, and Susi Diesel, Co-President of Holywood Chamber, pictured launching the Holywood Virtual Tour.

The post Holywood Chamber Launches First Ever Virtual Reality Tour first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In recent weeks the business announced that it had acquired the three branches of Knotts Bakery in Newtownards and following on from the success of its online offer, launched during the pandemic, it has just launched its groundbreaking new food hall, Fayre at Corries.

That new launch has come about after Corries acquired Four Seasons Greengrocers and Delicatessen in Cherryvalley, which has provided an extensive range of in-house ready meals and delivery services for fruit and vegetables and other foods, especially cheese and charcuterie, over many years to the people of east Belfast.

Corries Farm Butchers already had a branch in Cherryvalley in the same row of shops as the new premises, as Stock and Compliance Manager Julie Hope explains.

Customer base

“Our shop in Cherryvalley was established in 2008 and it’s a great area, with a lovely customer base, most visiting us every day so the staff would know them quite well – it’s a great community,” she says.

“So Gary McNally, the owner of Four Seasons Deli and Greengrocers, had approached my brother William Corrie in early 2021 about purchasing the property as he was considering early retirement.”

With bigger premises, this triggered the concept of a new style of shop, keeping the fruit and veg/ deli alongside the butcher.

“The purchase of Knotts – meant we had a a baker, which would sit nicely with the rest.”

Julie says her grandfather Willie Corrie had moved from Monaghan to the Ards Peninsula in 1947 and set up Drumhilla Farm – the family farm that is still at the root of the business.

“He was approached by a neighbour on the road and asked if he could butcher one of his cattle.

“And that was the first customer and then it led from there – now we have seven retail shops and an online delivery service.”

Retail launch

In 1977, Willie and his son Will Corrie launched the first retail shop on the farm itself, but it wasn’t until 2000 that the first town shop was opened by Will’s eldest son Gareth in Regent Street in Newtownards.

“Early on was a lot of bulk buys, such as hindquarters or forequarters. But the nature of shopping has changed so much – a lot of people just buy from day to day. So we knew there was a drive at that stage for Gareth to open the town shop, providing the convenience of location.

“We still offer the bulk buy aspect at the farm but it’s not as popular as it used to be.

“From there, Will’s youngest son William Corrie came on board and he opened a shop in Ballyhackamore. After that came Holywood, then Cherryvalley, then Ormeau Road, then Comber Road in Dundonald.”

Artisan foods

During the pandemic, the family began to notice a growing appreciation for artisan local foods which prompted the launch of their online shop, which in turn allowed them to offer a wider range.

“Over lockdown, demand soared for fresh local produce, and Brexit highlighted how much was being imported and how much we have on our doorstep,” Julie says.

“People also realised how much better local produce was. Also supermarket delivery slots filled up so quickly that we were able to step into the gap and deliver.

“We also had the opportunity to access a large range of produce and not be restricted by shop shelves with our online service. It also gave us the opportunity to work much more with our fantastic local producers.

“We were able to be that medium for those suppliers to be able to sell their products through to our audience. It was a great opportunity and we forged relationships with a lot of suppliers and we realised how much extra produce there was out there.

“We started throughout existing app and then in autumn 2021 with the help of Eyekiller we launched our new ecommerce website, offering both home delivery and click and collect at any of our stores. We are constantly looking at the demand, changing how we are serving the community,” she says.

Showcase hall

The next step is now that Corries can showcase those products in their new larger food hall at Fayre at Corries in Cherryvalley..

“Now that we have these shelves we will be able to make it available for walking in and purchasing, not restricting it to online,” Julie says.

“There are lovely cheeses, crackers, charcuterie, apple juice from Armagh and lots more.”

The main department in the new food hall will still be Corries meat, Julie says.

“There’ll be the main counter that you can go and get your roast or your cuts to your liking, because that’s the great thing about your local butcher, you can get it exactly as you want it.

“We will have an extensive prepack range, and then we will also be using the Four Seasons fruit and veg range to be able to offer meal pairings. Through this you can get your roast veg to go and your potato to go with the roast that you’ve got.

Meal pairings

“Or if you’re going for a steak night you can go and get your mushrooms or your crispy onions or your pepper sauce, you can lift from all areas of the shop. That’s what we’re excited about, being able to offer a full meal plan and not having to go down the road for the next bit and so on.

“Then of course, through Knotts we’ll be able to offer the dessert option too, and then there will be a wider range of cakes and traybakes and scones.

“We’re going to have an oven in the shop so we’re going to be freshly baking croissants and cookies every day. And for those people just wanting sheer convenience, there will be pies, there’ll be bakes, there’ll be things for you to grab and pop in the oven.

“There’ll be everything from your roast dinners to your lasagne, garlic potatoes and coleslaw – the range is huge. It could be chicken curry and rice, it could be a big portion of stew, chicken and broccoli pasta bake – whatever you fancy, it will hopefully be there for you.”

Kitchen expansion

To accommodate that expansion, Corrie’s will be growing their kitchen production at the farm, but also via Knotts.

“Now with having Knotts, we have the option of production across both sites,” Julie says.

“Then of course, you’ve got the wealth of knowledge from the chefs within Knotts, so all the recipe development across both businesses are very exciting.

“We’re looking to offer that little bit more because we want to be more than just your standard local convenience store, we want to be able to offer something a wee bit more than just your sausages in a prepack and your chicken goujons in a prepack. We’ve a lot of exciting new products coming in over the next while so watch this space.

“This gives us an opportunity now to be able to research what else we can offer the customer, so that convenience doesn’t mean that you’re just going to be getting that bog standard range. We’ll be looking at the presentation of it, and just upping that standard, so that people are still getting that gourmet option but with the convenience of a prepack.

“We value our customer feedback and will be keen to hear from everyone.”

Major renovation

The premises have undergone considerable renovation since they were acquired by Corries, Julie says.

“We’ve added an upstairs for improved storage and an office space, and then that frees up more space down on the ground floor. We’ve pretty much gutted it, we took the roof off, we added another layer,” she says.

“We’re putting in the oven which can bake croissants and the cookies and different things fresh every day, several times a day. It’s basically a blank canvas, and it’s exciting to see the design grow. Even as the purchase of Knotts came in we allocated a bigger area for them, whereas before we were just looking for a baker to come on board for just a small part of it.

“We’ve tried to make each area slightly different with the colours being used and there are lovely tiles in place. So it’s a mix of a modern store but still a lovely aspect of tiles and not just all PVC printed.”

Future potential

Even after the launch, there will still more ways of developing Fayre at Corries, Julie says.

“There’s so much potential – we’ve got our fresh orange juice machine coming in, we’ve got the freshly baked bread, so those things could lead to other things. We’re trying to look at our sustainability aspect, so we’re looking at those dispensers for your granola, your seeds and those things in and around your fresh produce.

“We’re looking at reducing our packaging, and we’d love just to be that lighter carbon footprint within the store.

“We’ll have maybe sampling, maybe demos, maybe a night where people could come in, maybe looking at Christmas. There’s so much you could possibly do but at the moment we’ll get up and running first. We’’ll be quite keen to get the feedback from the customers to see what they are looking for within the community, so watch this space.

“At the minute it’s such a different business – going from a butchery to a bakery and cafe and whatnot – that we’re really taking our time to get our heads around that business first and then look at it. But obviously there’s such potential when you’ve got a restaurant, catering staff and a bakery – there’s lots of exciting plans!”

To read the full feature, visit the June/July edition of Neighbourhood Retailer.

The post Fayre thee well: Inside the new Fayre at Corries food hall in Belfast’s Cherryvalley. first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The highly anticipated store opening brings Lidl Northern Ireland back to the prime retail site after nine months of construction work to facilitate the creation of a stunning, larger new supermarket with glass-fronted glazing, landscaping, more car parking and improvements to its access from Shore Road.

The store was officially opened  by representatives from social enterprise and development trust, the Ashton Centre, and suicide prevention charity PIPs which both received cheque donations from Lidl Northern Ireland to celebrate the new store launch.

Occupying an entire site size of 10,250 sq. metres, including a retail sales floor of 1,420 sq. metres, the new store on the Shore Road has been built to Lidl Northern Ireland’s exacting standards and award-winning ‘concept’ design which prioritises sustainability and energy efficiency with a range of environmentally friendly features including an ISO 50001-certified Energy Management System, solar panels and 2 EV car charging stations in its 126-space car park.

The new state-of-the-art concept store represents an investment by Lidl Northern Ireland of £4 million into the local community. An extra 11 new local jobs have been added to the existing workforce of 22 to accommodate a much larger retail operation.

Lidl Shore Road Store Manager Ben Crawford said: “Since planning permission was granted in October last year, we’ve been working at pace to deliver a fresh new store for shoppers and also enhance the facilities and façade of the site.

“I’m delighted to finally open the doors to the new Lidl Shore Road store and welcome shoppers to enjoy an unrivalled in-store experience. We’re also pleased to welcome an additional 11 new members of staff to our existing team and grow our workforce locally.

“Lidl Northern Ireland has been a staple in the local community for nearly 20 years and Lidl’s investment into this site is yet another demonstration of how the company is committed to delivering for the local community.

“After a six-month store closure to facilitate construction work, it’s great to be fully open and to see so many shoppers out in force today to get a taste of the new Lidl Shore Road store and our extensive product range which is known for its great quality and low prices. We look forward to welcoming many more new and loyal customers through our doors over the summer and beyond.”

The store opening marks the completion of the third store delivered as part of a wider £32 million investment promise announced in 2021 to create five new stores within the Belfast City Region.

Last year, two new stores opened at Holywood Exchange and Hillview Retail Park, whilst two further stores are earmarked for completion at Castlereagh Road in east Belfast, along with the first ever Lidl store planned for south Belfast at Boucher Road, adjacent to the iconic National Football Stadium at Windsor Park.

The string of new Belfast stores is just part of the retailer’s plan to dramatically enhance its service provision across Northern Ireland, with ambitions to expand its 41-strong store network to 50 by 2030.

The post Lidl launches transformed £4m store at Belfast’s Shore Road first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.