SPAR’s Taste of Summer includes popular BBQ meats sourced from K&G McAtamney in County Antrim, such as salt & chilli pork belly slices, chilli chicken kebabs and BBQ chicken wings.

Complementing the main dishes, the team have developed new summer sides with Donnelly Fresh in Dublin, including Orzo salad, basil pesto pasta, spicy couscous and Asian style noodle salad. The team have also developed a Greek Style Salad with Willowbrook Foods in County Down and mini summer cupcakes from Scotts Bakery in Fivemiletown.

SPAR NI’s Taste of Summer products have been designed by the team at Henderson Wholesale in response to consumer trends – with taste, provenance and value at the heart of the range.

Clare Bell, Fresh Food Marketing Manager at Henderson Group, which owns the SPAR and EUROSPAR brands in Northern Ireland said: “We have amazing suppliers in NI and ROI and it’s always been at the heart of Henderson Group to support them.

“Working with our trusted local suppliers, we’ve developed a range that offers great taste, quality ingredients and unbeatable value, bringing fresh, flavourful and top-quality products to our stores.

“Our shoppers tell us that they want convenient, tasty summer food, that’s perfect for al fresco dining, or for popping in the oven when the weather isn’t playing ball! So, we’ve developed a range where shoppers can find everything they need to impress their guests with succulent meats perfect for the BBQ alongside a variety of fresh, flavour-packed side salads.”

The ‘Taste of Summer’ range is now available in SPAR and EUROSPAR stores across the country. To view the full range of summer products, visit spar-ni.co.uk or eurosparni.co.uk

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SPAR NI’s Big Reds, the Stetson hats that could be seen from arenas to food halls and pig pens to tractor displays, were available throughout four days of the Show in exchange for a donation, every penny of which goes towards Marie Curie and Cancer Fund for Children.

It was the 14^th year of SPAR NI’s platinum sponsorship of Balmoral Show, highlighting their unrivalled links to the farming and agri-business communities across Northern Ireland, alongside their commitment to local food sourcing.

“This year’s Balmoral Show was an incredible success. We had sunshine, sampling and celebrations of our local food suppliers throughout the four days, alongside a very busy SPAR shop,” said Bronagh Luke, from SPAR NI.

“Once again, visitors to the Show were so generous in supporting our Big Red campaign to fundraise for SPAR NI’s charity partner, Marie Curie, and EUROSPAR and ViVOXTRA NI’s charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children.”

The funds raised will go towards the ever-growing total that has been raised for both charities. In the coming months, SPAR NI hopes to surpass the £1,000,000 mark for Marie Curie, while EUROSPAR and ViVOXTRA NI have donated almost £2 million to Cancer Fund for Children since the partnership began in 2011.

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For every bunch of daffodils purchased in SPAR NI stores from 17^th February until 31^st March, 10p will be donated to Marie Curie.

A year of fundraising in 2024, resulted in a donation total of £107,000, thanks to store staff and shoppers’ support. SPAR NI has partnered with Marie Curie for the past eight years and through a number of fundraising events and annual initiatives has raised a total of over £950,000 for the charity.

Daffodils in March are a timely reminder of what Marie Curie’s iconic floral symbol means to many who not only rely on the care provided by the charity, but to those who volunteer and work for Marie Curie too.

Bronagh Luke from SPAR NI said: “We have so many team members who have shared their stories of how Marie Curie provided their families with invaluable support during incredibly difficult times, and alongside our communities, we understand the need for compassionate end-of-life care in Northern Ireland.

“The Great Daffodil Appeal enables us to show our appreciation and raise awareness of the charity, the nurses and the amazing work they do for people across the country when they need them most.

“This appeal makes it even easier for our shoppers to show their support when in their local stores and we wish to thank our shoppers for their generosity to this appeal each and every year.

“We are committed towards continuing our support for Marie Curie and the unrivalled care they provide. Whatever the illness, Marie Curie are with patients, and their family and friends, to the end.”

Connor O’Kane, Senior Partnership Manager at Marie Curie said: “Marie Curie is hugely grateful to all at SPAR and their customers for their phenomenally generous ongoing support. Your commitment to our cause helps us make a difference for a family each and every day.”

Marie Curie provided vital end-of-life care to more than 5,000 people across Northern Ireland last year, in patients’ homes and at its Belfast hospice. Daffodils are available across selected SPAR NI stores from 17^th February – 31^st March.

For more information on the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit www.spar-ni.co.uk/marie-curie/ and www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil

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This year’s festival took place from 25^th to 29^th November, hosting an impressive 2,000 schoolchildren from across Northern Ireland, who showcased their talents in poetry, drama and public speaking.

The Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival has long been a cornerstone of the cultural calendar, providing a platform for young people to develop their communication skills, confidence and passion for performing arts since 1974.

It is the first year SPAR NI has supported the event as a key sponsor alongside Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon Council, enabling organisers to run the event each year. The 50^th milestone provided the ideal platform for the retailer, whose stores can be found in every community in Northern Ireland, to celebrate all the festival has done for its local communities.

Brenda Mulligan from SPAR NI said: “As a committed supporter of community focused initiatives, we are proud to support the Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival during its 50^th anniversary celebrations.

“For so many years, this event has empowered and nurtured young people from many different communities and backgrounds across Northern Ireland, which aligns with SPAR’s mission to nurture our local neighbourhoods and support the future talent within our communities.”

Patricia Mulligan, Festival Director for Banbridge Speech and Drama Festival added: “We have enjoyed a really successful week of performances from young people across Northern Ireland, celebrating an incredible 50 years of our festival.

“We were delighted to welcome 2,000 schoolchildren from many different communities and areas of Northern Ireland to celebrate the performing arts, and allow a safe and nurturing platform for them to share their skills, creativity and talent.

“On behalf of our team of organisers, I would like to thank SPAR NI for their continued support, which once again enabled us to put on a fantastic week for our participants and their supporters. Here’s to the next 50 years!”

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The store, which has been owned and operated by Damian and Patricia Morgan since 1999, began with just six employees, and now employs 18 people from the local area.

Over the years, Damian and Patricia have made significant investments in the store, completing four significant refurbishments totaling over £250,000 to expand the offering for shoppers. The refurbishments included new flooring, fridges, freezers, shelving and a reconfiguration of the layout, as well as updating customer checkouts, including adding an additional checkout, improving in-store efficiency for shoppers.

The community has always been at the heart of the store, as the team shows support to a number of charities and community groups including South-West Foodbank, Marie Curie and local charity, Fight For Alfie, as well as supporting St Oliver Plunkett Primary School’s annual sports days.

The store team, alongside the help of the community, also raised money for the installation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) outside the store, which is available for the community 24/7, providing essential access to potentially life-saving equipment even when the store is not open.

To celebrate the anniversary, the store held a customer appreciation day on Friday 14^th June, when shoppers were given the chance to win exciting prizes in-store, including a gas barbecue, a TV, and vouchers which can be spent in store.

Patricia Morgan said: “We wanted to mark the anniversary with a customer appreciation day to thank our shoppers and all in our community who have supported us for the past 25 years. We love serving this community, getting to know all our shoppers and seeing friendly faces in-store every day.

“We also wish to thank our dedicated store team who always go the extra mile for our shoppers. We have a number of staff who have been with us for over 20 years and Patricia McGibbon, one of our store supervisors, has been with us since we took over the store 25 years ago.

“Our daughter, Sarah, now also has a leading role in the store as store manager. We want to extend a special thanks to Sarah who has done so much for the store, arranging the customer appreciation day for us and already telling us how to run the store!

“We look forward to many more years serving this wonderful community.”

Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director, Henderson Group added: “We wish to congratulate Damian, Patricia and the whole team at SPAR Lenadoon on their 25^th anniversary and wish them every success for years to come.”

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