Centra Annaclone honoured among the best in the UK, securing a win at the Retail Industry Awards

Widely regarded as ‘The Oscars’ of the grocery sector, the Retail Industry Awards reward excellence and outstanding achievement across a broad range of categories, recognising independent retailers alongside the large supermarket groups.

Centra Annaclone, which recently invested £750,000 to transform the store and convert to the Centra brand, impressed judges with its offering including an extensive range of fresh food and food-to-go, plus the positive response from customers is reflected in its sales growth. One judge commented: “Central Annaclone achieved a near-faultless score in our store audit and drew praise for its impressive layout and in-store standards. Availability was almost pitch perfect. It’s immaculate.”

Commenting on the award, Sharon McPolin, Centra Annaclone owner said: “Our store underwent a major refurbishment earlier this year to convert to the Centra brand and we are absolutely thrilled that all our hard work has paid off. To be recognised as the best independent store in the UK in our category is an accolade of which we are very proud. We look forward to continuing to provide excellent service, extensive choice and value for money for our customers for many years to come.”

Head of Retail Operations at Musgrave NI, Caroline Rowan added: “I would like to congratulate the team at McPolin’s Centra Annaclone which competed against some of the best stores in the UK to achieve this top award. They have created a fantastic store in Annaclone and their commitment to serving the local community with the best in modern convenience shopping is unwavering - this award is testament to that.”

Musgrave further celebrated at the awards when Musgrave Retail Partners NI fought off stiff competition from Co-op, Henderson Retail and Sainsburys Local to be awarded the coveted title of Convenience Retailer of the Year while Centra NI was runner up and highly commended in the Symbol Group of the Year category.