Local store wins prestigious award

The new Applegreen M1 Lisburn won the award at the event, hosted by king of the catchphrase Roy Walker, saw almost 500 NI retailers descend on the Ramada Plaza in Belfast for the glittering contest.

Commenting on the success of the awards, organiser and publisher of Neighbourhood Retailer, Bill Penton, said: “The 2016 Neighbourhood Retailers awards have been incredibly successful. We would like to thank our fantastic sponsors for all their support, especially our overall sponsor Nestle Professional.

“The evening was filled with highlights, including the inaugural Community Store of the Year. It’s a particularly important award as it’s our first to have been voted for by the public. Local stores have always been a big part of Northern Irish communities, so it has been gratifying to highlight these important ties.

“Crawford’s of Maghera are very worthy winners, and the amount of public votes, over 7,000, is testament to how integral local stores are to local communities.

“And congratulations too must go to our overall winners, Fiveways Nisa Extra in Newry. This is an exceptional store and has consistently impressed our judges over a number of years. This year, however, they pulled out all the stops by winning three trophies in one evening – an incredible achievement.

“I’d also like to congratulate William Brown, recipient of our Lifetime Achievement Award. The Arcadia Delicatessen is a store with pedigree and provenance, and represents the pinnacle of artisan retailing. William is a much admired figure in the industry and it’s fantastic to see him receive this accolade.”