A family business which been serving the Portadown community since 1935 has thanked its customers for their loyalty down the years.

The Wright family who run Wright’s SPAR on the Dungannon Road in Portadown, originally traded as Wright’s Service Station until 2009 when they began operating with Henderson Group, under the SPAR brand.

In 2009 the store had just 10 employees whereas now 38 people from the local community are working there.

“We added an extension in 2016, which allowed us to create even more local jobs,” says Andrew Wright. “It also meant we could bring even more products to our shoppers’ doorsteps, from fresh and locally sourced produce, to prepared or pre-prepped products for tonight’s tea, as well as all the store cupboard essentials.”

The Wright family and store staff celebrating 15 years of Wright’s SPAR. Picture: Tony Hendron.

placeholder image — The Wright family and store staff celebrating 15 years of Wright’s SPAR. Picture: Tony Hendron.

The Wright family has invested £400,000 in the past 15 years.

A true family affair, the team at Wright’s SPAR are dedicated to the local organisations and charities that are important to their shoppers and staff, and have raised over £10,000 for Marie Curie, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Samaritans, to name a few.

The family has been reflecting on their 15 years of serving the local community as a SPAR store, particularly being able to provide essential services for them during the Covid lockdowns.

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From left: Phyllis and Reggie Wright, Andrew Wright, Wayne Liggett, Mandy McReynolds, Helen Wright-Liggett and Heather McAdam. Picture: Tony Hendron.

"If I were to think about one of our most challenging but rewarding times in business, it would be throughout the pandemic and those first lockdowns,” said Andrew Wright.

"Everything changed overnight but we were committed to serving our shoppers, looking out for our neighbors and making sure everyone had what they needed.

"It actually brought the community closer together and we were at the heart of that. We pride ourselves on our great customer service, the personal touch to all of our transactions whether that be at the checkouts or a friendly ‘hello’ in-store, while our selection of fresh and local meats, produce and products are stand out in the area.”

To celebrate with their shoppers on the 15-year milestone, Wright’s SPAR recently ran a shopper appreciation week and a shopper appreciation day.

Andrew added: “We loved seeing all of our shoppers on the day, and celebrating alongside them as without our loyal shoppers, we wouldn’t have our family business, so we wanted to make this a celebration for their loyalty too.”