The Crawford family, owners of SPAR Whiterock Road, have invested £200,000 into a recent refit of their store to expand their services and offering for the local community.

The 18 week project has significantly increased the offering available for shoppers, with expanded dairy, fresh produce and bakery ranges from local suppliers offering continued value on their doorsteps. A new layout alongside modernisation of the store has also improved shopper experience and convenience.

The store, which is owned by Michael and Deirdre Crawford and managed by their son Damien Crawford, has been trading under the SPAR brand for over 50 years, providing employment for 35 local people. The store has undergone numerous refits and refurbishments in this time, making a significant investment total of over £1 million to bring top quality services and products to the local community.

In addition to the extensive range of everyday day essentials and locally sourced products instore, a Post Office and a hot food-to-go counter serving breakfast and lunch enables shoppers to find everything they need under one roof.

An Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is also installed outside the store, which is available for the community 24/7, providing essential access to potentially lifesaving equipment even when the store is not open.

Michael and Deirdre Crawford are well respected in the local community, owning two other stores in West Belfast, including SPAR Turf Lodge and ViVO Norglen Gardens, which they have owned since April 2024. In total, the family employ more than 75 people from the local community across their three stores.

Being part of their local community is so important to the Crawford family, who have had a significant impact on local community groups, sports teams, charities and schools, often fundraising and showing their support through numerous initiatives and instore fundraisers. The family take pride in supporting local fundraising efforts such as Arrow Travel’s 40th Birthday raffle for The Children’s Cancer Unit Charity, Glenveagh Special School and local mental health and suicide awareness campaigns.

To celebrate their refit and extensive range of new products, the store held a community day with face painting, gave away goodie bags and sampled their hot food to go range and new bakery products. The store also launched their Spend & Save promotion which ran throughout November 2024.

Damien Crawford, store manager, commented, “It was exciting to launch our refurbished store with our shoppers at the end of the year. We’re delighted to have made such a significant investment to develop our store further and bring an expansive range of products and services to our local community.

“Being a community focussed store, it was so important to us to launch the new-look store alongside our shoppers and celebrate with them. They are our neighbours and we look forward to many more years serving the community from SPAR Whiterock Road.

“I’m proud to continue my parents’ legacy in the community and manage a store that has such an impact in the community. We want to thank our store team and all our shoppers for their support over the years.”

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