Creightons EUROSPAR of Balmoral, was named Overall Forecourt Retailer of the Year at Ireland’s Forecourt and Convenience Retailer Awards held in the Clayton Hotel, Dublin on September 19.

For the first time in the history of the awards, the top prize went to a retailer from Northern Ireland as Creightons beat off competition from all other shortlisted retailers to claim the title of Overall Forecourt Retailer of the Year.

Hosted by broadcasting powerhouse, Miriam O’Callaghan, the awards celebrated the finest convenience stores and forecourts throughout the island of Ireland and were attended by hundreds of retailers from across the country.

Creightons EUROSPAR, Balmoral was also named Forecourt Convenience Store of the Year in the 2751 sq. feet plus category and won the ‘Best Food to Go’ category. The store was a finalist in the ‘Fresh Food Store of the Year’ class whilst sister stores, Creightons of Finaghy was shortlisted in the category for  ‘Best Customer Service’ and the Blacks Road store was a finalist in the ‘Food to Go’ category, allowing for a very successful evening for the Creighton Group as a whole.

Judges noted the magnificent focus Creightons EUROSPAR, Balmoral places on fresh food and provenance, commending their excellent inhouse butchery counter which sources all meat from the Creightons family farm. The Food to Go offering was also singled out as being exceptional, with judges impressed by the store’s own production kitchen where fresh, local food is prepared throughout the day.

Since the development and completion of this flagship site in 2016 fresh food has accounted for more than 50% of the store’s total sales and continual improvements to the deli over the past year have helped boost sales by more than 25%.

General Manager for Creightons, Andrew Porter commented; “It is a tremendous honour for Creightons of Balmoral to have been named Overall Store of the Year and I’m immensely  proud of all our staff, suppliers and customers who have contributed to our success.”

“To be the first store from Northern Ireland to win the top prize makes it all the more rewarding for our team and I’m pleased to see the exceptional standards of convenience stores in Northern Ireland getting the recognition they deserve.”

“We pride ourselves on providing the most enjoyable shopping experience for our customers and are always listening to their feedback to try and improve our offering. It’s clear that this approach is a successful one and now the work begins to retain this title in 2019.”

Ireland’s Forecourt and Convenience Retailer Awards have been running for over 15 years and celebrates excellence in the island’s retail industry through a panel of independent judges with experience in convenience, retail, sales, marketing and food preparation.

Retailers from across the island of Ireland are awarded through 17 categories, including Best Forecourt Facilities; Food to Go Retailer of the Year; Store Manager of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement award. For a full list of winners, visit www.forecourtretailer.com

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