The Gilroy family in Garrison is celebrating 30 years of serving the local community with their SPAR store and has opened a new off licence to mark the occasion.

The store, run by Michael, Joanne and Joe Gilroy, became a SPAR in 1991 and employs 14 people in the local area. The new off-sales is the latest addition to the business which the family has invested over £600,000 in over the years.

Michael Gilroy commented; “The family has operated a business on this site since 1914, but since we opened as a SPAR in 1991 we’ve really made a mark on the local community. Our shoppers are our neighbours, they rely on us to have our shelves stocked with locally sourced products which is made possible by trading with Henderson Group and their SPAR brand.

“We support local schools and organisations, and as well as raising over £10,000 for Together for Sam and Marie Curie in recent years, we sponsor the local football team and are involved heavily in the local Lough Melvin fishing competition, an internationally recognised event held annually attracting anglers from all over Europe, along with promoting grow your own veg within the community.”

The Gilroy family met with representatives from the Henderson Group which owns the SPAR brand in Northern Ireland to celebrate the 30th milestone recently.

Chris Hanna, from Henderson Group added; “We are celebrating SPAR excellence across NI during SPAR’s 60th birthday in Northern Ireland this year, so it is fantastic to celebrate our long serving independent retailers who are more than just a local store in their communities. We send our congratulations to the Gilroy family and wish them the very best with their new off-licence offering, expanding their top services even more.”

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