Jimmy and Una McGirr are celebrating their silver milestone with a trip down memory lane and are thanking shoppers for their continued support and community spirit over the past 25 years in business.

After opening in 1996 with just five employees, the store has been extended and refurbished to serve the local community, and in 2012, the store had a complete knock down and rebuild resulting in a brand new, 3,000 sq. ft. store which helped them pick up the Most Improved Store title at that year’s prestigious Retail Industry Awards. The McGirr’s now employ 33 people locally, under the leadership of store manager, Shaun Cox.

Jimmy and Una have invested over £1million since opening in 1996 and have worked hard to ensure they have everything for their local community under one roof, offering a wide range of high quality and fresh and locally sourced groceries for their local shoppers, as well as creating a personal and friendly atmosphere in store.

Jimmy McGirr commented; “We have a great sense of community spirit with people looking out for each other in our store. Local shoppers volunteered to help us out with home deliveries and queue control during the first lock down when lots of elderly and vulnerable people in our community were shielding. People rallied and wanted to help in any way that they could which really inspired us, and we are continuing to work with homecare workers and local charities to make sure they have everything they need.”

Over the years, the store has supported many community initiatives and charities, such as St. Vincent de Paul (SVP) with the store being a popular drop off point for the local SVP Food Bank. Jim continued; “Our shoppers are so generous, the donations basket fills up so quickly for SVP and we thank all our shoppers for that support.

“We are also very proud to have donated around £250,000 towards National Lottery Good Causes over the years, while we recently raised £4,275 for Care for Cancer, the vital Omagh-based charity, after fundraising in store. We also give our support to one of our local shoppers and his campaign to raise money for Air Ambulance NI after losing his daughter in a road traffic accident. What’s close to our shoppers’ hearts is close to ours, we’re a community and it’s important to work together and help each other.”

As a focal point for the local community, the couple reflected on how special and important their customers are to them, and everyone they help in the local community.

Jimmy added; “As a small thank you to our local community on our 25th anniversary we are holding a £250 giveaway where we’ll have a prize draw for five local shoppers to win a £50 SPAR voucher in the lead up to Christmas. It is a small token of recognition for those who have helped with our success, and a way for us to engage even more with our shoppers and say thank you for their support over the years.”

The store will also be running a series of promotions on top brand items throughout 13 – 19 December. All McGirr’s SPAR new, promotions and celebrations will be posted on Facebook.com/McGirrsSPAR.

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