Retailers Dale and Aaron Beckett have officially opened the doors of SPAR Stormont, following the purchase of Nisa Summerhill Avenue.

The brothers have invested over £400,000 into the new store, which operated as a NISA store for fifteen years, enabling a significant extension and complete refit of the now 1,894 sq. ft community store. Following a three-month refurbishment, the new business has created eight new jobs for the local area and retained eight team members from the NISA store.

Dale and Aaron Beckett are experienced retailers, also owning and operating three other SPAR stores; SPAR Ballyrobert, SPAR Lisbane and SPAR Loughbrickland.

The new store provides the local area with the highest quality products and services including whipped ice cream and a Morelli’s ice cream counter, Barista Bar coffee to go, a slushie machine, and an H&J Carnduff butchery counter. The store also features a SPAR Bakery concession serving sweet treats daily and baked goods from local suppliers including Heatherlea Bakery and McErlains Bakery. The store also has a brand new free instore ATM as an added benefit to shoppers.

The team at the store are already a hub in their local community, as they have begun fundraising towards the installation of a defibrillator outside the store. The store has also supported a number of local initiatives and charities including donating to Leukaemia & Lymphoma NI’s Halloween Blood Run at Stormont, donating stationery items to Greenwood Primary School and sweet treats to Strandtown Primary School for their annual PTA quiz.

To celebrate the official opening of the store, the team held a Christmas community fun day on Saturday 13th December. The event invited shoppers and those from the local area to enjoy face painting, festive food sampling and balloon modelling, as well as the chance to write letters to Santa and meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Dale Beckett, store owner, commented, “We’re thrilled to officially mark the opening of SPAR Stormont. We have put so much time, effort and significant investment into refurbishing the store, increasing the product range and services available, welcoming new local suppliers, and creating new jobs for the local area.

“We have already made a positive impact in the community, making multiple donations to local schools and charities, with plans to continue our support in the new year. Celebrating the opening with our shoppers and local community was so important to us and we enjoyed seeing friendly faces and meeting new customers on the day. We’re looking forward to many successful years of SPAR Stormont and can’t wait to see what’s to come for the store.”

Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group which owns the SPAR brand in Northern Ireland, commented, “We’re delighted to see retailers Dale and Aaron as the new owners of SPAR Stormont. They are dedicated and experienced retailers, owning three other successful SPAR stores, and their investment extends beyond the store itself into the whole community. The extension and refit have allowed them to provide even more value on shoppers’ doorsteps.

“It’s fantastic to see that they are already such an integral part of their community and we wish them every success for the future.”

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