29 November 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Dermot Griffin of National Lottery with winners Sean Heaphy of Texaco Spar Fermoy, and Colin Donnelly of Spar.jpg
Ireland’s top retailers and brands recently gathered at Dublin’s Royal Marine Hotel to attend the prestigious ceremony. Now in its 17th year, the C-Store Awards are the only comprehensive and independently judged business accolades for the convenience store sector.
Texaco/SPAR, Fermoy, Co. Cork was honoured on the night as it was named as the Best Convenience Store in the 2,500-4,000 sq. ft. range.
This store includes a SPAR Tasty Deli with a significant seating area and the highest quality in-store coffee, Seattle’s Best. Other features include a Smooch Ice Cream station, Apache Pizza and a full off licence. As part of the SPAR Better Choices programme, SPAR Fermoy offers a range of fresh products made in-house such as salads and fruit pots to cater for the change in customers’ lifestyle choices.
Together with returning master of ceremonies Marty Whelan, ShelfLife welcomed more than 400 guests from across the industry. A total of 29 awards were presented, celebrating the industry’s finest stores and people in a diverse range of categories.
Congratulating the Cork store, Colin Donnelly, SPAR Sales Director said: “We would like to extend our congratulations to Sean Heaphy and the team at Texaco/SPAR, Fermoy, Co. Cork on winning this prestigious national title. It is their relentless drive and ambition that sets them apart from their peers in a marketplace which is already internationally recognised as setting the standards in convenience retailing. The store and staff are very deserving of this industry accolade and they are great champions for the SPAR brand.
According to ShelfLife Publisher John McDonald, the standards are up across the board this year.
“There are a number of very important highlights from this year’s awards scheme. Standards have improved across the board, and there was a discernible percentage increase in the average score of all stores that entered.
“This year the competition to sit at the top table was fierce. Standards are up across the board and the ultimate winner is the shopper who gets an increasingly strong and sophisticated retail experience at his local convenience store.”
