Mulkern’s EUROSPAR in Newry has been crowned Northern Ireland’s best convenience store.
That’s the result of a ‘People’s Vote’ run by local trade body, Retail NI and the Irish News in the lead- up to this year’s Independents’ Day; an initiative which encourages shoppers to support independent retailers on July 4th.
The campaign asked the public to vote for their favourite independently owned butchers, deli, clothing store, pharmacy, coffee shop and convenience store. Thousands of voters went online to cast their vote in a poll which also saw Ann Street in Ballycastle declared Northern Ireland’s best high street and Suitor Brothers in Belfast named best men’s clothing store.
Mulkern’s EUROSPAR, situated in the Forkhill area of Newry, is no stranger to award wins having picked up a host of accolades in 2018 for their exceptional facilities and customer service. Store owner Terry Mulkern said every accolade is special but to win a public vote really means a lot to his team.
“It’s a huge honour to have topped the poll and be named NI’s favourite convenience store, especially as this was a result of our customers taking the time to vote for us.
“We’ve worked hard over the past number of years to improve the store and thanks to the hard work and exceptional customer service of our colleagues, this seems to have paid off. It’s really important to me that the store is part of our local community in Newry and we’re proud to support various charities and causes that we know really matter to our shoppers.
“Recently, we got behind a charity cycling event in Jonesboro for Daisy Hill’s stroke services campaign. We have also held fundraising activities for mental health charity, Aware, after hearing from our customers about the important work that they do.”
Listening to feedback from shoppers and staying on top of growing trends has always been a driving force for Terry and his team and ultimately, what sets Mulkern’s apart from other stores.
“When customers tell us what they would like to see in store, we listen and are always striving to better our offering. Our extended vegan options across our delicatessen is a prime example of this; we could see the trend was growing and therefore wanted to cater for vegan shoppers.”
Terry was joined by CEO of Retail NI, Glyn Roberts, who presented the store’s team with a certificate to celebrate their win.