Top Honours for SPAR Clontarf Stores at National 5 Star Retail Awards

Congratulations to Spar Clontarf who have just received another 5 Star retail award. This is 8 in a row for the Vernon Avenue store and 7 in a row for the Stiles Road store. Well done to the management and staff of both stores. 

Further information is contained below.
 
February 2012 – SPAR retailers from every corner of the country, including Dublin descended on Killashee House Hotel in Co. Kildare recently for the group’s annual 5 Star Awards ceremony, run by BWG Foods (owners and operators of the SPAR Brand in Ireland) in association with the Excellence Ireland Quality Association (EIQA). The Awards are now in their 12th year and recognise those stores that excel across all areas of store performance.  

This year, 11 stores on Dublin’s Northside received a 5 Star Award including O’Hara’s SPAR Vernon Avenue and SPAR Styles Road, both in Clontarf. 

Congratulating retailers at the Awards ceremony, Leo Crawford, Group Chief Executive of BWG Group said SPAR retailers and their staff should be proud of the fact that they belong to an Irish retail group with buying power of one billion euro, supporting local jobs and local economies.  

He said:  “Being a SPAR retailer also means being part of BWG Group – the most experienced retail and wholesale company in Ireland – with collective buying power of over one billion euro. As local business people, SPAR retailers are not only major contributors to the local economies where they work and live but are also significant contributors to the overall Irish economy.  

As retailers we must take pride from the role we play in the economy but we must also remain constantly focussed on the people who drive our business – our customers – and I would encourage all retailers to make superior customer service their main priority in the year ahead.” Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods, said:  “A point of differentiation for the SPAR 5 Star Awards is that retailers must be willing to subject their stores to an ongoing assessment process, running January through December, rather than just a set period of time.

Given the commitment required, it gives me great pleasure to see the increased number of stores who have retained their 5 Star title for five consecutive years which I think speaks volumes about the efforts our retailers go to in driving store standards. SPAR retailers in Dublin are a prime example of this and I commend their individual efforts in making the SPAR brand a leader in convenience retailing in Ireland and abroad,” he said. 

The SPAR 5 Star Awards Scheme is a rolling programme, meaning that in order for retailers to participate, they must be prepared to undergo a year-long assessment, which involves surprise audits by mystery shoppers, EIQA and SPAR personnel. The assessments are conducted for shop presentation, customer care and food safety but retailers also carry out their own self-assessments on a monthly basis.