Staff celebrate 518 years 'community service' across Northern Ireland

Throughout 2023, 15 Spar, Eurospar and Vivo stores celebrated milestone anniversaries, totalling to 518 years of serving their local communities.

Stores from all across the country had major celebrations last year, including Strabane, Islandmagee, Killylea, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Magherafelt, Omagh, Enniskillen and Carryduff.

All stores share a passion for their local communities, providing top quality products and services to their shoppers. Many of the stores are owned and run by families who have close ties to the communities they serve, creating a hub within their communities. It was important to the stores to celebrate their milestone anniversaries alongside their shoppers, from special offers to giveaways, community fun days to charity fundraisers, the stores got their shoppers involved as a thank you for their loyalty over the years.

Many of the stores have had major refurbishments totalling over £5 million since opening, thanks to significant investments from store owners. They have expanded and developed their offering and services for their local communities, including Post Offices, PayPal, the popular Barista Bar Coffee on the go offering, hot food-to-go, installations of Delish deli counters, in-store bakeries and extensive ranges of fresh food and local produce.

During their service, the retailers alongside their shoppers have fundraised for a number of local charities including Spar’s charity partner Marie Curie and Eurospar and Vivixtra’s charity partner Cancer Fund for Children. In addition, the store teams often go the extra mile to arrange their own fundraising activities, both instore and further afield, in aid of chosen charities which are close to their hearts, including Air Ambulance NI and Cancer Focus.

Two family run independent stores, Rooney’s Eurospar Enniskillen, which is owned and run by Martin and Angela Rooney, and McCann’s Spar Belcoo, owned and run by Eugene and Brenda McCann, both celebrated the incredible milestone of 50 years in business.

Patrick Doody, sales and marketing director at Henderson Group, said: “A focus on community is part of the Spar, Eurospar, and Vivo brands’ ethos, which is consistent across all stores. The dedicated store teams often channel their time and efforts into supporting local community groups, fundraising for charities and sponsoring their local sports teams.

“The stores go above and beyond meeting the needs of their shoppers and that is why they are successful, with so many stores celebrating impressive anniversaries of serving their local communities across the country.

“I want to congratulate all stores who celebrated milestone anniversaries last year, it is an amazing achievement and we’re very proud of every store and their team. We are all looking forward to marking many more significant anniversaries in 2024.”