'We wish them every success for years to come': Co Tyrone family-owned neighbourhood store celebrates 15th anniversary with community
Finch’s SPAR Millburn has expanded its services thanks to £400,000 investment, created 10 jobs and raised thousands for local community causes
A Cookstown convenience store has celebrated 15 years as a SPAR outlet, following a series of investments and refurbishments by the Finch family.
Finch’s SPAR Millburn, which first opened in 2006 and began trading as a SPAR store in 2011, is owned and operated by Jonathan and Michelle Finch.
The couple also own three other SPAR stores in Cookstown, Whitehead and Newry.
Over the past 15 years, the Finch family has invested around £400,000 in the Millburn store, funding a number of refurbishments and upgrades aimed at improving the range of services and products available to local shoppers.
The most recent major investment came in 2023, when the store underwent a significant transformation including a new deli counter serving hot breakfast and lunch to go, new refrigeration, flooring and lighting, self-checkouts and new fuel pumps.
The investment also saw the Millburn team grow by 10 employees.
The store has also maintained a strong focus on supporting the local community, with backing for schools, sports teams and a number of local charities over the years.
The team has raised more than £10,000 through fundraising initiatives including bake sales, raffles and tea mornings, with staff members getting involved throughout the year.
This year, the store has chosen Cookstown-based cancer care centre Charis Cancer Care as its main charity focus, supporting and sponsoring events in aid of the organisation.
To mark the 15-year milestone, the team held a community fun day in August, with special lunch deals, giveaways and a range of prizes.
Michelle Finch, store owner, said the anniversary was an opportunity to thank local shoppers for their continued support.
Michelle Finch, store owner, explained: “Our local community is central to everything we do and that is why we have made such significant investments over the years to expand our services and product offering for our shoppers. Our team decided that we wanted our anniversary to be about our community and celebrating with them. Our fun day was a great way to show our appreciation to our loyal shoppers and thank them for their support over the years. We look forward to many more successful years serving our local community from SPAR Millburn.”
Richard Ash, sales director at Henderson Group which owns the SPAR brand in Northern Ireland, added: “We wish to congratulate the Finch’s and the entire team at SPAR Millburn on their 15th anniversary as a SPAR store. They are such an integral part of their local community and it’s great to see them celebrating alongside their shoppers. We wish them every success for years to come.”