10|Retail News|December 2016|www.retailnews.ie
Industry News Daybreak Store of the Year Named DAYBREAK Clonliffe Road in Drumcondra, Dublin 9, was awarded Store of the Year for the second year running at the annual Daybreak Store of the Year Awards recently. The awards, which took place at Mount Wolseley Hotel in Carlow, recognise retail excellence across Daybreak stores nationwide. Daybreak Clonliffe Road is owned by Damien Osborne and employs 14 people. Nine retailers were shortlisted for the overall Store of the Year award, which focuses on four key areas: products and services, environment, communications and people and behaviours. Stores were assessed against rigorous criteria on multiple occasions, including a series of mystery shopper audits on store standards. Daybreak Clonliffe Road was awarded the top prize largely based on its impressive customer service and outstanding overall product offering. Daybreak also announced Daybreak Gandon Inn as the winner of the Charity Merit Award
for its outstanding achievement in raising funds for the Irish Heart Foundation, Daybreak’s charity partner in 2016. As well as the coveted overall Store of the Year accolade, the other awards of the night focused on key in-store categories and store layouts. The winners were: Best Forecourt of the Year: Daybreak Tractamotors Best Retail Convenience Store of the Year: Daybreak Raven Terrace Best Mystery Shop: Daybreak Tractamotors Best Impulse Award: Daybreak Dungarvan, Co. Waterfod Best Wine Award: Daybreak Raven Terrace, Galway. Best off Licence Award: Daybreak Clerihan, Co. Tipperary. Best Food to Go & Hot Beverage to Go Award: Daybreak Eyre Square, Galway. Best Availability Award: Daybreak Doon, Co. Limerick “We are passionate about the Store of the Year awards,” noted Thomas Morrison, Daybreak National Sales and Development Manager, “as they are ultimately about achieving excellence in convenience retailing and a great consumer experience across the Daybreak network. The level of competition this year was higher than ever and I would like to congratulate Damien and his team for the huge effort and commitment it takes to win the overall Store of the Year accolade.” Pictured are the team from Daybreak Clonliffe Road (l-r): William Osborne, Marion Kinsella, Anna Haremza, Csilla Kundra and Damien Osborne.
AVONMORE CELEBRATES 25 YEARS OF SOUP-ER SUCCESS AVONMORE’S Kilkenny-based soup production facility celebrated 25 years in operation recently, producing over three million packs of Avonmore fresh soup annually. Originally launched in 1991 with five flavours, Avonmore pioneered the introduction of fresh soup onto the Irish market and continues to grow the market with an expanding range of product and convenient formats to suit all tastes and occasions. Today, using only nature’s best ingredients, the Kilkenny site produces 14 different varieties of fresh soup to meet changing consumer tastes and requirements. New innovations in recent years include the Avonmore ‘Feel Good’ range for those looking for a healthy low calorie option and the creation of a premium smooth soup in a tub format, for convenient dining. “Irish consumers have a strong affinity with fresh soup and seek out products
that taste great and are convenient to eat,” explained Product Development Chef, Barry Foley (pictured). “We work very closely with our network of local suppliers to ensure only the best quality ingredients are used in making our soups here in Kilkenny. We constantly strive to deliver ‘a taste of homemade’, delicious soups full of nourishing goodness in every spoonful.”
Greens & Co Sponsors NCI Football Team GREENS & Co, the new salad bar franchise, which was launched in August with its first outlet at Spar Gandon House, IFSC, was the sponsor of the National College of Ireland football team, who took part in the World Inter Universities Championships in Rome in November. The sponsorship by Greens & Co at Spar IFSC is a perfect partnership for the brand as the outlet is situated just across the road from NCI’s campus in the IFSC and the students have really embraced the new healthy food concept. “It is great to see the students from The National College of Ireland really support our new franchise and I’m happy to be able to support them back,” said Joe Byrne, operator of Greens & Co at Spar IFSC. Pictured are Leon Fahy Byrne, NCI men’s soccer captain, Joe Byrne, owner of Greens & Co at Spar Gandon House, IFSC, and Deryck Tormey, NCI student experience coordinator.