22|Retail News|October 2011|www.retailnews.ie
ADM Londis Conference Celebrating Excellence
After a good day’s business done at the trade show – where more than a few Londis retailers reported doing some particularly good deals with suppliers – it was on to the Londis Retailing Excellence Bronze and Silver awards presentations, before the well-deserved champagne reception. The main event of the night, the Retailing Excellence Awards dinner, opened in terrific style. Londis’ hospitality and the super service of the Malton Hotel had the room in flying form as Marty Whelan announced the Gold Awards and Category Winners with his usual aplomb. Some familiar names made their way to the stage – several times in some cases – as well as some receiving the Londis Retailing Excellence accolade for the first time. Finally, the dinner was closed out with the announcement of the ADM Londis Store of the Year: Burke’s Londis PLUS in Kinvara, Co. Galway. The owner of this massive 10,000 square feet store, John Burke, is a Kinvara native and with the group since 1983. Burke converted to the Londis PLUS brand in 2009 with a major revamp, and evidently hasn’t looked back since. Commenting on Burke’s win, Stephen O’Riordan said: “John Burke and his enthusiastic team deserve immense credit for winning this award. All stores were independently audited, with a key focus on store presentation, fresh food offering, store hygiene, operational standards and crucially, customer care. The team in Londis PLUS, Kinvara, have proven, without doubt, that they are entirely focused on ensuring the best possible shopping experience for the local Kinvara community. I offer my utmost congratulations to John and Tommy for this great achievement.” The CEO noted how “Londis retailers are succeeding in a very difficult market. Through their passion for retail and their unerring
Special Category Winners
Stephen O’Riordan, CEO of ADM Londis, (left) and event MC, Marty Whelan, present Ray and Maura Keating from Keating’s Londis PLUS Cobh with the award for Best Off-Licence of the Year
David Bridgette, Griffins Londis Fonthill, accepts award for Best Deli and Hot Food from Stephen O’Riordan and Marty Whelan.
Ray and Eileen Sheehan from Sheehan’s Londis Parkgate St receive the Food Safety of the Year Award from Stephen O’Riordan and Marty Whelan.
Jonathan Gillan, Londis PLUS Summerhill, accepts the award for Best Fruit & Veg from Marty Whelan and Stephen O’Riordan. Jonathan Gillan also won the News and Magazines of the Year award for Gillan’s Londis Castleknock.
commitment to their customers, Londis store owners and managers are bringing exceptional value and second-to-none customer service to communities across Ireland. These awards recognise the immense efforts by our retailers in ensuring a high
quality shopping experience for their customers. I would like to congratulate all of our winning stores for their continued hard work and dedication. Each year the bar is raised, as more and more stores excel in areas of customer service and best practice.”
Gold Award Winners Waters’ Londis Athenry Kennedy’s Londis PLUS Ballyconnell Doyle’s Londis Carnew Gillan’s Londis PLUS Summerhill Parson’s Londis Tuam Road Gillan’s Londis Castleknock Hughes’ Londis PLUS Mountbellew Londis Texoil Tulsk Hynes’ Londis Miltown Malbay Londis Kilcolgan
Londis Texoil Monaghan Byrne’s Londis Aughrim Londis Newcastle Road Keating’s Londis PLUS Cobh Canavan’s Londis Inch Hanrahan’s Londis The Faythe O’Shea’s Londis Campile Griffin’s Londis St Stephen’s Green Grace’s Londis PLUS Loughrea Donegan’s Londis Kilbeggan
Shiel’s Londis PLUS Malahide Dillon’s Londis Fethard-on-Sea Meehan’s Londis PLUS Glenamaddy Roche’s Londis Doneraile Mulhall’s Londis PLUS Portlaoise Martin’s Londis Enniscorthy Cunningham’s Londis PLUS Ballyhaunis Hanrahan’s Londis Piercetown Timothy’s Londis PLUS Abbeytown Griffin’s Londis Fonthill