SPAR is again short-listed for top Forecourt Award

The SPAR & Jet Filling Station on the Holywood Road has again been short-listed for the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2002.

Mark Mc Cammond, Operations Director, Andrew Millar & Company, the retail arm of John Henderson, said: “By being short listed for Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2002 is a great honour and it verifies the hard work and excellent customer care, which is carried out by everyone at the Holywood Road SPAR & Jet Filling Station.

"In particular, this recognises the consistent dedication of the store manager, Ronnie Eynon. We are really looking forward to going to the award ceremony at The London Hilton Hotel on 19th September, which is one of the most prestigious retailing award events in the UK. To walk away with an award will be a great tribute to all at SPAR Holywood Road so we’re keeping our fingers crossed that we will be proclaimed as the Forecourt Trader of the Year on the night.”

Representatives from the store will be among those invited to the awards dinner as part of all-expenses paid night out at the London Hilton, which is taking place on 19th September 2002.

The Holywood Road SPAR recently underwent a major refurbishment and extension at the end of 2001. Five times the size of the old shop, the Holywood Spar now offers customers an extended range of products.

This is not the first success for SPAR stores in Northern Ireland at the “Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards”. At last year’s awards, Brackenvale Retail Centre SPAR on the Saintfield Road, Belfast, which is owned by the Conway Group and trades under the name of the Merit Retail Limited, scooped top honours by being named the overall “UK Forecourt Trader Of The Year 2001”.

In addition to winning this overall accolade, Brackenvale Retail Centre SPAR also walked away three other top retailing awards, including the “UK Independent Dealer of the Year 2001”, the “NI Independent Dealer of the Year 2001” and they were named as the “Best Newspaper and Magazine Outlet (UK)”.

The Forecourt Trade of the Year Awards were launched in 1996 to reward excellence in the petrol retailing sector and promote high standards of professionalism in an increasingly competitive sector of the retail trade.

(SP)