Congratulations to both Henderson Retail (winner) and JC Stewart of Magherafelt (highly commended) in the Green Retailer of the Year category, sponsored by Power NI.
Photo: Pictured are (L-R) James Greer (Ulster Grocer Magazine), Paul Stewart (JC Stewart of Magherafelt), Amy Bennington (Power NI), and Alan Egner (Power NI). Award winners were announced during the Grocers’ Ball, an annual gala evening held at the Culloden Hotel to raise funds for grocers’ benevolent fund GroceryAid. This year’s event was well attended by representatives from the local grocery, food, drink and marketing sectors, and saw £44,345 raised for the charity. Awards were distributed across eight categories and reflected the breadth of the local grocery sector, with other winners including the Henderson Group, Asda, Cloughbane Farm, Mash Direct, Squeeze Wheatgrass and White’s Oats.
Hosting the evening was UTV presenter Paul Clark, while also presenting awards were Ulster Grocer publisher James Greer, Miss Northern Ireland Leanne McDowell and individual award sponsors. “Entry numbers for the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards continue to grow year on year,” said James Greer. “This year, many of the categories were hotly contested with the judges impressed by the quality of entries from not just major retail chains but also independent shops and small, local producers. “As the local agri-food sector continues to grow and receive recognition as a vital driver of the Northern Ireland economy, the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2015 also reflect a return to confidence with businesses of all sizes willing to invest in marketing and brand building.” Judges of the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2015 included Michael Maguire of Quintus, Alan Egner of Power NI and Alyson Magee of Ulster Grocer.
