The Wright family, who have proudly run their store in Portadown, Northern Ireland, for 89 years, celebrated 15 years under Spar with a ‘Shopper Appreciation Week’.
Originally opening in 1935 as Wright’s Service Station, the family business has long been a cornerstone of the local community. Since trading with Henderson Group in 2009, Wright’s Spar has invested £400,000 to improve its store and has grown its employees from just ten to 38 people from the local community.
“We added an extension in 2016, which allowed us to create even more local jobs,” says manager Andrew Wright. “It also meant we could bring even more products to our shoppers’ doorsteps, from fresh and locally sourced produce, to prepared or pre-prepped products for tonight’s tea, as well as all the store cupboard essentials.”
To mark the milestone with their shoppers and to thank them for their loyalty, the store held a ‘Shopper Appreciation Week’ from 23 September to 29 September and also organised a ‘Shopper Appreciation Day’ on Saturday 28 September. The celebrations featured 15 bespoke deals to celebrate 15 years of serving their community as a Spar store.
“We loved seeing all of our shoppers on the day, and celebrating alongside them as without our loyal shoppers, we wouldn’t have our family business, so we wanted to make this a celebration for their loyalty too,” Andrew explains.
Reflecting on one of the most challenging but rewarding times in the business, Andrew speaks about the store’s role throughout the pandemic and those first lockdowns: “Everything changed overnight but we were committed to serving our shoppers, looking out for our neighbors and making sure everyone had what they needed.
“It actually brought the community closer together and we were at the heart of that. We pride ourselves on our great customer service, the personal touch to all of our transactions whether that be at the checkouts or a friendly ‘hello’ in-store, while our selection of fresh and local meats, produce and products are stand out in the area.”
A true family affair, the team are dedicated to the local organisations and charities that are important to their shoppers and staff and have raised over £10,000 for Marie Curie, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Samaritans, to name a few.
Patrick Doody sales and marketing director at Henderson Group commented on the 15 years of partnership: “We all send our congratulations to the Wrights on this business milestone. They have grown an award-winning and engaging business that sits at the core of their community, providing everyday essentials and a hub for the local area and we wish them every success for many more years to come.”
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