Popular Castlederg Spar picks up second award in two months

THERE was double delight in the Derg, as a popular Spar picked up two prestigious accolades in as little as two months.

Hamilton’s Spar, Castlederg, store was named ‘Fresh Food Store of the Year’ at the recent ‘Neighbourhood Retailer Awards’ in Belfast, taking the title against six other local retailers who were named as finalists in the category.

Indeed, it is the second award for the store’s commitment to fresh and local produce in as many weeks, after also winning ‘Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year’ at the national ‘Retail Industry Awards’ in London.

Charlie, Ruth and their family are well-known and respected in their local communities.

Operating their local stores since 1979, the Derg store, which first opened in 1995, enjoyed a major refurbishment in 2021, becoming a fresh food superstore providing fresh and locally-sourced products as the largest Spar in Britain and Northern Ireland.

Its development allowed the family to introduce more jobs to the community, with their store now employing 65 staff from the local area.

Judges at the ‘Neighbourhood Retailer Awards’ were looking for excellence and choice in the food offerings, the best in local produce presented in a convenient and enticing way, along with expertise and knowledge among staff.

Impressed with the Castlederg store’s ‘huge range’ of fresh food available in-store, judges described its fresh local meat, vegetables, bakery, prepared meals, salads and sauces as ‘outstanding’.

Proprietor, Charlie Hamilton said that he was ‘delighted’ to win the award.

“Our superstore allows us to provide an unrivalled range of locally-sourced fresh foods at value prices for our shoppers,” he said. “We have amazing local suppliers here in Northern Ireland, and it has always been important to us to support them and make use of them in our stores, providing our shoppers with the highest quality, locally-sourced products.”