Portrush Retail Team Shine At National Industry Awards In London

A retail team in Portrush has triumphed at a prestigious industry awards ceremony in London.

EUROSPAR Hillcrest, which has been operated by Henderson Retail on the Coleraine Road since 2007, picked up the Best Forecourt Team at the 2025 Forecourt Trader Awards.

In 2022, the supermarket became one of the biggest EUROSPARs in Northern Ireland after owners Henderson Retail invested significantly in its extension by over 40%, meaning even more products and services were now available at the busy forecourt site.

Judges at the Forecourt Retail Awards, which were hosted by broadcaster Dan Walker on Thursday 9^th October, said they were impressed by the over 2,400 pieces of positive feedback from local shoppers who had detailed their experiences on the site.

They added; “The team prides itself on putting customers first, but alongside that, they are dedicated to maintaining high standards which it achieves through operational efficiencies. Knowledge is shared throughout the team to ensure members are confident and well informed”, which is vital as the store experiences such a spike in trade during peak tourist months between Easter and September.

Richard Parker, store manager at EUROSPAR Hillcrest added; “It is fantastic for the judges to recognise the work we put into ensuring we have seamless communication throughout our team. The more efficiently we work, the better the experience is for our shoppers who continue to remain loyal to our store for their essential everyday products and services.”

George Rankin, Retail Director at Henderson Group added; “This awards season we have seen a variety of awards won by our company-owned stores which show the commitment they have to the most important element of retail – great customer service. This award was hard fought by teams working on busy forecourts throughout the UK regions, so we are thrilled for our Hillcrest team to pick up the truly deserved recognition.”

In addition to EUROSPAR Hillcrest’s team win, SPAR Mallusk, the busy forecourt opened by Henderson Retail in 2022 after a major investment, also won Best Forecourt in the Northern Ireland 4mlpa category.

It follows a flurry of awards for the company at the Retail Industry Awards in London, including Food to Go Retailer of the Year, Forecourt Retailer of the Year and Convenience Retailer of the Year. The company-owned SPAR Malone store won Forecourt Retailer of the Year, Post Office of the Year and Store Team of the Year. The store’s manager, Sam McCann, also picked up the award for Store Manager of the Year.