SPAR Y Maes, Pwllheli takes home the top prize at The Convenience Awards 2020

Yesterday evening saw the entire convenience retail community come together to celebrate the winners of The Convenience Awards during a digital broadcast, presented by TV presenter, Konnie Huq and brought to you by conveniencestore.co.uk, Lumina Intelligence and The Grocer.

23 award winners were announced to an online audience watching the live premiere of the event through theconvenienceawards.com. The awards recognised the very best people, retailers, businesses and initiatives from across the convenience retail industry.

One of the biggest awards for the evening was presented live on location, with a roaming camera crew surprised the winner outside the store with the trophy.

The final award for the evening was for Convenience Retailer of the Year. This award was decided through a robust, independent judging process. This consisted of visits to each shortlist store, before a panel of independent convenience retail experts got together to decide our winners. In a closely fought contest, SPAR Y Maes in Pwllheli was crowned the Convenience Retailer of the Year for 2020. The store boasts a tremendous range - covering both everyday necessities and inspirational purchases such as aged meat and fresh lobsters. The store also includes in-store butchery, bakery and food to go counters to ensure maximum quality and freshness.

Jill Livesey, Managing Director at Lumina Intelligence and Lorraine Hendle, Managing Director at The Grocer and Conveniencestore.co.uk said, “Convenience retail has been on the frontline since the beginning of the pandemic, ensuring local communities have access to the essential produce that they need. Last night saw the entire convenience community come together to recognise the achievements of individuals, initiatives and businesses that are at the forefront of our brilliant industry. Huge congratulations must go to our winners; however, every single award was incredibly closely contested, showcasing the high standards set across the industry.”

Conrad Davies, Owner at SPAR Y Maes said: “It’s fantastic to win this award. It’s a complete shock for us but we’re really pleased. With everyone going through tough times right now, it’s great to have a morale boost like this.

“It’s a reward for all of the staff at the store who have worked so hard over the past six months. None of this would have been possible without the support of the local community. A.F. Blakemore has also been a tremendous support and a big part in helping our vision for the store come to life.

“When we were planning this refit, this was just an idea I had in my head and A.F. Blakemore helped make it a reality.”

SPAR and SPAR stores also took five other prestigious awards during the evening ceremony. They include: