With 20 categories up for grabs there is plenty of opportunity to showcase your potential and win a highly prestigious Ireland’s Forecourt & Convenience Retailer Award.

Ireland’s Forecourt & Convenience Retailer winners are among some of the best in the world, not just in Ireland. If you want to join IF&CR’s hall of fame make sure you enter online today here. There is NO CHARGE to enter the competition.

NEW FOR 2020

Calling all brands! For the first time ever Ireland’s Forecourt & Convenience Retailer Awards are open to brands, and service providers as well as retailers. We want to hear about the most innovative, market-shaping products launched in the last year.

This award is open to any business that has introduced a new product to the forecourt, foodservice or grocery markets in an innovative way to reach their marketplace effectively and successfully.

Being a finalist in this new category is not only great for the whole team but will also provide a route to showcase your new product to thousands of retailers around the country.

ENTER THE 2020 AWARDS TODAY HERE 

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In an industry that faces considerable micro and macro pressures, Ray and Brendan Lee manage to make forecourt retailing look like an easy vocation.

Wowing the judges at the recent Ireland’s Forecourt & Convenience Retailer Awards, Lee’s Centra Applegreen Charleville took home the top prize of Retailer of the Year, in addition to winning Forecourt Store of the Year in its category.

Describing the brothers’ approach to forecourt retailing as modern, innovative and entrepreneurial, the judging panel were impressed by the retailers’ enthusiasm for trying new ideas and implementing many successful initiatives. But for Ray Lee, building a successful empire is as simple as surrounding yourself with the right team.

“Number one, if you can get the right team of people in the business, then everything else will come,” says Ray Lee. “From day one we wanted to be known for really good customer service and our people. That was 15 years ago and everything we’ve done since has been about developing that culture, the people within the business, and our customer service. It’s always top of mind in terms of what we do next and we’re always challenging ourselves in that respect.”

Innovation begins at home

While many retailers and forecourt operators throughout the country are struggling to fill shop and deli positions with reliable, ambitious employees, these Cork retailers – who manage 72 members of staff between their two stores – have no shortage of first-rate candidates applying to work in their two sites.

Aware this enviable position could change at anytime; Ray believes that the business has both been fortunate as well as benefited from the rewards of creating a positive work environment that encourages progression.

“We clearly outline to people when they join the company that there is a career path for development if they want it,” says Ray. “Every single one of our management team – our store managers, supervisors, deli managers – they have all been developed internally.”

Despite his modest demeanour, Ray admits not many of his competitors can say the same.

“We always say that if you hire people with the correct attitude then straight away you’re onto a winner. All daily tasks can be taught very easily but if the person’s attitude isn’t right they won’t go far,” he says.

Empowering their employees to make suggestions and see those ideas come to fruition is all part of the process in creating a company culture at Lee’s. Eager to constantly improve on their offer, Ray and Brendan regularly take retail safaris to different locations seeking out new ideas to bring back to their business. Most recently they have travelled to Boston, Amsterdam, and in 2018 they took a team of 10 staff to London to observe food-to-go trends ahead of the site’s latest renovation.

“The challenge was for us all to come together the following day with a number of ideas that we could take back to our own stores,” explains Ray. “We try to inspire our staff to have that passion within their work to treat the business like their own. We have regular communication sessions with all of our employees and anyone within the business can have a meaningful input into what goes on. In fact, lots of the good ideas over the years have come from the staff.”

A bright future for the Charleville forecourt

The Limerick Road forecourt in Charleville opened in 2005, one year after they launched their first Centra store on the Main Street in the town. The location of the first store attracts a strong local customer base inspiring the Lee’s to put in a full-service Frank & Honest Café. Meanwhile, the Applegreen forecourt experiences a more transient customer looking to make use of the site’s excellent fuel and deli facilities.

Both sites have undergone multiple refreshes over the years but in 2018 the decision was taken to completely refurbish the forecourt site including changing fuel network.

The site, which completed its rebranding at the end of last year, now sports the iconic Applegreen colours and with additional new pump islands allowing for more fuel capacity.

While the Lee brothers have worked with Centra for many years, enjoying what Ray terms a “fantastic relationship”, the partnership with Applegreen is a brand new one for them. “Applegreen as a brand is a much newer identity here, but it has built up a very strong reputation in the fuel sector here very quickly,” Ray notes. “It has rapidly established itself as a brand of quality and one with a very strong price proposition. Applegreen itself has its own expert understanding of the forecourt and fuel sector and what the forecourt customer wants in 2019. Between Applegreen and Centra, we have direct access to the advice and support that we need as retailers.”

The move to Applegreen was one the brothers didn’t take lightly, but in the end, they were won over by a combination of quality fuels at reasonable prices, an attractive eye-catching forecourt and Applegreen’s proven growth in sales volumes.

Having been a Centra retailer since their first shop opened on Main Street Charleville, Ray believes the symbol group to be “the leading convenience retail brand in Ireland.”

At the time of the forecourt refurbishment, the store owners took the opportunity to refresh the store also. The environment was developed to reflect the new Centra, “Live Every Day” brand positioning and focused on a ‘Fast Foodie Friendly’ concept – providing exceptionally good food, the way customers want it and quickly, but with a level of service that is exceptional.

Responding to the latest trends in the last 12 – 18 months, both Lee’s stores now provide a healthier deli menu complete with vegetarian and vegan options.

“Not everybody will want to eat healthy all the time – and there is still a market for the traditional deli offer – but it’s about giving people choices and responding to consumer demands.

“We would probably be in the top 10 Centra stores in the whole of Ireland for our deli participation. Everything works hand-in-hand and there are a number of aspects driving the deli including being a destination store on the N20, having a sit-in area with 65 seats, and of course our toilets.”

Restrooms are an aspect of the facilities that are often overlooked in this type of interview, but Ray laughs as he says: “Our toilets are something that we like to shout about, believe it or not. We took a decision around 2009 – when the toilet facilities were notoriously bad on forecourts – to bring in an interior designer to create hotel standard facilities.”

On a retail safari to the UK, the brothers discovered that 65 percent of female consumers were choosing their forecourt based on its toilets so they came back to Ireland with a plan.

“At the time people thought we were off our heads putting all this money into toilets but the investment paid for itself in no time,” says Ray.”To this day we see it as important to have proper facilities that people enjoy going into. If you’re going from Cork to Galway and you know there are good forecourt facilities in Charleville, you’ll make that stop on your trip.”

Giving customers a plethora of reasons to stop at your site is one of the best ways to future-proof a business for challenges coming down the line. As Rays says, “Charleville is far away from the border but if there is a no-deal Brexit it is going to have an impact on the Irish economy  and that in turn is going to effect the forecourt industry and every other type of business in Ireland.”

Facing challenges head on

Having just won Retailer of the Year in September, and at the top of their game, many may think that Ray and Brendan Lee have nothing to worry about, regardless of any potential Brexit outcome.

“You can never sit back and say we’ve won Retailer of the Year, now it’s time to relax, because the pace of change in our business is so fast nowadays, that 12 months from now your competitors have left you behind” says Ray. “It’s about constantly evolving and looking at what the customer wants and what is happening abroad; be that in America or Asia or Europe.”

A huge aspect of the ever-changing forecourt business for the Lee’s is the incoming issues of Electric Vehicles (EVs). While not currently something Ray is seeing a demand for in Charleville, all forecourt retailers know that a huge operational shift is on the horizon.

“The type of business we operate today, aspects of it will be very different in five years time. We need to be constantly evolving to keep up with consumer trends and customer demands.

“Our current forecourt model is very strong but it’s about watching what is happening in that space and how quickly you can adapt your site for the needs of your customers.

“There’s no doubt our site will have to evolve further in the coming years to cater for the customer that is coming onto the site for 30 minutes to charge their vehicle and when that happens we need to look at the facilities we have to cater to them. Right now we have the comfortable seating area, the food offer, and the coffee etc, but what other opportunities are there? While EVs present challenges in terms of fuel sales they will also open up opportunities on the forecourt and it’s up to us to take advantage of those opportunities.”

As for opportunities in the short term, there are plans in place to develop the Frank & Honest Café in the Main Street Charleville store in the first half of next year. Hoping to further capture the eating-out-of-home market in the town, Ray and Brendan are constantly re-evaluating ways in which they can maintain the edge on their competitors. In addition to their current sites, the brothers are also actively looking for more opportunities to develop further forecourts in the marketplace .

“We’re constantly challenging each other on how we can improve our stores. We can’t just sit back; we have a relentless desire to the best we can be and the next thing for us is to expand the business,” concludes Ray.

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Leading Lights goes right into the heart of the communities around Inver’s forecourt network. The initiative was created to build an emotional connection between Inver’s forecourt partners, their community and the Inver brand.  All Leading Lights recipients are nominated by Inver’s forecourt partners and each forecourt has access to an annual fund to nominate one or two organizations.

Ronan Cooney, Inver’s partner in Coachford, Co. Cork, stated, ‘Inver’s connection to my local community through their annual Leading Lights programme is very positive.  We create an incredible amount of goodwill with this continued local support.’

The  Leading lights cheque presentations are made with the nominees, an Inver representative and Inver’s partners on their forecourt. The presentations and nominees stories are shared on their combined social media platforms.  To date there have been over 116 worthy recipients, including local schools, sports organizations, a fairy trail and sensory walk,  CPR lessons for children and new boats for a rowing club.

Inver’s partner, Brian Farrell in Ballina, Co. Tipperary, noted: “Inver’s leading Lights is a great initiative, it really immerses my business into the community and has helped build my business.  It creates a massive amount of goodwill, which is a huge plus.  I love it because there is nothing similar to it within our industry. In my opinion, it is singularly the greatest initiative I have ever come across in my career.’

“We are incredibly proud of our Leading Lights programme,” stated Chris O’Callaghan, Inver’s CEO.  “Our goal was to go right into the heart of Irish communities, to build strong roots between our brand and the communities our forecourt partners operate in. We were really invested in making a difference at a local level and I feel we have achieved that in 3 short years.

“The feedback is hugely positive and this initiative is growing beyond our expectations.  Leading Lights is well embedded within the business now and we look forward to continuing to make a difference.  It is a long term commitment we are making to our Inver forecourt partners and their communities and I look forward to seeing Leading Lights continue to grow and expand with the network.

“We are always excited to meet the nominees and hear their stories.  It is so inspiring to see how many people donate their skills, time and energy to give back to their hometown and community. The diversity of the nominees is always impressive as is the level of commitment people make to improve their community.

“Winning this year’s ‘Best Oil Company initiative 2019’ is a wonderful validation for Leading Lights and the commitment our forecourt partners have made to their community and the Inver Retail Brand.  2020 will be another exciting year and we look forward to sharing our ongoing leading lights journey on our social media platforms.  Join us @invercommunity and follow these uplifting stories!”

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The prestigious Ireland-wide awards, now in their 16^th year, are the only specialist awards for the forecourt and convenience industry and form part of Ireland’s Convenience Retailer Summit. They recognise innovation and excellence across a total of 17 categories, including Retailer of the Year, Best Forecourt Facilities, Food to Go Retailer of the Year, Store Manager of the Year and a Lifetime Achievement accolade. Each award is independently judged by Spotcheck through a series of shop visits and panel interviews with industry experts.

Cork retailers picked up a total of four awards on the night – the Lifetime Achievement Award went to Jim Barry, Managing Director of the Barry Group, Best Oil Company Initiative was awarded to Inver Energy Ltd and Best Forecourt Category Two (Convenience Store from 1751-2750 sq ft) went to Lee’s Centra Applegreen, Charleville, which also picked up the overall award.

Mayo retailers picked up three awards – Forecourt Category One (Convenience Store up to 1750 sq ft) was awarded to Maxol Westport, Newport Road; Best Food to Go Retailer went to Caseys Circle K / Londis Castlebar, and the winner of the License to Sell Alcohol was Caseys Circle K / Londis Ballina.

Last year’s overall winner, Creighton’s of Balmoral, Belfast, won the Forecourt Category Three Award (Convenience Store greater than 2751 sq ft).  Other winners in Northern Ireland included Henderson Retail, Co Antrim which was recognised in the Best Training Initiative category, Mulkerns Eurospar Ltd, Co. Down which won Best Category Management, and Milestone Rathfriland, Co. Down which won Best Fresh Food.

Edwina Donnellan of Donnellans Centra Loughville Stores, Co.Clare was recognised as Store Manager of the Year. Best Motorway Service Station went to Barack Obama Plaza, Co. Offaly and Best Forecourt Facilities was awarded to The Galway Plaza, Carrowkeel, Co Galway.  Best Newcomer went to Corrib Oil Spar Express Tralee, Co. Kerry; Winner of the Customer Service Category was Top Oil Service Station, Newhall, Co. Kildare; and Community Store of the Year went to Daybreak, Dungarvan, Waterford.

Bill Penton, managing director of Penton Exhibitions which organises the Awards, said: “We are delighted to be recognising the excellent work that is taking place in the forecourt and convenience retail sector. The category winners should be very proud of their achievement as the standard of entrants gets higher every year and the awards are judged independently through a very rigorous assessment process. Our overall winner, Lee’s Centra Applegreen, has embraced a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship which has enabled them to develop a team of highly trained and motivated staff – fully committed to delivering an excellent service to their customers and the local community.

“Along with Ireland’s Convenience Retailer Summit, the awards are a key event on the industry calendar and the events have been highly successful this year with over 400 people attending the Summit and 500 in attendance at the Awards. As well as being a benchmark of success, the awards are a great opportunity to come together and celebrate the great work within the sector. From excellence in customer service, to training initiatives, to supporting the local community – the dedication and hard work displayed by our winners is something to be proud of.  Many of these retailers provide a vital service for the local community and we congratulate them on their success.”

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The convenience retailing event of the year was back at the wonderful Clayton on Burlington Road in Dublin on September, 19, and it was the most packed, enjoyed event of its prestigious history.

With a star line-up at this year’s conference, including headline speaker Jacob Schram, author of “The Essence of Business” and former president for Europe at Circle K and Keith Barry, brain-hack and illusionist providing insightful entertainment.

This year’s awards followed Ireland’s biggest retailing conference, held in the same location

Hosted by sensational Irish Broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan, the awards once again celebrated the finest convenience retailers from across Ireland.

Here are the winners and finalists from a plethora of venues across Ireland.

Forecourt Convenience Retailer of the year winner 2018

Forecourt Convenience Store of the Year Category 1 – up to 1,750 sq. ft.

Finalists

Best use of Category Management

Finalists

Best Customer Service

Finalists

Newcomer of the Year

Finalists

Community Store of the Year

Finalists

Training Initiative of the year

Best Motorway Service Station

Finalists

Forecourt Convenience Store of the Year Category 2 – 1,751 – 2,750 sq. ft.

Finalists

Lifetime Achievement Award

Forecourt Convenience Store of the Year Category 3 – 2751 sq. ft. plus

Finalists

Best site with a Licence to sell Alcohol

Finalists

Store Manager of the year

Finalists

Best Oil Company Initiative

Finalists

Fresh Food Store

Finalists

Best Forecourt Facilities

Finalists

Best Food-To-Go

Finalists

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