Northern Ireland store celebrates 15 years of serving the community

Ian and Carolyn Miskimmin, the owners of Spar Ballyhalbert are celebrating 15 years serving their local community with a host of plans for their shoppers and neighbours to enjoy.

The store has been owned and operated by the Miskimmins since 2009 providing jobs for 26 people in the local area.

Over the past 15 years, the store has made a huge impact on their community, fundraising thousands of pounds for a number of charities including Marie Curie and The Poppy Appeal, sponsoring local sports teams including Ballyhalbert United football team and supporting a number of local community groups and schools.

The family have made significant investments into the store over the years, with two major refurbishments in 2015 and 2020 to expand their offering of top quality products and services for shoppers including an off license, H&J Carnduff butcher counter and a Glastry Farm ice cream counter, as well as the installation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) outside the store, which is available for the community 24/7, providing essential access to potentially lifesaving equipment even when the store is not open.

To celebrate the anniversary, a fun day for the local community was hosted at the store, where shoppers enjoyed food sampling, a visit from a petting farm, kids entertainment, music and spot prizes including a gas BBQ, hampers filled with items from local suppliers and store vouchers.

Shoppers can also expect multiple celebratory events to take place throughout the rest of the year, including even more exciting giveaways and customer appreciation events.

Store owners, Ian and Carolyn Miskimmin with Justin Hayes, regional sales manager and Arlene Simmons, business development manager at Henderson Group

As part of the celebrations, Lynsey Evans, commercial manager of produce & horticulture at Henderson Group, Ian and Carolyn Miskimmin, store owners and Conor Nicholl from Milgro Onions all paid a visit to Victoria Primary School to give a presentation on the health benefits of fruit and vegetables, how food is harvested and information on local suppliers. The store is also sponsoring Victoria Primary School’s sports day this summer.

Ian Miskimmin, said: “We are delighted to be celebrating 15 years of our store. It has been a privilege to serve our local community and they are at the heart of everything we do.

"We had a fantastic day celebrating with our shoppers in May at our fun day, and we look forward to our celebrations throughout the rest of the year, to show our appreciation for their support over the past 15 years.

“I’d also like to thank our store team for their hard work and dedication to the store over the years.”

Lynsey Evans, commercial manager of produce & horticulture at Henderson Group, Conor Nicholl from Milgro Onions and store owners, Ian & Carolyn Miskimmin paid a visit to Victoria Primary School

Paddy Doody, sales and marketing director at Henderson Group which owns the Spar brand in Northern Ireland, added: “We wish to congratulate Ian, Carolyn and the whole team at Spar Ballyhalbert on their 15th anniversary and wish them every success for years to come.”