On Thursday 17th November the annual Edward Dillon & Santa Rita Estates SuperValu Off Licence of the Year Awards took place at The Galway Bay Hotel, Galway with four SuperValu stores winning the top awards on the night. The winners were selected from over 220 SuperValu stores across Ireland from which 26 finalists came through the judging process. All 26 finalist stores attended on the night and the winners are:
· Overall Winner SuperValu Off Licence of the Year: SuperValu Bantry, Cork
· Large Store of the Year: SuperValu Glanmire, Cork
· Medium Store of the Year: SuperValu Cobh, Dublin
· Small Store of the Year: SuperValu Tullow, Carlow
Guests on the night enjoyed a cocktail reception tasting some of Edward Dillon’s best loved brands including Bombay Sapphire Gin, Bombay Citron Presse, Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Apple. Hosted by RTE’s Shay Byrne with entertainment from top Irish comedian Andrew Maxwell, guests had an evening of laughter and delicious food paired with Santa Rita wines.
This year’s Edward Dillon & Santa Rita Estates SuperValu Off Licence of the Year Award winners receive an exclusive trip to Spain, visiting the Rioja Region and exploring the sights of Madrid.
Jim O'Keeffe, Ronan Dempsey, Anthony Harte and Damien Scull were there on the night to represent SuperValu Bantry and were presented with the award for Overall Off Licence of the Year Winner.
Lillian Twomey and Noel O'Riordan were there on the night to represent SuperValu Glanmire and were presented with the award for Large Store of the Year.
John Paul Curtin, Jim Garvey and Kevin McCarthy were there on the night to represent SuperValu Cobh and were presented with the award for Medium Store Off Licence of the Year.
Tommie Hickson and Bridget Hickson were there on the night to represent SuperValu Tullow and were presented with the award for Small Store Off Licence of the Year.
Each of the winners were presented their award by Andy O’Hara, CEO Edward Dillon and Trish Feely of Santa Rita Estates.
The finalist stores were judged by Michael Cunningham and were marked on a range of criteria including overall appearance, innovation and customer service.
Speaking at the event Andy O’Hara, CEO of Edward Dillon said: “We’re delighted to be back with our first awards ceremony since 2019. As has always been the case, the standard of stores is second to none. It’s fantastic to see the passion from each store and the hard work their teams put in to achieve such excellence. We would like to thank and congratulate all the four winning stores, and also to each of the finalist stores”.
