Kilmartin"s N6 Centra declared Ireland"s "convenience store of the year"

For the second time in the last three years, Kilmartin"s N6 Centra store in Athlone has taken the top prize in a competition which recognises the best convenience stores in the country. Last month, media personality Marty Whelan presented proprietors Rachel and Damien Kilmartin with the ShelfLife Convenience Store of the Year award at a ceremony in Dun Laoghaire"s Royal Marine Hotel. The prize was awarded to Kilmartin"s after a an adjudication process which involved visits to the store by "mystery shoppers" as well as an auditing process and interview with one of the judges. In declaring the Athlone store the winner of the competition, chairman of the judging panel, Joe Commerford, said: 'This is a shop to make a visit to, with a large forecourt, superb deli and seating area, a large coffee dock, and wide range of fresh foods and "pick up and go" ranges. 'The store is managed to a very high standard of merchandising and cleanliness,' Mr Commerford added. 'Their pricing is excellent and above all their customers are kings.' A photo of Rachel and Damien Kilmartin receiving their award from Marty Whelan appears on the cover of the current issue of "ShelfLife", a trade magazine. Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, Mr Kilmartin said he was delighted to have received the award, particularly as the competition was not restricted to Centra outlets but involved all types of convenience stores. He attributed the success to the quality of staff employed at the store. 'I think our staff is the main thing, but there are also factors such as the range of services we provide, our cleanliness and our prices,' he said. He commented that local trade has become increasingly important to Kilmartin"s since the opening of the N6 bypass last summer. 'Two or three years ago the majority of our custom would have come from passing trade but now I"d say that 60 or 70% of our customers are locals,' he said. Responding to this change, the Kilmartins have increased the number of special offers in their store and they say they"ve been surprised to find their coffee sales have not decreased since the opening of the bypass. The deli is the strongest-performing department in the store. In addition to receiving the ShelfLife "convenience store of the year" award, Kilmartin"s N6 Centra also received the Cleanest Store prize in the EQA National Awards last year.