The Above and Beyond Awards 2025 shone the spotlight on another exceptional bunch of heroic convenience store employees.
We didn’t think it could be done but blow us over, SLR’s second Above and Beyond Awards unearthed another crop of outstanding retail heroes – all of whom soar well above and beyond the call of duty to make their stores and communities better places.
Held on Wednesday 12 March at the Corinthian Club in Glasgow, the Above and Beyond Awards 2025 shone a spotlight on all 26 of our inspirational finalists.
Eight category superstars were also revealed at the heartwarming celebration, including a double-whammy for the Astonishing Act award.
So sit down, strap in and read on to find out more about our lifesavers, community players, old-timers and business boosters! Prepare to be amazed!
Independent Store Colleague
Alison Chisholm, Manager, Blackadder Mini Market (Premier), Duns
Nothing is too much trouble for inspirational Alison who quite literally goes out of her way to support her team, her community and her customers – offering jaw-dropping levels of personal support to many of her elderly shoppers who she treats like her own family.
From making crucial home deliveries at all hours – and in all weathers – to implementing dementia-friendly in-store processes, Alison really is one in a million.
Reece Beattie, Supervisor, Baba’s Kitchen, Bellshill
Former mechanic and tech wizard Reece is an all-round superstar – always out to support his customers and his team as best as possible. From management to mentoring, inventory control and more, there’s no job Reece can’t do – he’s even been known to put his mechanic skills to great use – carrying out a range of successful in store DIY projects. He’s also a customer service king – ace at engaging shoppers both in-store and on social media. Check out the Baba’s Kitchen Facebook page to see him in action!
Winner:
Lynsey Mann, Supervisor, Premier Girvan
Lynsey’s commitment to her local community is jaw-dropping – with more than 20 local causes and charities benefitting in some way from her help. In addition to her full-time role at Premier Girvan she also volunteers at the local community centre, which offers meaningful support to countless local families. Last Christmas, Lynsey spearheaded a gift campaign which led to more than 100 disadvantaged families receiving stockings filled with toys, decorations, sweet treats and more.
Company Owned Store Colleague
Claire Fleming, Manager, Spar Saltcoats
Community hero Claire wowed us at last year’s Above & Beyond Awards, and she was back for 2025 – managing a new store where she’s actively working her magic on the team and local lives. In just over six months, Claire has implemented a range of improvements at her new Spar store in Saltcoats, including putting the whole team through dementia-friendly training, helping to upgrade the local care home’s memory garden and taking up the fight against period poverty. At Christmas her efforts served up a memorable festive dinner for care home residents – and a raft of fun in-store initiatives for local kids too.
Winner:
Kyrie Davidson, Manager, Spar Kincaidston
Mother of four Kyrie is a pillar of her local community who thoughtfully uses her position as store manager to make a truly meaningful difference to local lives – especially children and families. She wowed the judging panel with her Angel Tree campaign, which last December meant that 30 children who might not have woken up to a present on Christmas morning were able to unwrap a truly special treat. On top of all this, she’s also an inspiring manager who has raised standards, united her team and is at the heart of the warm and friendly in-store atmosphere that keeps shoppers coming in day in and day out.
Val Lee, Manager, Spar Ballindean
Val is an inspirational store manager with superpower people skills that have helped her to transform the fortunes of Spar Ballindean. Her supportive and approachable management style, combined with weekly one-to-one sessions with each member of her team, has had a hugely positive impact on morale, performance and sales.
She’s also a key source of support for other store managers in her area – often putting others’ needs before her own and stepping up to cover shifts or help deal with challenges in her own time.
Kelly Holmes, Manager, Spar Keith
Local lady Kelly has risen up the ranks of Spar Keith over the last decade – making a hugely positive difference to her team, her store and her local community in that time. Her local knowledge and astute management skills have led to the launch of numerous successful initiatives, including food to go – and her community work is also noteworthy, especially her support of the local school. Kelly’s community spirit shone for all to see last summer, when during a devastating fire in the village, she fed and watered the entire crew – an event which led to her being presented with a public letter of thanks from the local firefighters.
Denise Burns, Manager, Spar West Kilbride
Denise is a true hero, not just to her team at West Kilbride but also to many other stores in her area – regularly parachuting in to offer help and support, and often in her own time.
Her friendly manner and innate desire to do good mean that she’s cherished by her colleagues and customers alike. Last Christmas Denise took it upon herself to organise and cook a special Christmas lunch for 50 elderly residents of the local sheltered housing complex – a memorable event which was treasured by all who attended.
Business Booster
Amy Bennett, Supervisor, Baba’s Kitchen, Bellshill
From personality-packed videos to engaging community events, creative thinker Amy is behind the launch of numerous original ideas that have boosted footfall and sales, both on- and off-line.
She’s even helped the store to introduce unique new products, such as topped donuts and pizzas – both of which have been a runaway success.
During Breast Cancer Awareness month, she also came up with the idea of making special themed donuts – a fantastic idea which led to the launch of a popular new product and supported a great cause.
Sohaib Ali, Supervisor, Premier Ali’s, Tranent
Twenty-two-year-old Sohaib (Sibi) has transformed Premier Ali into a destination store for hot new products –and one of the first to market for viral crazes including Dubai Chocolate and Freeze Dried candy.
His efforts have helped the store to attract a new and younger audience, all of which has benefitted footfall and sales.
And his business-boosting abilities don’t end there – with Sibi having actually found the Ali’s second store for them and is now playing an active role in its planning.
Winner:
Reece Beattie, Supervisor, Baba’s Kitchen, Bellshill
Reece is a business boosting machine and invaluable source of support to the Baba’s Kitchen team.
A self-proclaimed tech geek with a knack for creative problem-solving, Reece has taken it upon himself to design several new back-office systems that have saved the store precious time and money.
One of the new systems helps identify underperforming products and the other has helped to streamline working practices.
He’s even been known to put his impressive DIY skills to great use, creating a number of bespoke display and storage solutions for the store including a clever magnetic knife rack for the in-store kitchen.
Team of the Year
Spar Balintore, Tain
Team Balintore consistently go above and beyond to provide crucial support and services for their remote coastal community.
This year has been no exception, with members of the team gloving up for a community beach clean and taking part in life-saving defibrillator training. The in-store team also came together to help raise crucial funds for the village’s first gala in many years.
Spar Bighty Avenue, Glenrothes
This unified team of 13 friends goes above and beyond to support each other, their customers and their community – resulting in a warm and inviting store that inspires local love and loyalty.
The long-serving team actively supports a variety of local initiatives, with their charitable efforts having recently led to the kickstarting of a new service offering elderly people ‘a warm place to go’ during the cold winter months.
Spar Cranhill, Glasgow
This close-knit and supportive team pulled together admirably during the store’s evolution from a Scotfresh to Spar.
Each member of the 12-strong team embraced the changes with enthusiasm, taking all the new systems and ways of working in their stride.
Their positive and united front helped to achieve a smooth and highly successful transition.
Winner:
Premier DUSA, Dundee
Premier DUSA is a Grade A example of teamworking at its best. Store manager Moira Dean describes her dedicated team of 15 as “a bunch of unsung heroes” who she is proud to call her colleagues. The store’s unique location on a university campus calls for an equally unique approach to customer service and management, with team members offering vital support and comfort to their student customer base. Team members have also played a crucial role in the store’s inspirational sustainability journey.
Premier Aramark, Leuchars
The inspirational team at Premier Aramark Leuchars go above and beyond each and every day to meet the specific needs of their unique shopper demographic.
Located behind the wire on a military base, the store is so much more than a place for soldiers to shop. Members of the team (most of whom are military dependents themselves) play a key supportive role – offering a warm welcome to all who enter, and words of wisdom and comfort to those who need it.
Londis Solo Convenience Store, Glasgow
Store owner Natalie Lightfoot describes her team as one big family who all pull together to get the job done and have a lot of fun along the way.
The store’s social media pages are awash with videos of innovative events, inspiring fundraisers, litter picks, coffee mornings, and so much more – with the whole team pitching in and going above and beyond to improve local lives.
Up and Coming Star
Sohaib Ali, Premier Ali’s, Tranent
Twenty-two-year-old Sohaib (Sibi) has been instrumental in the development of Premier Ali’s both in-store and online – where he is now very much the social face of the business. His fun social media videos highlighting new products and in-store initiatives have helped the store to bring in a whole new customer base and made it a destination for new products.
Store owner Anila describes Sibi as an invaluable source of support who excels in all areas of his role.
Winner:
Amy Bennett, Supervisor, Baba’s Kitchen, Bellshill
Store owner Umar Majid describes Amy as an all-round superstar, who has made a tangible impact on her store in the six years that she’s worked there – always thinking outside the box for new ways to engage shoppers and boost footfall. Amy’s efforts online have also helped to revolutionise the store’s digital presence – and her long list of community initiatives is equally impressive, including an inspiring campaign to raise funds for a community defibrillator.
Looking to the future, Amy is laser focused on a career in retail and would like to manage her own store one day.
Michael Dunsmuir, Sales Assistant, Spar Portland Street, Troon
Nineteen-year-old Michael puts his all into every aspect of his role at Spar Portland Street where he has become an invaluable part of the team, taking on all new jobs and responsibilities with gusto.
He’s also the first to put his hand up to help with community events or cover shifts, and has even been known to help out other stores in his own time.
Long Service Award
David Love, Supervisor, Baba’s Kitchen, Bellshill
Local legend David – AKA ‘Samba Dave’ in homage to his love of the Adidas Samba trainer – has been a much-loved part of the furniture at Baba’s Kitchen for a staggering 38 years – that’s before Umar, who now runs the family-owned store, was even born! The store has changed almost beyond recognition over that time, but David’s cast-iron work ethic has remained rock solid, arriving without fail at 5.25 every single morning to set the store up for the day.
Kathleen O’Rourke, Supervisor, Spar Muirhouse
Kathleen is one of life’s lovely people who stops at nothing to ensure that everyone around her feels happy and supported – a rare quality that benefits her shoppers and in-store team hugely. She’s been an invaluable part of the team at Spar Muirhouse for more than 12 years now – always giving her absolute best to the job and making a hugely positive difference in the process. For customers, she’s also a hands-down superstar and her smiling face is the first thing that many of them look for when they enter.
Hasrit Qadir, Manager, Premier Grangemouth
Hasrit, who is also fondly known as ‘Uncle Ali’ has worked in the business for more than 14 years now. Store owner Jaz describes him as an “irreplaceable” part of his team and “instrumental” to the successful development of Premier Grangemouth. For shoppers, he’s the heart and soul of the store. A Facebook post announcing his success as a finalist at the Above and Beyond Awards prompted hundreds of likes, with more than 70 shoppers posting heartfelt messages of thanks and congratulations.
Winner:
Tanya Wilson, Manager, Spar Eastriggs
Long-serving store manager Tanya wowed the judges with the extraordinary levels of support that she and her team have given the Eastriggs community over the last 20 years. After all, how many managers can say they’ve filled not one, not two, but now three photo books with images and newspaper clippings of all the wonderful community events they’ve planned? And there’s certainly been no let-up in the last 12 months with Tanya having spearheaded another wave of meaningful community support, including a memorable trip to the cinema for 40 local kids at Christmas.
Astonishing Act
Joint Winner:
Salman Javed, A&J Stores, Stenhousemuir
As everyone who works in convenience retail knows, some days can be a little shocking. However, for Salman Javed, one day last summer turned out to be more shocking than most, when he was forced to use his store’s defibrillator in a first aid emergency!
Salman had just happened to step outside the store when he noticed a man suffering with chest pains in the road. He rushed over to help and before he knew it the man had collapsed. Salman dialled 999, put him into the recovery position and then sprinted for the community defibrillator which is housed outside his store. He then used the defibrillator to shock the man who promptly regained consciousness.
Joint Winner:
Alix Kegg, Sales Assistant Londis Solo Convenience Store, Glasgow
Quick-thinking sales assistant Alix performed crucial yet compassionate first aid when a local lady fell and hit her head in the street outside the store last summer.
An ambulance had been called but was still a long way off – so Alix calmly took matters in hand.
She assessed the lady and gave vital first aid before phoning back to the store for blankets to keep the poor lady warm.
Alix then found the lady’s phone and called her husband, before arranging for someone to bring him to the scene.
Alix then stayed with the lady, shooing away onlookers and keeping her safe, calm and comfortable until her husband and then the ambulance arrived.
The lady was so thankful to Alix for her quick thinking and kindness and has since become a regular customer at the store.
Honouring
Julie Livingstone, Sales Assistant, Premier Girvan
Customer service queen Julie is a true gem – treasured by her in-store team and her customers, for whom she consistently goes above and beyond.
Her recent courage in the face of cancer has been nothing short of awe-inspiring –working right up until her treatment started and then returning to work, which she describes as her happy place, as soon as it was over.
Her team and her customers are delighted to have her back – and for her smiling face and joyful character to once again be warming the store and everyone around her.
Thank you to our sponsors
A huge thank you goes to our sponsors without whom this wonderful event could not happen: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Mondelez International, Spar Scotland, Tennent’s Lager, and our media partner, The Scottish Sun.
