The 10th SLR Awards took place last night in Glasgow at the lavish Grand Central Hotel, with Costcutter Aviemore winning the coveted title of Scottish Local Retailer of the year. The store, owned and managed by husband and wife team Gordon and Debbie Mair also won in the Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the Year and Spirits Retailer of the Year.
Premier had a hugely successful night with seven awards for the symbol group. Shaun Marwaha, from Shaun’s Premier Store in Cardonald, Glasgow, was named Young Entrepreneur of the Year in a special award, with his store also scooping awards for Beer Retailer of the Year and Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year. The Marwaha’s success didn’t end there, with the family’s Premier Churchill’s Convenience Store in Glasgow winning Bread & Milk Retailer of the Year and Confectionery Retailer of the Year.
The community awards were also both won by Premier retailers. Dennis and Linda Williams of Broadway Convenience Store in Oxgangs, Edinburgh won Community Involvement Retailer of the Year, while Premier Mo’s Convenience Store triumphed in the Responsible Retailer of the Year category.
Carole Lafferty from Nisa Denny won Employee of the Year, thanks to her exceptional relationship with customers had her management of the store’s food to go operations. There were also awards for Best-one, Spar, Londis, KeyStore and Nisa.
SLR Editor and Publisher Antony Begley said: “To be the Scottish Local Retailer of the Year, you have to be doing something special. You have to be getting all the basics right, across every aspect of your store, then you have to be demonstrating that you’re taking modern convenience retailing to the next level, and maybe even keeping an eye on what tomorrow might bring. And ideally, you’ll also have a store that simply knocks your socks off from the second you see it. In just a short period of time Gordon and Debbie have managed to do all this and more. The store is simply stunning and a great asset to their local community.”
Winners in full
| Category | Store |
| Beer Retailer of the Year | Shaun’s Premier Store |
| Spirits Retailer of the Year | Costcutter Aviemore |
| Wine Retailer of the Year | Best-one at Brownlie’s |
| Bread & Milk Retailer of the Year | Premier Churchills Convenience Store |
| Confectionery Retailer of the Year | Premier Churchills Convenience Store |
| Crisps & Snacks Retailer of the Year | Graham’s Retail |
| Food to Go Retailer of the Year | Spar Renfrew |
| Forecourt Retailer of the Year | David Bryson & Sons (Londis) |
| Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the Year | Costcutter Aviemore |
| Newstrade Retailer of the Year | J.P.Pozzi |
| Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year | Shaun’s Premier Store |
| Community Involvement Retailer of the Year | Premier Broadway Convenience Store |
| Employee of the Year | Carole Lafferty (Nisa Denny) |
| Local Sourcing Retailer of the Year | Graham’s Retail |
| Responsible Retailer of the Year | Premier Mo’s Convenience Store |
| Young Entrepreneur of the Year | Shaun Marwaha |
| Scottish Local Retailer of the Year | Costcutter Aviemore |