Official opening of new Spar and Inver in Nenagh

THERE was plenty of fun and laughter at Gortlandroe last Friday as Nenagh's new Spar shop was officially opened.

'Fair City' star Ryan Andrews was there to cut the ribbon heralding a new dawn for the Gortlandroe store, which reopened under the Spar banner last February after being closed for a number of years.

And there was a real party atmosphere there on Friday with a DJ, product giveaways, a clever clown and facepainting for the children. Tralee man Norman Foley, who has brought this Spar franchise to Nenagh, said he hoped the spirit of welcoming would continue as new store grows into the future.

The Gortlandroe Spar employs 14 people, all of whom live in Nenagh. The store is managed by Louise Carmody, who brings a great deal of retail experience with her having previously worked with Tesco and Musgraves.

The shop offers the full range of services and products one would expect from Spar, including convenience goods, deli and hot food counter, and Lotto. There is a sit-down area, a TV showing current affairs, and free Wi-Fi. Customers can also avail of its highly-popular 'Smooch' ice cream.

With ample parking provision to serve its wide customer base, the Gortlandroe Spar has also introduced the Spar Rewards Club, whereby customers are invited to register their details online and receive massive discounts on fuel, food and coffee/tea. Customers who join the club will be informed about special offers, exclusive deals, and even free birthday gifts.

Mr Foley has been with Spar for 15 years. He runs several Spar shops elsewhere in the country, all of which have received Five-Star awards under the independently audited competition run by Spar nationwide.

Mr Foley said a great deal of time has been spent training the Gortlandroe staff to a high standard. Spar operates a virtual academy through which staff receive training in customer service, legislation around the selling of cigarettes and alcohol, HACCAP food safety and hygiene control, manual handling and First Aid.

Mr Foley said the Gortlandroe Spar has been a success story so far and expected that this is set to continue, with future plans including the introduction of carvery options, healthy eating/lower calorie choices, and much more. He encouraged customers to talk to Spar about what they would like to see in store and said they would be facilitated as much as possible.

Mr Foley pointed out that all Spar shops are run indepdently of each other. He said he has a close working relationship with local reps.

“I am delighted to open this shop again and to offer this service to local people,” Mr Foley said, wishing the best of luck to his staff going forward.

Opening hours: 7am to 10.30pm daily. Tel: (067) 37861.

Inver comes to Nenagh

FULLY Irish-owned fuel company Inver has opened with the new Spar shop at Gortlandroe, Nenagh.

This is the second Inver station to open in County Tipperary and its 35th nationally. Inver has major expansion plans with a target of 50 outlets nationwide by the end of this year, 100 over the next three years.

Inver already has close links to Nenagh given that it sponsors a 'Techspace' centre in the town. Techspace is an exciting non profit organisation geared towards young people engaging with technology and computers. Inver decided to create a 'Think Tank' to “fuel young people's minds with technology”; the company sponsors technology based educational opportunities in association with its retail network.

Another local link is Inver's Commercial Director Rory Brislane of Toomevara.

Inver in Nenagh is associated with the new Spar shop at Gortlandroe, run by Tralee man Norman Foley. Mr Foley worked with Inver for a number of years and said the company offers an excellent service in terms of price and reliability.

Inver Retail Director Ben Lenihan said a key concern for retailers is the quality of fuel. Mr Lenihan explained that Inver runs its own quality programme in which the Irish company tracks and tests fuel from its source in Scandinavia to Foynes to the service station in Nenagh or elsewhere. In this way – one that is unique to this market – Inver has full control over the quality of its fuel.

Inver has more than 30 years' experience in commerical, marine, industrial and retail fuels in Ireland and the UK. It has also developed the Quality Rosette Programme to give customers the assurance that fuels supplied by Inver meet all national and European fuel standards with complete traceability from the point of manufacture to the customer.

Visit the Inver website for further information. To find out more about 'Techspace', visit www.inverthinktank.com.