Northern Ireland retailer Peter McBride of the McBride Group, who is celebrating 35 years in business, has said the secret to his success is the loyalty shown by the local communities in which he operates.
Peter operates 16 Spar stores across counties Tyrone, Fermanagh, and Armagh, with six on forecourt sites.
He said: “It would be difficult to name one highlight from the past 35 years, but anyone who knows me, knows how important community is to me and my family. Running a local store means you are the hub of the local community and the teams I work with are the backbone to the Group’s successful 35 years in business.”
All McBride stores place a prominent focus on nurturing their neighbourhoods by supporting local community groups and charities, as well as sponsoring local sports teams, running community litter pick-ups, providing home deliveries for vulnerable people, making donations to food banks and by having defibrillators at a number of stores.
The Group has donated over £41,500 for local initiatives in the past 12 months alone. Additionally, in conjunction with customers, £133,730 has been raised for Spar NI’s charity partner, Marie Curie NI, since the partnership began in 2017.The store’s most recent fundraising event for Marie Curie, Spar NI’s Blooming Great Summer, raised £10,000 for the charity.
In the lead up to his 35th year, Peter made a £3.5m investment to expand his retail business, with the addition of three new stores; the Spar Glenwood forecourt site in Irvinestown, and Strabane stores Spar Castletown and Spar Urney Road. An additional £1.5m was also invested to refurbish and extend two existing stores, ensuring each of the Group’s stores are bringing an expansive offering of products and services to their shoppers.
Peter has further plans for major investment in his store estate. This will include a full knock-down rebuild, store extensions and complete refurbishments to ensure the best standards available to his customers.
