The Wright family who run Wright’s Spar and petrol station in Portadown, Northern Ireland, have been reflecting on their 15 years of serving the local community.
The Wright family opened their store in 1935, trading as Wright’s Service Station until 2009, when they began trading with Henderson Group, under the Spar brand. In 2009 the store had just 10 employees but today, 38 people from the local community work in there.
The Wright family has invested £400,000 in the site in the past 15 years.
“We added an extension in 2016, which allowed us to create even more local jobs,” says Andrew Wright. “It also meant we could bring even more products to our shoppers’ doorsteps, from fresh and locally sourced produce to prepared or pre-prepped products for tonight’s tea, as well as all the store cupboard essentials.”
A true family affair, the team are dedicated to the local organisations and charities that are important to their shoppers and staff, and have raised over £10,000 for Marie Curie, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Samaritans.
“If I were to think about one of our most challenging but rewarding times in business, it would be throughout the pandemic and those first lockdowns. Everything changed overnight but we were committed to serving our shoppers, looking out for our neighbours and making sure everyone had what they needed.
“It actually brought the community closer together and we were at the heart of that. We pride ourselves on our great customer service, the personal touch to all of our transactions whether that be at the checkouts or a friendly ‘hello’ in-store, while our selection of fresh and local meats, produce and products are stand out in the area.”
To celebrate with their shoppers, Wright’s Spar ran a shopper appreciation week, from September 23 to 29, and also held a shopper appreciation day on Saturday, September 28 with special offers and competitions
Andrew continues: “We loved seeing all of our shoppers on the day, and celebrating alongside them as without our loyal shoppers, we wouldn’t have our family business, so we wanted to make this a celebration for their loyalty too.”
Patrick Doody, sales and marketing director at Henderson Group, which owns the Spar franchise in Northern Ireland, adds: “We all send our congratulations to the Wrights on this business milestone. They have grown an award-winning and engaging business that sits at the core of their community, providing everyday essentials and a hub for the local area and we wish them every success for many more years to come.”
