Nearby, the retail brand launched by S&W Wholesale, has opened their 125th store.
The store in Culmore, Derry/Londonderry opened officially on 16 December with a family fun Community Christmas Party.
The symbol group, which celebrated their first birthday in April this year, crossed the 100 stores milestone in August, with the opening of a store in Creeslough, Co Donegal.
To celebrate the opening of the 125th store, the Nearby team at S&W Wholesale teamed up with Belfast-based radio station U105 and had breakfast show presenter Denise Watson broadcasting live from store.
There was plenty of goodies to pick up on the day, from Nearby filled goodie bags, big prize scratch cards, U105 prizes and supplier treats. There was an in-store raffle running on the lead up to the event where customers who spent as little as £5 in store were entered into a draw to win either a new 55-inch TV, 32-inch TV or a Punjana Tea filled hamper just in time for Christmas.
Throughout the day there was a great buzz, with Christmas music playing from U105’s outdoor broadcast. Customers were table to grab a free tea, hot chocolate, or Cuppa Coffee to keep themselves warm while enjoying the atmosphere.
There was plenty of in-store fun too as customers had to find Elfis the Elf who was hiding on the shelves throughout the store. If that wasn’t enough, the local children got to meet Santa as he joined the team in-store to celebrate the big 125.
Store manager Carla Shiels said her team and customers really enjoyed the day. “It was a fantastic customer day. To see so many people popping in and being surprised with all what was going on was great to see. Even the staff enjoyed themselves with many of them staying on to enjoy the festivities with the local community,” she said.
Nearby Culmore boasts all the grocery essentials and is the hub of the local community. It supports local produce such as the Maiden City Butchery range, Rosie bakes and has a wide fresh range. Cuppa Coffee is in store along with, Tony’s Ice Cream counter, Lottery, and an onsite ATM. Work is already underway for a new state of the art hot and cold food deli opening in next few weeks.
“Nearby really is a unique symbol store offering as we don’t go into business and take over – quite the opposite in fact. We work with the owners to understand what makes their store unique, help them implement the Nearby brand and ultimately grow their business.” Maurice Little, Symbol NI sales manager.
