Dicey’s Off-Licence in Ballyshannon Co. Donegal has taken the award for National Off-Licence of the Year at the NOffLA Off-Licence of the Year Awards, at a ceremony at Dublin's Kings Inns last night.
It's the second year in a row that the Donegal off-licence has taken the top prize.
Other big winners at the event included The Molloy Group, Dublin, winners of ‘Responsible Retailer of the Year’ and Judith Boyle, Next Door @ J.Boyles, Market Square, Kildare, winner of ‘RTC Online Trainee of the Year’.
There were also awards for O’Donovan’s, Cork (Specialist Off-Licence Group of the Year 2014), Blackrock Cellar, Dublin (Best First Time Entrant 2014), Shiel’s Londis PLUS Malahide (Food Retailer Off-Licence of the Year 2014), Martin’s Off-Licence, Fairview (Customer Service Award of the Year 2014), Mitchell & Son Wine Merchants, CHQ Building (Spirit Specialist of the Year), Baggot Street Wines, Dublin 4 (Beer Specialist of the Year 2014) and Jus de Vine, Portmarnock (Wine Specialist of the Year 2014).
Regional awards went to World Wide Wines, Waterford (Munster Off-Licence of the Year 2014), McCambridge’s, Galway (Connaught/Ulster Off-Licence of the Year 2014) The Wine Centre, Kilkenny (Leinster Off-Licence of the Year 2014) and Gibneys Off-Licence, Malahide (Dublin Off-Licence of the Year 2014).
Speaking at the awards, NOffLA Chairperson, Evelyn Jones said, “The last few years have been very difficult for the off-licence sector. Two severe excise duty hikes have hit the sector very hard and as a direct result, a number of businesses have closed and jobs been lost. Fourteen businesses have closed in total since January 2013. On top of that, we have seen an increase in cross-border shopping and a rise in illicit trade. Government must understand that excise is not the answer and instead focus on bringing forward the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill which we hope will properly regulate the sector.??“The awards highlight however that even in the toughest operating environments; our members can maintain the highest standards when responsibly retailing alcohol and never fail to offer the best service to customers."
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
