Store Of The Year

Gala Store Committed to excellence in retailing, the Gala Store of the Year awards were inaugurated at our national conference in October 2003.

The main focus on the initiative is the enhancement of store standards, as we believe this leads to heightened levels of customer satisfaction and ultimately, an increase in turnover and profitability.

Stores are assessed on an ongoing basis throughout the year. The judging criteria covers more than a dozen classifications ranging from the store's corporate image through to local marketing, staff training and knowledge of legislation. Awards are divided into various categories with the overall award going to the store with the highest marks on all classifications.


B.E.S.T 2010

Congratulations to Brian King on winning this prestigious award.

Owner: Brian King

Pictured above: L to R Diarmuid Murphy, Nestle Ireland, Liam Peters(front), Brian King, Dathi O'Shea, Gary Desmond, CEO

LOCAL Gala retailer, Brian King, Ashbourne was awarded the B.E.S.T Store of the Year award at this year's Gala annual conference at the Carton House Hotel in Maynooth. The award-winning retailer, owned by Brian King, beat off stiff competition from over 200 Gala retailers across Ireland to pick up the most prestigious award of the night. King's Gala has won the B.E.S.T. award is testament to their drive for standards and processes and are the second winners of the new, independently-audited B.E.S.T (Business Excellence Standards Tool) competition. "To be awarded Gala's 'B.E.S.T' store is an amazing achievement for King's Gala, reflecting my team's on-going efforts in delivering superior customer service and store excellence. Securing the top position is only the beginning, as we'll be striving to continually maintain these high standards in the years ahead," comments Brian King.

As you are aware the retail trade becomes more challenging year on year with compliance standards becoming more demanding across all aspects of the retail industry, such as H.A.C.C.P., health and safety, employment legislation, trading requirements and standards.

In conjunction with Q.H.S., Rose Hibbitts whom has an excellent reputation for auditing within the Retail and Food Safety Industry has in conjunction with Gala established the B.E.S.T Store Assessment programme (B.E.S.T.-Business Excellence Standards Tool). This assessment is based on an overview of key areas of your business to help you maximise your stores potential.

To enable you to have a full comprehensive overview of your store standards a Self Assessment Questionnaire is provided please see G.R.O.W Site for questionnaire . This questionnaire should be completed by you to identify any opportunity for improvement prior to the in-store assessment. This will also provide you with a greater understanding of any areas of weakness that may be apparent and enable you to take appropriate corrective action.

The initial assessment covers key areas such as Branding, Human Resources, Employment Law, Customer Service, Health and Safety, Food Safety, Information Technology, Marketing, Training Records, Store Trading Documentation, Retail Legislation incorporating Health, Safety and Welfare at work.