Kevin Fell of SuperValu Thomastown pulled off a memorable double when he was crowned ‘Supreme Champion – National Grocery Retail Manager of the Year’ and ‘Medium Supermarket Manager of the Year’ at the National Grocery Management Awards 2026.
An old head on young shoulders, Kevin was presented with the prestigious ‘Supreme Champion’ accolade by Paula Feehan, head of sectors, Bank of Ireland. The judges praised the Kilkenny man for his passion for the industry and saw genuine enthusiasm that is both infectious and inspiring. They also outlined how highly this young manager values building strong staff relationships, with a clear focus on team development and putting the customer first.
Commenting on the judges’ decision, Nikki Murran, director, Grocery Retail Recruitment, Excel Recruitment said: “Starting out in retail at an age when most people are still figuring things out, our champion was already building serious momentum and a reputation that carries real weight. By his own account, nearly half his life has been dedicated to this industry, beginning with packing shelves at just 16 years old and progressing to his current role as store manager.
“From giving back to the local community through charity fundraisers and generous initiatives, to mentoring and developing the next generation of leaders in-store, his impact runs deep. Kevin has created a strong, positive culture within his team, one where people feel supported, motivated and proud to be part of something bigger. And let’s not forget the numbers. Delivering significant sales growth while keeping customers, people and culture at the heart of everything they do is no small feat.”
Attended by almost 320 guests at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire on Wednesday, May 13 last, the National Grocery Management Awards is Ireland’s premier scheme for recognising and honouring individual management excellence. To win one is a high point in the career of many of Ireland’s best performing managers from across a variety of categories and at various levels of career progression. The event is also the principal event for managers from across all wholesale brands to gather with colleagues, business partners, suppliers and friends.
Kevin dedicated the awards to his colleagues at SuperValu Thomastown.
“It’s not about me – it’s about the other 42-43 people in the store. It’s a real team effort and these awards merely reflect the huge amount of work done by so many over the last few years,” the 30-year-old stresses.
“It’s our people that sets us apart. They’re very loyal and passionate about what they do. They pride themselves on delivering an exceptional customer experience. We have experienced 20% growth over a three-year period and that’s down to the team. It’s all self-growth too. There haven’t been any new housing developments in Thomastown in that time, but that’s all set to change this summer with the opening of two new schemes. So further growth is anticipated. Thomastown is within easy reach of a number of larger towns and is a great place to live.”
The Mullinavat native caught the retail bug while on school work experience at The Hypermarket (it now trades as SuperValu The Hypercentre) in Waterford.
“I got part-time work on the back of that,” he remembers.
“That was the start of my retail journey. I worked my way up to duty manager in The Hydermarket and then did the SuperValu trainee course in New Ross with the Caulfield Group. I joined Cedarglade, who are a subsidiary of the Musgrave Group and operate SuperValu Thomastown, seven years ago and they opened a lot of doors for me. If you work with them, they’ll work with you.
“On Monday, March 16 2020, I started as assistant manager in Thomastown. I’ll always remember that date because it was just before the Covid lockdown. Looking back, it was a baptism of fire, but it stood me in good stead. I was appointed store manager in October 2024 in succession to Michelle McGrath who I would like to thank for pushing me along with Colette Murphy to reach the highest standards, and for supporting me all the way. Both Michelle and Colette are now operations support managers who I continue to work closely with.
“I’m also extremely grateful to Wayne Frawley, Pat Sinnott and Stephen Alyward who pointed me in the right direction when I was starting out in The Hypermarket and for seeing potential in me.”
SuperValu Thomastown is a 2,300 sq. m. customer-focused store which is part of the fabric of the picturesque Co. Kilkenny town. Originally run by the Kavanagh Group from a town centre location, it relocated to its current Cloghabrody, Dublin Road site 20 years ago. It has undergone several small revamps in that time and is committed to providing customers with the best quality and prices as well as a friendly and enjoyable shopping experience.
The store boasts strong deli, fruit & veg, meat and fresh bakery sections and also has a large selection of specialty foods. It also stocks a wide variety of wines and beers in its award-winning off-licence from local, national and international producers. Furthermore, the store combines the best of SuperValu’s own grocery brands with the leading brands.
“At SuperValu Thomastown, our success is built on the dedication, hard work and commitment of our people. Behind every great customer experience is a team that consistently goes the extra mile, striving for excellence in everything they do,” the award-winning manager continues.
“Through a culture of continuous learning, development and growth, our colleagues are constantly building skills, supporting one another and finding new ways to improve. Their passion, resilience and commitment to both our customers and our community are what drive our success and make SuperValu Thomastown a great place to shop and work.
“Our succession planning is always a working attribute to the store. Our heads of departments are constantly training and engaging with their staff to bring them to the same level of knowledge or even to drive on and be better. We also credit employees that show attributes to be a great leader.
“Over the past year, two of our colleagues – Vicky Murphy and Conor McGrath – have stepped into senior management positions and could potentially run a store of their own. We also have two colleagues – Habib El Meliane and Peter Brett – move into trainee management roles. Last year, we also hired Samantha Kavanagh as our new deli manager. Samantha has driven 16% Yo2Y in the deli.
“Our new cash office manager, Tori Murphy, took over from a long-standing manager with over 40 years’ service. Tori has already successfully trained two colleagues in the cash office in the past year and is also trained on Payroll.
“Kevin, Vicky, Conor and Francis all share the responsibility of leading POP in the store. We are viewed as a leader in adapting to the ways of POP and using the tool to improve store availability, and also reduce stock holding in the store.”
Kevin concludes by saying: “Philip Begley has taken on social media and has a team of two working with him to actively promote the store on a daily basis. Our training stats are currently at 90%, with some easy wins to improve the rating. We have built the spine of a team that can continue to move the store in the right direction.”
SuperValu Thomastown is embedded in the local community. To this end, it supports many local charities and clubs, including soccer, GAA and Thomastown Pride. At national level, SuperValu sponsors the GAA Football All-Ireland Championships and the National Tidy Towns competition.
Opening hours are 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am to 9pm on Sundays.
SuperValu Thomastown
Cloghabrody,
Dublin Road,
Thomastown,
Co. Kilkenny,
R95 P6CP.
Telephone: 056 772 4175.
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 5 No 3, Autumn 2026
featured, SuperValu Thomastown
