There was double delight for Pettitt’s SuperValu, St Aidan’s in Wexford Town when it was crowned National SuperValu Store of the Year and Best Large SuperValu Store of the Year for 2024 at the recent SuperValu National Conference in The Great Southern Hotel, Killarney.
Pettitt’s saw off stiff competition from nine other finalist stores from around the country to claim the prestigious overall prize. Independent competition judge and retail consultant Paul Ellison adjudicated the judging process which focused on product range and quality, customer service, store presentation and innovation, fresh-food offering, store hygiene standards and sustainability.
The honour acknowledges the exceptional standards consistently achieved by the team in St Aidan’s. The store achieved an outstanding score in key categories such as bakery, kitchen, cook-at-home and florist offerings. Pettitt’s was also commended for its professionalism in leadership and management. It supported a dedicated team who consistently delivered excellent service.
Furthermore, the branch demonstrated dedication to its community through partnerships with both the Wexford senior hurling and football teams. Pettitt’s was praised for its sustainability advancements, with an impressive 60% reduction in CO2 emissions following the installation of new refrigerators and solar panels.
Representatives including Ann Kane, Pat Maher, Shona Clynch, Declan Dempsey, Cormac Pettitt, Paul Murphy, Nicky Byrne, Callum Quirke, Niamh Dunne, Rosaleen Casey and Graham Staples from Pettitt’s SuperValu, St Aidan’s were presented with their award by SuperValu managing director Ian Allen, SuperValu sales director Dan Curtin and the award sponsor, Jean Francois Michel, account director of Three Ireland.
In accepting the award, Pettitt’s managing director Cormac Pettitt thanked the team and the store’s loyal customers.
“We have over 160 loyal and dedicated employees who take pride in providing our customers with a world-class shopping experience, day in and day out. Twenty-one of these employees have been with us for more than 20 years. We are thrilled to bring this award back home to Wexford,” he said.
SuperValu managing director Ian Allen congratulated Pettitt’s SuperValu, St. Aidan’s, on their “outstanding” performance, noting: “The store displayed exemplary leadership qualities in sustainability, showcasing a hugely innovative store product range and supporting local suppliers, producers and the wider community. The team at Pettitt’s SuperValu, St. Aidan’s are very well deserving of this award and I wish them every success in the future.”
He added: “These awards are a longstanding competition for the SuperValu brand and every year we are truly blown away by the standards set by finalists, with this year being no different.
“The commitment of our retailers to excellence within the SuperValu brand is evident, with this year’s competition showcasing the highest calibre of stores across the retail footprint. In particular, the considerable sustainability initiatives that have been implemented and the energy savings achieved across the SuperValu brand is significant. I want to acknowledge and congratulate all our SuperValu store owners for these efforts.”
A household name in retail in Wexford, Wicklow and Kildare where it has stores in St Aidan’s, Enniscorthy, Gorey, Arklow, Bray and Athy, Pettitt’s SuperValu is a fifth-generation family business which employs over 700 team members in total. Its origins can be traced back to the 19th century when Cormac Pettitt’s great-great-grandparents ran a grocery, wine and spirit business in Wexford’s Main Street from 1825 to 1900.
In 1946, Cormac’s grandfather, Jack Pettitt, who was then working with the L&N, took over the Beechville Dairy in Wexford’s Main Street, which was one of the premises formerly owned by his grandfather. From here, Jack ran a counter service store until 1965 when he purchased the premises next door, merged them together and pioneered the first self-service operation in Wexford.
In 1975, a new acquisition was added in the form of a supermarket in St Aidan’s Shopping Centre. Cormac’s father Des Pettitt was responsible for the general management of this store. In 1978, Des went on the expansion trail with the purchase of a store in Enniscorthy, while a new supermarket was opened in Gorey in 1983. The Pettitt family expanded outside the Model County for the first time in 1987 with the purchase of the Athy store, and again in 1989 when they set up shop in Arklow.
In January 2006, Pettitt’s joined SuperValu, the franchise group operated by Musgraves, the largest grocery distributor in Ireland. The strong Irish brand compliments what Pettitt’s is known for: superior customer service and quality fresh produce.
In June 2021, a state-of-the-art store opened in Southern Cross Road, Bray, bringing with it 80 new job opportunities and a host of innovative plans aimed at supporting and fostering growth within the local community. The multi-award winning family business also has a farm production facility in Sleedagh which hosts its Pettitt’s Kitchen and Pettitt’s Florists.
Pettitt’s Supermarkets have a strong reputation for being customer and community-focused. A huge amount of time and effort is put into working with local suppliers to offer customers high-quality, local produce at good value.
Pettitt’s is embedded in the community that it serves. It has sponsored the Wexford Senior Hurling Championship for the past 30 years and has also supported the Wexford senior hurling and football teams for the last six years by providing protein packs for each player on a weekly basis during their training season. The St Aidan’s store has also sponsored St Martin’s GAA club in Wexford for the past 25 years and has lots of other smaller sponsorships, including charity sponsorships.
As it continues to go from strength to strength, Pettitt’s SuperValu, St Aidan’s would like to take this opportunity to thank its customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as its team for their hard work, dedication and expertise.
Pettitt’s SuperValu
St Aidan’s Shopping Centre, Slipperygreen,
Wexford, Y35 XC42.
Telephone: 053 912 4055
Web: www.pettitts.ie
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 3 No 2, Autumn 2024
