Liam Coady, store manager for Nestors Supervalu Oranmore received the prestigious award of Manager of the Year at the Retail Excellence Ireland Awards held in Galway last weekend.
This accolade is presented to an individual who displays strong store management qualities and an ability to lead a team effectively through a difficult climate.The presentation was made by special guest, President Michael D Higgins.
Mr Coady comes from a long line of retailers; his grandfather and uncle are both shopkeepers. So when he left school at 16, he knew immediately that he wanted to go into retail and his career has gone from strength to strength.
He started working as a store manager with Nestors Supervalu Group in 2005 progressing his way to their flagship store in Oranmore in 2009. Company directors Tom and John Nestor have been in the retail business since the 1980s and they joined the Musgrave group in 2002.
This group has progressively expanded to three Supervalu stores and one Centra Store employing 230 people in Galway. The Nestors believe that the greatest asset of any business are the people who work in it with the ultimate goal of providing the absolute best service and range to the customer. They have said they are very proud of Liam’s achievement and the dedication and commitment shown by him throughout his career.
The Oranmore store has continuously been developed to meet the changing demands of its loyal customer base. From the award-winning fresh fish and meat departments with made-in-store meal solutions to the new bakery creating handmade cakes for every occasion the store has recently added online shopping through supervalu.ie All services are delivered to the highest standards by the staff instore and led by a management who have developed the business.
Commenting on winning REI Manager of the year, Mr Coady says it has been a fitting tribute to the entire team. “We have always had a good shop but in recent years I feel we have produced a great one. Since 2009 we have continued to maintain our sales base and that is a testament to the team.
“People are quick to blame the recession and competition but surviving is really about taking a hard look at your business. You have to ask yourself if there’s enough there to meet customer demands and create new business, and that is what we have done in the last three years,” he concluded.
