Tipperary man - who works in local shop - celebrated at national awards ceremony

Colin Harding of Elys Centra in Cashel has received the sought-after ‘Rising Star’ award at Centra’s national award ceremony recently.

Taking place in the Mansion House in Dublin on Wednesday, November 8, Centra’s national award ceremony recognises and celebrates the best of Centra stores, its people and exemplary retail excellence.

The ‘Rising Star’ award recognises employees early on in their career that have shown exceptional promise and potential. 

Colin Harding has worked in retail since he was in secondary school, working his way up to trainee manager at the age of 19.

Constantly looking for ways to drive the store forward and displaying tremendous dedication to his work, Colin’s infectious enthusiasm shines through.

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Commenting on the award ceremony, Ian Allen, Managing Director of Centra said: "Congratulations to Colin Harding of Elys Centra Cashel, Tipperary for winning ‘Rising Star’ award; this win is a testament to the exceptional commitment and service he offers on a daily basis.

"As the leading convenience retailer with approximately 12,000 employees and 496 stores across Ireland, we are delighted to recognise and reward the very best of convenience excellence from our people and stores."

The award ceremony presented 18 awards on the night and welcomed 93 finalists. The awards fell into three categories - ‘People’, ‘Excellence’ and ‘Store of the Year’. 

The ‘People’ category acknowledged staff who demonstrated exceptional passion and enthusiasm for the – such as Length of Service award and Employee of the Year.

The ‘Excellence’ awards shone a light on stores delivering the best of Centra across the in-store categories Deli, Moo’d, Bakery, Off Licence and Local Activations.

The ‘Store of the Year’ awards celebrate excellence in convenience retailing and exceptional consumer experience.

Cormac Dawson, Sales Director, Centra, commended finalists in the ‘People’ and ‘Excellence’ category: "We are proud to recognise and celebrate our people who deliver exceptional service to their local community.

"These finalists offer the very best in retail excellence and are a testament to their teams hard work and determination in offering a consistently great service to their community on a daily basis."