Summary
- Nearby marks four years with 160+ stores across Ireland and Northern Ireland
- Local Legends campaign honours The White Butterfly charity with £1,000 award
- Retailers highlight Nearby’s flexible, independent model and strong wholesale backing
Convenience symbol group Nearby is celebrating its fourth anniversary this year, marking rapid growth to more than 160 stores across Ireland and Northern Ireland since its launch in 2021. The brand, part of S&W Wholesale, has built its reputation on supporting independent retailers with flexible, fee-free partnerships while placing community at the heart of its identity.
To mark the anniversary, Nearby spotlighted its community credentials with its biggest-ever Local Legends campaign. Shoppers across the island of Ireland nominated more than 500 individuals for the award, recognising people who go above and beyond in their communities. The 2025 winner was The White Butterfly, a charity offering psychological support to parents grieving baby and neo-natal loss, which received a £1,000 prize.
The campaign culminated in a live event at Belfast’s Victoria Square with Cool FM, influencers and family-friendly entertainment, supported by Kellogg’s.
Cool FM presenter Rebecca McKinney at the Nearby Local Legends event
The milestone year has also seen new retailers join the group, including Jennifer’s store in Newry, which opened under the Nearby banner in January. With a family background in retail, Jennifer was pretty familiar with the processes involved, however she said the help and assistance from Nearby was invaluable in getting set up.
“My father, Jim has been in retail almost his whole life, between shops and pubs and we have all gone on from there in our own way,” said Jennifer.
“Originally this was my father’s shop and I helped him at the start and when the time was right this year, I decided I would take the reins. When we joined Nearby, their store and design team visited us to help fit out the shop. We had been in discussions with them and were going to do it on our own, as we’ve done before, but after talking to Nearby, it just seemed like a good fit.”
Nearby impact
As a Newry-based shop, Jennifer said it was an important factor for her to have Nearby on board as it is so local. “There is always someone I can get in touch with, and they they are very good at nurturing the relationship and are very easy to work with.”
Jennifer said she was very appreciative towards the Nearby team, from customer service to marketing and store design to sales, who have all aided in the opening of the shop.
“To have their expert team come in and show me the correct ways of working was great,” she said. “They came in and stocked the shelves for us opening. It was all done in one day, including the till systems, and I was shown how to operate everything which was very seamless.”
One of the main positives Jennifer cited with being part of the Nearby brand is the flexibility it affords her. “This flexibility enables us to remain independent whilst having the power of a strong brand behind us. Nearby’s wholesale partner, S&W Wholesale also provides us with the choice of over 8,000 products to choose from and this is a great incentive for any retailer looking to team up with the Nearby symbol brand.”
Jennifer in front of her Nearby Monaghan Street store in Newry
Since opening on 2nd January, Jennifer has received lots of positive feedback from her customers.
“People have been great and we have been getting great reports back. The response from customers has been good – we would have had regular faces of course, but we are also getting lots of new faces in too,” said Jennifer.
“When my dad took over the shop, he renovated it and now we have updated signage with Nearby and so much more space in the shop – meaning I could reopen our in-store deli, which is important for the customers.”
Originally from the Warrenpoint Road in Newry, Jennifer is all too familiar with the area and the importance of having convenience stores like hers for local residents and indeed staff from local businesses.
“My family had a shop and post office in Ballyholland, but of course I’ve seen that the running of a shop is completely different to just working in it,” added Jennifer.
“There are naturally all the responsibilities and doing orders, but with being with Nearby they are very good at steering you in the right direction to increase store footfall and ultimately sales.
“The ‘Bring Home The Value’ concept is a great footfall driver to our store. These deals change on a three-weekly basis and ensures that all customers are met with value on everyday essentials when they come into the shop.”