Mornington Peninsula Shire is lining up to congratulate a Dromana supermarket for winning several in-house industry awards.
Ritchies Supa IGA Dromana was last month named IGA International Retailer of the Year.
The award was presented to CEO Fred Harrison and Jarrod Swaine at the international IGA conference in San Diego, US.
Not to be outdone by the hype, shire councillors are arranging some publicity around the store’s awards.
In a flurry of emails between councillors, the mayor Cr David Gill said he supported “the idea of official shire recognition for IGA”.
“Great news indeed for Ritchies Supa IGA Dromana to be showcased on the international stage,” he told other councillors.
Cr Antonella Celi suggested a media release from the shire “can include a picture of the mayor and Seawinds councillors presenting a mayoral commendation certification to the owners of Ritchies IGA in Dromana”.
Crs Celi, Brooks and Frank Martin represent the Seawinds Ward.
Cr Simon Brooks said the store “exhibit a sense of pride in this facility and have provided the township with a place of employment for many young people including students”.
The international award follows the store being named 2018 National Retailer of The Year, Supa IGA Store of the Year, Supa IGA Bakery Department of the Year and winning the Retail Transformation and Innovation Award at last year’s IGA Australia Awards.
The Dromana store is owned and operated by the Ritchies group, seen as Australia’s largest independent supermarket and liquor retailer.
The public relations company handling the latest publicity, describes Ritchies Dromana as being “the complete package for modern day grocery retailing … famous for being a foodie’s paradise”. It says the store has “energy-efficient refrigeration, low-line bakery display units, wine barrel display tables in produce and the Himalayan salt wall in the meat dry aging room”.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 5 March 2019
