Four Laois shops win Gala excellence awards
Award winner Roy Dempsey (centre) from Dempsey's Gala, Portarlington with Ben McGinn and David O'Brien from Gala Retail. Photo: Gala Group
FOUR Laois shops are among the best Gala retail stores in Ireland, having won Gala Excellence Awards at the group’s 2026 annual conference.
Bracken's Gala and M & P O'Sullivan's Gala in Portlaoise, Lawlor's Gala in Durrow and Dempsey's Gala in Portarlington were presented with the awards at the group’s national conference, which was held in the Great Southern Hotel, Killarney.
The celebrations continued into the evening at the event, which was hosted by sports broadcaster Jacqui Hurley and featured special guests Anthony Daly and Niall Quinn.
The conference brought together retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and partners from across Ireland to celebrate another successful year and look ahead to Gala’s plans for continued growth in 2027. The convenience retail group has more than 220 stores nationwide.
The Gala Excellence Awards are presented to stores that are deemed ‘outstanding’ following a comprehensive and independent assessment process, recognising retailers that demonstrate consistently high standards and deliver excellence in convenience retailing.
Congratulating the winners, Gala Retail chief executive Gary Desmond said: “I’m delighted to see our Laois retailers recognised among the best in the Gala group. We are incredibly proud to celebrate the remarkable individuals and teams who bring Gala to life, every day in every community.
“They know their customers, understand their communities and continually invest in delivering the high standards, quality and service that shoppers expect. These awards are about recognising the people behind our stores and the commitment they show every day to delivering the very best for their customers and communities.”
