Eight Kildare stores make Top 100 list

Eight retailers from Kildare have today been named among the Top 100 Stores in Ireland by Retail Excellence, the largest retail industry representative organisation in Ireland.

Newbridge boasted three of the retailers with paint stockist Cove & Coe, Kilkenny Design and Michael Murphy Home Furnishing on the list.

Kilkenny Design in Kildare Village and Cove & Coe’s Celbridge branch also featured.

It was fantastic achievement also for Ryan’s Pharmacy who had two of their branches in Rathangan and Derrinturn rank in the top 100.

The very busy Circle K station in Kilcullen off the motorway also took the honours.

The Top 100 stores are part of the Elavon Retail Excellence Awards, which were established in 1997 to promote best practice and encourage high standards in the Irish retail industry and are now the largest and most prestigious of its kind in Ireland. The Awards will take place on Saturday, 15th November 2025 at the Lyrath Estate Hotel, Kilkenny.

Former Store of the Year winners include Willow (Ennis), Garvey’s SuperValu (Tralee), TileStyle (Dublin), Applegreen (Dublin), O’Briens Wines (Limerick and Dublin) and Greenacres (Wexford).

Jean McCabe, CEO of Retail Excellence, said: “These businesses exemplify retail excellence through outstanding service, performance, and innovation at a national level. Their commitment to delivering exceptional customer experiences and embracing new ideas continues to raise the standard for the entire industry, particularly at a time when retail is evolving rapidly in response to shifting consumer behaviours, economic pressures, and digital transformation.”