Navan named friendliest town

Navan is officially the friendliest town in Ireland - and has an award to prove it!

Meath’s county town won the prestigious title at the Retail Excellence Ireland Awards, which were presented on Saturday evening by the Navan’s very own, Hector Ó hEochagáin.
The sell-out event was attended by more than 500 Irish retail industry executives. The awards are the biggest event in the Irish retail industry calendar.
Ireland is renowned for its hospitality throughout its stores, bars and restaurants. Towns throughout the country pride themselves on this trait of the Irish character, and Navan has been recognised as the pinnacle of this, in the inaugural Ireland’s Friendliest Place Award.
Reaffirming Navan as a growth area in retail, Lynn Drumgoole, communications director at Retail Excellence Ireland said: “Navan is at the forefront of driving customer excellence and hospitality in Ireland with retailers displaying the highest standard of service, customer engagement, and pride in their town. We are delighted with entries received for Ireland’s Friendliest Place Award and the standard which was set was second to none. We look forward to even more entries next year and raising the retail bar in towns and villages across the country.”
Meath County Council Chief Executive, Jackie Maguire, welcomed the award by saying: “This is a fantastic endorsement for Navan and shows that all the hard work and effort from the community is paying off. Visitors know they are welcomed and valued in Navan.
The Mayor of Navan, Cllr Francis Deane said he felt very proud that Navan had been recognised as the friendliest places to shop.
“The town has a terrific mix of shops and retail outlets, on the streets and in the shopping centre which all blend in well together,” he said.
“The local Retailing Industry faces huge challenges such as online competition and cross border trade which could be a big issue going forward.
“It was great to see the positive participation by local shop owners and employees during the competition process and I congratulate all for their involvement.”
He thanked Meath County Council for making the original submission to Retail Excellence Ireland, in particular Caroline Power, Meath Economic and Enterprise team, Kevin Stewart, director of services at Navan Municipal District, and Navan Chamber of Commerce for their support.
“Let’s hope this award will attract an even bigger footfall to Navan for the festive season,” he said. Mancini’s Restaurant, Ashbourne was also shortlisted as a Top30 store at the awards.