We caught up with 2023 Retailer of the Year Winner, James Cunningham from Cunningham's Butchers. 

• Who are you? Where are you from? And what do you do?

My name is James Cunningham Junior. I am Managing Director of our Multi Award Winning Cunninghams Butchers Food Hall & Steak House. I am the fourth generation to run our family butchers which was established in 1919 in the small fishing village of Kilkeel. Kilkeel is located in Co. Down, Northern Ireland and is situated at the heart of the Mourne Mountains.

• What was your first job?

My First job was making burgers as a Saturday boy in our Butchers at 10 years of age. Like all small family businesses, everyone helped out and I loved being about the shop from a very young age.

• What have been your career highlights so far?

I have been very blessed to have so many career highlights. Graduating from Queens University with my 2.1 in Economics and then a Masters in finance a year later was the first career highlight, but growing the business from 3 staff in 2010 to 78 staff today is obviously a very proud and rewarding achievement. The awards we have been able to win over the last 6 years is still hard to let sink in. Winning Best Butcher in Ireland and then UK Butcher shop of the year in 2017 was amazing, the first butcher to ever win both, but the crowning on the cake was definitely this year Winning the Best Retailer in the UK at the famous farm shop and deli awards. It really was amazing to see the response we got from this, with the Northern Ireland Secretary of State Chris Heaton Harris visiting us for half a day during the summer to congratulate us on it really says it all about the value of that title.

• What are you looking forward to from joining our judging team?

I’m really Honoured to have been invited by the Farm Shop and Deli Committee to join their very prestigious judging panel. I can’t wait to hear the stories from other like minded fresh food retailers from all over the UK. Fresh food retailers are the heart beat of the local economy and I really want to help support them in any way I can.

• Why should retailers enter these Awards?

It really should be top of the list of things to do for any fresh food Retailer. The awards are some of the most prestigious and best run in the whole industry. They allow you to showcase your brilliant business to a wider audience. Big or small, it doesn’t matter, if your passionate about what you do the team will want to hear about your business. Even if you don’t win, the feedback you receive is second to none from the panel of experts that look over your business and will no doubt help push your business to the next level.

• Who or what has been your biggest influence to get you to where you are today?

My parents James & Bernadette have been the biggest influence on me throughout my life and have supported me, guided and inspired me to be the man I am today. In recent years my Wife Donna & and my brother Christopher have been the rocks that I have built our business foundation on. Their support has allowed me to push and grow the business to what it is today and I could not have done that without them, we are a brilliant team.

• What is the best piece of advice you have ever been given?

I have been blessed with people in my life who have always been able to steer me in the right direction. But my Daddy always told me to trust myself, trust my instincts and don’t be afraid to take a chance on something you believe in. That’s something I’ve always done.

• What are you most thankful for?

I am most thankful for my family, very lucky to have had the help in life that I have been given to date. Family is the most important thing to me.

• What is your motto in life?

Everything happens for a reason, good or bad. Some you can control, others you can’t. Learn from it what you can but always stay positive and push on.