A Weymouth store has won Convenience Retailer of the Year for the second year running, as well as four other category awards.

The SPAR store at Preston won the top award at the annual Appleby Westward Retail Awards.

But it wasn't just the store in Preston that won an award - the SPAR forecourt store at Maiden Newton won another four prizes and Spar stores at Wool and West Bay also picked up category accolades.

Appleby Westward is the regional distribution company for nearly 300 SPAR stores throughout the south west, and the prestigious event celebrated the high standards and achievements of SPAR stores across the region.

The owner of the Weymouth store, Barbara Clements, said: “We are all absolutely thrilled. Our dedicated staff, working as a team, have achieved these amazing awards through a focus on hard work and a determination to offer a very high standard at all levels throughout the business.

“SPAR is a strong brand with award-winning lines enabling us to set standards above those of our competitors. We have been trading for 31 years and always strive to support local events and charities, which also makes us popular within our community.”

As well as winning the Convenience Retailer of the Year prize, the Weymouth store also won awards for Best Independent Store, Best Chilled Food Retailer, Best Produce Retailer, and Best Food-to-Go Retailer.

The judges said that they were impressed with how the Weymouth store "delivers a comprehensive offer in all aspects of its service" and has a commitment to raising money for the local community making it stand out.

Olly Andrews’ Maiden Newton store also scooped a host of awards, including Best Community Retailer, Best Off Licence, Best Forecourt Store and the Best Store Manager award, won by Abi James.

Other Dorset winners were the SPAR store in West Bay which won Best SPAR Brand award, and the SPAR store in Wool won the Best Company-Owned Store award.

Some 140 guests attended the futuristic-themed Southampton event for the gala dinner and presentation, and the evening included entertainment from Titan the Robot and magicians Morgan and West.

Appleby Westward’s sales and marketing director Nick Kenworthy said: “We had a record number of entries this year, all of a very high standard which made the job of the judges very difficult. These award-winning stores have set the standard for other SPAR stores in the south west to follow.”