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Newry-based S&W Wholesale is celebrating after being named winner of the Employer of the Year Award at the prestigious Belfast Telegraph Business Awards 2025, where it was recognised for its outstanding business achievements and workplace culture.
The award highlights S&W Wholesale’s exceptional focus on shared success, fairness, and sustainable growth - values that have shaped the company’s remarkable journey. In addition to this win, S&W Wholesale is also shortlisted for Best Wellbeing in the Workplace Strategy (Large Business) at the upcoming Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards, underscoring its commitment to creating a supportive and thriving environment for its employees.
Anthony McVeigh, the CEO of S&W said: “We are incredibly proud to be recognised at this level. Our people are at the heart of everything we do - from supporting wellbeing to driving innovation - and this award is a testament to the hard work, passion, and shared success of our entire team.”
Mr McVeigh sees the employee ownership model as a key to its success. “We’re quite unique in Northern Ireland in that we’re an employee ownership trust, so our business is run for the benefit of the employees. We like to see that as a unique selling point whenever we try to recruit and retain people. We’ve been an EOT for two years, and we’ve seen the employees take a real interest, because they essentially have a profit share in the business.”
“They see it as their money, they want the business to do well. They don’t want to waste things, to see a lack of efficiency.”
S&W Wholesale’s success reflects a broader trend of excellence among employee-owned businesses across the region. Relinea, another leading employer-owned company in Northern Ireland, was also shortlisted for the Belfast Telegraph Business Awards, for Excellence in Exporting. Adding to the momentum, Employee Ownership Ireland, business alliance and voice of employee-owned businesses, has also been shortlisted for CSR Programme of the Year at the upcoming Irish News Workplace & Employment Awards. This recognition highlights the growing momentum behind employee ownership as a model that drives commercial success while putting people at the centre.
Employee ownership is a fast-growing business model in Northern Ireland and beyond, giving employees a meaningful stake and voice in the companies they help to build. Research shows that employee-owned businesses often deliver stronger performance, higher productivity, and greater employee wellbeing, benefits clearly reflected in the achievements of companies like S&W Wholesale. Employee Ownership Ireland is on a mission to increase the uptake of employee ownership in the region and make it the succession model of choice for local business owners.
For S&W Wholesale, the awards mark not just a win, but a celebration of its people-first approach. As the company looks to the future, it remains committed to building on its values of fairness, wellbeing, and shared success.
For more information visit: S&W Wholesale
For more information on becoming an employee owned business visit: www.employeeownershipireland.com
