As Hillmount celebrates 85 years in business, the Mercer family has been honoured with the Business Success Award at the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Business Awards 2025.

The fourth generation, family owned, garden lifestyle business, has a longstanding association with these awards, which celebrate excellence in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area.

Hillmount won Best Family Business at the Lisburn & Castlereagh City Business Awards in 2018 and Business of the Year at the inaugural Castlereagh Borough Council Awards in 2014.

Expressing his gratitude at receiving the Business Success Award, Alan Mercer, managing director of Hillmount, said: “We are filled with pride to win the Business Success Award. As our family celebrates 85 years of supporting our loyal customers in the Lisburn and Castlereagh area this year, this award reinforces our commitment to growing and sustaining our business for our customers, our staff and future generations. We appreciate everyone who chooses to visit Hillmount as they are contributing to our success each and every day.”

Hillmount also received a Highly Commended award for Excellence in Customer Service which Alan attributes to the dedicated staff. He added: “I’m thrilled that our dedicated and hardworking staff have been awarded highly commended for Excellence in Customer Service. This recognition from a shortlist of eight finalists reflects their commitment to ensuring every customer enjoys their shopping experience at Hillmount and highlights the invaluable impact they have on our business.”

Hillmount was named finalist in the Best Family Business category. Robin Mercer BEM was a finalist for Business Person of the Year, an award he previously won in 2020, and The Gardener’s Rest at Hillmount was named as a finalist in the Best Eating Establishment category, an award which was previously won by the café in 2018.

Established by Hill Mercer in 1940, Hillmount is operating in five prime locations – Ards, Bangor, Belfast, Carrick and Cheshire – by Hill’s grandson Robin, wife Edith and their sons Alan, David and Andrew.

Find Hillmount at www.hillmount.co.uk and follow the business on social media.