Chain store Supervalu is to continue sponsoring the annual Tidy Towns Competition until 2017. Making the announcement,  Minister for Regional Economic Development Minister Michael Ring said: "SuperValu has been the sole sponsor of this competition for the past 25 years and I am delighted to confirm that my Department and SuperValu will continue to work together to develop the competition over the next 5 years.  Together we have a shared vision to build on the strengths of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and to ensure that it continues to grow and be relevant.  This competition has been running for almost 60 years and is stitched into the fabric of so many communities in Ireland and those communities benefit from the tireless work of the TidyTowns committees and volunteers.