David Mawhinney & Sons, Bangor

Like most good butchers, they’ve been around for a long time. Traditions, skills and knowledge have been passed down from generation to generation but in today’s modern retailing sector, butchers have had to evolve.

David Mawhinney & Sons butchers, on Bangor’s Main Street, was, up until a couple of weeks ago, still plying its trade as a traditional butchers. However things have changed and the store is now a modern, fresh looking store with a brand new image, a deli and a vast array of local produce.

Back in 1922, David Mawhinney set up the business in Bangor after his girlfriend informed him that she would not marry him until he owned his own shop! They fortunately married and their son Martin worked in the business in his early twenties and his son David joined the business when he left school. Today, David’s son Martin has joined the team and has been the driving force behind the new renovation.

Martin chatted to Neighbourhood Retailer after a stressful eight days of having the business transformed into a new state-of-the-art butcher shop – and it’s safe to say he’s proud of the new direction Mawhinney’s has taken.

“I’m the fourth generation to work in the shop and  I have always wanted to get involved in the business.  It’s one of the oldest shops in Bangor and to see it looking the way it does today is fantastic.

“We decided last Christmas that we would start the work  in 2014 so we closed for eight days and the workmen did a great job. They were still grouting tiles at midnight the day before we opened  so it has been a push to get it all done!”

And a great job they’ve done too. The new store has an open market style feel to it with dark slate floor tiles contrasting with the white walls and an abundance of fresh meats and local produce tastefully displayed on counters and wooden tables situated about the store.

The biggest change is the addition of a deli counter which has become a familiar site in any modern butcher’s shop.

The deli has a great selection of homemade pies, lasagne, quiche, cold meats, cooked chicken, coleslaws and salads to name just a few. The deli also created two new jobs with a chef and deli counter assistant.

“We wanted to offer cooked foods including chickens and sausages – for which we are renowned. We wouldn’t have done any cooked products at all before the renovation. Now we are doing a three for £10 pre-pack range. We are doing chicken in different sauces, garlic potatoes, etc, which customers can pick up for convenience.

“We now sell fruit and vegetables too – something we started last year. A lot of people like their fresh food and it comes from a local farm in Carrowdore every morning.”

Martin added: “We are also doing a wider range of meat, not just pure cuts but flavoured meats like Caribbean chops – just to diversify and add a point of difference.”

The meat products that Mawhinney’s provides are of a consistently high quality and is sourced only from farm quality assured farmers in Northern Ireland. This way Martin says they can be confident of the highest standards in both quality and animal welfare.

“Corries Farm has been supplying us since the 80s, we also use Linden Foods and Rockvale, so all our meat is local.”

The customer feedback has been fantastic and Martin is pleased with the amount of support the business has received from locals and those further afield.

“Most customers are local but people do come for Portavogie, Belfast and Lisburn every weekend. We have been getting a few new customers since we opened as people are coming in to see what we’ve done and how things have changed.”

With Martin being the ‘young blood’ in the business, Mawhinney & Sons is now as much at home on Facebook as it is on the high street.

With more than 1,700 likes on its page, Martin is driving the social media side of things, talking to customers, informing them of new deals and recipes and it is attracting a younger clientele.

“With the new deli and more expansive food lines, plus the Facebook page we are getting younger people coming in to shop,” he explained.

“Before the renovation it’s fair to say it was mainly older customers but that’s hopefully changing. We have four qualified butchers here and I’m almost fully trained so there is a wealth of information from my dad David, and our other butchers, Brian – who’s been here 18 years – and Mark and Billy who have extensive experience. If anyone wants advice, we can help with recipes and ideas, plus the new chef can also help the customers.”

Looking ahead Martin is waiting to see how the new changes bed in and find his feet in what is practically a new store.

“The future plans are obviously to grow the business,” enthused Martin.

“We will give it six months to bed in and then from there we will bring more products in, expand the deli and let it grow organically.”

He added: “We already supply our meats to restaurants and convenience stores and this is an area we would like to develop further as we have some fantastic pre-pack ranges that sell well in store.”

Pictured top are: (from left) Brian, Martin, Mark, David, William, Alana, Charmaine and Billy