Henderson Group announce £25M distribution centre
A new £25 million distribution centre in Mallusk will house the group that owns the SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO, VIVOXTRA and VIVO Essentials franchises in Northern Ireland.
The Henderson Group said the investment covers the purchase of new land and the construction of a new distribution centre, trailer park and head office facility.
This will replace the company’s original structures that have been in place since 1974.
With an annual turnover of up to £663 million, the group’s workforce doubled in the last ten years to 2,800. The company said its investment will facilitate further business growth and secure employment across all four companies under its umbrella.
One aspect of the new headquarters’ structure is already underway with the new office facility contract being awarded to the family-owned Ballymena construction firm, Martin & Hamilton Construction.
A £4.5 million refurbishment and extension of the existing building will double its size and bring many departments currently housed in different buildings into one central facility.
The new main office facility is expected to be fully operational in October 2016.
As well as the main office refurbishment, £1.1 million has already been invested in the construction of a state-of-the-art trailer park that houses Henderson Wholesale’s 92-strong distribution fleet.
Built by Portglenone’s Hugh Griffin & Sons, the park boasts extra charging points, and fuelling and washing facilities to relieve congestion, reduce lead times, and provide a more efficient distribution service.
The group has also purchased four double decker lorries with compartments for both ambient and chilled products.
Brothers Martin and Geoffrey Agnew, managing directors of the Henderson Group, said they are confident the new developments and expansions will serve the group well.
Martin said: “We make no secret that our profits are re-invested into the business. This major investment in the development of a new main office and distribution site shows our commitment to providing a better working environment for our employees, as well as a more efficient way of working to benefit our retailers and logistics department.
“We are confident this growth will bring future employment opportunities across all departments and companies that make up the Henderson Group.”
Geoffrey added: “We are delighted phase one of the development is well under way, and work will begin early in 2016 on the recently acquired Hydepark distribution warehouse that was purchased in 2014. This will see the beginning of our new warehouse developments to house Henderson Wholesale’s ambient range.”
“This move will ensure we can facilitate the continued and strong growth of our fresh and ambient departments across both Henderson Foodservice and Henderson Wholesale. We continue to adapt and grow in line with consumer changes, resulting in a special focus across our fresh ranges. Our fresh departments continue to source locally where possible so we can continue to provide the very best fresh, local products and produce to our customers, retailers and shoppers across Northern Ireland.”
