Heading the new charge at Henderson’s
As the new Managing Director of Henderson Wholesale, Noel Hegarty joins the company amidst a continued period of growth. Does a new name mean a new direction for the business and what are his main aims as he steps into the role? NR spoke to Noel to find out more.
The last 12 months have seen a number of new faces across the Henderson Group, a changing of the guard, largely replacing retiring positions and supporting new roles.
Noel Hegarty is the new MD of Henderson Wholesale, overseeing the independent retail arm of the company and taking over from Martin Agnew, who is now Joint Executive Chair of the Group alongside Geoffrey Agnew.
Having joined the company in March this year, Noel’s early days and weeks have been spent immersing himself in getting to know the business, meeting those behind the scenes and getting to grips with the inner workings of Henderson Wholesale. He told NR that his previous experience was key in helping him step into his new role.
“I’ve just completed 12 years at Monaghan Mushrooms, having spent 20 years prior to that working for Kellogg’s. The combined experience of both roles has been really beneficial for my new venture at Henderson Group,” said Noel.
“Monaghan Mushrooms, like Henderson Group, is also a family-owned business, so it’s great having that experience, valuing multi-generational involvement and vision setting for a business. And, of course, Monaghan Mushrooms is a fresh produce business, experience relevant to Henderson Group, with fresh making up more than 50% of the range in EUROSPAR and SPAR today, combined with an important branded goods assortment,” added Noel.
“This is an incredibly successful local business, so I’m looking forward to building on the success and heritage delivered by Martin and the team to date.
“The Henderson family believes passionately in its people, so I’m delighted to be part of forming a new team, combining existing colleagues and some new faces, to drive future growth.”
Noel’s introduction to Henderson Group comes amidst other key changes at the top of the company; former Retail Director Mark McCammond moved into the Henderson Retail MD role in May last year, with George Rankin succeeding him as Retail Director; former Musgrave Directors, Desi Derby and Julie Cherry have joined the business as the new Group Marketing Director and Food Solutions Director, respectively, while Richard Ash, who spent 14 years at Marks & Spencer, has taken on the Sales Director Role.
“As he handed over the reins, Martin’s advice was to take the time to learn about the business, get to know the team, spend quality time with our customers and shoppers, that’s been time well spent. Of course, having a phased handover with Martin has afforded me the opportunity to do that, something I’m really grateful for,” said Noel.
Originally from Moneymore, Noel and his wife have lived in Saval, outside Newry, for the last 25 years. Having moved around a lot in his previous employment, he spent quite a bit of time doing international roles in Russia, Italy and in the Middle East, an experience he said which has allowed him to observe different eating habits and see how different categories are at different stages in their journeys.
“When I joined this business, what I didn’t fully appreciate was the size of the global SPAR family and the way in which that wider family works together, for example, in providing access to an extensive range of quality own-brand products,” said Noel.
“I was particularly lucky that the 69th International SPAR Congress was held in Northern Ireland in May this year, and that was an incredible opportunity to meet people from the broader SPAR network and also to showcase how the Henderson Group has built and embedded the SPAR brand in local communities here.
“Although SPAR is a global brand, now in over 50 countries with 13,500 stores, its ability to act local makes the brand really special.”
And it is this emphasis on local that Noel wants to keep a focus on.
“Over 75% of our fresh range is local, sourced from over 190 local suppliers. Our supplier relationships are extremely important, the business is built on long-term partnership, so we have to continue to work together collaboratively and transparently to deliver the best quality, competitively priced.
“Returning to the strength of the SPAR network, we’ve recently been able to launch a broader range of over 150 own-brand products, many of which are sourced from local suppliers.
“Own-brand penetration in Northern Ireland is around 45%, as shoppers look for quality affordable alternatives. And with the SPAR brand, shoppers can switch & save up to 30% vs. the branded equivalent. Awareness of our Mega Deals is also really encouraging, a critical component of our value strategy, aimed at providing market-beating value to our shoppers.
“But it’s not all about price, we work to differentiate our product mix with new and exciting options, particularly around food-for-now and food-for later.”
For Noel, stepping into this role along with new directors presents a significant opportunity to combine the huge wealth of heritage there is within the business, while bringing a fresh perspective – describing it as a “unique opportunity to amalgamate different experiences and fresh thinking”.
“It’s very much about building upon the legacy that has been created for us”, said Noel. “We are very fortunate to have the opportunity to do that.
“With all the talk of change, it’s important to mention there is a lot which hasn’t changed, in particular, our relentless focus on the shopper and commitment to retailer partnerships. And as a new team, we are honoured to be custodians of the new charge, and to drive that forward.”
