Banbridge Community Supermarket opens with £4m investment
A new supermarket which has opened on Newry Road, Banbridge is creating 40 local jobs after completing a £4 million build.
Henderson Retail has added its first VIVOXTRA community supermarket to its retail network, and now owns and operates 97 SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVOXTRA stores in Northern Ireland.
Butchery and Bakery
John Fox will manage the supermarket which will also be home to a new Quail’s Butchery counter and prominent Windsor Bakery display, both well-known businesses in the Banbridge area.
John Fox said the 6,000 sq. ft. store has been built in line with all COVID-19 measures, which is paramount to providing a safe shopping experience for their local customers.
“The build of the store took almost a year, we were slightly delayed by COVID lockdowns. This meant revising some of our plans for the build, in line with new safety measures. We have a destination where our shoppers can not only get all they need, but they can do it safely.”
‘touchless cash’
The supermarket is the first site in Northern Ireland to install the Group’s most advanced payment system, which offers a ‘touchless cash’ process at the checkout. Working in conjunction with Glory Cash Infinity, Henderson Technology has installed the tech in the full-service checkouts, which means shoppers can still have a personal service, but without any cash touch points between the till operator and shopper.
Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group says this is an incredibly important innovation during COVID-19.
“The store will have three self-scan checkouts, but we know shoppers don’t always want to do this themselves so we have installed the Glory Cash Infinity hardware where shoppers can insert their cash at our traditional checkouts, and receive their change, without having to physically hand cash to our staff. It works seamlessly with the Henderson Technology EDGE-POS software.
“Not only does this keep a vital personal service for our shoppers, but it will keep queues to a minimum and footfall flowing, which is really important for safe operations at the moment.”
MAXOL Forecourt
The site also has a six-pump MAXOL forecourt and a 72-space car park, providing even more convenience to the area.
Other amenities and services include many of Henderson’s own-brand products including The Chef range of restaurant quality pre-prepared mains and sides, an in-store Bakery, Occasions cards, flowers and cakes, and F’real milkshakes and smoothies. There are two Barista Bar coffee machines installed, both offering the latest additions to the menu; flat white coffees and hot chocolate.
Mark continued; “This is a state-of-the-art community supermarket which brings even more quality, choice and value to the local area. We source over 75% of our fresh foods locally and shoppers can enjoy 30 bays of fresh food sourced from local suppliers – many of which are included in our Tesco Price Match initiative, with over 1,000 products now matched.
Value and Convenience
“This is the third new build site we have opened in the past few months, and we’re delighted to be able to provide much needed employment and amenities for the area. We know value and convenience is incredibly important to our shoppers right now, as well as their safety, and we’re confident we are providing this in our new build VIVOXTRA.”
The store has already implemented several community engagement initiatives from supplying foot-operated hand sanitiser stations to local schools and community hubs, to engaging with Abercorn Primary School’s P5 class, who took part in a colouring competition to help officially open the store alongside their lollipop lady, Mrs Dawson, who has been part of the school’s community for 19 years.
Local history
Parts of the store have also become a gallery for shoppers to enjoy a visual history of Banbridge. Store manager John continued; “we worked with our neighbours in the area to find out some great facts about Banbridge, and we integrated them into our décor. It takes the shopper on a journey through time as they navigate our store, and really seals our roots in this fantastic local community.”
The store’s community work will be shared with shoppers via a specially installed screen, which will also show the most up-to-date safety message in light of COVID restrictions.
VIVOXTRA Newry Road, Banbridge is open now, seven days a week, 7am – 11pm.
