Henderson Retail has opened their newest Eurospar supermarket, standing at over 7000 sq ft and with a six-pump BP forecourt.

Managed by James Wilson, a total of 39 new jobs have been created and promises to brings value and commitment to the local community.

Henderson Wholesale is committed to sourcing first and foremost from local suppliers, and EUROSPAR Shankill Road has fresh bays bursting with local names, from Patton’s and Bertie’s Bakery to Irvine’s Chop Shop butchery counter, which is also complemented by three butchery bays.

Own brand ranges including The Kitchen, SPAR Enjoy Local, dailyDeli sandwiches, snacks and salads, plus The Greengrocer’s produce are all sourced and made with provenance in mind from local farmers and suppliers.

“At EUROSPAR Shankill Road, we bring value to our shoppers’ doorsteps by ensuring they have everything close by and at accessible prices with a variety of choice,” said James.

“We are really proud to open this store and bring 39 new jobs to the local area, while also meeting our neighbours – both shoppers and businesses, who we have been working with throughout our engagement with the local community.”

COMMUNITY PROJECTS

The team has been working in partnership with New Life City Church on various community projects, while children from Hobbyhorse Playgroup and Sure Start have done a fantastic job decorating the store’s Christmas Tree with decorations, they coloured in themselves.

The team also called in with their neighbours at Sure Start to introduce themselves, and provide a hamper for the children, while getting out and about engaging with other local businesses, charities and community groups to establish some long-term partnerships.

James continued: “We are dedicated to nurturing our neighbourhood, so we have worked with the Jobs and Benefits Office locally, plus Stepping Stones NI to recruit for our new positions in store, which has resulted in a fantastic team who are already learning some vital employment and life skills. They’re all from the local community so our shoppers know them when they come in store, and that’s so important for us as a local business.”

EUROSPAR Shankill Road is also proud to partner with Equipping for Life, who work in partnership with a number of primary schools in the Shankill area to provide various programmes from reading and mentoring, sports coaching, as well as Inspire Days with around 250 children each week.

‘We have provided a one-stop-shop for the local community’

Mark McCammond

The store has already raised £700 for their official EUROSPAR NI charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children thanks to James taking part in the London Marathon, and his colleagues, friends and family sponsoring him.

“Working with local charities is so important to us, so as well as our continued fundraising for Cancer Fund for Children, we are partners with The Haven Foodbank and Homeless Outreach with a designated collection point in-store for much needed items for their service users,” added James.

“We will also be providing a range of products to support their work with the homeless in Belfast.”

Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group added: “With EUROSPAR Shankill Road, we have provided a one-stop-shop for the local community, bringing value alongside all the essentials, close to home. When designing this store, we have ensured shoppers have a great choice for tonight’s tea essentials, together with food-for-now from the Barista Bar coffee machines to the Delish hot food counter, serving breakfast and lunch, alongside options for dinner.

“To aide shoppers’ trolley shops, we have installed three trolley tills alongside two self-checkouts to bring even more efficiency to their shopping experience. EUROSPAR Shankill Road provides a premium offer for the local community, both in-store and on the forecourt.”

The post Creation of 39 new jobs as Henderson’s open Eurospar supermarket on Shankill Road first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Representing an investment of £1million, Bertie’s Bakery was set up by business and food production specialist, Brian McErlain, at Creagh Industrial Park, just outside Magherafelt.

Doubled workforce

Over the past twelve months, the company has more than doubled its workforce to 26 employees, expanded its customer stores from 12 to 104 and increased its delivery vans from two to six. Its first anniversary is also being marked with a brand makeover and the launch of an additional 35 new products with a focus on cakes.

Brian McErlain explains, “In March last year, we took a giant leap of faith by entering an already crowded bakery market during an uncertain and unsettling time for business. We made the positive decision that our new bakery could play an important part in answering a need for a potential surge in demand for fresh products. Our twin goals were to achieve stand-out and swiftly gain a reputation for the quality and taste of our products.

Handcrafted and hand finished

“To that end and focusing on handcrafted and hand finished methods we assembled a highly skilled team of bakers. That team has been further enhanced this month with the recruitment of two additional master bakers joining us from Hyndman’s Bakery. Geoff Lee and Nigel Chambers together bring over 50 years of baking expertise to the company with particular skills in soda farl production and will make a significant contribution to our desire to produce both traditional products and new interpretations of old favourites.”

“From day one we have also sought customer feedback which has helped to refine and modify our products to make them the best they can be. With a Great Taste Award presented to us in October for our wheaten bread with honey and yogurt, that attention to detail is being rewarded and the products are making their mark. As a result, we have given the Bertie’s Bakery brand a fresh new look to add vibrancy and enhance shelf stand-out.

35 new products

“We have also introduced an additional 35 products, including new cake varieties to further broaden our appeal across the grocery sector.

“It has been a remarkable first year and we are delighted that despite the pandemic, we forged ahead and launched the company. We are particularly grateful to Henderson Wholesale who supported our start up and to the many other store owners who have since come on board.”

“Customer and retailer response to our products and service has exceeded expectations and we are looking forward to further development and growth in our second year”, concluded Mr McErlain.

Bertie’s Bakery range of products includes hot plate goods, baps and rolls, oven bread and scones as well as cakes, pastries and other sweet treats. The new range of 22 cakes features cake slices, traybakes and sharing slabs, which include a Biscoff and Nutella Tiffin and a Peanut Butter Brownie.

The post Bertie’s Bakery Marks First Year Success first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Bertie’s Bakery, the craft bakery whose launch coincided with lockdown in March, has recorded an exceptional first six months in business with double the number of employees, sales expansion across Northern Ireland and topped by winning the company’s inaugural Great Taste Award.

Representing an investment of £1million, Bertie’s Bakery was set up by business and food production specialist, Brian McErlain at Creagh Industrial Park, just outside Magherafelt.

Lockdown

“We had been planning to open the bakery for many months when the Covid 19 crisis and subsequent lockdown came into effect,” explained Brain.

“But rather than put everything on hold we decided that the new bakery could actually play an important part in terms of meeting the surge in demand for fresh products.

 Leap of faith

“I am very pleased to report that our leap of faith has paid off and that customer and retailer response to our products and service has exceeded initial expectations.”

The bakery operates from a 15,000 sq. ft. site and produces a full range of freshly-baked goods. The initial head count of staff has doubled to twenty and the number of delivery vehicles has increased from two to five.

“Henderson Retail signed up to be the company’s first customer with an exclusive deal to supply 10 company owned SPAR stores and 2 company owned EUROSPARs . Today we are delivering to 30 company owned SPAR stores and a further 50 independently owned SPAR stores located across Northern Ireland.

Great Taste Award

“As a craft bakery we put great emphasis on the quality of our ingredients, on our handcrafted approach and on our desire to produce new interpretations of old favourites. The news that we had won a Great Taste Award for our wheaten bread with honey and yoghurt was a really special achievement so early in our business.

“These prestigious awards are regarded as the stamp of excellence among consumers and retailers alike and are judged purely on taste with no regard for branding or packaging. Such an endorsement within months of our launch is a real boost of confidence going forward” concluded Brian.

Eamon Taggart, Trading Manager at the Henderson Group, commented,

“Since introducing Bertie’s Bakery to a select number of stores in March of this year, we have been impressed by the quality and range of the products supplied and the positive feedback from our retailers. Six months later we are pleased to offer Bertie’s Bakery across a greater network of stores and to many more shoppers right across Northern Ireland.

“We are always looking to showcase fresh new products and we know our customers are passionate about supporting local suppliers, such as Bertie’s Bakery. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Brian and his team and hope to grow the number of stores in the months ahead.”

Bertie’s Bakery range of products includes hot plate goods, baps and rolls, oven bread and scones as wells as cakes, pastries and other sweet treats.

The post Bertie’s Bakery Rises to the Challenge first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.