Cunningham’s Butcher, Foodhall, Bistro and Steakhouse were able to retain 98% of staff despite the pandemic and even broke through the 70-employee mark earlier this year, as they revealed to Neighbourhood Retailer.

Owner James Cunningham said the company has expanded hugely, from a small butcher’s shop with three employees 10 years ago to a diverse foodhall business including deli, bakery, ice cream parlour and bistro restaurant today.

When the pandemic hit, Cunningham’s were just in the process of renovating their existing workspace to create a new factory production area, and that enterprise really paid off in those turbulent months.

“We were able to get that completed, which allowed us to react to the changing dynamic created by the pandemic. All our stores were non-stop and we were able to produce everything under one roof. We had two night shifts a week – our teams came in and produced what we needed for the day,” James says.

“We really have a brilliant team of staff who reacted so positively in stepping up the whole way through the pandemic, keeping that quality service and offering home delivery to the local areas. 

Online shop

“With our website we were able to supply all over the UK and Ireland, and we’ve even been shipping stuff to London. Our online shops offer everything from steak pieces and healthy meal packs to weekend dinner packs and bespoke packages.

“The pandemic really put our online ship to the forefront of our offerings and we have been able to retain 98% of our staff since the pandemic arrived because we were able to react so positively.”

The company has just opened a new shop in Newry and James says the impact of the pandemic has seen more and more customers return to their local retailers, including butchers and bakers.

“While the supermarket shelves were going empty, because of our local supply chains we were to keep stocked through the pandemic. We have our own farm so at the moment all our lamb is coming into the shop from our farm,” he says.

“It meant customers weren’t being let down during the pandemic and we were able to step up and grow our customer base. Customers came back to local retailers and were able to see the time and dedication and skill set that their local butchers have. Being a family business, we were able to react quickly to any changes that presented to us, good or bad.”

The full feature on Cunningham’s will appear in the forthcoming issue of Neighbourhood Retailer.

The post How Cunningham’s online shop helped get them through the pandemic first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Here at Neighbourhood Retailer we’re still in awe of the new look Marks & Spencer Food Hall at Sprucefield. The new format is awe-inspiring simply because it encompasses just about every aspect of contemporary 21^st century grocery retailing – showcasing what can be achieved with strategic thinking, vision, insight – keeping the customer at the core, but also embracing new concepts, formats, ideas – while keeping the spotlight on sustainability and environmental concerns.

We thought we’d take a second look at this fantastic foodhall – by featuring some fabulous photos of the in-store design.

The new refill section is a showcase for sustainability. M&S Sprucefield has been overwhelmed at how local customers have completely embraced the refill section – one of the highlights of the new-look food hall.

The emphasis is totally on the shopping experience – bringing the ‘joy’ back into shopping in a physical space, when the last few years have seen so many switch to online options.

Manager JP McShane told NR how the staff were delighted with the new look store – but the success of the refill section is an inspiration for others thinking of introducing a similar concept instore.

“Our ‘Fill Your Own’ selection reduces packaging and food waste by giving customers the option to fill their own containers and stock up on M&S quality essentials like pasta, rice, cereal and even frozen fruits and pastries.”

As good as it gets

While our feature in last month’s NR focused on the brand new sushi bar, Mai, the novelty may have overlooked some of the other fantastic offerings instore.

The new cheese and deli section is outstanding. The bakery is as good as it gets.

M&S Lisburn is only the second store in Northern Ireland to receive this comprehensive renewal programme.

JP McShane, M&S Lisburn Store Manager is celebrating 25 years of service with M&S. He said: “I’m extremely proud to the end result. With a wider choice, from everyday staples to treats for special occasions, customers are in for a warm welcome and a big surprise with all the changes we’ve made!”

Easier to shop

The new look store is easier to shop with lots of amazing features including a brand new Mai Sushi counter with freshly prepared sashimi and sushi, bigger grocery and frozen departments, an Instagram-worthy rotisserie chicken station and new interactive elements such as a talking Percy Pig and “moo-ing” dairy cows have been added to aisles throughout the Foodhall, promising to keep kids entertained during the weekly shop. New checkouts and quicker ways to pay complete our new food shopping experience.

The new look wine shop features an award-winning selection including iconic classics and new varieties to discover from unexpected locations.

Cheese barge

The new cheese barge showcases our best cheese selection ever, handpicked from Europe’s best cheesemakers.

“Sourcing locally is really important to us. There are some fantastic new products being produced by our local supply base including new vegan lines to the M&S Plant Kitchen range from Finnebrogue Artisan and a new Burger Slaw from Avondale Foods. Northern Ireland is one of our biggest supply regions with 11 direct suppliers and around 1,600 farms producing quality produce for us.

New ways to pay

M&S customers can make the most of new ways to pay too, including M&S Sparks shoppers who will be able to use the M&S app to skip the queue by using the ‘Scan & Shop’ option.

The post Take a Second Look – A Recipe for Renewal – M&S Foodhall Lisburn first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.