The company, based in Mallusk won the Business Growth award and picked up highly commended for Food and Drink eCommerce Website of the Year.

The Irish eCommerce Awards were held at the weekend in Dublin, and are the only dedicated celebration of Irish e-tailers, software providers, agencies and entrepreneurs which recognises and rewards the organisations, teams and individuals who are helping shape the thriving internet retail industry across the island of Ireland.

In recent years, Henderson Foodservice has invested heavily in its digital transformation throughout 2020, working with specialist partners to develop a platform to meet the needs of the company’s broad spectrum of customers across Ireland. Henderson-foodservice.com is now one of the fastest, most intuitive and progressive websites in the foodservice industry, which the company will continue to develop throughout its 2023/24 strategy.

The company has experienced a growth of online sales by 99% so far for 2022 compared to 2021, with the new strategy allowing sales to expand threefold compared to the previous platform. The company has also grown their customer base by 87% in the past year, with 75% of those customers putting their orders through online.

Henderson Foodservice Director, Cathal Geoghegan commented: “Our team has worked tirelessly to overcome huge challenges in the past couple of years to bring our eCommerce proposition to life for our customers.

“We have used a multi-channel approach to acquire new customers as well as communicate more effectively with existing customers, and skilled up our sales reps to become web advocates to show how our efficient, user-friendly platform can create a more cohesive and efficient ordering platform for our customers and our internal teams.

“We are thrilled to pick up these awards against some stiff competition from online retail giants, and I’m incredibly proud of our team who have embraced the developments our company needs to bring solid growth and customer expansion, pivoting to meet an ever-changing marketplace.”

The Irish eCommerce Awards judges was made up of a panel of industry experts from across the UK and Ireland. A full list of winners can be found via ecommawards.ie.

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The new Lynas Food Outlet is situated at Magowan West, Portadown and will open to the public and trade on Thursday 8^th September at 10am.

“We are thrilled to open the doors of our new Portadown store as part of our continued expansion in Northern Ireland. For a long time, I have wanted to open a Lynas Food Outlet in this area, and I am very happy to have found the right location in Magowan West”, said Andrew Lynas, Group Managing Director.

“We are excited to welcome the public and trade customers from the area into our unique shopping environment that ensures they get big, bulk and value products. Now more than ever in the current cost of living crisis, the Food Outlet can help families with its bulk and value for money offering.”

Lynas Food Outlet opened their first store in 2013 and now have 11 stores across Northern Ireland. The parent company of Lynas Foodservice began over seventy years ago from a fishmongers shop on a small street in Coleraine and has grown into the largest family-owned foodservice company in Ireland.

Through its stores, Lynas Food Outlet offers hundreds of quality fresh, frozen, grocery and household products in bigger packs at wholesale value. The stores also have their own Butchery Merchant meaning that each cut is hand selected by Lynas’s own Causeway Prime Craft Butchers.

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The post Report reveals NI’s food and drinks sector is worth £5.5bn and employs 25,000 first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Kerry’s latest research into foodservice beverages shows consumers are seeking flavours that they link with health and nutrition benefits such as strawberry, lemon and mango, but are also seeking excitement and a sensory experience through newer formats like Frappuccino and bubble tea. 

Examining nearly 400 limited time offerings (LTOs) across 12 regions in Europe, the new Art of Taste and Nutrition 2022 summer analysis categorises the top beverage platforms and flavours, while examining future trends and influences across the world. According to the research, the top three LTO trends are as follows: 

• Travel through taste: Moving beyond just a beverage, LTOs can also deliver an experience. Many outlets this year launched beverages with flavours such as mango, pineapple, passion fruit and coconut to create a tropical island experience for the senses. 
• Natural refreshment: Consumers are craving a cool, refreshing beverage, with many now focusing on flavours they consider natural and local to the different European regions such as lemon and strawberry.  
• Health and nutrition focus: Consumers are looking to foodservice outlets for healthier options. Nutrition focused LTO ranges need to deliver not only great taste but also health benefits through fortification and healthy halo ingredients. 

Commenting on the new report, Daniel Sjogren, VP and General Manager for Foodservice in Kerry Europe, said:  

“With markets in Europe fully re-opened this summer, foodservice operators find themselves once again competing for consumers attention. LTOs have come back with a vengeance and are more popular than ever. We have found that consumers are looking for exciting sensory experiences, with the rise of bubble tea and drinks that are a visual experience and shareable on social media.  

“Fruit flavours continue to be the core flavour offering for summer LTOs across Europe but with two clear distinctions. Firstly, exotic flavours have become more prominent in consumers’ minds as they remind themselves of their favourite holiday destinations. However, consumers are also becoming more conscious of their own health and are seeking out flavours aligned to their personal nutrition needs.”  

Future trends 

Looking towards 2023, it is clear that sustainable nutrition will continue to gain traction with consumers more concerned with both their physical and mental health post-pandemic and the health of the planet. They are also more interested in unique menu items, with foodservice operators now having to consider not only taste but look, texture and smell to create a complete sensorial experience.  

“Our prediction for the future is that sustainability along with nutrition will continue to become more important as consumers look for great tasting beverages that are better for them and better for the planet. However, many operators find it challenging to deliver on these evolved trends while also being able to communicate them to their consumers in a meaningful way. At Kerry, we look forward to partnering with customers to bring our insights to life and deliver exciting new concepts for summer 2023,” adds Mr Sjogren. 

The Art of Taste and Nutrition beverage analysis for summer 2022 can be downloaded here.  

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The company is investing £23million in the proposed development of a state of the art distribution facility at Nutt’s Corner, County Antrim.

Once completed, the new facility is expected to create 90 new jobs, taking Sysco’s workforce in Northern Ireland to 230.

Mark Lee, CEO of Sysco Ireland, said the new plans have been ‘driven by strong customer demand in Northern Ireland’.

The post Foodservice giant Sysco Ireland reveals £23m expansion plans first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.