Henderson Retail, which now operates 96 company-owned stores grew significantly in 2019, acquiring six new stores during the year. An additional 11 new stores were opened under the EUROSPAR, SPAR and ViVO brands by independent retailers.

The figure demonstrates a total growth of 7.6% on the previous year, with like for like sales growth of 3.9% driven by a strong performance in grocery sales. The Group also noted footfall and basket spend in their network of stores showing strong growth also.

Ron Whitten, Chief Financial Officer at Henderson Group says these figures represent the end of a three year strategic plan which has brought benefits to every area of the business; “Since 2017, we have focused on delivering excellence in customer service, investing in our people, developing our information systems, maximising our operational efficiency, enhancing our fresh food ranges and improving our in-store proposition.”

Mr Whitten added that this strategy laid the foundations to deal with the uncertainties of Brexit and COVID-19 going into 2020; “We have had a challenging trading year in 2020, with our Foodservice company having to make redundancies due to the effect of the Pandemic, alongside a negative impact on fuel sales, as a result of fewer cars on the road due to lockdowns and restrictions. However, shoppers have appreciated the measures taken to provide a safe shopping experience which has been witnessed in increased basket spend and overall growth in retail grocery sales, offsetting the foodservice and fuel declines.”

“Continual Investment has always been a key strategy to the success of our business,” shares Patrick Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group. “Thanks to a growth in group sales in 2019 and 2020 to date, we have been able to negotiate this challenging and unprecedented year with confidence, to ensure our retailers and shoppers are safe and secure. We will have invested over £3m in reducing retail prices by the end of 2020, as well as spending over £1m in store safety measures such as directional signage, sanitiser stations, screens and door control measures.”

Mr Doody continued with a positive outlook on the challenges of this year; “We remain cautiously optimistic as we negotiate COVID and Brexit. It is absolutely imperative we avoid a ‘no-deal’ Brexit and the ensuing disruption to the supply chain and potential increase in food prices due to new tariffs. We will continue to invest with our local retailers and dedicated support to our local agri-food industry.”

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With a £3 million investment in a superb EUROSPAR, a range of new services and convenience retailing has been brought right in to the heart of a local community.

Officially opened by Henderson Retail in early September, this £3m state-of-the-art EUROSPAR community supermarket on Moss Road Millisle, brings 25 new jobs to the local area.

The build, which began pre-lockdown and lasted eight months, replaces the original SPAR store on Main Street, retaining its 15 employees.

NR spoke to Henderson Retail’s regional manager John Clarke about the new store – what was involved from start to finish?

Seaside town

“Millisle is a small seaside town so this is important for the local economy. It has been so well received by customers, especially in these challenging times . Shoppers used to have to travel to Ards, Donaghadee, or Bangor – now they have this great new facility on their door step.”

There was a local SPAR on the Main Street which continued trading right up until 8pm the night before the new EUROSPAR opened. “Shoppers still want to be able to get their essentials locally,” explained John.

Then on the Friday morning in early September the doors were officially opened – with a guest of honour from the local community – Linda Patterson the retired  principal of Millisle primary school who had been head mistress for 35 years and basically knows everyone in the community.

Community engagement

“It’s not just about design and creating a special store – it’s important to involve the whole community from the beginning. How we successfully deliver a great Community store is through our Project manager, Gregory Cochrane who will begin to build relationships within the community six to eight months before the store opens. During this time Gregory will begin to identify key community partners such as schools, community groups, churches and local clubs with whom we can work alongside, support and by working together make a difference in their local community. Another key element of Gregory’s role is to work along with the store manager and existing staff to build the team structure for the new store. This is essential to deliver a successful project through its people and build ownership and accountability across each department within the store. With over thirty years of retail experience Gregory is uniquely qualified to deliver this role.

“This has turned out to be an invaluable role and has made a real difference to opening a new store for Henderson Retail. The new EUROSPAR has been so well received by the community,” said John

“It’s important the community is completely on board with everything that is happening. We see this as a key component to deliver a store that sits at the Heart of the Community.

Special store

The £3m investment in the EUROSPAR in Millisle was a huge project involving a number of departments within our team. The process starts long before work begins on site. This involved elements from our property team, acquisitions, operations and the technical side. Quite often that process starts 18 to 24 months beforehand.

“My role as regional manager is to check in and make sure everything is as it should be and all the key elements of the project are being delivered. The fixtures and fittings are important but the most important part is recruiting the right people so that from day one they know what they’re doing and they feel part of a great team. The existing 15 staff from the original SPAR on Main Street were retained and new staff brought in. They spent eight weeks training on customer experience, our tills, systems and how we do things. Everything is customer focused and designed to enhance the shopper experience.”

What’s new in-store?

“The newness of the store – with its extended fresh range and family favourites is evident, but there’s also a brand-new butchery instore. Wrights of Donaghadee is a family owned butcher with 96 years’ experience and is very much steeped in the local community. People are delighted that they’ve opened a butchery counter in-store – this is the first time Wrights have opened a concession shop and it has been very warmly received by shoppers,” said John.

The new EUROSPAR also features the latest Barista Bar coffee machines, which can now offer deluxe size cups and favourites such as the Flat White.

“The latest version of our very successful Barista brand machines and is also much faster reducing the time from bean to. We know that saving time is important to our shoppers.

We have introduced three self-checkouts to improve speed of service but we also have manned tills for those who want to be served and  engage with our team.

We’ve doubled the bread and cake space and there’s a lovely new Occasions area with Hallmark Cards, wrapping paper and everything you need for gifting”

They have introduced a new milk shake range which has proved to be very popular, as has the new deli counter – Daily Deli providing breakfast, lunch and tea time solutions.

New forecourt

The fuel forecourt is a welcome addition to the area.“This is the first petrol station in Millisle for 15 years,” explained John. “This is so important to the local community and economy. There’s also 39 parking spaces.”

With a total of 40 staff now – 15 original staff and 25 new staff working a mix of full time and part time, the EUROSPAR is an important local employer. It’s also a seaside town so there is a seasonal aspect to be factored in. “It’s been open for over a month now. The feedback has been amazing. For example, on the till receipts there is an option for customers to ‘Tell Us First’ – for customer feedback.

“We are amazed that we’ve had 85 responses in the first month – 85 people took the trouble and time to go online to give us their feedback and it’s all been positive.

Resounding Success

As regional manager, John Clarke oversees a total of 96 stores, with eight area managers looking after their respective areas. “I’m the link between the running of the stores and the directors” he explained.

In a small village like Millisle, this is a huge investment. It’s over 5,000 square feet and has been designed for the future.

“This EUROSPAR brings a butchery, deli, forecourt and a whole range of facilities on site. Our Tesco Price Match on over 1,000 lines means that we can offer customers great value at a more convenient location.”

Constantly developing

Henderson Retail is constantly developing new and upgrading existing stores. As John Clarke spoke to NR, the company had just finished internal improvements at the SPAR BP forecourt on Malone Road in Belfast.

EUROSPAR Millisle is the second new store operated by Henderson Retail to open in the past couple of months after SPAR Carnmoney Hill.

The company will also open a new, state-of-the-art VIVOXTRA in Banbridge in November. The local supermarket will open on Newry Road, employing 40 staff and providing an array of local services from Windsor Bakery to Quail’s Butchery counter, with a high level of investment in the build for the local community.

“We’ll continue to invest in our local communities to bring great value shopping, top-quality services and amenities in a safe environment for our customers” said John. 

Lead Picture Caption: David Miskimmin (second left), EUROSPAR Millisle Area Manager and Gregory Cochrane Henderson Retail Store Project Manager (centre) are pictured with EUROSPAR Millisle store manager, Joanne Knox (second right) and store staff at the official opening of the £3m community supermarket.

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 “Our Gift Shop, Cook Shop and Interior Design departments are still open and operating as normal, as well as our very popular Christmas shop; however, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting operational challenges and restrictions placed upon the working procedures within restaurants, we made the very difficult decision to close our restaurant and adapt it into “Alexanders Food Hall”, a new artisan food hall which opened on 3rd September 2020” explained Suzanne.

“Food has always been an important part of the Alexanders story and closing our restaurant was one of the most difficult decisions we have made as a business, but we believe it was necessary to ensure the survival of the business in these unprecedented times.

Quality Food

“We feel that our new Food Hall is a way of continuing the legacy we have created of serving excellent quality food to our customers and we are delighted that we can continue to produce many of our much loved foods for customers to enjoy at home, for example our homemade breads, scones, soups, salads, cakes, desserts, traybakes and a wide range of delicious take home meals. All homemade from our kitchen to yours.

“As a small business we understand the importance of supporting and encouraging local businesses and producers and therefore our aim through the Food Hall is also to contribute to the success of local food manufacturing businesses and the resulting positive impact this will have on our wider community. Therefore, we  also stock a large range of locally sourced products from across Northern Ireland and Ireland e.g. Muldrews Butchers, Ballylisk Cheese, Burren Balsamics, Abernethy Butter, Orchard Smokehouse, Taste Joy, Corndale Meats, Tom and Ollie, The Yellow Door and Ewings to name just a few.”

Challenges

Did you encounter any challenges in this?

“As expected with starting any new business there are always challenges and learnings along the way,” Suzanne told NR.

“For us, one of our biggest challenges so far has been around quantity and wastage. We produce everything on site, fresh from our kitchen using the best of ingredients. Therefore, it is important we produce the correct quantities each day to minimise waste. This is something we are learning as we go, as we analyse our shopper buying habits throughout the weeks.

“We are so grateful to the many people who have offered their support and advice to us over the last few months. Speaking to local packaging companies, local producers, the Food, Health and Safety team and the Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon Council has really helped us with our transition into this new venture and we are grateful to be able to learn from those who already have experience in this area.”

What was the reaction like to your new offering?

“Overall we have received a great reaction to the new Food Hall. Understandably, some of our regular customers do miss the sit down restaurant but they also understand the reasons for the change and have been very supportive” Suzanne said.

“We are incredibly grateful to each and every one of our amazing, loyal customers who have continued to support us through these difficult times. We really appreciate the positive feedback we have received both in person and online, the feedback from our customers encourages us to keep innovating and adapting to ensure we continue to provide top quality products and the best shopping experience that we can.”

What challenges has the pandemic posed and how have you overcome them?

“Like a lot of businesses, we had to close throughout lockdown for 3 months which has obviously significantly impacted our sales and cash flow within the business. There have also been financial implications as we invested in installing protective screens at all pay points and sanitising stations throughout the store.

“Since re-opening, the footfall within our shop has decreased and sadly we have had to cancel some of the biggest events we have in the year due to covid-19 regulations which will no doubt have an impact on the business this Christmas. We recently launched our new website which we update regularly with new products. We hope this move to online will help us to address the challenges we face around footfall in store. You can check it out by visiting www.alexandersgiftstore.com.

How have you encouraged social distancing within your store?

“The safety of our staff and customers is of utmost importance to us and so we have put in place all safety measures required,” explained Suzanne.

“We are very fortunate that we have a large store which makes social distancing possible and we encourage all staff and customers to following the social distancing guidelines. Our staff are working within bubbles to ensure we minimise any risk. We also have hand sanitiser at the entrance/exit and throughout the store. All staff are required to wear protective face coverings and we ask all customers to do the same unless medically exempt.”

What are your plans for the future?

“The future for Alexanders as we see it will be to evolve and change and constantly strive to create ‘experiences’ for our customers within the Gift Shop, Food Hall and Interior Design.

“We need to invest in product and service innovation and so we are working on areas like bringing in more Irish food suppliers to support other local businesses, constantly changing store products and displays, changing ways of communicating with our customers, sourcing relevant good quality products at suitable prices and listening to ideas from both our staff and our customers.

“We believe that small family businesses still play a vitally important role within the business community, but we know we must provide excellent customer service and control the ever-rising costs in order to survive and thrive.

“We now offer a hamper service within our Food Hall and we already have lots of pre-made hampers that customers can browse. We can also make bespoke hampers for our customers if they would like to select their own items and create a unique hamper to give to someone special.

“We are currently working on a Click and Collect service for freshly prepared, cook at home food packs for Sunday lunch, weekend food, afternoon tea and BBQ packs. Customers will also be able to order special cakes and family sized dishes for special events and occasions.”

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