GroceryAid is a charity that has been providing emotional, practical and financial support for those working in the grocery industry for over 160 years.

The gold award recognises organisations that have participated in seven activities across three main pillars; awareness, fundraising and volunteering, and Henderson Group joins UK-wide brands such as Birds Eye, Britvic, Coca Cola, Haribo and Unilever who have also gained the gold recognition for 2023. SPAR UK has also won a gold award.

Employees of the grocer and retailer which supplies to over 500 SPAR, EUROSPAR, ViVO and ViVOXTRA stores and supermarkets in Northern Ireland, including around 400 independent retailers, spent 2023 raising awareness of and funds for the charity by hosting and supporting numerous fundraising events and being an active member of a local branch of GroceryAid.

RAISING AWARENESS

Bronagh Luke, Head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group said: “We are thrilled to have been recognised with a gold GroceryAid Award for our support of the charity in 2023.

“Throughout last year, we held well-being seminars including complimentary back massages and desk yoga, hosted an awareness event for GroceryAid Day in May and arranged a fundraiser with raffles and coffee in exchange for a donation.

“GroceryAid was also part of our World Mental Health Day activities, during which we raised awareness for the charity’s services across Head Office and Henderson Retail stores.

“It’s very rewarding for all our staff to see our efforts recognised and I, along with all my colleagues in our health and wellness team, want to extend a massive thank you to everyone involved in creating and supporting our GroceryAid initiatives last year.”

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Throughout 2023, 14 SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO retailers in Northern Ireland celebrated milestone partnership anniversaries with Henderson Group. The total came to over 500 years of retailing experience and commitment to serving their communities.

While some of our retail partners have been proud to display our brands above their doors for 50 years, many have been serving their local communities for even longer, through family businesses which have a passion for retail and locality. It’s incredible to look back at the evolution of their stores throughout the years, which are examples of how we as an industry must keep on moving – something more important in 2023 than ever.

2023 saw the completion of 109 retail projects across our company-owned and independent estate marking an investment of £49.7million. This included landmark store openings from the state-of-the-art EUROSPAR fresh foods superstore in Killyleagh, to extensions and renovations at some of Henderson’s busiest company-owned stores to update and introduce butchery and bakery, production kitchens and the popular Delish deli offering.

Henderson Wholesale continued to partner with independent retailers to build stores which deliver to the demands of that town and community, with Mulgrew’s EUROSPAR in Carryduff, SPAR Coopers Mill and SPAR Kesh standing out as significant new builds.

It means that throughout 2023, an incredible 59,940 sq. ft. of additional retail space was built by the Group and its partners to cater for Northern Ireland shoppers.

FUTUREPROOFING THE BUSINESS

Everything we do is with our retailers and shoppers in mind. We source 75% of our fresh produce from local farmers and suppliers, we invest heavily in deals and campaigns throughout the year, and we look to the future to ensure we are working sustainably so that we remain a robust business for our retail partners.

That futureproofing took a huge step forward in 2023 with the switching on of 1,494 solar panels which cover 75% of Henderson Wholesale’s fresh foods warehouse at the business’s headquarters in Mallusk. And at the end of the year, Henderson Retail announced a contract with bp pulse, which will see the installation of a new network of ultra-fast and rapid electric vehicle charging points throughout their 100+ SPAR and EUROSPAR sites.

Many of our independent partners are also leading the sustainability charge. Last year saw Maxol reveal the second of their Ultra Rapid EV Charging Hubs at their £2.4m Braid River SPAR in Ballymena, an impressive partnership investment that we strive for with our retailers.

When it comes to plans for 2024, the Group remains consistent with their intentions. We have always said we will channel profits back into the business and that is what we do year-on-year. We currently have significant investments planned for around 70 retail projects lined up for 2024 throughout our company owned, partnership and independent store network, including an exciting new build from the Knox family, a Nisa retailer who converted all three of their stores to SPAR in 2023.

Our business and our retail partners have stores in every neighbourhood in Northern Ireland, they are run by local people and employ local people. They get deliveries daily from local farmers, so money spent in those stores goes into that all-important circular economy here in NI.

TO READ MARTIN AGNEW’S INDUSTRY COMMENT IN THE 2024 NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER YEARBOOK AND MARKETING GUIDE, CLICK HERE

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For every bunch of daffodils purchased in SPAR stores from 19^th February until 31^st March, 10p will be donated to Marie Curie.

Marie Curie provides vital end-of-life care to thousands of people across Northern Ireland, and with the help of SPAR NI, the Great Daffodil Appeal is a chance to give back and show appreciation to the charity.

A year of fundraising in 2023, resulted in a donation total of over £142,000, thanks to store staff and shoppers’ support. SPAR NI has partnered with Marie Curie for the past seven years and through a number of fundraising events and annual initiatives has raised a total of over £840,000 for the charity.

Daffodils in March are a timely reminder of what Marie Curie’s iconic floral symbol means to many who not only rely on the care provided by the charity, but to those who volunteer and work for Marie Curie too.

SHOW APPRECIATION

Ryan Hand, television and radio presenter, is a new Marie Curie ambassador. He has been a dedicated supporter of the charity since his mother Pauline died from cancer in 2008. After fundraising £16,000 and raising awareness of the charity, he will be running his sixth marathon, the London Marathon, for Marie Curie later this year.

“Marie Curie is one of those vital health services you don’t necessarily know a lot about until one of your relatives or a close friend is facing terminal illness,” said Ryan.

“Myself and my wider family really needed them when my mother, aunt and cousin all died from cancer and are eternally grateful for their care.”

Laura Thompson, Corporate Marketing Manager at Henderson Group which owns SPAR in Northern Ireland said: “The Great Daffodil Appeal makes it even easier for our shoppers to show their support when in store. It enables us to show our appreciation and raise awareness of the charity, the nurses and the amazing work they do for people across the country when they need them most.

“We are committed towards continuing our support for Marie Curie and the unrivalled care and compassion they provide. Whatever the illness, Marie Curie are with patients, and their family and friends, to the end.”

During the Great Daffodil Appeal, on Sunday 3^rd March, Marie Curie is holding the fourth annual Day of Reflection, encouraging people to come together to remember loved ones who died during the pandemic and to arrange a reflective activity or event, or to take part in a minutes’ silence to show support to the people who are grieving.

‘The Great Daffodil Appeal makes it even easier for our shoppers to show their support when in store’

Grandmother Roberta McKittrick from Dundonald died at Marie Curie’s Hospice last May at the age of 75. Before she died, she spoke about the care she received and said: “The care at Marie Curie is just indescribable. Money couldn’t pay for what the staff do for you here. If I had all the money in the world I would give it to Marie Curie, for all the work they do. It’s not just nursing, but the way they do it, it’s done with love.”

Mrs McKittrick’s family spoke of the care she received: “Our mother was so happy to be at Marie Curie hospice and as a family we were so relieved that she could spend her last days surrounded with expert medical and nursing care. We know that Marie Curie also provides hospice care at home for thousands of people throughout Northern Ireland and as a family, we support SPAR NI’s fundraising appeal to support this vital service.”

Marie Curie provided vital end-of-life care to more than 5,000 people across Northern Ireland last year, in patients’ homes and at its Belfast hospice. Daffodils are available at over 300 SPAR NI stores from 19^th February to 31^st March.

For more information on the Great Daffodil Appeal, visit www.spar-ni.co.uk/marie-curie/ and www.mariecurie.org.uk/daffodil

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The only company from Northern Ireland to win on the night, the business was commended by judges for smashing through its set of ambitious targets.

In 2022, Henderson Wholesale targeted a 4.2% rise in wholesale purchases, and delivered more than double – 8.6%. The company also smashed its goal to grow retail sales by 4.2%, rising by 6.2%.

‘FULLY-ROUNDED WHOLESALER’

Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group said this was due to their focus on value for both the retailer and the shopper.

“We responded to rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis early by delivering a robust value proposition, while continuing to provide sustainable logistics and top tier quality service.

“We employ thousands of staff throughout Henderson Wholesale, and we are proud to be a great place to work, ensuring our success is shared amongst our people who deliver our unrivalled services day-in, day-out.”

Judges said the category was “hard-fought” and commented the company was a “fully rounded wholesaler, doing a fantastic job”, adding that Henderson Wholesale’s “feats were all the more impressive considering the tough trading environment in post-Brexit Northern Ireland”.

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From small, humble beginnings, siblings and business partners Stephen and Sandra now lead an award-winning business, with notable success at the recent Maxol Excellence Awards, at which they won the ‘Excellence in Standards’ Award. Previous award wins include the prestigious Retailer of the Year Award at the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards and last year they took home the Northern Ireland up to 4mlpa Award from the Forecourt Trader Awards in London.

Stephen and Sandra first moved into the retail sector in 1997 taking over the reigns from their father Philip when they acquired a site with a Shell shop, including a forecourt and associated shop, about 900 sq ft in size in Lisnaskea. After successfully running it for a few years, they decided to carry out a total site redevelopment in 1999-2000, subsequently opening as one of the first independent SuperValu stores in Northern Ireland at the time.

Stephen told NR they traded “very successfully” for a number of years before another opportunity presented itself.

“In 2015 an opportunity came up where we acquired further ground on site that give us the chance to expand the business and put in a new forecourt,” said Stephen. “In 2015 we joined the Henderson Group, becoming a Eurospar.”

Following a total rebuild with a new forecourt introduced, Swifts Eurospar Lisnaskea now stands at 11,300 sq ft and boasts some of the top retail services and offerings, including a butchery concession, bakery, ice cream parlour and Subway.

“We have everything you expect to find in a large independent supermarket,” said Stephen.

“We have our own take home meal offering, Good Mood Food and we can proudly say our fresh food offering is outstanding, we have a very high fresh food participation across the store and this key department is growing all the time.”

With an expansive footprint and sizeable ground space, Swifts have been able to bring on board a host of products supplied by local producers and growers.

“From bakery to butchery, fruit and veg, there is something from pretty much everyone in the local area, right down to the egg suppliers,” said Stephen. “Our store is a community hub and supporting  local is what it’s all about.

“One of our USPs is our hot food, our store is very well known throughout the country for our expansive daily hot food offering. We have a fantastic facility and a great external seating areas, great car parking, free wifi and customer toilets including baby changing room. We have a great facility for anyone on the road who needs to stop off, refresh and refuel.

“Barista Bar coffee from Hendersons is also a great crowd pleaser, I think it is one of the best coffees on the go anywhere on the island. We also have Freal milkshakes, Fwip & Swishee, all fantastic customer self-service concepts.

“Our Subway performs fantastically well and really compliments our own food offering, as it’s a different concept for the customer and provides something for everyone.

“Our off licence is a very important department for us, were very proud of our offering and we carry a huge range premium of whiskeys and spirits and craft beers. Over the years we have built a strong reputation for sourcing premium products, and we now have a significant number of regulars who receive advanced notice on new and exclusive product launches that might be of interest to them,” Stephen added.

‘We can proudly say our fresh food offering is outstanding, we have a very high fresh food participation across the store and this key department is growing all the time’

Stephen and Sandra rebranded the forecourt with Maxol coming on board in 2022. Maxol was always a feature in the town, and Stephen said it was a natural fit for a Maxol forecourt to be brought back to the area.

“It’s definitely a good company with a quality fuel brand and their message has worked well for us. We have noticed an increase in our fuel sales, and they have a very strong fuel card business, for company drivers, school buses and corporate clients and that has been beneficial to us.

“We had a fantastic night at the Maxol Excellence Awards, it was our first awards with them and we were delighted with our win, hopefully it is the start of many more to come with them,” he added.

The Maxol Excellence Awards returned for the first time since 2019, promoting excellence in station and store standards, customer experience and community engagement throughout its network of service stations across the island of Ireland.

They are designed to recognise the exceptional efforts made by Maxol Independent Licensees, Independent Dealers and their staff and are assessed through regular store audits, mystery shopper visits and reviews of each store’s local community engagement – rewarding retailers who are “at the heart of it” in their local communities and have run special initiatives for Maxol’s Charity partner, Aware NI.

Swifts Lisnaskea was recognised for its best-in-class offer that provides the local community and a large passing trade with a huge offering of hot food to go, an extensive deli, Barista Bar coffee and a Subway. Completing the award-winning offer are outstanding customer facilities including a large car park, a parent and baby changing room and customer toilets.

CEO of The Maxol Group, Brian Donaldson was full of praise for Stephen and Sandra and the whole team at Swifts.

“Setting and maintaining the highest of standards is critical to the success of any business. It’s therefore a genuine pleasure for myself and the team at Maxol to recognise and reward the hard work of our retailers and their staff, who continuously provide outstanding levels of service to their customers and their communities,” said Brian Donaldson.

“It is great recognition for Darren Given (Store Manager) and our team,” said Stephen. “We have three stores with over 140 people local people employed and these awards are recognition for all of them.

“You cannot operate without good people and we are very lucky in that respect. Our staff are well known in the community and that is a big draw for our customers when they see familiar faces when they come into the shop.”

However, despite this, Stephen said one of the main challenges they faced in the business was bringing in new people to the industry. “Our biggest issue is getting manpower, be it chefs, sales assistants or duty managers, this remains a big challenge for everyone in our sector.”

Having established the Lisnaskea store, Swifts branched out acquiring a neighbourhood Spar store in Roslea in 2007. At just under 4000 sq ft, Stephen describes it as a “very good community supermarket”, managed by Helena.

“It has hot food and deli counters, an off licence and a Post Office, it really has everything there for a very rural community. We pride ourselves on giving an extensive range for a small village.”

Continuing their expansion, Swifts acquired another store in Lisnaskea in August 2021, presently a Spar store with a Circle K forecourt, approximately 2800 sq ft in size.

Given their successful ventures and developments over the years, Stephen has his eye on the future with a business plan earmarked for this second Lisnaskea store.

“There is a huge opportunity there for future development. It is a very successful store as it stands, but it needs modernisation. We are looking at opportunities and concepts and potentially an expansion in the next 12 months.”

Naturally, with store modernisation comes an increasing use of technology and IT systems, which are major game-changers in the convenience sector.

“Technology is moving one way only and it’s all about efficiencies in terms of what is happening on the shop floor,” said Stephen.

“We have self-checkouts and Hendersons have introduced ASR (automatic stock replenishment), which will also be introduced into our other two stores before the end of the year.

“We are also bringing in digital bar codes. This will free up manpower and allow us to focus on areas of the store.”

‘You cannot operate without good people and we are very lucky in that respect. Our staff are well known in the community and that is a big draw for our customers’

Inevitably, Swifts has been left facing increasing energy costs, like so many other retailers and businesses, seeing their bills double, but are making continued efforts to manage costs where possible.

“Everybody knows the challenge with energy costs spiralling and it has been hard to handle over the last year,” said Stephen.

“We have done everything we can in store in terms of making efficiencies, using solar power, efficient air conditioning, LED lighting and we have energy efficient refrigeration.

“When this started it spiralled out of control and it’s something we have had to carry and factor in, but there is no doubt it’s a huge burden on any business.

“We have a supermarket price file and Tesco price match and that means we are also competitive. We provide a competitive price model. We are a community supermarket facility with a very good pricing structure, but there is no doubt there has been food inflation across the board.

“Customers are very savvy and it’s in nobody’s interests to look at this as an opportunity to increase prices, our customers will not forget that in the long run.

“There is no doubt that we have a lot of customers who shop regularly and shop more often. We have a great supply from Hendersons and we have six days a week delivery of fresh food. This means that our availability and product freshness is first class across the week.

“The customer can come back whenever they need something and it helps minimise their our own food waste. The consumer can also take the opportunity to buy more often and get what they need as opposed to what they think they need.

“We are here seven days a week, and many of our customers are our friends. Working in the local community is a very social job but not without its challenges, particularly during covid.

“We managed to maintain availability and a safe shopping environment and our customers appreciated that. Our team was brilliant throughout that difficult time.

“Here at Swifts we really enjoy serving our local community on a daily basis – that’s what gives you that buzz.”

TO VIEW THE FULL STORE PROFILE ON SWIFTS LISNASKEA IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER JUNE ISSUE, CLICK HERE

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