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.

Stepping Stones NI was established in 1996 and operates five social enterprises and four core services which support people who experience barriers to learning and employment.

Working alongside Henderson Retail, Stepping Stones NI established the ‘Step into Retail’ and ‘Step into Deli’ academies, providing clients with key skills and qualifications that are required to be successful in retail and foodservice. This included World Host Customer Service Training – the world-class training programme designed to deliver excellence in customer service, alongside Food Safety, Health and Safety and Manual Handling training.

Henderson Retail provided all participants in training with an introduction to their business which operates over 100 SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVOXTRA stores across Northern Ireland. The company recently announced they would be embarking on 26 significant retail projects in 2022 providing even more employment opportunities for local communities.

Gayle Clinghan, Talent Manager for Henderson Retail, commented; “Henderson Group is one of the leading employers in Northern Ireland and our Retail business has been growing steadily in the past two years. Working with Stepping Stones NI gave us an opportunity to provide their clients with a background to our business and, with some of our retail employees, share what it is like to work in a busy community store or supermarket.

“We provided support and guidance as they undertook their training and qualifications which guaranteed them an interview with Henderson Retail at the end of their training. 15 employees were initially recruited from the Stepping Stones NI academies across 10 stores, and 13 of them are working in stores today. We also have two new-starts working in one of our most recent store openings, EUROSPAR Kircubbin.”

Carla Bowyer from Stepping Stones NI commented: “Our clients have learnt essential key skills thanks to our partnership with Henderson Retail, providing employment opportunities not only on the shop floor but within a foodservice environment in their in-store delis. We are very proud to see our clients secure employment within their local community stores where they will learn even more while doing the job with their new colleagues.”

Henderson Retail and Stepping Stones NI partnership operated across Ards and North Down Borough Council, Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, and was financed by the Department for Communities, Department for the Economy and the European Social Fund.

Caption: Mollie Hughes from EUROSPAR Kircubbin took part in Henderson Retail and Stepping Stones NI’s Step into Retail partnership programme, which provided employment for 13 clients in stores across Northern Ireland.

The post New employees ‘step into retail’ with Henderson Retail and Stepping Stones NI partnership first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.