The company behind the SPAR name in Northern Ireland said it is planning a further 26 “significant” projects in the coming year.
Henderson Group said the move will be part of a £47 million investment across the company in infrastructure and new products and ranges, alongside a £5.3 million marketing push.
It follows a busy year for its retail arm which opened 28 new company-owned and independent SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO stores across Northern Ireland as part of a £19.4 million investment.
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It opened a new EUROSPAR in Clough at the end of 2021, the 101 st of the larger store type in the growing retailer's stable.
The move is further evidence that local retailers across Northern Ireland have benefited since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic from a need and desire by shoppers to buy more locally.
Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group, said the move is reaction to consumer needs.
“At the end of 2020, we made a commitment to further invest in high quality community retailing across Northern Ireland to further meet the changed needs of our retailers and shoppers,” he said. “Henderson Retail completed 20 significant projects in 2021, including the building and expansion of EUROSPAR supermarkets.
“Not only are we opening more large-format EUROSPAR supermarkets which provide market leading special offers and campaigns all year round, including matching over a thousand prices of products to Tesco, but we’re expanding the footprint and offering of our smaller format brands too. We have around 26 significant projects in the pipeline for 2022, plus four further new builds to commence that will open in 2023.”
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2021 also marked the 60th anniversary of SPAR in Northern Ireland, and the Group honoured many of their retailers who were also marking business milestones throughout the year, including McGinn’s SPAR in Killyclogher which also opened in 1961 and rebranded as a SPAR ten years later.
“Independent retailers know what their local shoppers want and that is to stay local and buy local, which they can provide thanks to our robust brand offering,” Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group said. “Last year saw the 海角视频’s largest SPAR store open in Castlederg with experienced SPAR retailers, Charlie and Ruth Hamilton at the helm.
“It is a fresh foods superstore and new flagship store for the Hamilton’s who operate two other stores in the Mid-Ulster area. The impact the network of our company-owned and independent stores has on the industry is powerful and we have also experienced a record number of retailers converting from other convenience brands to SPAR, EUROSPAR or ViVO brands in the past year.”