Henderson’s opens new flagship community supermarket in Northern Ireland securing 73 new jobs

Henderson Retail has officially opened its flagship community supermarket for 2024 after a multi-million-pound investment in the new site which now homes Eurospar Downpatrick.

The fresh foods supermarket on the Ardglass Road has created 56 new jobs for the local area, while 17 staff from Connolly’s Spar in the town, which has been replaced by the new Eurospar, have also transferred to the store.

Eurospar Downpatrick represents the second fresh foods superstore in County Down following the opening of Eurospar Killyleagh in June 2023.

The Delish Made in Store kitchen is a completely new concept for shoppers, providing a fully serviced kitchen where freshly prepared meals and salads that have been made by two local in-store chefs daily can be picked up throughout the day. Chefs Peter and James, from Downpatrick, will create everyday favourites from curry to lasagne, alongside sides and desserts that can be taken home to heat and eat, all made using fresh and local products.

The food to go hot food deli and fresh bar has teams serving up fresh breakfast and lunch options from cooked breakfasts to filled wraps plus Eurospar’s popular Delish chicken bar with Southern Fried Chicken and chips throughout the day.

Finally, the Delish Bakery is headed up by two local bakers, Caiomhe and Callum, who will bake a range of fresh breads from baguettes to sourdough, cakes and pastries fresh every day, plus shoppers can see pancakes, soda and potato bread made fresh on the griddle pan throughout the day.

A butchery counter is fully serviced by Devlin’s, the local butchers operated by Michael Devlin from Ardglass. Micky and Mal are Downpatrick’s local butchery experts, giving advice to shoppers while also offering a number of pre-packaged cuts at great value.

The Downpatrick supermarket showcases the best local suppliers Northern Ireland has to offer throughout its selection of fresh produce, freshly pre-prepared own-brand meal ranges and fresh meat and poultry, alongside a huge selection of well-known brands, with over 75% of the fresh produce available in-store sourced locally and providing everything needed for tonight’s tea.

While traditional tills are manned by the customer service staff, the company’s most innovative, tech-led store will also see four self-check-outs installed, Mark McCammond, retail director at Henderson Group, explained: “It is important for our shoppers to have the choice between traditionally ‘manned’ tills for our staff to help them checkout their shopping, alongside the self-check-outs, which have the exclusive GLORY cash management system installed, meaning shoppers can use both card and cash, which is an excellent addition to a busy forecourt.

“Eurospar Downpatrick is a multi-functional site; shoppers will be calling in for fuel and food to go, but we also have shoppers taking advantage of our range of everyday essentials and value prices, to do their weekly shop. It is important we invest in facilities to make both trips as efficient as possible.

“This digitally-led store also enables the team to communicate even more effectively with our shoppers via digital screens, displaying daily and weekly value deals and campaigns, plus offerings available at our Delish Made in Store kitchen as they change throughout the day.”

The in-store team is led by store manager, Lisa McKee, who has been with Henderson Retail for over 14 years, most recently managing the hugely successful Eurospar Newcastle.

Lisa said: “Downpatrick has had a tough few months since the flooding in November last year, which impacted many services and jobs in the town. This 6,275 sq. ft. superstore caters for every shopper’s need, from the local ingredients to make a meal for tonight’s tea, to big brand value deals and an array of freshly made, pre-prepared meals to take home.

“It is rare to have such a size of supermarket that brings that level of service to a town, and we’re delighted to open our doors and bring much needed new jobs to the local area, assisted by the local Jobs & Benefits Office.”

David Hanna, general manager at NMD (Newry, Mourne and Down) Business attended the opening day of the store, continued: “Henderson Retail has brought a multi-functional and much needed supermarket to the local area, providing over 70 jobs and showcasing the fantastic local produce available from the area. We wish the team every best wish with the opening and look forward to even more community and local business engagement with the store going forward.”

Mark added “Henderson Retail continues our roll out of electric vehicle charging points from bp pulse on this site, with two chargers complementing the traditional Texaco three-pump fuel forecourt.

“Sustainability, supporting local suppliers, providing even more choice and value for our shoppers alongside everyday essential services is our top priority for the stores we operate in local areas, and Eurospar Downpatrick is the company’s flagship store for 2024 that embodies our continued focus to raise the standards for community retailing throughout Northern Ireland.”