Henderson Retail has opened its flagship community supermarket after a multi-million-pound investment in the new site which now homes EuroSpar Downpatrick.
The fresh foods supermarket on the Ardglass Road has led to 56 new jobs, while 17 staff from Connolly’s Spar in the town have transferred to the new store.
EuroSpar Downpatrick is the family-owned Henderson Group’s second fresh foods superstore in Co Down following the opening of EuroSpar Killyleagh last June.
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 daily by in-store chefs Peter and James can be picked up throughout the day.
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.
And the Delish Bakery is headed up by 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, operated by Michael Devlin from Ardglass.
The Downpatrick supermarket showcases the best 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.
Henderson Retail continues its roll out of electric vehicle charging points from bp pulse on the site, with two chargers complementing the traditional Texaco three-pump fuel forecourt.
And while traditional tills will be 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, said”It’s 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’s 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 manager Lisa McKee, who has been with Henderson Retail for over 14 years, most recently managing EuroSpar Newcastle.
She said: “Downpatrick has had a tough few months since the flooding in November, 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 area, assisted by the local Jobs & Benefits Office.”