4 minute read
The Wall Group
by 55 North
Another brick in the wall
The new Landscape store is more than five times the size of the previous site adjacent to the original store.
Independent Spar retailers Helen and Gavan Wall, operating as The Wall Group, have opened Landscape Filling Station on the Crumlin Road, Belfast, after a £3m investment.
The retailers’ first store opened in November 2008 and there are now eight in the portfolio, including four Spar stores around the Belfast area. With 140 staff, the stores serve more than two million customers per annum with the Spar, Subway and YoggieBerrie brands.
The new 5,000sq ft Landscape store, which is more than five times the size of the previous site adjacent to the original store, boasts an 8-pump GO Fuel forecourt, 22 car parking spaces, and is open round the clock seven days a week.
SIGNATURE CREDENTIALS
The Landscape store will bring Spar NI’s signature fresh credentials to the area, with a range of locally sourced products by Henderson Wholesale.
In addition, the store’s food-to-go offer includes Barista Bar coffee machines, a Nugaleto Ice Cream concession serving all flavours and toppings, and Spar’s DailyDeli which includes a range of fresh options for sandwiches, salads and wraps and hot food such as fresh, homemade chicken curry. The new store employs 50 team members, with 30 new jobs created.
The store also features Electric Self Edge Labels (ESELs) from Henderson Technology, which were launched in January 2020, and integrate into its EDGEPoS system.
AUTOMATED SYSTEM
The automated system reduces time and cost for pricing management, improves pricing accuracy, and allows dynamic pricing.
Helen Wall, Co-Owner of The Wall Group, said: “When we were researching Electric Self Edge Labels for our newly refurbished store, we visited a local Euro- Spar and immediately we were struck by how professional, modern and smart the ESELs looked.
“We wanted to keep everything as high tech as possible in our new store and decided to install EDGEPoS ESELs from Henderson Technology in Landscape Filling Station. We were initially concerned by the cost of the ESELs, but learned that Henderson Technology offered the product on a seven-year rental agreement.
“When we were looking at ideas for the store, we were also focused on sustainability. There is lots of waste from paper SELs and we wanted to reduce the amount of paper and ink we were using instore.”
Wall Group Manager Colin Cunningham added: “The results have been immediate. We already completed two promotion changeovers and it has been so straightforward. Just a click of a button and the ESELs are updated instantly. This means we have been able to free staff up to concentrate on other tasks.
“With the ability to change ESELs on the shop through the handset within seconds, this has saved us many personnel hours. Previously an employee had to scan the product, get access to the back office and print out SELs – which could be time consuming and laborious. Our employees no longer need to leave the shop floor.”
Wall concludes: “With all the retail technology that we have introduced in-store including ESELs and two Self-Checkouts and the investment that we have made into these innovative products, we aim to increase sales, see a growth in our margin and utilise staff activity and productivity in-store.”
50TH EDGEPOS INSTALL
Landscape Filling Station marks the 50th EDGEPoS install for Henderson Technology. Darren Nickels, Retail Technology Operations Director, said: “We are very proud to work with Helen, Gavan and the team onsite in all four of the Wall’s stores in Belfast. They are a shining example of introducing innovative, forward-thinking retailers, adding retail technology products to their EDGEPoS system and future proofing their business.”
