12 minute read
Serving the Community
Henderson Group reflects on SPAR NI’s community impact over past 60 years. As a business established over 120 years ago, Henderson Group is part of the fabric of Northern Ireland. With a presence in every town, village and community through the SPAR, EUROSPAR and ViVO retail brands as well as connections with multiple local farmers, growers, suppliers, community groups and charitable organisations, each facet of the group makes an impact here.
In 1961, the SPAR brand came to Northern Ireland, meaning 2021 marks 60 years of SPAR stores becoming part of these communities and making their own impact in terms of charitable support, contribution to local economies and enabling entrepreneurship for local families.
Patrick Doody, sales and marketing director at Henderson Group, says the impact of SPAR here cannot be underestimated: “It is easy to dismiss a brand as just that, however, we have worked tirelessly to ensure that the SPAR brand is more than just a familiar place to shop.
“Since coming to Northern Ireland 60 years ago, SPAR has raised over £7 million for local charities, supported foodbanks and local care homes, and over 24,000 other local organisations and even saved lives.”
Twelve lives have been saved since 2015 thanks to the installation of 242 defibrillators
outside stores here, the largest network of public access defibrillators in the UK.
“Our shoppers have raised over £360,000 to help our local retailers install these lifesaving devices, which are available to the public 24/7. Engaging our retailers and shoppers in this initiative has given a sense of ownership and pride, and ensures there is a device available in every town in the country. We are working to get them all registered with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) on The Circuit, which is the National Defibrillator Network launched by the British Heart Foundation. This will allow a quicker connection between NIAS and the public to our network of devices.”
In the past decade, SPAR’s local credentials have grown to reflect the increasing number of locally sourced fresh products and ranges available instore, from familiar big brand names to own brand lines such as enjoy local and The CHEF. Fresh food sales at SPAR now account for almost 50% of retail sales, ensuring millions of pounds go back into the local economy, yearon-year. In the past year alone, the company’s locally made pre-prepared products have experienced sales of over £14 million.
And so impressive is the quality and unique standing of SPAR’s local sourcing that an agreement was entered at the beginning of the year with Sainsbury’s for Henderson Wholesale to provide local SPAR products for Sainsbury’s shoppers due to disruption in the supply chain.
“This is a prime example of the benefit in local sourcing of certain products. Brexit disrupted the supply chain from GB to Northern Ireland at the start of the year, but we were able to supply Sainsbury’s so their shoppers were still able to buy the products they expected –only this time they are buying local produce and supporting local farmers. It’s win-win for our agri-food industry.”
With a unique proposition available, it has led to the growth of local entrepreneurs buying into the franchise. There are now almost 300 SPAR stores in Northern Ireland and Henderson Wholesale supplies to almost 500 outlets throughout the company-operated and independently owned network.
Patrick continued: “Our SPAR retailers engage with their local schools and community groups to provide support for their own initiatives, sponsorship for sporting events and encourage healthy eating and staying active. That is a huge responsibility as a local retailer, and one we take very seriously.”
In fact, SPAR NI supports sporting initiatives from grass roots community programmes to globally recognised sporting events, such as the SPAR Craic 10K, The Deep River Rock Belfast City Marathon right through to its partnership with Healthy Kidz more recently to provide Virtual Sports Day activities during lockdown.
“We have supported Sports Days in schools for over 10 years, providing bottles of water, runners’ number bibs, finisher medals... everything needed to create a fantastic end of term event, and of course provide even more support to local primary schools.
“We have been title sponsor of the SPAR Craic 10K since its inception and in recent years, SPAR has awarded grants of £40,000 to sporting community groups through our People’s Podium initiative. We are very much looking forward to the return of the Deep River Rock Belfast City Half Marathon and Marathon this May and September.
“In response to the COVID-19 emergency, we launched the Community Cashback Grant where we distributed funds of £20,000 to 16 deserving groups, charities and community organisations.”
SPAR has recently hit a milestone of more than £400,000 raised for its most recent charity partner, Marie Curie. Since 2017, the brand has created multiple campaigns to provide support to community nurses on the frontline and towards the running of its Hospice services.
Most recently, SPAR shoppers raised £30,000 thanks to the Henderson initiative Buy a Bunch to Give a Bunch, which supported the organisation’s annual Great Daffodil Appeal. The total surpassed the team’s expectations and target by 66%. The aim is to raise £60,000 in line with the 60th birthday this year, which saw SPAR NI hosting celebrations in flagship stores last month.
Patrick finished: “June saw the return of Marie Curie’s Blooming Great Tea Party, which we turned into a birthday celebration for SPAR, with bumper fundraising plans in partnership with Tayto.
“In this 60th year, we are celebrating all the good our stores, teams, shoppers and owners have done for their communities and we look forward to a summer of reconnecting with groups and clubs as restrictions ease and they are able to start operating again. Our birthday celebrations will see a continued boost of support for Marie Curie, and we will celebrate our local suppliers with the launch of more locally produced own brand products available at superb value for our shoppers.
“It may have been 60 years, but this is also a new beginning as SPAR is front and centre in those communities rebuilding after the challenges of COVID-19. We look forward to growing alongside them for many more years to come.”
TRANSLINK – ‘RACE TO ZERO’
By Chris Conway, Translink Group Chief Executive.
Public transport is central to Northern Ireland’s recovery, connecting people and communities to opportunities and helping to revitalise our society in the aftermath of the pandemic. Bus and rail travel has a fundamental role to play in a green recovery, giving us our greatest chance to effect a modal shift away from the private car and take genuine action to tackle the climate emergency, which remains with us despite the pandemic.
Translink is investing in public transport for future generations with a range of new and exciting developments to make bus and rail everyone’s fi rst choice for travel, for today and for tomorrow – this includes new fl eet investment, new and upgraded sustainable passenger facilities and a new Translink ticketing system, improving choice and accessibility for everyone.
Support for Safe, Sustainable Public Transport
Greater reliance on bus and rail travel will be essential to combat climate change, but in light of the pandemic, it is clear that people must feel safe in order to make the change.
Recent research commissioned by Translink reveals that 79% of respondents intend to return to their normal workplace by the end of 2021, with 50% of those surveyed also saying they would be happy to use public transport immediately as restrictions ease.
The research also revealed that Translink is recognised by local people for keeping our economy moving and keeping communities connected, something which takes on a greater focus as people return to the workplace and shoppers to the high street.
Signifi cantly, over two thirds agreed that public transport is a better option for the environment. It is clear that an enhanced reliance on bus and rail transport has a positive impact on our environment, helping to reduce congestion and air pollution. The signifi cant improvements in air quality witnessed on a worldwide basis during 2020 occurred while public transport continued to operate and one key lesson that must be drawn from the pandemic is the need for modal shift away from the private car.
Translink’s Road to Zero
Translink will operate a Net Zero emission bus and rail fl eet across the entirety of our network by 2040, with fl eets in Belfast and Derry~Londonderry achieving this by 2030. Our initial hydrogen-powered and batteryelectric double-deck buses – the fi rst anywhere in Ireland - have entered service, with another 100 Zero Emission buses set to join the fl eet in the coming months. By the end of 2021, Translink will operate the UK’s 4th-largest Zero Emission bus fl eet. All Metro, Foyle Metro and Goldline vehicles will be operating at a minimum on the latest Euro 6 environmental standard engines by 2022 with progress to 100% rollout of Zero Emission services continuing up to 2040.
We also have ambitious plans for the NI Railways network, with 21 new intermediate Class 4000 train carriages entering service on local routes in the coming months, helping to increase capacity by providing an additional 1,600 seats on the network per day and allowing us to operate 6-car ‘walkthrough’ trains. In the coming years, we will also introduce a fl eet of new bi-mode trains for use on the NI Railways network, as well as work towards the potential electrifi cation of the rail network. With colleagues in Irish Rail, we are working to procure new bi-mode fl eet for our cross-border Enterprise service, allowing us to move towards the operation of an hourly service between Belfast and Dublin; we are also co-operating to improve infrastructure on the corridor, enhancing journey times.
We are also participating, along with Irish Rail, in an all-Island Strategic Rail Review, announced by the relevant Ministers in both jurisdictions. This Review will consider how the rail network across Ireland can improve sustainable connectivity between major cities, enhance regional accessibility, including to the North-West, and support balanced regional development. In addition, the Review will consider the feasibility of higher speeds on the network and whether there is a potential to increase use of the network for freight.
Infrastructure Fit for the Future
Pre-pandemic, record numbers were travelling by public transport in Northern Ireland; in 2018/19, over 84.5m passenger journeys were recorded across the network, the highest such fi gure in 20 years. This was testament to increased investment in services and infrastructure over preceding years. As Northern Ireland seeks to rebuild from the pandemic, enhanced investment in public transport will be a key driver of the green economic recovery.
The Belfast Transport Hub is a transport-led regeneration project centred in the southwestern part of Belfast city centre and a replacement for the existing Europa Bus Centre and Great Victoria Street Train Station. Essential site preparation work is progressing well ahead of an anticipated start to main works in early 2022, with completion scheduled for late 2024.
The facility will signifi cantly increase capacity on our network, delivering 26 bus stands and 8 railway platforms (including provision for the cross-border Enterprise service, which will relocate from Lanyon Place Station), as well as bus maintenance and stabling, cycle provision, a new public square, public realm improvements and infrastructure improvements. The scheme will also provide up to 400 jobs, delivered via a Buy-Social partnership with Belfast City Council and will act as a catalyst for redevelopment and regeneration in the area to the south and west of Belfast city centre.
Translink will shortly commence work on a replacement train station at Yorkgate, acting as a northern rail gateway to Belfast and serving the new Ulster University complex as well as local communities in North Belfast. We also have plans to improve Ballymena Bus and Rail Centre in the coming years. Connections with the North-West will also improve in the period ahead, with the progression of additional enhancements to the railway line between Derry~Londonderry and Belfast, facilitating greater service frequency.
Park and Ride will be a key component of a ‘green’ recovery, helping to encourage greater use of public transport. In recent years, we have provided signifi cant additional capacity across Northern Ireland and have plans in place to provide further capacity at Ballymena, Moira, Lurgan, Mossley West and Trooperslane, near Carrickfergus, where work recently commenced on a 200-space facility.
The new Translink ticketing system is programmed to get underway later in 2021 and will provide customers with better integration, fl exibility and convenience on-board all services. Key enhancements will include contactless Credit/Debit card payments, mobile and app payments and an ePurse Stored Value ‘Oyster style’ Smartcard.
Work is underway to implement new on-bus ticketing machines for Metro and Ulsterbus, including the ability to accept contactless credit/debit card payments on all Metro and Ulsterbus vehicles, as well as the introduction of new hand-held ticketing devices on NI Railways. Around 300 ticket vending machines will be rolled out to bus and rail stations across Northern Ireland.
Following the enormous success of Glider since 2018, we are working with the Department for Infrastructure and Belfast City Council to deliver Glider Phase 2, providing Belfast Rapid Transport services to North and South Belfast.
Translink at the heart of the Recovery
Public transport sits at the heart of Northern Ireland’s economic and environmental recovery, and Translink has a clear vision to make public transport everyone’s fi rst choice for travel, with additional capacity, new fl eet investment and a move to new technologies, ensuring that transport delivers net zero emissions by 2040.
We hope to inspire businesses across Northern Ireland to join us on the Race to Zero and make public transport their fi rst choice for travel, today for tomorrow.
