SPAR UK Partner, Henderson Group, owners of SPAR and EUROSPAR in Northern Ireland, has upgraded its refrigerated delivery fleet with the more sustainable SLXi units from SPAR International Preferred Supplier, Thermo King®.

A leader in transport temperature control solutions, the new Thermo King SLXi 300 Whisper™ units will help Hendersons with the delivery of temperature sensitive products to retailers, thanks to the telematics and communication capabilities, lower fuel consumption and enhanced temperature management options. The Whisper noise reduction kit also helps lower the sound levels of the units, which allows Hendersons to further minimise disturbance during deliveries.

“Thermo King is SPAR International’s preferred supplier and thanks to our complete portfolio of products for all refrigerated transport applications, our units can be seen on their fleets around the globe,” said Alain van Schaik, Strategic Account Manager at Thermo King. “Thermo King works closely with SPAR International through its global network delivering solutions like the SLXi units in Northern Ireland, Frigoblock electric units in Austria, CryoTech liquid carbon dioxide technology in Norway and T-Series truck units in the Middle East. We’re everywhere SPAR needs us to help deliver the products to their customers in the most efficient way.”

All Thermo King SLXi units feature next-generation, lower global-warming potential (GWP) R-452A refrigerant, which is in line with Henderson’s sustainability approach and lowers the environmental footprint of their transport operations.

“We have been distributing food and grocery-related products to the convenience retail sector for over 120 years and efficiency and sustainability of our operations have always been a key element of our strategy,” said Pat McGarry, Logistics Director at Henderson Group. “We have a strong and extensive partnership with Thermo King because we can count on their quiet, cost efficient, reliable solutions and strong service network. With this support we can be sure that there will be no downtime and our offering will be competitive, which is critical in the retail and logistics business.”

The SPAR UK Partner has worked closely with Technical Transport Product (TTP), the “Platinum status” Thermo King dealer in Northern Ireland, which provides extensive support and covers the service and maintenance contract.

“We have worked together with Henderson Group for many years. We provide them with support and service on site and in our workshop to make sure the uptime of the equipment is as high as possible so that they can plan their logistics in the most efficient way,” said Tracy Martin, Owner of TTP.

SPAR International invited Thermo King to present at the 2017 edition of its annual Logistics and Technology Conference (LOGIT) in Northern Ireland. Thermo King joined around 100 SPAR delegates from all over the world and showcased best practice examples and its complete product portfolio ranging from diesel, hybrid and cryogenic, to all-electric transport refrigeration units.

About SPAR UK

The United Kingdom became a member of SPAR in 1956. There are five regional partners in the UK with strategically placed Distribution Centres in each region. A Central Office located in London provides national Marketing and Buying services for the group and supports the development of the SPAR Brand in the UK.

SPAR is the UK’s leading convenience retailer with a combined turnover in excess of £12 billion. SPAR celebrated its 60th anniversary in the UK in 2017.