Henderson Foodservice, part of SPAR Northern Ireland operator Henderson, has unveiled a new £16 million (€18.61 million) warehouse facility. The new facility is part of an ongoing redevelopment of SPAR NI’s Mallusk complex, which began back in 2010. 

The group accelerated the move to the 17,650m2 ambient and chilled distribution centre to support the hospitality sector. The new larger storage facility has enabled Henderson Foodservice to offer their customers an expanded product range with greater efficiencies.

Warehouse sustainability

Design and build also incorporated the latest sustainability and energy efficiency techniques. These include maximisation of natural light in work areas, and any artificial lighting installed is photo and movement sensitive.

Other features include a state-of-the-art charging optimiser for all mechanical handling equipment and an energy-optimised refrigeration system. Packaging waste is recycled or reused. Moreover, food wastage is minimised, and any generated is processed for reuse via an anaerobic digestion plant for gas production.

In 2020, acquisition companies BD Foods and Foodco were integrated into Henderson Foodservice operations at Mallusk. This interation is generating an increased product range that required improved storage facilities.

Facilitated by an experienced project team, the move was undertaken during the reopening of outdoor dining, despite the pressures from increased orders and customers returning. Multi-site processes were implemented, and a new version of the warehouse management system was made operational with no impact or interruption to customers, order fulfilment or continuity of supply.

Henderson Foodservice Managing Director, Cathal Geoghegan, praised the Foodservice warehouse project team for its successful and streamlined transition to the new distribution centre.

“As hospitality has thankfully been able to open up, our move couldn’t have been more timely. We’re thrilled to be able to support the industry in what has been such a challenging year. We look forward to working closely with our customers as the economy continues to move forward on a positive trajectory”, Cathal Geoghegan said.

Source: SPAR UK

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About SPAR UK

The UK became a SPAR member in 1956 when SPAR International granted the SPAR licence to a group of independent wholesalers. There are now five regional partners in the UK. A central office in London provides national marketing and buying services for the group. 

SPAR has led the highly competitive convenience market in the UK for many years. Always innovative, the five regional partners have continued to grow the brand. SPAR UK comprises independently owned licensed retailers and company-owned stores. These include forecourts, airports, train stations, city centres, and local neighbourhood stores.