SPAR Barbican Annalong

Northern Ireland’s Henderson Retail has announced the acquisition of Spar Barbican in Annalong and Spar Anderson Gardens in Omagh, bringing its company-owned Spar and Eurospar store count to 106.

The Annalong premises has been operated by Simon Heenan and his family for 30 years, while Anderson Gardens has been owned by Jimmy and Una McGirr for the past 27 years.

At The Barbican, all 42 staff from the local community will be retained by Henderson Retail, alongside store manager, Derek McAllen and post office manager, Mark Clerkin.

The Barbican has been run by Simon Heenan and his family since 1993 and rebranded to a Spar in 2021. Since its rebrand, the new-look store has provided even more fresh groceries from local suppliers plus Spar NI’s own-brand ranges for shoppers, alongside a host of value deals and seasonal campaigns. The post office, which has been managed by Mark Clerkin since 2007, will remain in-store and provide everyday essential services for the area.

All 33 staff have also been retained at Spar Anderson Gardens, which has recently benefitted from an investment by the retailer to expand the store and its services, resulting in an additional five new jobs for the local area.

Mark McCammond, retail director at Henderson Group said: “Both Simon, Jimmy and Una and their families have grown successful businesses with the Barbican store in Annalong and Spar Anderson Gardens, providing a fantastic opportunity for us to grow the Spar brand upon their already solid foundations.

“These latest acquisitions bring our total number of Henderson Retail operated stores in Northern Ireland to 106, while we have invested substantially this year in renovating and refreshing many of our neighbourhood stores to provide even more locally sourced fresh foods and essentials for our shoppers.”

Recent weeks have also seen the opening of Henderson Retail’s Eurospar Knocklynn Road, Coleraine’s first ever Eurospar supermarket, which has replaced the Spar which stood on the same site for over 20 years. The all-new premises stands as a significant investment from the retailer to provide even more value, products and services for the local community.