Northern Irish Spar wholesaler Henderson Group has fended off rising employee costs to report a £13 million increase in pre-tax profit to £76 million in 2025. Turnover rose 8.7% to £1.5 billion.
Henderson says its wage bill for its 5,662 staff soared to more than £167 million last year. The Newtownabbey-based business includes more than 100 company-owned forecourts and convenience stores operating under the Spar and Eurospar brands.
Chief financial officer Neil Gamble says operating costs were “controlled well”, despite an increase in wage costs driven by inflationary pressure, national minimum wage rate increases, and higher employers’ National Insurance charges.
“The group has sought to mitigate the impact of these cost increases on consumer pricing by prioritising initiatives designed to improve the operational efficiency of the business, while also continuing to invest in remuneration and other initiatives designed to improve colleague engagement and deliver better prices for shoppers,” he says.
The business has also been active in raising money for charity, notching up more than £1 million for Spar charity partner Marie Curie, and £2.2m for Eurospar’s charity partner Cancer Fund for Children, since both initiatives began in 2017 and 2011 respectively.
Henderson also says a Christmas partnership for the Christian poverty-relief organisation Tearfund surpassed £1 million in 2025.
Other charitable organisations that received donations during the year included Action Mental Health, Children’s Heartbeat Trust, NI Children’s Hospice, PIPs Charity and the Jack & Jill Foundation. Meanwhile, £20,000 was distributed to community organisations and charities through the Community Cashback Grant.
