Henderson Retail, Northern Ireland’s biggest forecourt firm, has scooped a Grocer Gold Award, with the sister title of Forecourt Trader naming the company independent retail chain of 2026, the fifth time Henderson has won that title in the past six years.
County Antrim-based wholesaler Henderson has 111 Spar and Eurospar stores, around 90 of which also sell petrol and diesel. It was given the gong partly for its punchy 10.2% growth in food sales, up from 7.7% the previous year, and against average Northern Irish grocery growth of just 2.2%.
The firm, which was founded in 1897, was also singled out for an ‘on-the-shelf’ availability score of 99.1%, with stock levels boosted by Henderson’s integration of AI into its demand-forecasting systems.
Henderson also implemented a 4.6% wage increase, exceeding the rest of the sector, a boost that no doubt helped the firm keep staff turnover at just 23%, against a market average of 40%. Other investments included £9.1m being committed to help keep prices down, while the company upped its retail space by 10% over the year.
Henderson’s bottom line was also up on the previous year, with net profit increasing by 16%.
The Grocer Gold Award, presented in London’s Royal Albert Hall, comes just weeks after Henderson bosses, brothers Martin and Geoffrey Agnew, were each awarded an MBE for their services to business and the community in the King’s Birthday Honours List.
Henderson’s Spar Malone Road store and forecourt, meanwhile, was recently crowned Convenience Retailer of the Year 2026 in Convenience Store’s annual awards.
