The Grocer Gold Awards 2026: Independent retail chain of the year

Winner: Henderson Retail

Henderson Retail has been crowned Independent Retail Chain of the year for the fifth time in the past six years.

The Northern Irish Spar operator delivered a stellar performance to retain its crown. Food sales growth rocketed by 10.5% – miles ahead of the 2.2% growth for the wider Northern Irish grocery market, and even better than the 7.7% growth the previous year. Like-for-like food sales were up 5.4%.

The results were powered by operational excellence across the board. Availability was a highlight, with an on-shelf score of 99.1%, delivered courtesy of new AI-driven demand forecasting.

Register your interest for The Grocer Gold Awards 2027

Last year also saw key investments into both its staff and store estate. The chain introduced a 4.6% wage increase to stay ahead of the national living wage, exceeding the NI food retail market. The investment clearly paid off as Hendersons’ staff turnover was just over 23% compared with a market average of 40%.

In terms of its estate, Hendersons added almost 10% more retail space in the past year and, crucially, was able to trade much harder from this space. Trading intensity grew 4.7%, while a £9.1m investment in pricing proved key to supporting customers in a difficult economic environment.

Despite the investment, the retailer also delivered an impressive bottom line performance. Overall margin increased while net profit jumped by 16% versus the previous year.

Shortlisted:

• Abu Bakr Supermarket
• Henderson Retail - Spar
• James Convenience Retail
• Park Garage Group
• Sterling Meat Company