A new, highly anticipated VIVOXTRA supermarket has officially opened on Banbridge’s Newry Road, bringing 40 new jobs to the local area.

The new build is a huge community project, not least with local lollipop lady Mrs Dawson helping to officially cut the ribbon with two P5 Abercorn Primary School pupils, Molly Patterson and Benjamin Marais (both 9 years old).

John Fox who will manage the store says the local community is a huge part of the supermarket; “In these challenging times, we are very proud to have brought employment opportunities to the local area, as well as becoming a home to some of our brilliant local businesses, including Windsor Bakery and Quail’s Butchery.

“The £4m store took almost a year to build and has been designed with the highest levels of safety measures so that our shoppers can know they are getting their essentials safely and conveniently. The décor has incorporated some of the milestones of Banbridge’s history, which I hope shoppers will enjoy as they browse our aisles and discover our fantastic range of locally sourced and produced fresh foods and ranges.”

The supermarket is the first site in Northern Ireland to install the Group’s most advanced payment system, which offers a ‘touchless cash’ process at the checkout. Working in conjunction with Glory Cash Infinity, Henderson Technology has installed the tech in the full-service checkouts, which means shoppers can still have a personal service, but without any cash touch points between the till operator and shopper.

Mark McCammond, Retail Director at Henderson Group says this is an incredibly important innovation during COVID-19; “the store will have three self-scan checkouts, but we know shoppers don’t always want to do this themselves so we have installed the Glory Cash Infinity hardware where shoppers can insert their cash at our traditional checkouts, and receive their change, without having to physically hand cash to our staff. It works seamlessly with the Henderson Technology EDGE-POS software.

“Not only does this keep a vital personal service for our shoppers, but it will keep queues to a minimum and footfall flowing, which is really important for safe operations at the moment.”

The store also brings a six-pump MAXOL forecourt to the local area, and a 72-space car park, providing even more convenience.

Other amenities and services include The Chef range of restaurant quality pre-prepared mains and sides, an in-store Bakery, Occasions cards, flowers and cakes, and F’real milkshakes and smoothies. There are two Barista Bar coffee machines installed, both offering the latest additions to the menu, flat white coffee and hot chocolate.

Mark continued; “We are excited to open this state-of-the-art community supermarket which brings even more quality, choice and value to the local area. Our new neighbours can enjoy browsing a huge range of fresh food sourced from local suppliers, many of which are included in the retailer’s Tesco Price Match initiative.

“We’re wishing John and his team all the very best with this new venture, and we look forward to meeting our new shoppers and supporting several initiatives in the Banbridge area.”

The supermarket has supplied foot-operated sanitising stations to local schools and community hubs, and VIVOXTRA Newry Road will support the brand’s charity partner, Cancer Fund for Children, raising funds for young people and their families in Northern Ireland who are affected by a cancer diagnosis.

VIVOXTRA Newry Road, Banbridge is open now, seven days a week, 7am – 11pm.

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