Stuart Mulvaney

Describe what a typical day at work looks like for you

It’s an early start in Food To Go, with our Deli teams starting work at 6am. I like to get into the stores to check standards and speak with the teams to get ahead of any issues. I cover the North Down region so can get to most of the stores by 9am, breakfast and coffee are the bigger opportunities for us so it’s important our stores look their best. I’ll catch up daily with my boss Healey to fill him in on what’s happening on the ground and he’ll keep us alert to anything developing.

After a skim through anything urgent in my inbox it’s normally a few hours planning the people development, sales and marketing, product range or new store openings for the weeks and months ahead in the stores.

In store coaching is the number one priority for our team so I’ll spend another few hours in store working with the teams on a range of topics like customer engagement, standards, work flow and profitability and getting people round in a huddle to detail actions after lunch.

Afternoons often involve either a meeting or two, planning some external training, or seeing to the rest of any admin.

Who and what are you responsible for?

I’m responsible for the delivery of the food to go proposition in the company owned stores in the North Down area. This includes Barista Coffee, In store bakery, deli counters and hot food. I help develop the strategy for our scooped Ice Cream counters and also facilitate various training sessions for Store Managers and FTG Teams on a variety of subjects. Our team delivers workshops at commercial events and conferences and also has a hand in product and design development for the daily deli brand. It’s a varied mix

How does your team fit in to the Henderson Group?

HRL and the Food to Go team works closely with a variety of stakeholders to ensure Daily Deli is at the forefront of food retailing. We engage with group property in the design, layout and proposition of the deli space. We tie up with Alistair in the wholesale trading team to ensure profitability and innovation and Graeme over in foodservice to maximise profitability of the offer as well as delivery of the latest food trends and best value ranges.

What are the best bits about your job?

Variety! We cover so much ground as a FTG development manager and no day is the same. I love working in stores with the teams and seeing how our ideas and training can influence sales as much as I love seeing the impact all the things we do behind the scenes to help FTG within Henderson Retail grow and become a key driver in its success.

What are the best bits about your company (Henderson Retail)?

Henderson Retail never ceases to amaze me in terms of the ambition of its plans. Each year is bigger and brighter than the one before. Growth of the teams, store investment, new and exciting changes to the proposition, we just keep pushing forwards in all areas.

What is the best thing about your team?

We have a large team of 9 in FTG, it’s like our own little family. We each have our own specialism and unique take on the role. By sharing that skill and knowledge amongst ourselves we become more effective in stores every day. I learn a new skill, a piece a knowledge or something about myself all the time thanks to the diverse nature of the team. Each day I come home knowing more than when I left.

What attracted you to the Henderson Group?

Its reputation outside of the group is exemplary, so many people, from reps, Business development managers, delivery drivers all have positive things to say. I had been looking out for an opportunity for a long time to gain employment within. The size and scale of the operation just here in Mallusk is impressive, let alone the numbers of SPARS, you know we mean business before you even turn off the motorway.

When not working what can you be found doing?

I’m a family man at heart, so we’ll be out exploring the amazing parks and beaches around Belfast looking for bugs and shells with our two year old or up at the Zoo taking on the steep hills to find my daughters favourite, the Sun Bear, who annoyingly lives right at the top!