The County Antrim family controlled Henderson Group, which owns four of the largest local convenience franchise brands including Spar and Eurospar, is to invest £25 million in its business operations.

The Mallusk group, which also owns the Vivo, Vivoxtra and Vivo Essentials franchises in the North, plans to develop new business premises including head office facilities and a distribution centre.

The group, whose workforce has doubled in the last decade to 2,800 people across Northern Ireland, said the latest investment project will “facilitate business growth and secure employment” across the four companies that make up the Henderson Group.

Latest financial results show the group posted an annual turnover of more than £663.6 million last year.

The joint managing directors of the Henderson Group, brothers Martin and Geoffrey Agnew, say the £25 million investment package will deliver benefits for its workforce and its customers.

Martin Agnew added: "We make no secret that our profits are re-invested into the business. This major investment in the development of a new main office and distribution site shows our commitment to providing a better working environment for our employees, as well as a more efficient way of working to benefit our retailers and logistics department."

The investment programme is also likely to deliver a significant boost to a number of local family owned firms who have been awarded contracts from it including the Ballymena construction firm, Martin & Hamilton Construction and Portglenone's Hugh Griffin & Sons.