{"id":14705,"date":"2025-09-08T01:43:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T01:43:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/enable.local\/?post_type=customer&p=14705"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:00:22","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:00:22","slug":"why-henderson-foodservice-turned-to-enable-for-future-proof-rebate-management","status":"publish","type":"customer","link":"https:\/\/www.enable.com\/customers\/why-henderson-foodservice-turned-to-enable-for-future-proof-rebate-management\/","title":{"rendered":"Henderson Foodservice"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Company<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Established in 1897, the Henderson Group owns several major franchises in Northern Ireland, including Spar, Eurospar, Vivo, Vivoxtra, and Vivo Essentials. With over 120 years of experience, the Group encompasses four key companies, including Henderson Foodservice, all operating under the Henderson Group banner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Henderson Foodservice has grown into a crucial part of the Henderson Group, generating approximately \u00a3211 million in annual revenue. They cater to over 4,500 clients across various sectors, such as hotels, restaurants, pubs, educational institutions, bakeries, wholesalers, cafes, coffee shops, workplace catering, and travel\/leisure providers throughout the Island of Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Challenge<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Outdated In-House Solution<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Previously, one individual was responsible for inputting deals and collecting payment from suppliers. The Henderson Foodservice IT team had built a system to support the inputting of deals which was tweaked as needed over the years but couldn\u2019t quite meet their changing and increasingly more demanding requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Des Simpson, Head of Trading, explains, \u201cIT built a system to support the individual inputting the deals but there was no automation. It couldn\u2019t integrate with other systems so, at regular points, we had to validate the integrity of the data manually. The system needed updating to scale with the growth of the business, for example, to allow us to invoice from that system.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debbie McKinstry, Pricing and Margin Manager, adds, \u201cOur goal was to establish a central repository for all information, creating a single source of truth. We also aimed for a more robust and automated system, as our previous system had a very steep learning curve. It could take up to three months for staff to learn the old system. With Enable, the process is now much easier to understand and navigate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inefficient Forecasting and Reliance on Spreadsheets<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Henderson Foodservice found that relying on reports in spreadsheets was inefficient and the data was difficult to rely on. They wanted to make sure cash flow was steady, so collecting all rebates owed on time was important, as was forecasting. They were struggling to get a holistic snapshot of the business position regarding supplier rebates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McKinstry was responsible for leading the implementation of Enable into the business. \u201cPulling everything together was inefficient and just not a nice job from spreadsheets. We sometimes had 2 deals covering 1 agreement. It was tough to reconcile accurately and ensure there\u2019s a steady flow of cash coming through the business including making sure that money owed was collected on time. Then, whenever you get to the end of the year in your budget, it’s difficult to forecast if you don’t have a complete version of the truth. We also found it hard to set up KPIs for employees impacted by the data.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Disorganized Paper Agreements<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

One of the many challenges for Henderson Foodservice was the absence of a central repository for their supplier agreements. McKinstry tells us, \u201cPreviously, we relied on old labor arch files filled with paper agreements, stored in the head of trading’s office, with up to four or five files per year. This made it difficult to retrieve a specific deal from the previous year, particularly for audit purposes. Sometimes the agreements were stored in the emails of the trading controllers, so it was quite difficult to have everything in one place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now with a transparent rebate management system the audit process has improved dramatically. \u201cWe used to spend a lot of time trying to find the paper version of what the supplier had agreed. The auditors are now on site much less time than they used to be. And at the touch of a button, we can provide the information that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inadequate Reporting<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

McKinstry explains, \u201cReporting was also an issue, as we often spent hours trying to determine how much money was tied up in rebates by year-end. The figures could fluctuate daily, sometimes by thousands of pounds. We really needed a rebate management system that could help us report effectively and handle these variations accurately.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Frequent Invoicing Errors<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Henderson Foodservice invoicing process faced significant challenges with our old system, as McKinstry explains: \u201cWe frequently encountered errors with invoicing, which meant issuing numerous credit notes to our suppliers. We struggled to reconcile figures, but Enable has resolved these issues for us. Now, our invoices are accurate, and we rarely need to issue credit notes. This has greatly reduced our workload.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implementation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Turning Point: The Desire to Become a Market Leader<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Commercial Director Mark Stewart-Maunder wanted more rebate visibility. Having developed and tweaked their current system over the years, it became evident that it was time to find a product that could continuously develop and grow. That\u2019s what led Henderson to Enable.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Henderson Foodservice wanted to do more than just solve immediate issues: They also wanted a solution that would help them move forward. Stewart-Maunder tells us, \u201cWe\u2019re quite passionate about digital transformation, it\u2019s been a hot topic for us over the years. We wanted to ensure we were a leader in the market.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Swift Onboarding: 4 Months to Go Live<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The onboarding process took approximately four months, a timeline set by their internal management team. McKinstry led the project management implementation and received exceptional support from the Enable team. She notes, \u201cTheir guidance through every project management step was invaluable, with weekly calls and an excellent ticketing support system. We started the implementation in September 2020, and by January 2021, we were sending our first invoice using Enable\u2019s platform. Their dedication and ability to meet our tight implementation deadline were impressive. The relationship-building throughout the process at various levels of the Enable team was very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She adds, \u201cThe Financial Trading Team fully embraced Enable, focusing on meeting the tight implementation deadline while ensuring the system would enhance our supplier income and improve departmental efficiencies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Solution<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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