RSM advises leading independent retailer on acquisition to support next phase of growth

Leading audit, tax and consulting firm RSM UK’s business advisory and tax teams have supported Creighton Group on its acquisition of local County Armagh retailer JD Hunter & Co Supermarket.

Established in 1936, the Creighton Group is made up of three independent businesses across Belfast including a petrol forecourt, deli and Spar store at a number of local sites, as well as an autostore, garage and vehicle recovery service. The company is owned by the Creighton family under the SPA and EUROSPAR brands in Finaghy, Blacks Road and Balmoral.

Owned and managed by the Henderson Group since 2019, JD Hunter & Co Supermarket employs 145 people from the local community. The Creighton Group has bought the business outright for an undisclosed sum, with all employees remaining in continuous employment under the new ownership.

RSM’s Richard Gardiner and Michael Blair advised Creighton Group on the funding package and structure to support the company’s next phase of growth.

Richard Gardiner, who leads RSM’s business advisory service and is managing partner at RSM in Belfast, said: ‘The Creighton family have been highly successful, award-winning independent retailers working with the Henderson Group for many years. We have enjoyed a close working relationship with the business, and welcome the news of this acquisition, which has brought together two closely aligned local businesses while consolidating the Creighton Group’s position in the marketplace even further.’

Niall Creighton added: ‘We are honoured to have the opportunity to take over a store that has been family-run since the early 1900s, which mirrors our own family business, which was established by my father 86 years ago in 1936. Expanding the Creighton company name, which has become synonymous with community retailing over the years, has always been our long-term strategy, and we look forward to bringing even more to the community, always keeping locally sourced products and partnerships at the forefront of the business.’