SuperValu launch the €80 saving challenge to support parents facing the pinch during the back to school period. Across 222 stores nationwide SuperValu is encouraging parents to shop smart using the Better Than Half Price sale and to switch to Own Brand to save up to €80 on their weekly shop. In addition SuperValu has teamed up with ‘The Money Doctor’ John Lowe to pull together some simple tips to help parents make meaningful and significant savings:

• Shop smart with the SuperValu Better Than Half Price sale – Shop 100’s of brands at half price with the sale. It may be worth your while buying a month’s supply of an item you would normally buy, if you can avail of a significant discount
• Switch to SuperValu Own Brand – Simply by switching your branded product to SuperValu Own Brand you can save 33% without compromising on quality
• Weekly meal planning for the family – Plan the family meals and school lunches for the entire week at the start of the week to ensure all food will be used. This way you will only buy what you need and avoid waste. For meal planning inspiration and delicious, easy to make recipes from Kevin Dundon check out www.supervalu.ie
• Create a daily shopping list for updating – Write a shopping list in advance and stick to it. Your bill increases if you’re not focused on what you need. If you run short of tea, washing-up liquid, kitchen towels, these can be added to your main shopping list
• Making use of leftovers in the family home – Instead of wasting the leftovers from a family meal, use them to make a delicious meal for the next day’s dinner.  You can visit www.supervalu.ie for inspiration and ideas on recipes to help you make the most out of your leftovers
• Use SuperValu Real Rewards – SuperValu Real Rewards points is a great way to make savings. You will be amazed how all those little discounts add up to big savings on your shopping bill.

Speaking about the launch of the Back to School €80 Saving Challenge, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, said: “As a family business, we’re committed to supporting families during the back to school period. For SuperValu it is about highlighting how shoppers can realise meaningful savings to put the money back in their pocket. SuperValu is a business that believes in delivering value to consumers and our €80 Saving Challenge does just that, a challenge which will help customers to see that they can make substantial savings every week, on their weekly shop by simply shopping smarter.”

Financial expert and Money Doctor, John Lowe added; “Groceryshopping has a great deal to do with your financial health. There is a direct relationship between how well you shop and your wealth, meaning good shoppers will always be substantially better off. Smart shopping can save you a lot of money. I am delighted to work with SuperValu on their €80 Saving Challenge supporting families during the back to school period, a particularly stressful time for many families.”

For further information on the SuperValu €80 Saving Challenge or the Better Than Half Price Sale and SuperValu offers, visit www.supervalu.ie, facebook.com/SuperValuIreland or Twitter @SuperValuIRL, alternatively you can drop into your local SuperValu store.

Scally’s SuperValu, located in the heart of Clonakilty in West Cork, has become the first supermarket in Ireland to launch a designated in-store gluten-free bakery and food production facility. The new facility, with an investment of €500,000, will create five new jobs at the store.

The ‘Clonakilty Gluten Free Cuisine’ range, which consists of a selection of almost 30 gluten-free products certified for coeliacs, will be available at Scally’s SuperValu Clonakilty and Scally’s SuperValu Blackrock in Cork city, with future expansion plans expected. As this innovative range is prepared in a separate bakery and kitchen, coeliacs can be assured that the range is 100% gluten-free, with all products independently tested and certified by Alpha Analytics.

Speaking at the launch, Eugene Scally, owner of Scally’s SuperValu said, “1 in 100 people in Ireland are thought to have coeliac disease, with many as yet undiagnosed. The decision to develop this range was made after market research highlighted the lack of choice for coeliacs and the high cost of gluten-free products; research showed that a coeliac’s basket of goods is 87% more expensive than a non-coeliac basket. We wanted to offer customers a diverse gluten-free range that was keenly priced and of exceptional quality. Our customers’ feedback has been instrumental in developing the range and the response from shoppers has been extremely positive.”

The launch highlights SuperValu’s community retail model as stores are independently owned and retailers can tailor their offer for the local area. The state of the art production facility means that the gluten-free range can be produced locally in West Cork and adds to West Cork’s reputation for food leadership. The launch of ‘Clonakilty Gluten Free Cuisine’ follows the launch last year of SuperValu’s FreeFrom range which consists of over 300 gluten and dairy-free products, already in all SuperValu stores.

Chairperson of the Coeliac Society of Ireland, Mary Twohig said: “We are delighted that Scally’s have developed this facility in Cork, giving coeliacs more choice in their search for gluten-free foods, on a local basis. It is important to coeliacs that they can access a range of products that are affordable and good quality. With 15% of our membership being from Cork, it is fantastic to see local businesses, and a national retailer, rising to meet the needs of people whose only medicine is a gluten-free diet.”
SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and now has 222 stores nationwide. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible and purchases almost €2 billion worth of goods from Irish suppliers which help to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.

The latest instalment of Visualise’s Shopper Nation Report which examines the shifting behaviours, attitudes and perceptions of over 1,000 Irish shoppers has revealed SuperValu offers the best shopping experience in Ireland.

SuperValu ranked highest across a range of aspects examining the shopping experience of all the grocery retailers in Ireland:

• 78% of shoppers said that SuperValu was ‘welcoming’, compared to just half of the shoppers surveyed for the recent Visualise Shopper Nation 2014 report who found Lidl and Aldi to have ‘welcoming’ store environment;
• 69% of the survey participants rated SuperValu the highest for ‘store tidiness’;
• 73% of shoppers said that items were easy to find in SuperValu

Commenting on the findings, Martin Kelleher, SuperValu Managing Director, said: “The Shopper Nation Report reflects SuperValu’s market leading customer service thanks to all of our colleagues who work in-store. For example, we have more expert butchers and fishmongers than any other Irish retailer, so our staff are always on hand with hints and tips, not only in food selection, but also in preparing the perfect meal for any occasion.”

“It is also no surprise that customers find it easier to find products on SuperValu shelves given that we stock more products than the discounters. Our sourcing policy ensures that we have produce that shoppers won’t be able to find anywhere else. In this respect, we stock more goods sourced or produced in Ireland than any other retailer, with customers looking to buy Irish wherever possible.”

SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and now has 222 stores nationwide. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible and purchases almost €2 billion worth of goods from Irish suppliers which help to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.

SuperValu takes home 29 prestigious food awards

SuperValu, Ireland’s leading food retailer today celebrates winning a remarkable 29 accolades at the international Great Taste Awards. Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the world’s largest blind-tasted food awards, judged by an expert panel of chefs, food critic and famers and widely acknowledged to be the most respected food accreditation scheme for artisan and specialty food producers. The success is attributed to the performance of the celebrated SuperValu Signature Taste’s Range – an affordable range of quality products developed to suit Irish tastes – which secured 16 of the highly coveted awards.

The accolades signify a further independent endorsement in the quality, taste and depth of produce available within Signature Tastes range and from its wider family of dedicated producers. The Great Taste Awards mark a superb vote of confidence of the best-selling products from the SuperValu and SQ top tier ranges.

80% of the SuperValu Signature Tastes range is supplied by Irish suppliers, demonstrating SuperValu’s on-going commitment to supporting Irish food, Irish suppliers and Irish jobs. Each Signature Taste product has a story, and in each story there is a farmer, a supplier and a SuperValu customer. SuperValu believes that the real heroes behind this range are the producers, creating a unique selection of products, made from the best of Irish ingredients, to tempt shoppers. These awards signify a further recognition of the excellence, quality and innovation within the Irish food sector.

Among the 29 SuperValu products which secured an award were the delicious Signature Tastes Irish Hereford Striploin Steak from Kepak Ltd, Signature Tastes Red Onion Relish produced by the Leonard family in West Cork, Signature Tastes Lamb Tagine produced by Ballymaguire Foods and Signature Tastes Strawberry Yogurt, produced by Killowen in Co. Wexford.

These awards mark continued success in a year that has seen strong growth performance for SuperValu – Ireland’s leading food retailer. SuperValu was also recognised in the ‘Where We Shop 2014’ report, as the best promoter of Irish products, ahead of any other grocery retailer.

Speaking about the awards, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, said: “As the leading Irish food retailer, we are incredibly proud of our producers and our SuperValu Range that has featured so prominently at the Great Taste Awards. To be recognised and bring home 29 awards at the world’s most respected food accreditation scheme is a tremendous achievement. The performance underlines the quality and taste credentials of SuperValu’s food offer and reflects our commitment to working with great Irish producers to deliver the very best taste to our shoppers.”

“SuperValu continue to recognise excellence and innovation within the Irish food sector. With 75% of everything on our shelves supplied, produced or sourced from Irish suppliers, we are the number one supporter of the Irish food industry, sourcing more Irish goods than any other retailer in Ireland,” Kelleher added.

SuperValu’s Great Taste 2014 award winners include:

• SuperValu Signature Tastes Layered Strawberry Yogurt
• Supervalu Signature Tastes Gubbeen
• SuperValu Signature Tastes 100% Applewood Smoked Salmon
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Lamb Tagine
• Supervalu Signature Tastes Raspberry Conserve
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Cashel Blue Cheese
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Red Onion Relish
• SuperValu Signature Taste Pork Fillet in wholegrain mustard sauce
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Still Lemonade
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Belgian Chocolate Birthday Cake
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Irish Pork Rack with a Bramley Apple & Sage butter
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Duck with Orange Sauce
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Irish Hereford Striploin Steak
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Seville Marmalade
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Sun Ripened Raspberry Yogurt
• SuperValu Signature Tastes Grapefruit Juice 1L
• SuperValu Crème Fraiche
• SuperValu Brown Soda Quarter
• SuperValu Sour Cream
• SuperValu Madagascan Vanilla Ice Cream
• SuperValu Wheaten Soda Loaf
• SuperValu Gold Blend Teabags
• SuperValu Cranberry & Raspberry Juice
• SuperValu Comte
• SuperValu Smoked Salmon Pie
• SuperValu Full Irish Breakfast Pie
• SuperValu Smoked Thick Cut Rashers
• SuperValu Unsmoked Thick Cut Rashers
• SuperValu Smoked Rashers

SuperValu linked up with Cork Ladies Gaelic Footballers Valerie Mulcahy, Brid Stack, Geraldine O’Flynn, Orla Finn and Briege Corkery to celebrate the first year of their sponsorship partnership ahead of their crucial All Ireland Quarter Final against Mayo this Saturday, August 16th.

As well as becoming the team’s official jersey sponsor, the partnership will also see the retailer selling Cork LGFA jerseys in store as well as developing a new look website with the County Board.

SuperValu’s Managing Director, Martin Kelleher said; “We are delighted to continue our strong relationship with Gaelic games through our three year sponsorship of the Cork Ladies Gaelic Football team. As the leading Irish retailer, we are focused on helping the Cork Ladies’ Football community share their passion for the game and we look forward to working with them to support this fantastic group of athletes. We hope to drive passion and energy behind them in their quest to continue their unprecedented success.” Kelleher added.

Welcoming the announcement, Valerie Mulcahy, player for the Senior Cork Ladies Football team said; “SuperValu are an outstanding sponsor of the All-Ireland GAA Football Championship, so we are thrilled that they have decided to come on board with the Cork Ladies football team as well. Together we can continue to promote ladies’ football and encourage even more Cork fans to support the team.”

Crowned the Munster LGFA Senior Champions over Kerry in July, Cork ladies will be looking to continue their success story. With some tough competition this year in the All-Ireland Senior Championship and after last year’s success, the Cork ladies know that it is all to play for and they will be trying their hardest to hold on to their title again this year.

At the recent Checkout ‘Best in Fresh’ Awards, SuperValu have once again swept the board with a total of seven accolades. The winning awards included the Best Large Supermarket, Best Small Supermarket, Best Fruit & Veg and Best Seafood offering.

These awards acknowledge SuperValu’s ongoing commitment to delivering an unrivalled fresh food range at great value prices while continuing to support Irish suppliers.

The winning awards were as follows:

• Best Large Supermarket – McInerney’s SuperValu Loughrea
• Best Small Supermarket – Scally’s SuperValu Blackrock, Cork
• Best Fruit & Veg – Ryan’s SuperValu Glanmire
• Best Seafood – O’Connor’s SuperValu Westport
• Best Diary – Scally’s SuperValu Clonakilty
• Best Deli – Field’s SuperValu Skibbereen
• Best Fresh Concept – ‘Moriarty’s Fresh’, Moriarty’s SuperValu Palmerstown

Further to this, Centra The Oval in Ballsbridge, Dublin clinched the prestigious award for Best Convenience Retailer. The judges said: “While Centra The Oval is relatively new, it has captured the needs of the local area perfectly, with an impressive range of all-day food-to-go options, and a strong focus on meal deals… This is one of the busiest stores in Dublin 4 during lunchtime, and it’s not difficult to see why…”

The annual awards, hosted by Checkout magazine, recognise retailers for their outstanding contribution to fresh food retailing across the store. Some of Ireland’s most innovative multiples, independent stores, forecourts, deli’s and specialist outlets competed for the awards.

Stephen Wynne-Jones, Editor of Checkout Magazine congratulated the SuperValu and Centra stores saying “The culture of quality and attention to detail that SuperValu and Centra foster in its stores is not just the finest in Ireland, but arguably exceeds that of most of Europe. In addition, the entrepreneurial spirit of its independent store owners is indicative of the efforts made by the group to achieve optimum standards, particularly when it comes to fresh.”