Musgrave brand SuperValu has brought home the ‘Agri-Food Innovation’ accolade at the UTV/Business Eye awards for its ‘Best Beef Ever’ campaign. The event took place at Belfast’s Waterfront Hall last week and Northern Irelands leading business journalists came together to judge the category. This is another great result for SuperValu’s beef as it’s already been named No.1 for quality and taste.

SuperValu’s beef is all sourced locally and Northern Ireland Farm Quality Assured, so it’s easy to create a great campaign when you have such a fantastic product. Read our blog from previously in the year to find out more about SuperValu beef: https://www.musgravegroup.com/2016/08/23/supervalu-beats-competitors-with-best-beef-ever/

The ‘Best Beef Ever’ campaign, was supported by SuperValu Ambassador and renowned celebrity Chef Noel McMeel, ran in August as part of Northern Ireland’s Year of Food and Drink’s ‘Love NI Meat’ theme.

The UTV/Business Eye awards judging panel commented on SuperValu’s win:

“The Musgrave/SuperValu ‘Best Beef Ever’ campaign was a highly effective means to promote both local beef and the quality of the supply chain. The judges noted the successful use of chef Noel McMeel as an important part of the strategy, as well as the fact that the retail group clearly had faith in the products on sale to consumers.”

Michael McCormack, Managing Director of Musgrave NI, which owns the SuperValu brand said:

“We’re delighted to be recognised in the business community for SuperValu’s Best Beef Ever campaign. At Musgrave, we aim to lead in food innovation with both our SuperValu and Centra brands and this accolade is testament to the incredible work of SuperValu staff and retailers to develop an award-winning campaign which delivers for our customers.”

Musgrave today announced that it is to begin exporting SuperValu own brand products to China. Initially Musgrave will supply up to 40 own brand ambient products including SuperValu breakfast cereals, coffee, jam, biscuits and healthy snacks amongst a range of other goods.

Musgrave has agreed a partnership with Alibaba Group and will use its Tmall Global ecommerce platform to sell directly to Chinese consumers. Musgrave will open a flagship SuperValu e-commerce storefront on Tmall Global making it the first Irish retailer with a presence on the Tmall Global platform. As part of Musgrave’s ongoing commitment to Irish suppliers, the SuperValu storefront will be offered over time as a potential route to market for Irish food producers seeking to access the Chinese market.

Alibaba’s logistics affiliate, Cainiao Network, will manage the distribution of products through its logistics data platform. As a storefront on Tmall Global, Musgrave will have access to key online promotional events in the Chinese calendar including the 8.8 and the 11.11 Global shopping festivals.

Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO, said: “Our core business in Ireland is performing well and our grocery retail and wholesale brands occupy leadership positions in their respective markets. We are exploring new opportunities to grow our business including export and we are excited by the opportunity to partner with Alibaba Group.

In the past five years Chinese consumers are increasingly purchasing overseas through online shopping. We expect that the heritage of SuperValu and the provenance of our products will be attractive to Chinese consumers. They are seeking out western foods from trusted sources and as we develop in China we will be working closely with Bord Bia and our Irish suppliers who have a reputation for authenticity and quality. As part of our commitment to them we look forward to exploring the new opportunities which the growing Chinese market can offer. Alibaba provides the ideal platform for us to take our first steps on this journey”.

“Chinese consumers have a desire to discover high quality brands from around the world that they can trust and enjoy. Because of Musgrave’s long history of providing quality food produce, we are delighted to be working with them to bring their high quality SuperValu range to Chinese consumers via our Tmall Global platform,” added David Lloyd, Director, UK/Ireland & Nordics for Alibaba Group.

Above from left, Chris Martin, CEO, Musgrave Group and Amee Chande, Global Strategy & Operations at Alibaba Group

Mr. Michael Ring, TD, Minister for Regional Economic Development is delighted to announce that SuperValu will sponsor the TidyTowns Competition from 2017 to 2021.

Speaking today Minister Ring said “SuperValu has been the sole sponsor of this competition for the past 25 years and I am delighted to confirm that my Department and SuperValu will continue to work together to develop and grow the competition over the next 5 years. Together we have a shared vision to build on the strengths of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and to ensure that it continues to grow and be relevant. This competition has been running for almost 60 years and is stitched into the fabric of so many communities in Ireland and those communities benefit from the tireless work of the TidyTowns committees and volunteers.

Given SuperValu’s strong emphasis on working closely with the communities in which they do business and their impressive record in reducing their environmental impact, I think they are an excellent fit for this competition.

Volunteering within your own community, for the benefit of your community, helps to strengthen ties and develop a sense of place, a place where people belong. As we look to the 60th Anniversary of the competition in 2018, I am happy that its future is bright.”

Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu added “As a family owned Irish business, we are exceptionally proud of our 25 year association with the TidyTowns competition and are delighted to have been given the opportunity to build upon our successful partnership which has helped to establish it as Ireland’s leading community initiative.

Given that SuperValu stores are owned by local entrepreneurs, we pride ourselves on being at the heart of towns and villages all over Ireland. The TidyTowns competition has always been a natural fit for us as our continued success depends on vibrant communities across the country. We see the positive impact that TidyTowns volunteers have first-hand everyday and are honoured to be in a position whereby we can celebrate their achievements each year.

As a company, we want to make the towns and villages we live in, better and healthier places for everyone. Our association with TidyTowns plays a key role in realising this ambition. We look forward to working with the Department and helping to build upon the success of the TidyTowns competition to date by increasing its popularity into the future.”

The SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been running since 1958 and is organised by the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. It was devised by Fáilte Ireland as a tourism initiative but has developed to focus on how people live in their communities, for today and into the future. The competition has been sponsored by SuperValu since 1992. Interest in the SuperValu TidyTowns competition has been stronger than ever in recent years, with 859 communities entering the competition in 2016.

Following a targeted invitation to over 38 companies and a number of sponsorship agencies in Ireland, SuperValu has been chosen as the successful candidate to sponsor the Tidy Towns Competition from 2017 to 2021.

Together with its retail partners, SuperValu has 222 stores nationwide and employs approximately 14,500 colleagues. As SuperValu retailers both live and work in the communities in which they operate, they are heavily involved in local causes and contribute over €2.5 million annually to local initiatives.

Congratulations to Smith’s Supervalu, Kinsale Road and Scally’s SuperValu, Clonakilty on winning two Retail Excellence Ireland Awards. A fantastic result for all involved!

We’re over the moon to announce that Smith’s Supervalu, Kinsale Road were crowned Supermarket of the Year 2017, in recognition of their commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations whilst demonstrating their innovation in store.

Congratulations also go to winners of the inaugrual Consumer Choice Award, Scally’s SuperValu, Clonakilty, who received over 40% of consumer votes on independent.ie from a shortlist compiled by the Retail Excellence Board along with 9 other progressive retailers.

Great work, team!

Exciting times are ahead for Musgrave MarketPlace with the launch of their refurbished Ballymum branch as they unveil the cash and carry of the future!

Located off St. Margaret’s Road, Dublin, the store offers a range of new speciality areas and state-of-the art technology giving retail and foodservice customers a best-in-class shopping experience. Customers will now be able to take advantage of free Wi-Fi, self-scan store entry and touchscreens which provide access to the wider range. The store features hundreds of new products selected through extensive international and local food trends research, ensuring customers are provided with the most up-to-date products.

Customer needs have been at the heart of the store redevelopment. New, innovative features now enable them to access the information and products they require to drive their business forward, including the following:

• Specialist meat, fish, cheese and fruit and vegetable counters with in-store experts advising on the latest culinary trends.
• In line with the growing coffee consumption trend, a new coffee concession by Capitol Coffee providing equipment, beans and cleaning materials in a one solution offering.
• A state-of-the-art food theatre hosting tailored classes aimed at creating menu solutions. Bespoke masterclasses with the resident full-time chef can be provided for customers and their teams, with live demonstrations hosted on Musgrave MarketPlace social media channels.
• A new alcohol department featuring a wide variety of products including over 80 new premium spirits, exclusive retail and restaurant wines, an array of craft and world beers and everything needed for cocktail concoctions.

We wish everyone at the branch the best of luck for the future!