A week of celebration for the Musgrave Graduate team

Posted on 27th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | Careers News

It has been a week of celebration for the Musgrave Graduate team with the Musgrave Graduate programme being recognised by awards from both the Irish Institute of Training & Development (IITD) and GradIreland.

The week started with the Musgrave Graduate programme winning the Best Talent Development Initiative at the 2018 IITD National Training Awards (Irish Institute of Training & Development) presented in Kilashee House Hotel, Naas and supported by Harvest Resources. In its 20th Year, the IITD Awards are the industry standard for excellence in learning and people development in Ireland and the team were delighted to have the graduate programme recognised, with particular praise for the level of commitment from the Musgrave Board of Management to people development; the focus on creating visible career paths for individuals involved and the alignment of development with strategy, recognising how facilitating people to work to their ability and potential is how to best recognise and nurture future skills.

Commenting, Siobháin Scanlon, Early Careers Manager, Musgrave said “As an employer of talented individuals committed to Growing Good Business, talent development is integral to our philosophy and way of working. We have an opportunity to shape and nurture new talent who can in turn work with us to create an exciting future for food in Ireland. By including all of our people in this project we strive to ensure a winning experience for our graduates, our line managers, to the board – positively impacting on everyone involved in our business”

This success was followed by the awarding of Graduate Employee of the Year to Ross Kerrigan of Musgrave, at the 12th Gradireland Graduate Recruitment Awards ceremony held at Dublin’s Mansion House later in the week.

The Gradireland Graduate Recruitment Awards was a gala event for over 500 of the country’s leading graduate recruiters, talent developers and industry stakeholders held in partnership with the Association of Higher Education Careers Services (AHECS) and this year’s headline sponsor, the Irish Management Institute (IMI). The 2018 event attracted well over 100 high-quality submissions from many of Ireland’s top employers, with a massive 15,000 students, from north and south, participating.

Ross, currently in the second year of the Graduate programme with Musgrave, is a key member of the store development team, contributing to the ongoing programme of store development and revamps which are central to the business strategy.

“We are delighted that Ross was recognised at the awards. At Musgrave there is a great sense of energy and a hunger for growth and leadership within the business, which is inspiring for graduates and all colleagues alike. We encourage and invest in our people ensuring they have the tools and the confidence to grow with our business. Our success this week is reflective of our graduates’ success in aligning themselves with our business and contributing to our growth as we face, with enthusiasm, what promises to be an exciting future for retail.” Matt O’Callaghan, HR Director Musgrave.

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SuperValu returns with a #SuperHealthy line up at WellFest’s WellFood zone 2018

The Body Coach, The Food Medic and The Happy Pear set to take the stage

SuperValu is delighted to announce that it will be returning for the second year as official food partner for this year’s WellFest, Ireland’s leading health and wellness festival, which takes place in Dublin’s Royal Hospital Kilmainham on the 12th and 13th May.

SuperValu’s reputation for being Ireland’s No1 Health & Wellness store along with providing the best quality fresh food ingredients embeds its position at such a festival. Following the enormous success of last year’s WellFood area in association with SuperValu, this year is certain to be bigger and better than ever before. Festival goers will be able to benefit from cutting edge discussions on healthy eating together with top chefs and nutritionists from Ireland and the UK sharing some inspirational ideas on cooking meals and providing top tips on how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

With an expected audience of 4,500 per day (approx.), the #SuperHealthy line-up is guaranteed to draw a crowd, providing an exciting weekend of food demonstrations as well as nutritional talks from some of the best names in the business. To kick off proceedings, on both mornings to get everyone into the spirit of the festival, SuperValu will be inviting attendees to join them at WellFood area for a delicious #SuperHealthy breakfast.

On the Saturday, junior doctor, best-selling author and personal trainer, Dr Hazel Wallace – The Food Medic will take to the stage. Returning home from the UK with a new book, Hazel will be offering festival goers her, no-nonsense food, nutrition and fitness advice. On Sunday, the dynamic duo and SuperValu Ambassadors, The Happy Pear, will be cooking up a storm creating mouth-watering vegetarian dishes. If getting yourself in shape is what you’re after, then don’t miss out on food and fitness guru Joe Wicks’ session but remember get there early to beat the crowd!

Cooling her heels from the dance floor, four time All Ireland Camogie winner Anna Geary and bestselling author and fitness trainer Brian Keanewill feature in panel discuss across the weekend to discuss the importance of good food and nutrition in sport.

Former Irish Olympic athlete David Gillick, Best-selling author and entrepreneur Ella Mills, founder of Deliciously Ella and social media superstar James Kavanagh alongside William Murray aka team Currabinny are also just a few of the other stellar names who will be taking to the stage at the SuperValu WellFood area throughout the weekend.

SuperValu will also have some of their top Food Academy producers on site to provide some locally produced tasty bites and food for fuel to keep attendees nourished between workout sessions.

Commenting on the continued sponsorship of the WellFood area at WellFest, Des O’Mahony, Marketing Director at SuperValu said; “Following the success of last year’s festival, we are really looking forward to returning this year. We feel this is the right partnership for SuperValu as we continue on our mission to make food inspiring, healthy and fun. We are championing healthy food choices and want to inspire and educate, families and kids on how to get cooking healthy, nutritional and wholesome meals that are affordable, great quality and locally sourced where possible. We pride ourselves on our reputation for being Ireland’s foremost retailer with the largest Health & Wellness aisles in stores.”

Anthony Kelly, director and co-founder of WellFest also added: “This year’s festival is going to be bigger and better than ever before and we are delighted to have SuperValu back on board as sponsors of the WellFood area. This is always one of our most popular zones at the festival and we’ve been able to attract a star-studded line-up for May, featuring some of the most exciting food experts from Ireland and abroad. We are really looking forward to seeing what they rustle up over the weekend, and hearing their expert-tips on recipes and nutrition.”

To further add to the excitement, SuperValu, Ireland’s leading Health & Wellness store will offer one lucky winner a #SuperHealthy VIP Wellfest experience. This amazing prize includes a weekend pass to WellFest, a two-night stay a in four-star Dublin City centre hotel, meet & greet with food experts back stage and to top it all off lunch with The Happy Pear and a signed copy of their new book! To find out how you can get your hands on this extra #SuperHealthy prize visit www.supervalu.ie & Facebook SuperValuIreland.

For recipes and meal planners visit www.supervalu.ie

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Centra are encouraging families to Live Well with the help of Donncha O’Callaghan

Posted on 19th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | Centra Food Leadership News

Centra know living well isn’t always easy and with all the distractions of modern life, sometimes health and well-being can fall down the list of family priorities. Centra’s Live Well plan takes the complexity out of healthy living and makes it easy to incorporate health into daily family routine.

Four out of five children in Ireland don’t get the recommended 60 minutes of exercise a day and healthy eating is often a struggle with children. The Live Well plan encourages families to make simple changes to their lifestyle to help them live as healthy as possible, as easily as possible.

The Live Well plans are for all abilities and are suitable for children as well as adults. It’s a simple to follow plan that can work for any family, it can be done anywhere with no equipment needed, and best of all, it’s free. There are a variety of plans depending on ability, all of which include weekly wellbeing tips, exercise plans, healthy recipes and daily step challenges.

Rugby legend Donncha O’Callaghan is the ambassador for Centra’s Live Well plan and he has a number of tips to help families get active and living well.

Donncha’s Live Well Top Five Tips for Families

Start the Live Well plan yourself and lead by example. If parents are living active healthy lives, children are more likely to.
Set a family goal! Setting goals is a great way to keep your family’s healthy living on track. Pick an achievable goal for you all to follow and check in on regularly. Perhaps there is a treat the whole family would appreciate, use this as a motivation and this could be your reward for reaching the family goal!
Make it fun! Living well doesn’t have to be a struggle. Schedule in some fun family games like frisbee, skipping or football. Not only will it help the whole family be active and achieve their daily steps, but less screen time and more family time will help overall wellbeing.
Make exercise a part of weekly family life. Pick an activity that the whole family enjoys and make sure to fit it in every week.
Planning is key. Everyone is living hectic lives so without a plan it’s very easy to forget or fall out of the routine. Use the Live Well plans for easy healthy recipes for the whole family and schedule in 20 minutes of family’s time to fit in the Live Well exercises.

Centra have taken the complexity out of healthy living and are encouraging people to live well, while still making the most of every day with the Live Well plan. It’s a complete wellbeing plan for a happier healthier family; it’s not about a restrictive regime, it’s about making a healthy lifestyle a part of normal family life. Each 12 week plan was devised by fitness expert Pat Divilly with the help of Donncha O’Callaghan, and is free to sign-up to on www.centra.ie/live-well.

#LiveWell @CentraIRL

SuperValu becomes Ireland’s first grocery retailer to introduce compostable produce bags

Posted on 19th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | News SuperValu Sustainability

Initiative forms part of pledge to make 100% of SuperValu Own Brand and Fresh Produce Packaging Recyclable, Reusable or Compostable by 2025

SuperValu has today announced that it is the first retailer in Ireland to introduce fully compostable and biodegradable produce bags for use by customers in initially 70 of its stores. This is part of a broader strategy to reduce packaging and make 100% of its Own Brand and fresh produce packaging become recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

SuperValu is committed to minimising the use of plastic by eliminating, reducing and replacing conventional plastics. The approach considers the most sustainable options to reduce plastic, protect the safety and quality of food and to prevent food waste. The retailer is also working in partnership with stores to raise awareness amongst colleagues and consumers of how to shop the store in a more sustainable way.

The compostable produce bags are designed to replace the use of plastic bags within the fruit and veg section with customers using the bags to purchase loose produce. The compostable produce bags are currently being trialled in around 70 SuperValu stores with a view to making them available across the entire store network.

The free-of-charge compostable produce bags are designed to be breathable to help preserve fruit and veg placed into the bag. They can also be filled with food waste after use and placed in the brown bin for compostable disposal.

Commenting on the rollout of fully compostable and biodegradable produce bags, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, said, “The introduction of compostable produce bags is an important step for SuperValu as part of an overall commitment to reduce the use of plastics across our supply chain and is part of our broader sustainability strategy to leave a positive impact on the communities that we operate in every day. We recognise that this is an important issue for our consumers and for the health of the planet.”

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Musgrave agrees €5m export deal with Bahrain’s leading premium supermarket Alosra

Posted on 13th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | News Retail partners

Musgrave has announced an export deal worth €5 million with Alosra, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s leading high-end supermarket, at Bord Bia’s Marketplace International conference at the RDS in Dublin. Alosra is the grocery retail subsidiary of BMMI Group, a long-established retail, distribution and hospitality group that is listed on the Bahraini stock exchange.

Under the terms of the agreement, Musgrave will supply a selection of products from its SuperValu and Musgrave Excellence Own Brand range, as well as a number of Irish brands including products from its Food Academy programme, which is run in partnership with Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Offices. There is growing appeal in Bahrain for specific product segments such as breakfast cereals, coffee, jam, biscuits and healthy snacks, which are all included in the SuperValu Own Brand range.

The deal with Alosra is the latest development in Musgrave’s ongoing strategy to explore growth opportunities for Irish food abroad. In 2016, Musgrave agreed a partnership with Alibaba Group to use its Tmall Global e-commerce platform to sell SuperValu Own Brand products directly to Chinese consumers.

Commenting about the announcement, Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO, said: “Global demand for Irish produce continues to grow thanks to its outstanding quality and the dedicated efforts of Bord Bia. This demand has led to our latest export agreement with Alosra, Bahrain’s leading premium supermarket group. Musgrave is proud to support long-standing Irish producers and suppliers and enable small brands to access global markets.”

“Alosra has had a longstanding interest in and a relationship with Ireland”, said BMMI General Manager of Food Retailing and Production, Jaffar Al Asfoor, who oversees Alosra supermarket. “Many members of our team trained in Ireland and we have always been inspired by how passionate Irish people are about their heritage and their food. With Musgrave, we found a partner that we have perfect synergy with and we thought this would be a great opportunity for Ireland to come to Bahrain.”

The Alosra team was in attendance at Marketplace International in Dublin, a unique, invitation-only event that brings together top Irish food and drink exporters and international trade buyers. Organised by Bord Bia, the trade show has a major focus on sustainability, with all participating Irish suppliers at the event being Origin Green verified members.

Tara McCarthy, CEO of Bord Bia, added: “Musgrave’s new export partnership with Alosra will provide a number of Irish suppliers with access to the growing Middle Eastern grocery retail market. It is another ringing endorsement for the quality of Irish produce and underlines again the growing international demand for our food and drink products.”

TidyTowns competition continues to enrich Irish communities in its 60th year

Posted on 10th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | Blog Communities Retail partners SuperValu

Last month was the launch of the 2018 SuperValu TidyTowns competition which is now in its 60th year – an incredible achievement.

For over 25 of those years SuperValu has been the sponsor for this great Irish institution. This is one of the longest-running, unbroken sponsorships in Ireland – and there is certainly no sign of the partnership coming to an end.

For Musgrave, connecting one of our leading brands, with an event that is about local communities coming together, goes right to the core of our business. TidyTowns, administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development, brings volunteers up and down the country together every year to work hard to improve the appearance of their locality and make their own town or village more attractive for residents and visitors alike.

However, TidyTowns, is more than just a competition about improving how an area looks, the competition has evolved and grown over the years to become all about bringing people together, fostering a sense of pride in their local area, and inspiring people into giving their time to improve where they live. This helps to deepen local relations and encourage a strong community spirit.

At Musgrave, we believe that initiatives like TidyTowns are integral to maintaining vibrant Irish communities throughout the island.

We congratulate all the TidyTowns volunteers for achieving 60 years of unstinting commitment to our Irish communities.

Musgrave Northern Ireland ‘Store of the Year’ winners crowned at annual awards ceremony

Posted on 6th April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | Centra Mace News Our brands SuperValu

Three local SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores clinched the coveted title of ‘Store of the Year’ at Musgrave Northern Ireland’s annual awards event on Friday 23rd March at the Culloden Estate & Spa.

SuperValu Store of the Year winner, McCool’s SuperValu in Ballymoney, Centra Store of the Year winner, Lusty’s Centra in Larne and Mace Store of the Year winner, McCaughan’s Mace in Armoy were greeted on stage by MD of Musgrave Northern Ireland, Michael McCormack and Sales Director for SuperValu and Centra, Nigel Maxwell.

The evening, hosted by TV presenter Claire McCollum, also saw Mace Sion Mills announced as Newcomer of the Year, which was sponsored by Kerry Foods.

SuperValu Limavady was crowned winner of Fundraiser of the Year for Action Cancer and Campbell’s Mace, Ahoghill won Fundraiser of the Year for NI Chest Heart and Stroke, both Musgrave’s charity partners.

Musgrave Northern Ireland organises the awards ceremony each year to showcase and recognise its 240 independent retailers in Northern Ireland across the SuperValu, Centra and Mace brands and finalists are selected using a rigorous selection process involving several rounds of performance and standards audits.

28 finalists were recognised as retailers competed in 13 categories, sponsored by Britvic, Coca-Cola, Hovis and Kerry Foods, with the highest accolade to be awarded being ‘Store of the Year’.

Finalists from Mace competed for gold in the Store Over and Store Under 1,800 sqft categories and Centra finalists battled to be crowned winners of the High Convenience retailer, Food Market Retailer and Company Owned titles. SuperValu finalists competed in the Highly Commended and Company Owned categories before the coveted ‘Store of the Year’ titles were awarded.

Speaking at the event, MD of Musgrave Northern Ireland, Michael McCormack, said:

“Huge congratulations to all of our winners at this year’s Store of the Year Awards. It was a tough competition with many wonderful contenders and the judging process this year was as rigorous as ever.

“The Musgrave Store of the Year Awards are a part of a continuous drive to maintain the highest possible retail standards across the company; and it is a great opportunity to recognise, reward and celebrate all of our retailers, the true pioneers of our profession, who go above and beyond on a daily basis.

“I would like to take this opportunity to not only congratulate the winners but to thank each and every one of our retailers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards that Musgrave as a company strive to uphold.”

Minister Michael Ring launches 2018 SuperValu TidyTowns as competition marks its 60th anniversary

Posted on 3rd April 201826th September 2019 by Musgrave | Communities News SuperValu

The 2018 SuperValu TidyTowns competition is now open for entries following the launch of the competition today, 28^th March 2018, in the TidyTowns Grove in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. Now in its 60th year, the competition is administered by the Department of Rural and Community Development and is sponsored by SuperValu. Over the lifetime of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition, generations of TidyTowns people up and down the country have worked to improve the appearance of their locality and make their town, village or area more attractive for residents and visitors alike.

In launching the competition today, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, T.D., highlighted the significance of the voluntary effort which has driven the competition for 60 years. The Minister said: “The 60th anniversary of the competition provides an opportunity to mark the immensely positive impact of this competition on Irish towns and villages over the years. Sixty years on from the first TidyTowns, the competition is going from strength to strength. Last year over 870 towns and villages competed in the SuperValu Tidy Towns, each of them driven by the same sense of community pride which spurred on the inaugural contestants in 1958.

“Volunteers are the backbone of the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and their efforts have been instrumental not just in improving their local areas but in creating a strong sense of community identity and pride. This is something you cannot put a price on.

Minister Ring also said: “In recognition of the hard work and dedication of the volunteers who have worked tirelessly over the past 60 years, I provided a once-off grant scheme of between €1,000 and €4,000 for TidyTowns committees last November. Over €1.3 million was provided to 900 Tidy Towns Committees to spend on improving their communities and I have no doubt that this investment had a significant positive impact on communities throughout the country.

Also speaking at the launch today, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, said: “SuperValu is delighted to continue our long running partnership with TidyTowns to help make the communities we live in even better and to recognise the efforts of thousands of volunteers across the country who put in countless hours every week. This year, as we celebrate SuperValu TidyTowns’ 60th anniversary, we encourage people from towns and villages all over the country to get involved in the competition and make a difference in your communities.”

“As Ireland’s leading independent grocery retailer, with our stores owned by entrepreneurs from the local community, we understand the importance of improving the quality of life in the towns and villages that our retailers work and live in. We are committed to supporting the competition and our SuperValu stores contribute €1 million annually to TidyTowns committees across Ireland.

Mr. Kelleher went on to say: “This year is an important milestone for SuperValu TidyTowns as it marks the 60th anniversary of the competition. Reaching this landmark is a remarkable achievement both for the competition and the SuperValu TidyTowns committees who have worked tirelessly over the year to enhance their towns and villages.”

Minister Ring continued: “I am extremely proud of my Department’s role in this competition and I would like to thank SuperValu for their continuing efforts to maintain its success. In the 27 years that they have been the main sponsors, they have helped to grow the competition by getting involved locally through their nationwide network of retailers.”

In addition to the main competition, there are thirteen Special Awards that can be entered. Welcoming these awards, Minister Ring said: “I would like to thank all the sponsors of the special awards for their support over the years. A number of the sponsors have been loyal to TidyTowns for some years now and their appetite for the awards is still as strong as ever. These awards add to the SuperValu TidyTowns competition and I would like to encourage participants in the main competition to consider entering some of the other award categories as well.”

As the competition celebrates 60 years, volunteers across Ireland can get involved or set up a TidyTowns Committee. All information can be found at: www.supervalu.ie/real-people/sponsorship/tidytowns/how-to-get-involved

The closing date for receipt of entries for this year’s competition is 23rd May 2018. Entry forms to the SuperValu TidyTowns competition can be obtained from the TidyTowns Unit in the Department of Rural and Community Development (phone: 076 100 6912) or by visiting www.tidytowns.ie or www.supervalu.ie

Month: April 2018

A week of celebration for the Musgrave Graduate team

SuperValu returns with a #SuperHealthy line up at WellFest’s WellFood zone 2018

Centra are encouraging families to Live Well with the help of Donncha O’Callaghan

SuperValu becomes Ireland’s first grocery retailer to introduce compostable produce bags

Musgrave agrees €5m export deal with Bahrain’s leading premium supermarket Alosra

TidyTowns competition continues to enrich Irish communities in its 60th year

Musgrave Northern Ireland ‘Store of the Year’ winners crowned at annual awards ceremony

Minister Michael Ring launches 2018 SuperValu TidyTowns as competition marks its 60th anniversary

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