Centra to add 480 jobs to store network and open 16 new stores in 2016
Centra has recorded sales of €1.54 billion in 2015, underlining the brand’s position as market leader in the Irish convenience sector. With robust expansion plans, Ireland’s number one convenience retailer will open 16 new stores this year, resulting in 480 jobs being added to the Centra network, as part of a €16 million investment.
Centra’s new health strategy played a major role in the convenience brand’s performance with the launch of Live Well in July, which helps people make healthier choices on-the-go with a real focus on overall nutrition and a balanced diet. Centra has already seen additional sales of €6 million in Live Well products such as salad boxes, fruit pots and avocados, showing consumers growing appetite to seek out healthy alternatives.
One of the brand’s key achievements was the reduction of the calorie intake of customers by 60 million calories. This was through allocating more space in the soft drink section of stores for healthier alternatives and reducing shelf space given to fizzy drinks. As a result, Centra sold 1.5 million more bottles of healthy drinks such as water, coconut water and aloe juice last year.
Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of Centra, said: “2015 marked another successful year for Centra as leaders in the convenience market, with sales reaching €1.54 billion. We are delighted to announce that our sales figures show a 1.6% growth on the previous year. This is testament to our 460 local retailers nationwide whose hard work ensures that Centra continues to lead the market in terms of value, choice and quality.”
“Through our Live Well initiative, we have recognised the changing needs of our time strapped customers who are looking for healthy and nutritious food on the go. We have introduced new ranges in store which consumers have responded well to, as well as highlighting nutritional benefits of our products to inspire customers to make healthier choices.”
“We are delighted with the response that we have had so far, with massive spikes in demand for nutritious products. For example we have sold almost 200,000 salad boxes, 1.4 tonnes of quinoa and an additional half a million pieces of fruit. We’ve extended our range to include products that you wouldn’t expect to get in a convenience store, such as chia seeds, nut butters and sweet potatoes. Live Well is a determined and sustained initiative; we will build on its success to date and it will continue to be a focus for our brand in the year ahead,” concluded Kelleher.
With over 460 stores, Centra employs almost 11,000 people and serves over three million customers per week. Centra invests over €240 million in local communities per annum, which is the equivalent of €4.5 million per week through a combination of payments to local suppliers, acquisition of local business services, wages, charitable donations and local sponsorships.
