
Musgrave has helped raise over €900,000 in charitable donations to community causes around Ireland in 2017, according to the latest Business in the Community Ireland (BITCI) Business Impact Map, which was launched today. Musgrave employees also contributed almost 2,800 voluntary hours to support vital community initiatives such as Cork Penny Dinners, Bumbleance and Pieta House.
Building vibrant local communities is at the heart of Musgrave’s vision and the €900,000 contribution, through a combination of cash and in-kind donations, and employee fundraising, is in addition to the significant charitable contributions by Musgrave’s independent retail partners around the country.
Numerous community focused in-store initiatives have been rolled out in SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak stores nationwide throughout the year. In 2017, SuperValu announced the launch of its Autism Friendly Evenings, an initiative which aims to make the shopping experience more comfortable for families who have children with autism. Under the initiative customers can shop with dimmed lights and reduced checkout noises at specific times, providing a sensory-friendly environment for children with autism.
Commenting on the launch of the BITCI Business Impact Map, Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO, said: “Throughout our 140-year history, Musgrave has maintained a strong commitment to supporting local communities by running our business in a way that considers the social, environmental and economic well-being of the people we serve. Through our unique independent retail model, we have a real opportunity to drive positive change in communities across Ireland, and the BITCI Business Impact Map is reflective of our efforts in this regard. Our aim is to create vibrant communities with a sense of social cohesion, and we look forward to continuing to partner with our retailers to achieve this goal.”
Musgrave has been pioneering ambitious sustainability initiatives since the early 1990s and first received the Business Working Responsibly Mark from BITCI in 2014. Founded in 2000, BITCI is the network for responsible business in Ireland and the Business Impact Map, first launched in 2010, is intended to communicate and showcase what member companies are doing for their local communities across the country.