Double-digit growth success at the Duncrue branch
Earlier this year, Musgrave MarketPlace, Northern Ireland’s leading wholesale supplier, announced a £1.1 million investment in the upgrade of its Belfast-based Duncrue branch. The results of the 52,000 square foot store upgrade, which created three new jobs, were unveiled to hundreds of special guests, retail, foodservice and SME businesses in October, explained Michael McCormack, Managing Director of Musgrave MarketPlace.
“We now employ 182 people at our Duncrue site making it one of the largest facilities of its kind in Northern Ireland. As well as changes cosmetically to the building, which includes a new entrance, we have created specialist roles within our team, including a ‘fresh specialist’, and sourced hundreds of new products for our customers so that they can stay on-trend and have access to the best advice to help drive their business forward”, commented Michael.
The history of the Duncrue site goes back to 1982 when building work first began and 34 years later things are going from strength to strength.
Michael continued: “When Musgrave MarketPlace, known as Musgrave Distribution Limited back then, first opened, it was, for the time, state-of-the-art. Its location within the City’s new ‘enterprise zone’ known as Duncrue, close to the City Centre and the nearly completed final phase of the high-speed road network, the Westlink, was key to its success as it connected the north and west of the country.”
In the early 1990’s, after some further investment in the site, Duncrue continued to outperform all forecasts,” continued Michael: “Today, we are experiencing double-digit growth; no mean feat in an uncertain financial climate. Musgrave MarketPlace has proved to be a huge success and we’re certain that the recent improvements will secure its future and help us increase footfall and revenue for many years to come.”
So what can people expect from the newly revamped Musgrave MarketPlace?
Michael said: “The changes people will see include a range of new speciality areas and state of the art technology to offer retail and foodservice customers a best-in-class shopping experience.
“Our new ‘fresh specialist’ advises on meat, cheese, fruit and vegetables and on the latest culinary trends. We have a greatly extended equipment area featuring many new lines. We also provide online access to the hundreds of new products that people will see when they visit us. Our products have been selected based on extensive research commissioned by Musgrave MarketPlace to help keep our customers on trend and competitive in the market.
“We have three tablets specifically for retailer use where they can place online orders from a comfortable chair and have any questions they may have answered by a member of staff, on the spot.
“Musgrave has a strong commitment to sustainability so we have installed energy efficient fridges, a new heating system and LED lights throughout.
“But the best way to see the results are with your own eyes so we hope to welcome our existing and many new customers”, concluded Michael.
