Ireland’s leading grocery retailer to add 350 jobs to store network and open five new stores in 2016
SuperValu today announced that it recorded retail sales of €2.6 billion in 2015, representing a new milestone for the brand and underlining its position as Ireland’s most popular grocery retailer with 25% market share. Building on this strong performance, SuperValu plans to invest €28 million in 2016, opening five new stores and adding 350 jobs to the SuperValu network.
SuperValu’s fresh food leadership strategy has been a core driver of its impressive performance. Ireland’s leading grocery retailer drove strong growth throughout 2015, particularly at Christmas as it outperformed the market with 4.3% growth over the last twelve weeks of the year.
Commenting at the SuperValu National Conference in Killarney today, Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of SuperValu, said: “We are pleased to announce that we have achieved a new sales milestone in what is a highly competitive marketplace. The fact that we are the largest grocery retailer in Ireland clearly illustrates that we have the best offer in the market, with consumers responding to our commitment to fresh food leadership and opting for locally-sourced, quality Irish food and in-store expertise.”
“As the number one supporter of the Irish food industry, we source from over 1,800 Irish suppliers – more than any other grocery retailer in the Irish market – equating to an economic contribution of €2.19 billion. From 100% fresh Irish meat, scratch bakeries in-store, locally-sourced fruit & veg, specialist fish counters and our Food Academy suppliers, we continue to give shoppers the best locally sourced food. As our stores are independently owned and operated, this means even more money goes back into the local economy.”
Underpinning SuperValu’s success in 2015 was the grocery retailer’s Good Food Karma campaign, which was designed to demonstrate the benefits of good wholesome food and the importance of making time for food occasions. The campaign resonated strongly with consumers, helping to drive fresh food sales and enabling SuperValu to grow its engagement with customers across all channels.
SuperValu has now helped 250 small Irish food producers to secure a retail listing through Food Academy, a joint initiative with Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Office. In 2015 alone sales of Food Academy products reached €13 million, exceeding targets and highlighting the consumer demand for local produce. A number of food producers such as The Happy Pear, HIRO and Strong Roots, all of whom started by supplying one store, grew their relationship with SuperValu and now supply the entire network of 221 stores. SuperValu’s commitment to the programme helps to support 900 jobs across all of the participating companies.
SuperValu online shopping was a key sales driver for the retailer last year, growing by 32% for the last six months of the year and projected to grow over the next twelve months. The grocery retailer’s online shopping active customer base grew by 23.6%. The SuperValu Online Shopping App had 129% more downloads and visits to SuperValu on mobile phones increased by 37% in 2015.
SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 221 stores nationwide. Together with its retail partners, SuperValu employs approximately 14,500 colleagues, making it one of the State’s largest private sector employers. 75% of everything on SuperValu’s shelves is sourced or produced in Ireland. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible which helps to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.
