Tag: jobs

Centra reveals sales of €1.98 billion in 2021

Posted on by Christine Kennedy

The retailer announces a €25m investment in-store expansion programme with plans to open 18 new stores in 2022 creating 430 new jobs

16 May 2022: Centra, Ireland’s leading convenience retailer, has reported strong sales of €1.98 billion and 2.5% annual growth for 2021. This robust performance was driven by growth in Centra’s convenience offering, including its award-winning own-brand ranges and Inspired By Centra, and Freshly Prepared meals as well as Frank and Honest coffee. The performance was also underpinned by increasing consumer demand for wide-ranging product offerings and Centra’s position as a local top-up grocery shopping destination.

The retailer has also announced a €25 million investment in an ambitious expansion programme. The expansion will see 18 new Centra stores open in 2022, creating over 430 new jobs in local communities around the country. The expansion programme is in addition to the 11 new Centra stores opened in 2021 and the €17 million deployed last year to revamp and refresh 64 existing stores. Centra supports over 38,000 jobs and directly employs 11,716 people across the 483 stores operating in Ireland.

Throughout the pandemic, shoppers sought convenient meal solutions and tasty treats, driving demand for Centra’s cook at home prepared ranges. Moo’d Ice Cream, Centra’s high-quality Irish Ice Cream concept, recorded sales of €10m last year, up over 52% on 2020. The Inspired By Centra range saw strong growth with a 40% increase in sales, while the Freshly Prepared range of meals also saw a 40% jump in sales, demonstrating growing consumer demand for convenient, own-brand products and meals.

Speaking about the announcement, Centra Managing Director Ian Allen said: “This robust sales performance underscores our position as Ireland’s leading convenience retailer. We have seen significant growth driven by increasing consumer demand for healthy and high-quality own-brand products at reasonable prices. We are continuously redefining convenience retail to ensure we satisfy the evolving needs of our shoppers by offering market-leading ranges. We are acutely aware of the rising cost of living challenges and we are working hard with our suppliers and retail partners to continue delivering the best value and quality to our customers.”

The announcement follows the publication of an economic impact report by leading economist Jim Power. The report highlights the financial contribution of Centra stores is valued at an estimated €646.7 million. Direct employment by Centra creates approximately €38 million in employment taxes and generates a total net wage of €160.4 million, which is injected into local economies.

Speaking about the report, Centra Managing Director Ian Allen added: “The economic impact report highlights the hugely positive role Centra continues to play in providing support and employment to localities nationwide. Local Centra stores play a very active role in their communities and make a significant financial contribution through employment but also the various sponsorships and support for numerous charities. In 2021, Centra stores spent €2.1 million on local sponsorships and payments to a wide array of local and national charities. We are immensely proud of Centra’s position at the heart of communities around Ireland, and we look forward to bringing our high-quality convenience offering and unrivalled customer service to new communities across the country while continuing to support local Irish producers and suppliers.”

Centra is renowned for high-quality standards, as demonstrated by the awards that the stores win for product standards and people awards.

Pictured: Ciaran Mangan, Centra Council Chair; Ian Allen, Managing Director Retail; Cormac Dawson, Centra Sales Director

Donnybrook Fair announces 120 jobs as part of €8m investment and expansion strategy

Posted on by hs783jdla
  • 70 jobs at new flagship Dundrum store following €4.5m investment
  • €3.5m investment in gourmet food production division creates 50 new roles

Donnybrook Fair, the leading Irish gourmet food retailer, has announced the creation of 120 jobs as part of a €8m investment and expansion strategy for the business.

The announcement comes as Donnybrook Fair plans to launch its new flagship store at Dundrum Town Centre, which will employ approximately 70 people following a €4.5m investment in the new location.

Meanwhile, an additional €3.5m investment in Donnybrook Fair’s gourmet food production facility – Donnybrook Fair Central Kitchen – will lead to the creation of a further 50 jobs at the company. The production facility, which is located in Clondalkin, Co. Dublin, produces high quality artisan readymade food products for Donnybrook Fair’s retail estate and a selection of businesses.

“As part of the continued expansion of Donnybrook Fair, we are very pleased to announce the creation of 120 new jobs following a significant investment in the business,” commented Donnybrook Fair Managing Director, Des O’Mahony. “Since acquisition by Musgrave, the company has continued to grow and after much hard work by the team, we are delighted to be able to share these exciting and positive developments,” he said.

“As a leading gourmet food retailer, providing exceptional food experiences to consumers and businesses throughout Ireland, this announcement is another important milestone in the Donnybrook Fair growth journey,” Mr O’Mahony continued. “These developments for our business are an example of our strategy in action. As we continue to scale, we will focus on expanding our retail footprint, extending our offer across the Musgrave retail estate, and enhancing our online service offering,” he concluded.

The Dundrum store will join Donnybrook Fair’s five premium food stores – Donnybrook, Stillorgan, Malahide, Greystones, and Baggot Street – situated in Dublin and Wicklow as well as a gourmet food production facility.

Donnybrook Fair was acquired by Musgrave in 2018 and has recently launched its exclusive ‘DF in SV’ concept at a number of SuperValu stores as part of a significant expansion phase for the business.

Sourcing quality, local and Irish

Donnybrook Fair’s new Dundrum store has been designed to serve the local community by way of weekly shopping and will stock a range of quality Irish food products. The new location will offer a casual eating setting on the upper floor where customers can avail of high-quality breakfast, lunch and evening meal options, all of which can be paired with a wine selection from Donnybrook Fair’s exclusive range of alcohols that are covered by a full alcohol license.

In-store experience

The innovative ground will also offer a unique Chef’s Corner featuring international and traditional recipes which have taken inspiration from some of world’s leading food markets from London’s Borough market to Indore market in India. Whether its lunch on the run or dinner for later, a team of in-house chefs will be serving up these freshly made gourmet delicacies. The venue will also cater for exclusive, private cooking and food appreciation classes for Donnybrook Fair customers and will be available for evening banquets, parties, and meetings.

Centra Reaches Landmark 100th Store in Northern Ireland

Centra 100
Posted on by hs783jdla

Musgrave NI announces £12 million investment for 2021  

Set against an ambitious growth strategy, local convenience retail brand, Centra continues its expansion across Northern Ireland with the opening of its 100th store.

The landmark achievement comes as Musgrave Northern Ireland, which operates the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands, announced further investment plans of £12 million for 2021. This includes the opening of over 20 new stores, creating up to 500 jobs and follows on the back of an investment heavy year in 2020, despite the pandemic.

As part of this significant investment, an additional 17 existing stores across the network will also benefit from a revamp.
Centra Dunman Cookstown is the 100th store in the convenience brand’s portfolio in Northern Ireland and is located just outside Cookstown on the Moneymore Road. In addition, Lusty’s Centra in Larne Harbour recently opened its doors and the next few weeks will see openings in Knockbreda and Toome.

Significant refreshes are planned for SuperValu Portstewart, McGleenan’s Centra Keady and McCool’s Centra Ballymena, providing more inspiration and ideas for shoppers with a focus on quality across fresh produce, meat, and food-to-go.

Musgrave has invested heavily in its convenience offering in recent years, including its artisan on-the-go coffee brand, Frank and Honest, which is available in over 150 SuperValu, Centra and MACE stores across Northern Ireland. With over 800 Frank and Honest locations across the island of Ireland, Frank and Honest is now the largest on-the-go coffee brand on the island. Moo’d ice-cream, now available in over 20 stores, provides shoppers with a range of sweet treat options while Green Kitchen, the Centra salad bar offering, expanded its food-to-go menu.

Speaking today, Trevor Magill, Managing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland said –

“We have ambitious plans for our network with the focus clearly on our vision to ‘redefine convenience’ in Northern Ireland. The development of new stores alongside the refurbishment of existing stores and continuing to innovate when it comes to product lines, ensures we are always focused on what matters to our shoppers.

“Our teams, across the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands, are dedicated to providing great quality and choice in terms of our offer, with value for money and exceptional levels of customer service at the heart of what we do.”

Centra expansion continues with £920k investment in 3 new stores

Posted on by Musgrave

New convenience stores open at Millennium Forum, Bradbury Place and York Road

Centra is bringing enhanced convenience to customers across Northern Ireland with new stores opening at Bradbury Place and York Road in Belfast and the Millennium Forum in Derry~Londonderry. The three stores represent an investment of £920,000 by the leading NI retailer, creating an employment boost of 40 jobs.

Commenting on Centra’s continued expansion, Nigel Maxwell Sales Director Centra Northern Ireland said: “At Centra, our focus is on redefining convenience – providing our shoppers with a healthier offering and innovative ranges, particularly in food-to go and our Frank and Honest coffee brand. Our shoppers expect fresh, nutritious, inspiring and delicious food that is quick, easy and value for money. These stores are the latest examples of Centra providing just that and responding to the changing needs of the busy consumer.”  

Centra Millennium Forum, which opened its doors to the public on 9th October, is located on New Market Street in Derry City and is the first store for retailer Conor Kelly. The store offers customers a new and modern experience including a hot and cold deli, Frank & Honest coffee and a comfortable seating area for customers to come in and relax.

Centra Bradbury Place, located beside Shaftesbury Square, is the fourth store, for retailers Ricky and Vicky Leathem. A prime location in Belfast City centre, the new vibrant and contemporary store opened on 15th October and is certain to be a one-stop-shop for residents and workers in the area, catering for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Perfect for lunch on-the-go, the store features a variety of options to satisfy every craving. For those embracing a healthier lifestyle, Centra Bradbury Place has a range of lighter choices, with fresh salad and sandwich favourites, courtesy of their Green Kitchen hot and cold deli. The couple also own Centra stores on the Lisburn Road in Belfast, and two stores in Lisburn – Ballynahinch Road and Longstone Street.

Centra York Road has been rebranded from a MACE store and is owned by retailers Gareth and Tracey Beacom. The store now boasts a brand new hot and cold deli, Frank and Honest coffee, as well as a much-enhanced range of meal solutions and chilled products ensuring all mealtimes are catered for.

Speaking about the new developments, Nigel Maxwell continued: “We are delighted to see these stores coming on stream and the hard work by our teams coming to fruition. The stores are all trading well, reporting strong sales in their first few weeks and I wish the retailers and their teams every success.”

Recent Centra store openings – Dungannon M1 and River House, Belfast

Posted on by hs783jdla

From l-r: Nigel Maxwell, Centra Northern Ireland Sales Director with Sharon and George Patterson, Dungannon M1 Store Owners[/caption]

We are delighted to announce the recent opening of two new Centra stores in Northern Ireland, Centra M1 Dungannon and Centra River House.

The highly anticipated brand-new store at Dungannon represents an investment of £2.2 million creating 50 new jobs in the area. It opened its doors to the public on Thursday 22nd August providing a welcome stop for those travelling to and from the west of the province. Centra M1 Dungannon marks the second store opening for local businessman, George Patterson of Patterson Oil who already owns Centra Gilford Road in Portadown.

Dungannon follows hotly on the heels of Centra River House which continues the brand’s Belfast City Centre expansion. The store opened to the public on Tuesday 13th August and is located on the ground floor of the new 13-storey building on High Street – the perfect convenience location for the numerous private offices and co-working spaces in the area and a welcome addition to the business community. With £400,000 investment, the new store creates 15 jobs and marks the fourth Centra store for owner Donagh McGoveran – adding to properties in Stranmillis, Malone Road and Donegall Street.

Welcoming the recent developments, Nigel Maxwell Sales Director Centra Northern Ireland said “At Centra, our focus is on redefining convenience – providing our shoppers with a healthier offering and innovative ranges, particularly in food-to go and our Frank and Honest coffee brand. Centra M1 Dungannon and Centra River House are the latest examples of our stores responding to the changing needs of the busy consumer.”

From l-r: Nigel Maxwell, Centra Northern Ireland Sales Director and Donagh McGoveran, River House Store Owner

Innovation and investment in convenience

Posted on by hs783jdla

As consumer lifestyles get busier and more frantic, the demand for convenience without compromise continues to grow.

As a leader in retail convenience, Musgrave invests in staying ahead of these trends and creating food shopping and eating experiences that are both unique, exciting and quick. Our ambition is to re-define convenience and to offer healthy and nutritious grab-and-go food and drink for the modern shopper.

Centra is Ireland’s number one convenience brand, with nearly 500 stores across Ireland and Northern Ireland. In July two new stores were opened in Northern Ireland, with a total investment from Musgrave of almost £3 million (€3.34million), creating 50 new jobs for people in the local areas.

In Craigavon, Co Armagh more than £2.5 million (€2.8 million) has been invested in a new store with the Greene family, creating 30 new jobs. Meanwhile over £450K (€500K) in investment has been made in a new store in Limavady, Co Derry, with local entrepreneurs, the Wilson family.

Both stores bear the new-look Centra store design which has the modern shopper in mind, with a contemporary style, wide aisles and lower shelf heights designed to improve the shopping experience.

The stores also include Frank and Honest coffee – now the largest coffee brand on the island of Ireland – a hot and cold deli, and, to fit with the public’s more adventurous tastes, a Mex-a-go counter serving up delicious burritos and Mexican style street food.

Crucially the Centra stores include free WiFi so people can access the internet as they grab some food and drink, and in line with our sustainability strategy, the stores feature the latest energy-saving technology such as environmentally-friendly fridges, lighting and state-of-the-art kitchen equipment.

Our expertise in brand innovation coupled with our knowledge and passion for food is what drives our business forward, but the stores would not be successful without the dedicated local family businesses that run them.

Whilst these Centra stores deliver modern convenience, technology and ‘on-trend’ food offerings, our retail partners bring the magic dust that make these enjoyable places to visit and shop with human interaction and local knowledge.

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Musgrave to ‘redefine convenience’ in Northern Ireland with ambitious expansion plans

Posted on by Musgrave

Owners of SuperValu, Centra, MACE and MarketPlace announce £28million investment, with plans to open up to 20 new stores, creating around 550 jobs

Leading grocery and convenience retailer, Musgrave NI, which owns the SuperValu, Centra, MACE and MarketPlace brands, has announced ambitious plans to open up to 20 new stores in Northern Ireland in 2019, creating around 500 new jobs and revamping an additional 40 stores, as part of a significant £28 million investment.

The ambitious growth strategy is part of Musgrave NI’s vision to ‘redefine convenience’ through the creation of refreshed, inviting, modern stores that challenge the status quo.

The platform for growth for Musgrave NI is built upon an incredibly positive performance in Musgrave Group. Within the Group, turnover grew by almost 4% to €3.9bn last year, with pre-tax profits rising 5.6% to €84.5m. Across the island of Ireland, SuperValu grew sales last year by 1.5% to €2.9bn, with Centra growing 4% to €1.9bn. In Northern Ireland, SuperValu, Centra, MACE and MarketPlace delivered significant growth in 2018, with positive year on year sales growth across all brands.

Commenting on the announcement, Michael McCormack, Managing Director of Musgrave NI said:

“These results provide a solid platform for us to grow our presence in the NI market and we very much leverage our Group strength when it comes to buying, tapping into expertise and adapting concepts that we see working across our business.

“While 2018 was a good year, we know we can’t stand still. Our plans are ambitious but achievable. For us, this is all about how we’ll realise our vision to ‘redefine convenience’ in Northern Ireland.’

“We have been working towards achieving this vision across our SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands; focusing on what matters to our shoppers – bringing healthier, restaurant quality food to convenience and continuously innovating across all aspects of convenience.”

Over the last two years, artisan on-the-go coffee brand, Frank and Honest has been introduced to 110 SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores across Northern Ireland. With over 700 Frank and Honest locations across the island of Ireland, Frank and Honest is now the largest on-the-go coffee brand on the island.

New food concepts including Green Kitchen – a freshly prepared standalone salad bar – has grown significantly, off the back of consumer demand for fresher, healthier options from consumers. The company has also seen success in of its new XO Donuts brand, which it launched in 2018. To date, in excess of 40,000 donuts have been sold.

The 20 new store openings will be made up of a mix of brand new store developments and acquisitions, as Musgrave seeks to convert retailers and buy new sites.

Michael added: “Our aim to redefine convenience is underpinned by our ability to grow our estate across the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands. That’s why we’ve been extremely active in the market – we’re opening brand new stores – as we’ve done with the recent opening of Gracey’s Centra City Quays, Belfast and in Mallusk, where we are building a new Centra store this year.

“First and foremost, we want to work with the best independent retailers and grow business together. However, as we seek to grow and offer our existing retailers the benefits of scale, we are looking at converting retailers and saying to those that are thinking of selling their business, freehold or leasehold – that we are very much open for business.”

Revamping existing stores within its estate is also a core part of Musgrave’s ongoing investment and growth strategy. Retailers that have completed refresh programmes are demonstrating robust sales growth. There’s an impressive pipeline of recent refreshes – more than 80 in recent years – including Lilley’s Centra at Dublin Road, Enniskillen, Moran’s Centra Strand Road, Derry-Londonderry, Watson’s Centra Cloughey, SuperValu Comber and SuperValu Kings Road. The next refurbishment will take place at SuperValu Lisburn.

Looking to 2019, the Musgrave NI brands will tap into a number of consumer trends and the merging of retail and foodservice to achieve further growth, bringing more new concepts to the Northern Ireland market.

One of those new concepts is Caramico pizza, a concept using authentic pizza ovens to offer a freshly made pizza in-store. It has been rolled out successfully by Musgrave in the Republic of Ireland, driven by a high-quality product that surpasses other established pizza brands. Key to the concept is a ‘for now’ and ‘for later’ offering for consumers. A rotisserie style chicken concept will also be rolled out following successful trials.

Last year, Musgrave celebrated 35 years in business in Northern Ireland, is a committed local employer of over 5,000 people across its business along with a dedicated partner of almost 130 retail families within the province.

Centra store has quays to city convenience

Posted on by Musgrave

Highly anticipated Centra City Quays store set to open on 28th May, following significant £767K investment, creating 15 new jobs

Leading convenience retailer, Centra is set to open its latest new-look store at City Quays, creating 15 new jobs.  Located on the waterfront of City Quays 2 in Belfast Harbour, the brand-new store is part of a significant £767,000 investment by Musgrave and the Gracey family; a well-known local family business, based in Belfast. The new store will open to the public on Tuesday 28th May.

Centra will be the first convenience store to open in the City Quays / Clarendon Dock area, which is currently home to over 5,000 workers. City Quays will eventually provide jobs and homes for 13,000, with City Quays 2 accommodating 1,000 workers.

Spanning 2,615sq ft, the bright and contemporary new store marries high convenience with an expanded food-to-go offering. Amenities in store include Frank & Honest Coffee – the largest gourmet coffee brand on the island of Ireland; a Green Kitchen hot and cold deli, with a plentiful choice of healthy sandwich and salad options, a Mex-a-go Burrito Bar, hot self-serve food-to-go options and self-scanning checkouts. Boasting strong eco-credentials, all Frank and Honest coffee cups and food-to-go packaging will be 100% compostable.

For an enhanced shopping experience, Centra City Quays also features a seating area and complimentary Wi-Fi, providing customers with a dedicated space to dine-in and take a break. The unit will also include a covered terrace for waterfront dining and direct access to the river Lagan walk and cycleway that connects City Quays to Belfast’s Waterfront Hall.

The store is the latest addition to the Gracey family’s portfolio, which also includes two MACE stores at Newtown Park and The Gasworks. Next week’s opening builds on the family’s estate, which was established by leading retailer, Tony Gracey over two decades ago. Today, his daughter Anna and son Stephen are at the helm of this latest addition to the family business.

Commenting ahead of the opening, Anna McErlean said: “Our business was founded by our father Tony Gracey 22 years ago. At one point, he had 10 stores, before deciding to consolidate the business in 2010 to two stores – Mace Newton Park and Mace Gasworks. 

“I joined the business around seven years ago; I had just completed my law degree at Queen’s University and thought it would be a good opportunity for me to learn that side of the business before deciding my career path – I never left. My brother Stephen joined the business in 2018 after four years working in retail business development. Our passion for the business and customer-centric approach has at the heart of our recent successful refit of our Gasworks store and the opening of our new store at City Quays. 

“Our father Tony has decided to take more of a back seat, with Stephen and I now at the forefront of the business today. Together we are proud to mark another milestone as we open our new Centra store at City Quays, bringing significant investment to the local area. We are proud of our roots in the Belfast retail space and are proud to bring further employment to the city.”

 Nigel Maxwell, Centra Sales Director added: “We are delighted to support the Gracey family in this exciting new venture, which brings significant investment to Belfast. One of our core objectives is to work with our retailers with a joint aim to redefine convenience for the consumer. The new Centra City Quays store does just this; bringing an exciting and fresh retail concept to the area that will be matched by the first-class customer service synonymous with the Gracey family name.”

 “We are confident that our new look Centra stores offer customers an enhanced shopping experience, where they can get value for money, without compromising on quality. We are sure this new look store will be a great addition to City Quays, which features a vibrant business and residential community.”

 Graeme Johnston, Belfast Harbour’s Property Director, said: “With over 5,000 workers already based in the area, further offices underway and the Marriott hotel now open, this is a significant opportunity for Centra.

“As part of the procurement process to secure a retailer we surveyed existing workers in City Quays. They wanted access to a wide range of quality, fresh produce that supported healthier lifestyles – Centra’s modern take on convenience and coffee was a perfect fit.

“City Quays has already become a natural extension of the City Centre.  With the waterfront walkway and attractions such as the Marriott hotel and now Centra, we expect even greater numbers of people to visit and enjoy this new part of Belfast.”

SuperValu creates 70 jobs and invests €12 million in new Dunboyne store

Posted on by Musgrave
SuperValu has created 70 new jobs as part of a €12 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art, 15,200 sq ft store in Dunboyne, Co Meath. Nally’s Dunboyne store is operated by local entrepreneurs Steven and Michael Nally of the Nally Group, who also own and run SuperValu stores in Trim and Celbridge. Pictured at the launch of the new store are (far left) Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu with members of the Nally family – Steven Nally, Michael Nally, Carmel Nally (mother of Steven and Michael Nally), and Steven’s son Nathan Nally – reflecting three generations involved in the business – a rare sight in the grocery retail landscape today.

SuperValu has created 70 new jobs as part of a €12 million investment in a new, state-of-the-art, 15,200 sq ft store in Dunboyne, Co Meath. Nally’s Dunboyne store will anchor an overall 25,000 sq ft new town centre development which incorporates four adjacent units, office accommodation and Frank and Honest cafe, Ireland’s number one gourmet coffee brand.

SuperValu Dunboyne is operated by local entrepreneurs Steven and Michael Nally of the Nally Group, who also own and run SuperValu stores in Trim and Celbridge. The new store was opened today by Carmel Nally, the mother of Steven and Michael Nally, and Steven’s son Nathan – reflecting three generations involved in the business – a rare sight in the grocery retail landscape today.

The state-of-the-art Dunboyne store includes a scratch bakery; deli counter offering a large salad and cold meat selection; rotisserie, fish and butcher counter with fully qualified butchers to share their top tips and advice on choosing the best cuts for any dish.

Reflecting consumers’ evolving shopping habits, the Dunboyne store incorporates a vegetarian and vegan dedicated zone, as well as providing a health and wellness section. Nally’s Dunboyne also offers free customer Wi-Fi and will operate an online click and collect service to provide added convenience for the modern time pressed consumer.

Commenting at the official opening of the SuperValu Dunboyne store, Steven Nally said: “Having grown up in the area, we are delighted to open this state-of-the-art store to serve the local community. It is a huge vote of confidence in the local economy and it is a proud moment to create 70 new jobs in Dunboyne. We are confident that our store, range and team will make a real difference to the people of Dunboyne and its surrounding areas.”

Martin Kelleher, SuperValu Managing Director, added: “The opening of the new store in Dunboyne is part of an ambitious expansion programme, which will see SuperValu expand our network this year with three new stores and 30 revamps. SuperValu Dunboyne is a standout store in this regard, highlighting how we bring the best of Irish food together with unrivalled service because the store is owned by local business people who know what the community wants. Steven and Michael Nally are an entrepreneurial family who have built a network now of five SuperValu stores (Celbridge, Kilcock, Maynooth, Trim and Dunboyne), highlighting what can be achieved when an Irish SME goes up against international competitors thanks to a tailored local service and a focus on buying local.”

SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 220 stores nationwide. Together with its retail partners, SuperValu employs approximately 14,500 colleagues, making it one of the State’s largest private sector employers. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible which helps to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.

SuperValu to open three new stores and create 210 jobs in 2019 as part of €30m investment programme

Posted on by Musgrave

25th February 2018 – Ireland’s leading grocery retailer SuperValu recorded a new sales milestone of €2.724 billion in 2018. Adding to this SuperValu plans to expand its network by opening three new stores in 2019, creating 210 new jobs in the process, and revamping 30 additional stores as part of a €30 million investment programme.

A key trend in 2018 was the continued growth in SuperValu’s online shopping service, with 25% year-on-year growth in online sales and an additional 26,000 new customers using the service. The retailer also invested substantially in its Real Rewards loyalty programme, with membership growing to 1.2 million people.

Building on its reputation for food leadership, SuperValu’s Signature Taste premium range was a standout line for the retailer, growing sales by over 10% on the previous year. This can be attributed to shoppers looking for an award-winning premium own band range. The range currently features over 330 products with another 40 expected to hit the shelves in 2019.

One of the key sales trends last year was increasing consumer demand for health and wellness-related products. For example, SuperValu now boosts a health and wellness aisle in all stores with a range of over 1,000 products. It also introduced a range of over 340 vegan products to meet consumer demand and has begun rolling out dedicated Vegetarian/Vegan zones across stores as part of its ongoing strategy to differentiate the brand from its competition.

In 2018, SuperValu became the first retailer in Ireland to introduce fully compostable and biodegradable bags for produce, along with increasing their loose range of fruit and veg. The grocery retailer followed this up by becoming the first national grocery retailer to introduce 100% compostable coffee cups through all Frank and Honest stations in its stores. These form part of a broader strategy to reduce packaging and make 100% of SuperValu’s Own Brand and fresh produce packaging become recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025.

Speaking at the SuperValu conference in the Great Southern Hotel in Killarney, Co. Kerry, SuperValu Managing Director Martin Kelleher said: “We continue to build on our food leadership credentials and further establish SuperValu as a destination shop by responding to consumer trends and shopping requirements both in-store and online. We plan to build our momentum in 2019 with a €30 million investment programme, which will see three new stores opened and an existing 30 stores revamped as we continue to rollout new shopping concepts such as Vegetarian and Vegan zones, new salad bars and health and wellness aisles, adding both theatre and on trend ranges for the new shoppers evolving tastes.”

SuperValu serves over 2.6 million customers every week and has 219 stores nationwide. Together with its retail partners, SuperValu employs approximately 14,500 colleagues, making it one of the State’s largest private sector employers. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible which helps to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish economy.

 

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