Deirdre O Meara 
Musgrave, Ireland’s leading grocery retailer, announced that its convenience store chain Centra is investing €23m in a new store expansion programme to grow its nationwide presence. This move is expected to create more than 468 new jobs and bring the total employment figure at Centra to more than 12,000. The announcement comes as the economy continues to recover from the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.
The investment plan follows a successful year for Centra as sales exceeded €1.98bn in 2020, with lunchtime deli sales increasing by 11%, Frank and Honest coffee sales up by 7%, and baked goods sales up 8% on 2019.
According to Centra MD Ian Allen, “Today’s customers are shopping little and often; they want convenience retailing that meets their needs and offers them value, innovation and choice. We are responding to this demand with our store expansion programme which is bringing more people back into work in communities across Ireland.”
In addition to increased job creation, the convenience store chain said it would also focus on sustainability initiatives such as reducing food and packaging waste through its recently launched Food Waste Charter. The charter outlines practical steps for stores to take towards reducing food waste in the future such as improving forecasting accuracy, smarter ordering practices, better product rotation methods and education for staff on how to reduce food waste.
As part of the investment plan, Centra has committed to a range of other initiatives that focus on local communities such as supporting local charities, sponsoring activities in local schools or clubs, helping local festivals or events or promoting products made locally by Irish suppliers. Mr Allen said about the commitment: “Centra stores have always been at the heart of their local community since our first store opened back in 1960.”
This €23m investment plan underlines Musgrave’s commitment to economic recovery in Ireland while offering convenient consumer services through its expanded store presence.
In addition to creating new jobs across multiple regions within Ireland, Centra is also focusing on sustainability initiatives such as reducing food waste through their Food Waste Charter while committing resources towards supporting local charities or promoting products made locally by Irish suppliers. These investments will go a long way towards fostering a vibrant economy that benefits both businesses and customers alike.
