The new trial has been introduced to a select number of Centra stores across Ireland, with more locations to be added over the coming months. The partnership gives sustainability and value focused customers the opportunity to purchase ‘Surprise Bags’ of surplus food via the Too Good To Go app at a reduced price. Customers simply reserve their Surprise Bag on the app, collect from their local store at a pre-set time to take home, and in doing so, save food from being wasted.

As part of Centra’s sustainability strategy, Centra are delighted to partner with Too Good To Go who are on a mission to tackle food waste by connecting businesses who have unsold food to customers who can purchase a ‘Surprise Bag’ filled to the value of €12.00 minimum and sold at a discounted price, of €3.99 or €4.99 in select Centra stores. With convenience, sustainability, and value front of mind, the ‘Surprise Bag’ can include a selection of chilled meats, dairy, fruit and vegetables, salads, sandwiches, ready meals, and bakery items.

Speaking about the exciting new initiative Ian Allen, Managing Director, Centra said; “Centra’s collaboration with Too Good To Go is a great solution for the conscious consumer, it’s practical, easy to use and offers great value. This food waste initiative adds to Centra’s existing sustainability efforts on food waste, energy efficiency and packaging. We are proud to be leading the way amongst other convenience retailers in Ireland, eliminating waste where we can, and continuing to deliver our sustainability efforts into the future”. 

Recently Centra announced that 96% of its Own Brand packaging is reusable, recyclable, or compostable and is on track to reach its target of 100% by 2025. Other sustainability efforts made by Centra include 5.5M plastic bags being replaced with compostable bags. Centra is also investing €20m in energy and carbon reduction in stores on the path to Net Zero by 2040.

Speaking about the partnership, Sophie Trueman, Managing Director UK & Ireland of Too Good To Go said; “We’re thrilled to be officially trialling our partnership with Centra and to have their quality groceries now available to be saved via our platform in a number of trial stores. Too Good To Go is all about reducing food waste and in doing so, enabling people to access quality food in a more affordable way, and in a way that does right by our planet too”.

To avail of this new offering, consumers can simply download the free Too Good To Go app and search for their nearby Centra store with unsold food, purchase a ‘Surprise Bag’, collect it at their reserved time and take it home to enjoy.

Centra stores currently partaking in this new initiative include;

• Centra Parnell Street, Dublin
• Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown, Cork
• Downey’s Centra, Portlaoise
• Herlihy’s Centra Grand Parade, Cork
• Herlihy’s Centra Fermoy, Co. Cork

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Offering more flavour, more meal deals and more choice, Subway’s latest menu additions will be available from Wednesday 7th September 2022 – with the Big Beef Sub and Cheesy Garlic Slice both permanent menu items. The Buffalo Chicken Sub is a limited edition and only available until Tuesday 8^th November 2022, so get it while you can!

Subway’s new Buffalo Chicken Sub is packed full of flavour, with marinated chicken breast in a fiery Buffalo glaze, paired perfectly with a creamy new blue cheese dressing. Fully customisable, the new Buffalo Chicken is available as a 6-inch or Footlong Sub on any bread, or as a salad or a wrap.

Last seen in 2018, the crowd-pleasing Big Beef Sub is back on the menu. The tasty beef patty comes loaded with fresh veggies and sauces of your choosing.

Alongside Subway®’s recently launched Margherita and Pepperoni Slices, the new Cheesy Garlic Slice has layers of melt-in-the-mouth cheddar, mozzarella and a garlic infused olive oil, loaded on a toasted Sub slice for a real treat.

Angelina Gosal, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at Subway said: “With our new Big Beef Meal deal at a great-value price and our delicious new Cheesy Garlic Slice, there’s waaay more value and waaay more choice on our menu, offering something for everyone to enjoy.”

Subway guests looking to spice up their day with new Buffalo Chicken, reunite with their favourite Big Beef or treat themselves to a Cheesy Garlic Slice, can order in-store, use Mobile Order via the Subway app or order via delivery services including Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo from Wednesday 7^th September.

To find your nearest open Subway store, visit www.subway.com/en-ie/.

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Conducted in celebration of Subway’s summer menu, the research found that 31% of the Irish public are planning for a big summer, spending their savings splashing out on fun activities over the coming months.

Subway’s summer menu features Footlong Subs jam-packed with flavour like the Chicken & Bacon, Spicy Italian and Tuna as well as delicious new snacking options including Margherita and Pepperoni Slices and Steak Loaded Nachos.

Ireland’s summer bucket list includes going on holidays abroad (72%), heading off on adventurous hikes (28%) and attending one of the many popular sporting events held this summer (26%).

As music festivals make their grand return to Irish shores, 39% will attend at least two festivals or concerts over the coming months. Outdoor live experiences continue to reign supreme over virtual adventures, as just 9% say they have attended a Metaverse event.

91% of 18-24-year-olds feel like they missed out on vital life moments with friends and family due to the pandemic, including holidays abroad (74%), birthday celebrations (45%), going to nightclubs (44%) and key milestones such as graduation days (14%) and the annual Debs ball (10%).

Making up for lost time, 64% are likely to try a new hobby or activity this summer, taking advantage of the warm weather and long evenings.

Outdoor activities such as sea swimming (34%) and camping (28%) rank highest as new activities to try this summer, while a quarter (26%) will take chill out time practicing mindfulness and meditation and caring for plants (25%).

Many will also get creative this summer, testing their skills at photography (22%) and painting (19%) while 3% plan to make a podcast of their own. Almost half (45%) choose to use their phone less and live in the present during the summer months, but despite this, 29% admit it is important to them to share their summer experiences on social media.

8 in 10 opt to dine alfresco during the summer, making the most of the weather, and when choosing the ultimate summer dish, the Irish public look for a meal full of flavour (61%) which is value for money (48%) and fills them up, so they have energy to take on their plans for the day (39%).

Subway’s summer menu will tick all the nation’s boxes, helping the nation to GO BIG with Summer Footlong Subs jam-packed with flavours including Chicken & Bacon, Spicy Italian and Tuna.

Lunch time at Subway can now be complete with NEW Margherita and Pepperoni Slices, made with half a toasted 6” Sub and topped with Subway’s rich signature marinara sauce and melted mozzarella and cheddar cheese, toasted to perfection.

To add some spice to summertime, choose the NEW Steak Loaded Nachos exclusively available via mobile order or from Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo. As the perfect cool down treat, finish with delicious Ben & Jerry’s ice cream available in Subway stores as well as third-party delivery partners.

Angie Gosal, Head of Marketing UK & Ireland at Subway said: “Our research shows that Irish people are ready to GO BIG this summer, from music festivals and sporting events, to picnics in the park.

“No matter what your plans are this summer, Subway is on hand with tasty Subs that are packed full of summer flavours and made fresh in front of you, as well as a new snacking range. We look forward to welcoming our guests into store over the coming months, refueling them ahead of a summer full of fun!”

Guests can order in-store, order ahead and collect in-store via the Subway app or order using third-party delivery services such as Just Eat, Uber Eats and Deliveroo.

To find your nearest open Subway store, visit www.subway.com/en-ie/.

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The range is now available in 26 Applegreen locations including all major motorway service stations and will be available in 75 outlets by the end of 2022.

Braeburn coffee embodies Applegreen’s entrepreneurial ethos and guarantees to make stopping off for a coffee while on the road a truly first-class experience for customers, the company says.

“Our customers’ seek quality, choice and innovation which led to the development of this exceptional braeburn coffee brand. We developed a premium coffee offer that would elevate that on-the-go coffee experience and would be accessible to all our customers – we’re truly proud to see our newest offering come to life,” said Kate O’Shaughnessy, Head of Marketing at Applegreen.

Now in their 30th year of delivering roadside retail excellence, Applegreen set out to capture the hearts of coffee lovers nationwide, working with industry-leading partners to bring to life a concept that is the first of its kind in Europe.

Critical to the success of this project was expanding the expertise within the business – hence Applegreen’s Head of Coffee, Maria Cassidy, one of Ireland’s leading authorities on coffee with more than 20 years’ experience, joined the business in March 2021.

“We’re really excited to launch our new braeburn coffee across the country,” Maria said.

“Today is the culmination of extensive research and testing, and I am sure our thousands of coffee-loving customers are going to really enjoy picking up a fresh cup of braeburn coffee as part of their daily routine.”

Recent research conducted by Applegreen found that over half of Ireland’s population are buying coffee on-the-go at least once per month, with over a third buying at least one coffee per week whilst on the move.

The team also identified an opportunity for iced coffee and found a way to deliver a barista style ice coffee that doesn’t compromise on quality and adds an elevated self-serve experience with textured cold milk.

“To satisfy that demand, we are proud to be the first forecourt and convenience retailer in Ireland to offer state-of-the-art espresso machines allowing us to deliver whipped cold milk that has a silky milkshake texture that marries perfectly with our espresso,” Maria said.

“We’re seeing a surge of demand for iced coffee around the country. As we are adopting newer coffee consumers, for example Gen Z, we must adapt our offering and cater for them with a range of iced lattes and mochas served over ice.

“Testament to this example of how popular our iced coffee is becoming, a user-generated video showcasing our iced coffees recently went viral on TikTok prior to us having officially launched our braeburn coffee brand.”

With notes of sweet citrus fruits, creamy chocolate and rich butterscotch, braeburn coffee is designed to meet the needs of the changing consumer landscape of discerning coffee drinkers.

“The demand for high quality coffee on the go continues to rise and the Irish consumer is quickly becoming amongst the most discerning in Europe, so meeting that expectation for us is high on our agenda,” said Ms Cassidy.

Having set out to deliver the best coffee experience on the road, braeburn coffee at Applegreen brings to life a unique customer-focused coffee experience that delivers quality and consistency throughout their nationwide locations.

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