Musgrave NI has launched a partnership with FareShare Northern Ireland, the region’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste, by introducing food donation points into selected SuperValu and Centra stores.

SuperValu and Centra customers have already been supporting a trial in selected stores, and have so far donated over 800kg of food, helping 40 charities provide the equivalent of 1,623 meals, while Musgrave donated a further 1,495 kg of food equating to an additional 3,475 meals.

The partnership is now being extended to more stores across Northern Ireland.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra at Musgrave NI said:

“We are acutely aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on people and families across Northern Ireland so to be able to work with FareShare and provide these collection points for food donation is something which we’re very proud of. We would like to thank our shoppers for their support and encourage customers to pick up an extra item when they’re shopping and donate it to this very worthwhile cause.” 

FareShare is the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and tackling food waste. FareShare works with the food industry to get good-to-eat food surplus food,  which might otherwise go to waste, and redistribute it to a nationwide network of frontline charities and community groups. These charities help tackle the root causes of poverty, and provide wraparound services including shelters for the homeless, lunch clubs for elderly people suffering with isolation, and support with issues including debt, employment and mental health.

In Northern Ireland, FareShare is operated by Homeless Connect (the working name of Council for the Homeless (Northern Ireland).  It is the largest charitable food redistribution project in NI fighting hunger and tackling food waste. In 2022, FareShare Northern Ireland distributed the equivalent of 1,616,295 meals.

Polly Hofmann, Head of Retail at FareShare added:

“We are enormously grateful to Musgrave Northern Ireland for their support with this partnership. After a successful trial in selected stores, we look forward to extending the project to many more locations in the coming months. Demand for food from FareShare has skyrocketed due to the cost-of-living crisis and generous donations by customers of SuperValu and Centra will ensure the charities we support in Northern Ireland can continue to provide essential services, using food to strengthen communities.”

FareShare food donation points are available in:

• SuperValu Comber
• SuperValu Downpatrick
• SuperValu Lisburn
• SuperValu Kings Road
• SuperValu Newcastle
• SuperValu Omagh
• SuperValu Portadown
• SuperValu Portstewart
• Centra Foxes Glen (Stewartstown Road)
• Centra Mallusk
• Centra Islandbawn (Antrim)
• Centra Ballymena
• Centra Brookmount (Omagh)

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Already this year, Centra Foxes Glen on the Stewartstown Road, Belfast opened its doors supporting 21 jobs, including 10 new positions.

The investment will also fund significant refurbishments of SuperValu and Centra stores. Following the refresh of four SuperValu stores in 2022 as part of Musgrave’s SuperValu Rejuvenation programme, several new stores will benefit from refurbishment creating an enhanced shopping experience, including a new hot and cold deli counter, a Moo’d Ice Cream bar, expanded in-store bakery, and an upgraded off-licence.

Trevor Magill, Managing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland said:

“We have ambitious plans to grow our network of stores this year with 18 new stores due to open in 2023 across the region. Working with our retail partners, we are making significant upgrades to our stores to ensure that we are providing the best quality shopping experience possible, whilst reducing our impact on the environment.

“Our stores are at the heart of the communities in which we operate, and I’d like to thank our dedicated teams across SuperValu, Centra and MACE for helping us provide those communities with great quality, value and excellent customer service.”

In 2022 Musgrave introduced a £2.7M Sustainability Fund, and in 2023 environmental impact remains high on the agenda with an additional £1M committed to supporting stores in reducing their carbon footprint. To achieve Musgrave Group’s goal of Net Zero by 2040, the business has been supporting its retailers by providing suitable initiatives based on each store’s needs and set-up, including upgrading freezers and refrigeration units, LED lighting retrofit, solar panels, and electronic shelf edge labels (eSELs).

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Paddy joins Musgrave NI from Unilever where he was Channel Director, responsible for the delivery of the sales plan for the Grocery channel across all divisions. Prior to Unilever, he worked as a Sales Director with Coca-Cola HBC across the island of Ireland.

Welcoming the appointment, Trevor Magill, Managing Director of Musgrave NI said: “Our ambitious plans to redefine convenience within our network of stores are well underway, including a programme of store refurbishments and reinvigoration of our brand offerings.

“We are delighted that Paddy will be leading the development of new commercial opportunities across Musgrave NI and optimising sales and profitability of our retail brands, building on the already strong relationships we have with our retail partners.  Paddy will also be focused on the aggressive growth of our brands through competitor conversions and strategic acquisitions.”

As Retail Sales Director, Paddy Murney will oversee the development of the retail partnership model across Northern Ireland.

“As a company, our aim is to grow good, sustainable businesses for our retailers, our customers, our suppliers and ultimately Musgrave,” he said.

“I am delighted to join such a long-established family business and award-winning team.  I am looking forward to bringing my extensive sales and brand experience to the business, driving forward the existing strong partnerships with our SuperValu and Centra retailers, while identifying new commercial opportunities which will drive profitability of the brands.”

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