Business

Leading retailer Musgrave announces £110m investment

Ciara McClafferty, trading director, Musgrave; Michael McCormack, managing director, Musgrave; Michele Shirlow chief executive, Food NI.
Ciara McClafferty, trading director, Musgrave; Michael McCormack, managing director, Musgrave; Michele Shirlow chief executive, Food NI. Ciara McClafferty, trading director, Musgrave; Michael McCormack, managing director, Musgrave; Michele Shirlow chief executive, Food NI.

LEADING retailer Musgrave has announced it will be investing £110 million into the local food and drink industry this year.

The group will be buying more than £100m in produce from 140 regional suppliers and will work with 3,000 Irish farmers.

A further £10m will be invested in its network of stores across Northern Ireland.

Musgrave, which owns the Centra and SuperValu chains, recently celebrated its 20th birthday and employs more than 5,000 workers across its businesses.

This year has already seen a £2m investment into their Centra brand's health initiatives, including the Live Every Day campaign and SuperValu’s Let’s Cook mission. Musgrave has also committed £250,000 into staff development in 2017.

Musgrave’s managing director Michael McCormack said the company prides itself in giving back to the local community.

"Supporting retailers, local suppliers and communities remains a top priority for our business," he said.

"Our consumers know that when they shop with us, their money is invested back into their local community through wages, local sourcing, professional services and charitable contributions."

Food NI’s chief executive Michele Shirlow welcomed the news.

"This significant commitment from Musgrave represents a huge vote of confidence in Northern Ireland’s innovative food and drink industry," she said.

"We welcome this investment, which provides support and opportunity for the local producers who are growing our reputation as a great food region."

Last year, Musgrave announced it would be investing £60m in its Northern Ireland operations, including increasing the number of outlets in operates in the region.