Musgrave invests €25 million in stores

All-island retailer sustainability fund will see 12% reduction in carbon over two years. This fund is a key part of new strategy to achieve carbon reduction targets.

Musgrave has today announced a €25 million investment in SuperValu and Centra stores across the island of Ireland as part of a new sustainability fund aimed at empowering retailers to achieve net zero carbon by 2040. Once deployed, the fund, which is part of Musgrave’s all-island sustainability strategy, will result in an estimated 12% carbon reduction by the company over a two-year period.

The 12% carbon reduction is equivalent to removing over 10,000 tonnes of carbon, planting 380,380 trees across the island of Ireland or powering 5,054 homes.

Musgrave’s new sustainability strategy aims to reduce its carbon emissions to reach net zero carbon by 2040, provide consumers with more sustainable shopping choices in-store and working with retailers to make every community in Ireland a sustainable community.

In the Republic of Ireland, Musgrave is committing up to €50,000 per SuperValu store and up to €28,000 per Centra store. Retailers can select 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 (eSEL).

The Musgrave contribution to Centra stores, and the investment from Centra stores comes to a combined investment of €20 million in energy and carbon reduction in Centra stores, the energy saved is equivalent to powering 1700 homes.    

Noel Keeley, CEO, Musgrave Group said: “There has never been a time in human history when our collective effort will matter more than in dealing with the climate crisis. As a business with a presence in every community across the island of Ireland, we have a responsibility to take action and put in place real and substantive sustainability policies.  The Musgrave Sustainability Fund is an important step on that journey. Through an exceptional network of retail partners – 1,000 SMEs and local entrepreneurs who are passionate about their communities, SuperValu and Centra retailers are committed to sustainability and making a real difference in people’s lives every day. Leveraging the passion and focus of this network of local business leaders gives us the unique ability to make every community in Ireland a sustainable one.”

As part of its strategy, Musgrave has committed to:

• 100% of its own brand packaging will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025
  • Currently 90% of its own brand packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable
• 100% of instore packaging to be recyclable, reusable & compostable by 2025
• By 2025 all stores will have LED lighting
• By 2025 over 75% of stores will have doors on their refrigeration
• By 2025 100 stores will be fitted with solar panels

Gerry Doherty, SuperValu and Centra Store owner said: “SuperValu and Centra retailers across Ireland are committed to building sustainable communities and achieving the important target of reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2040. This new Sustainability Fund will make a real difference to stores like ours nationwide and will help us in making significant steps towards achieving our environmental targets.  In my own store we have already reduced our environmental impact through investment in green electricity and energy efficiencies such as LED lighting and fridge upgrades. This new fund will ensure we can build on these efforts and achieve lasting, sustainable changes that will help our business grow and thrive for years to come.”

In 2016, Musgrave became the first food retail and wholesale group in Ireland to become a verified member of the Origin Green sustainability programme (Ireland’s national sustainability programme for the food and drink industry). Since 2019, Musgrave has been Sustainable Development Goals Champion, which recognises the ongoing commitment to operating as a sustainable business and the achievements made as part of its sustainability strategy. 

Noel Keeley Musgrave CEO continued: “I am proud of the progress we have achieved so far with our sourcing and packaging, and my priority as CEO is to build on that progress in the years to come. We look forward to working with all of our retail partners and customers as we build towards a more sustainable Ireland for all.”

 Further details on Musgrave’s sustainability strategy can be found at:  https://www.musgravegroup.com/sustainability/.

Notes to editor:

About Musgrave:

Musgrave is Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and foodservice company. Together with its retail partners, the Group supports more than 41,000 jobs, in more than 1,400 stores and offices, with combined total retail sales of €5.4 billion.

Musgrave is proud to be one of Europe’s most successful family-owned businesses with a 145-year heritage in food and brand innovation.

Musgrave support thousands of retail and foodservice family businesses. Everyday Musgrave feeds one in three people in Ireland through 11 market leading food and beverage brands that include SuperValu, Centra, Frank and Honest and Musgrave MarketPlace.

Musgrave brands are successful because they meet the changing needs of today’s shoppers and are developed in collaboration with outstanding local entrepreneurs based in the communities they serve.

Musgrave Sustainability Journey:

Musgrave has been measuring and managing its emissions for almost 20 years.  In 2004 Musgrave was the first Irish business to join the UN Global Compact. In 2014 Musgrave was the first retailer to be certified under Business in the Community Ireland’s Business Working Responsibly Mark and in 2015 became the first retailer to be certified under Bord Bia’s Origin Green Programme – Ireland’s national sustainability programme for the food and drink industry.

Musgrave is a Sustainable Development Goals Champion, which recognises the ongoing commitment to operating as a sustainable business and the achievements made as part of our sustainability strategy.

Musgrave was the first Irish grocery retailer to introduce compostable bags in the fresh produce sections of SuperValu and Centra and the first to introduce 100% compostable coffee cups and lids through the Frank and Honest coffee range.