Good Food Locally Sourced comprises a range of almost 150 products, offering a variety of everyday wholesome tasty food, including meat, poultry, dairy and meal solutions – all sourced from local suppliers across the island of Ireland.

Brought to market in partnership with suppliers including McAtamney’s Gourmet Kitchen in Portglenone and Strathroy Dairies in Omagh, the new range delivers convenient products to Northern Irish customers at the great value the retail brands are well known for and will be made available to more than 200 stores.

Customers nationwide can shop the range from 6^th May, enjoying fresh milk, a selection of meat cuts, as well as delicious readymade offerings such as lasagne, pies and bakes. Global cuisine influences include the popular honey chilli chicken, chicken tikka masala and an NI favourite – the peppered chicken stack – all with the quality assurance of local.

Julie Cherry, Trading Director at Musgrave NI said: “Good Food is an authentic promise of taste, quality and value, while Locally Sourced makes an equally important promise that the range is sourced from here.

“Our investment to bring Good Food Locally Sourced to market reflects our already firm commitment to supporting local producers and suppliers – we spend £166 million annually on local food and drink, we work with 3,000 local farmers and 240 local food and drink suppliers, and stock over 4,500 local products across our stores.”

The launch will be supported with in-store POS, mix & match promotions, and a through-the-line marketing campaign including OOH advertising, TV and radio.

Good Food Locally Sourced will be available to purchase from 6^th May 2024 and will be available from SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores.

The post Musgrave NI announces £14 million investment in local food first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

In October, M&S became the first major high street coffee retailer to offer coffee and all hot drinks in a paper fibre cup and lid, which is 100% recyclable in household and on the go recycling.

Having launched in 20 stores – from next month, the paper fibre coffee cups will be available in more than 300 M&S stores across the UK including M&S Cafés, vended coffee points and Marketplaces within its Foodhalls.

M&S currently has 11 cafes attached to stores in Northern Ireland, located in Newtownabbey, Ballymena, Bangor, Cookstown, Enniskillen, Foyleside, Lisburn, Newry, Omagh and two in Belfast.

Reducing plastic packaging is one of the key issues M&S customers care strongly about and the retailer has a leading track record of taking action. Last year, M&S met its Plan A target to remove 75 million units of plastic in 2023/24 and this roll out is expected to remove a further 20 million units of plastic packaging each year from M&S’ Food business.

‘SUSTAINABLE CUP OF COFFEE’

The expansion follows the introduction of new recyclable paper packaging across the range of sandwiches and toasties available in all M&S Cafes earlier this year, which removed 4.5 million units of plastic.

M&S currently offers a 50p discount on all hot drinks in its Cafes for customers who bring their own reusable cup which is the most sustainable option. However, when this isn’t possible M&S’ new cups are a planet friendly alternative.

Ryan Lemon, Regional Manager at M&S said: “Our goal is to offer customers the most sustainable cup of coffee on the high street. A takeaway coffee they can feel good about drinking because it comes in fully recyclable cups, uses delicious 100% Fairtrade coffee beans and is made with RSPCA Assured fresh milk.

“Our customers care strongly about reducing plastic and they’ve supported our move to paper fibre cups. With no impact to the taste or temperature of their hot drink – and now 100% recyclable – this is one of the ways we’re supporting our customers to make small changes in their everyday lives, which have a big impact on the environment.”

M&S uses only RSPCA-assured milk and 100% Fairtrade tea and coffee in every drink. This combined with “A Cup of Ambition” programme which donates 1p for every tea and coffee sold is reinvested in leadership and climate resilience training, empowering suppliers to create positive change for their businesses and communities.

The post Fully recyclable takeaway cups introduced across all 11 M&S Cafes in NI first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

Rolling out from Tuesday 16^th January, the new kids’ range will initially be available in 70% of Pret’s shops located up and down the country. This latest evolution aims to help expand Pret’s customer base as it focuses its growth outside of London.

At the heart of Pret’s transformation has been a significant shift in the way the business serves customers, providing delicious, freshly made food and organic coffee through new digital and retail channels. Over the past few years, Pret has been accelerating its expansion with franchise partners into areas outside London.

Just like Pret’s main menu, all products in the kids’ range will be made fresh by team members in shops throughout the day, using the same high-quality ingredients found in several Pret classics.

Even the packaging has been designed by kids for kids, with children’s hand-drawn illustrations of Pret stars to decorate the range, giving it the final touch.

‘MAJOR MILESTONE’

To accompany their meal, kids can enjoy a free Barista-made babycino. As always, Club Pret subscribers also get 20% off the entire kids’ range.

The range will be rolled out to more shops throughout 2024, with a view to also expanding into snacks and treats tested by kids along the way.

Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret, said: “Launching Pret’s first full kids’ range has long been a personal ambition and we’ve worked closely with our food development team, franchise partners and even our extended Pret family to create a menu we’re proud of, using the same high-quality ingredients found in several Pret classics that kids will love.

“It’s a major milestone within our transformation journey to bring Pret to a more diverse customer-base across the country, from office workers to entire families and everyone in between.

“We felt it was the right time to expand our menu offer as we continue to focus our growth outside of London. We can’t wait to hear the feedback and are excited to create a new role for Pret within the lives of customers.”

The post Pret A Manger launches first full children’s menu to grow family customer base first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The new store will be located at 11 Donegall Square West in Belfast and will create 20 new jobs in the city.

It will be operated by its longstanding franchise partner, Carebrook Partnership Ltd and represents their fourth shop on the island of Ireland, with three shops already located in Dublin.

The latest opening continues Pret’s mission to bring its freshly made food and organic coffee to more people around the world, including an ambition to open 20 shops across the island of Ireland in the next decade.

Opening later this year, locals and visitors to the new shop on Donegall Square West will soon be able to enjoy Pret’s extensive menu. The company is also looking to recruit in a number of roles, including team members, managers and baristas.

Staff can earn up to £12.30 per hour depending on role, location, experience and bonus inclusion. They will also have access to a benefits package, which includes free food and drink while on shift, as well as a discounts portal.

‘COMMUNITY HUB’

Clare Clough, UK & Ireland Managing Director at Pret A Manger, said: “We’re delighted to be opening Pret’s first-ever shop in Northern Ireland as part of our ambitious plans to bring Pret to more people.

“We’ve long heard that Belfast locals and visitors would love to have a Pret, so we can’t wait to welcome them to our new shop right in the heart of the city with our longstanding franchise partner Carebrook, who has had much success operating Pret shops in the UK and on the island of Ireland.”

Gerard Loughran, Chief Executive at the Carebrook Partnership Ltd, added: “This new opening in Belfast is an important milestone for our partnership with Pret, and it’s fantastic to finally be bringing the Pret brand to Northern Ireland.

“The new shop will create 20 jobs in the city and we hope it can become a hotspot for locals and visitors alike. We’re excited to welcome our first customers later this year, where they can enjoy the freshly made food and coffee Pret is known for.”

In partnership with The Pret Foundation, Pret is on the look-out for local charities to donate surplus food to at the end of each day. Interested local charities should contact The Pret Foundation via Pret.FoundationUK@pret.com

The post Pret A Manger to open first shop in Northern Ireland later this year first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.

The Omagh store secured the prestigious title having impressed the judges with its “exceptional retail standards everywhere in the store” while they were also praised for their attention to detail, which was described as “outstanding”.

The judges felt the product range, facilities and services were “geared perfectly to the customer”.

Indeed, the Retailer of the Year award saw McCullagh’s take a triple crown of titles, having also been named Forecourt of the Year Category 2 and Food To Go Store of the Year, marking a hugely successful evening for the store, its owners and staff.

The judges remarked that despite having “significant competition”, McCullagh’s Classic have “risen to the challenge in a positive way with clear and focused business strategies that have brought about evident benefits”.

“The store is at the heart of the community and takes this responsibility seriously by investing both their time and money in local initiatives that are beneficial to the community and help drive footfall,” added the judges.

Independently judged by Spotcheck, the awards are judged to exacting standards over a three-month period.

Now in their 26^th year, the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards reward excellence, recognise achievement, raise industry standards and reward entrepreneurial spirit.

McCullagh’s Classic was also praised for their “extensive fresh and food to go offering” with the judges noting the store has “really tuned into their customers’ needs in terms of the food offering”.

“They have provided fantastic choice of freshly prepared and cooked food to suit all tastes – much more than expected.”

The post McCullagh’s Classic takes prestigious NI Retailer of the Year title first appeared on Neighbourhood Retailer.