Marking a £4 million investment, the brand-new convenience store and forecourt in Carn marks a somewhat bold move for the Wilson family.

Experienced retailers, with father Eamonn opening his first store on the Garvaghy Road in Portadown in 1994, the family-run business, which also includes Peter’s brother, Andrew as one of the owners, is a long-established and widely regarded one within the area.

Wanting to expand the business, they purchased their new site at Carn back in 2021, eager to bring new services and offerings to the vast swathe of workers based at the industrial estates.

“We felt there was a need out here that was not being met,” explained Peter.

“It is an industrial area and there are not a lot of chimney pots in the traditional sense, but there are a lot of businesses and workers, and we are catering for those.

“It was a long time getting to the actual build. My dad has had a store in Portadown which traded as a Costcutter from 1994 to 2020, when they renovated and changed to SuperValu.

“Around that time, we bought this site here and we finally got through the planning process at Christmas last year. We started work on the site about two months later and opened the store 32 weeks later, on 16^th September.

“There were no hold-ups during the build, everything went as smoothly as it could, thankfully. We used MSM Contracts in Portadown and they were very very good to us, and it all went well.”

Ideally located next to the Carn and Seagoe industrial estates, the new store boasts a large hot deli and fresh salad and sandwich bar, alongside extensive hot and cold, grab and go options.

There is also an extensive Frank and Honest coffee dock, with three machines and includes a range of coffees including iced as well as oat milk options. The dock also features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic-free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, while shoppers can also avail of a digital loyalty app and get a free coffee after earning 10 digital stamps.

Additionally there is an off licence, in-store bakery offering pastries, breads and scones and a Moo’d ice cream counter.

A particularly special asset for the store is the wide selection of ready-meals as well as their very own butchery range.

“We have our own Wilson’s Butchery just two miles away, so we are getting our prepacked range topped up a couple of times a day,” said Peter.

“We also have a big range of heat and eat items. Our store is a food-to-go driven store, given our location and there is a large deli counter.

“With our own ready-meal selection and butchery range, we’re here to serve the needs of those who both live and work in the area,” added Peter. “Whether it’s a quick bite, a family dinner, or the weekly shop, we’re committed to offering quality and convenience to the local community.”

The family opened the store to the public on Tuesday 16^th September with a full hard launch, inviting customers to the new facility with a host of welcoming offers including a spin and win wheel, free gift bags, gift vouchers, free samples and more.

As a Circle K forecourt, they enjoyed the added bonus just a few days later of one of the fuel company’s regular fuel day offers, Peter said.

“It was by complete coincidence that Circle K were running their cheaper fuel day offer and so it tied in really well with us just being opened,” he said.

“We had people coming who were only initially wanting to avail of the Circle K offer and then they called into the store as well, so there were lots of feet in the store across those early days.”

Their forecourt has eight pumps, two of which are high-speed HGV pumps, along with diesel and ad blue, giving those working in the two industrial estates the opportunity to fuel their cars before or after work.

“It’s beneficial for a lot of businesses in the industrial estate and for people topping up either in the morning or evening, going to and from work. You would have people filling up before they head north to Belfast or also if they’re heading west,” said Peter.

The support from customers in the early stages has continued with a very positive response from the area to the store, which is all very encouraging, as Peter explained.

“As a family, we were standing in the shop the night before, it was all cleaned, everything was ready to go and we looked around and thought it looked fantastic, and at the same time we were all hoping that we would get the customer base.

“When you open a greenfield site, you are taking a risk but the response and the feedback have been great.

“We have learned a lot over the first month,” he added.

“When you open a store you are forecasting what you will do, but now we know what our customers are asking for and what they want, so it’s about doubling down and expanding on those ranges and giving them more options, be it seasonal options as we approach Christmas or expanding what we have already.”

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON WILSON’S CENTRA CARN IN THE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

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Starting on Wednesday 1^st October – International Coffee Day – the campaign will run until Saturday 4^th October. During this period, 50p from every Frank and Honest Coffee sold in participating stores will be donated directly to the brands’ charity partners to help fund life-saving services and health programmes.

Now in its fifth year, the ‘Espresso We Care’ campaign has raised almost £100,000 to date, including over £28,000 last year. These funds help keep Action Cancer’s Big Bus mobile clinic on the road, delivering breast screenings, health checks and skin cancer detection services. They also support Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke in providing care services and health promotion programmes for thousands of people living with, or at risk of developing chest, heart, and stroke conditions.

Maurice Cusack, Senior Marketing Manager at Musgrave NI, which owns the retail brands, said: “Supporting local is very important to Musgrave and our SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores. We’re proud of our long-standing partnerships with Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, and we’re pleased to bring back the ‘Espresso We Care’ campaign for a fifth year.

“We hope our caring customers will pick up a coffee when they’re in store and help us raise funds for two charities doing vital work in communities across Northern Ireland.”

SuperValu and Centra have been partnering with Action Cancer since 2001, and earlier this year reached a landmark £4 million in fundraising for the charity.

MAKING A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE

Gareth Kirk, CEO of Action Cancer added: “We are delighted that the Espresso We Care charity fundraiser is back again this year. Thanks to the continued support of SuperValu and Centra and their generous customers, we can bring our life-saving breast screening service, skin cancer detection and health checks to communities across Northern Ireland on the Big Bus.

“Please purchase a Frank and Honest coffee to support this fantastic initiative. Not only will you enjoy a delicious cup of coffee, but you will also be helping Action Cancer make a positive difference to the lives of local people.”

MACE’s partnership with Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke dates back to 2016 and has so far raised £418,000 for the charity.

Declan Cunnane, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke, said: “Chest, heart and stroke conditions affect at least 400,000 people in Northern Ireland, and we’re committed to supporting those living with these illnesses through our care services.

“We also deliver vital prevention programmes and support ground-breaking research to lead the fight locally against chest, heart and stroke conditions.  In the past year alone, over 36,000 people and organisations benefited from our services – but with almost 90% of our income coming from public donations, support from initiatives like this is essential.

“We’re grateful to Mace customers for their continued support and generosity and encourage everyone to pick up a coffee during the campaign. Every cup helps us reach more people and families across Northern Ireland.”

Starting at £2.90 for a Frank and Honest coffee, 50p from the sale of each coffee will be donated to the charities over the four-day period.

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With a city centre location on Waterloo Place in Derry~Londonderry, the Kavanagh Group’s move to open a high-convenience Centra store quickly proved to be a fruitful one, with a change in offer being sought by consumers in the area.

A family-owned retailing business based in Westport, County Mayo, the Kavanagh Group operates 12 SuperValu supermarkets in the Republic of Ireland and their one high-convenience Centra store at Waterloo Place.

Having traded under the SuperValu brand since 2001, senior management at the Group felt that a larger supermarket concept no longer suited the city centre location and recognised the demand for a high convenience store with a greater focus on food to go.

Following a £750,000 investment, Centra Waterloo Place opened its doors in May 2018, with the Group believing the Centra brand to be much more suited to the city centre location.

“A lot of our customers are office-based, professionals who want something on the go, quick, grabbing their lunch or breakfast on their way to work,” said store manager, Sarah McGuinness.

“At the start we were quite surprised at how busy we were. In the first few days we were running about because we did not expect so many people! We were selling out of a lot of stuff, so we had to get our heads down, concentrate on what our customers were looking for and focus on that.”

As well as being an instant success with the city’s shoppers, Centra Waterloo Place received its first industry accolade just a matter of months after opening at the Neighbourhood Retailer Awards, a win management described as a fantastic reward for the whole team.

Sarah will soon mark her 20^th year working for the Kavanagh Group, and having previously worked in their SuperValu store, she was brought in as store manager for the new Centra store.

“I was here through the building and planning stages and when it opened in May 2018, it was great to see a bright, shiny new store,” said Sarah. “This store is my baby! I have been here from the start of the work to opening and up to now and we are just evolving all the time.”

The 1800 sq ft store is manned by 11 staff, including Sarah and all the team are committed to producing top-quality produce each day for their customers.

On opening the store, the Kavanagh Group and Musgrave were able to bring the very first Green Kitchen to Northern Ireland. The deli, which incorporates a made-to-order, innovative salad bar was a huge success at the start and continues to be a crucial part of the store today.

“The customers were mad about it!” said Sarah. “There is more of a theatrical side to it with everything prepared there and then. It was a great success for us when we opened and it still is.

“A few months ago we created a new menu for it, adding on new wraps and salads to it. Myself and the food to go team at Musgrave put together the new menu and it’s going really well for us.”

With 30% of their sales coming from food to go, it is the cornerstone of the store’s success and they continue to see significant growth in it. Predominantly a breakfast/lunch concept, Centra Waterloo Place does provide an evening range of pre-packed food through their Clean Cut range as well as the Good Food Locally Sourced range from Musgrave.

“It’s about finding out what the customers want and to keep providing that convenience for them,” said Sarah.

READ THE FULL FEATURE ON KAVANAGH’S CENTRA WATERLOO PLACE IN THE JUNE ISSUE OF NEIGHBOURHOOD RETAILER HERE

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Supporting Musgrave’s sustainability strategy, SuperValu and Centra have sponsored 20,000 trees to date, in 70 locations across the region, bringing them a step closer to their pledge of planting 50,000 native trees by 2032.

The project, in conjunction with Trees on the Land, a charity and not-for-profit project from the Green Economy Foundation, launched in 2022 and this year has seen trees planted in Kevin Lynch Hurling Club in Dungiven, Alpha Housing in Portadown, Culloville Blues GAC near Crossmaglen, St Malachy’s High School in Castlewellan, Irvinestown Primary School, Ardmore Cricket Club near Derry~Londonderry, and Limavady Grammar School.

Colleagues from SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland supported the initiative by pulling on their wellies and visiting many of the tree planting locations.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing for SuperValu and Centra said: “At SuperValu and Centra, we are committed to supporting our local communities and to reducing our impact on the environment, as we continue our journey to become a more sustainable business.

A POSITIVE LEGACY

“We believe it is our responsibility to leave a positive legacy for future generations and this project is an important aspect of that goal, creating many environmental benefits.

“We are very proud to continue our partnership with Trees on the Land by sponsoring the planting of a further 5,000 native trees to help create a greener future for our local communities.”

Imogen Rabone, Project Co-ordinator and Founder of Trees on the Land added: “We are delighted to be in the fourth year of the partnership with SuperValu and Centra, which has now seen a total of 20,000 trees planted in communities across Northern Ireland.

“Our vision at Trees on the Land, is to establish tree cover and woodland in rural and urban areas that will provide valuable resources for future generations and bring lasting benefits, including absorbing carbon, improving air quality, supporting biodiversity, and protecting soil.

“It is thanks to partnerships like this with SuperValu and Centra through Musgrave NI that makes this possible.”

A commitment to planting 50,000 trees is one in a list of steps being taken by SuperValu and Centra to make their stores and communities more sustainable.

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David, who has over 20 years’ experience in the FMCG/alcohol industry, joins from Diageo Ireland where he was most recently Head of Spirits, following roles including Head of Strategic Accounts.

As Retail Sales Director, David will oversee the development of the retail partnership model across Northern Ireland, specifically for SuperValu, Centra

and Mace.

John McGinnity has worked with Musgrave for 17 years in various trading and sales roles including his previous position of Head of Specialist and World Food Sales for Musgrave Wholesale Partners across the Republic of Ireland.

As Head of Wholesale and Foodservice, John takes over from Richard Mayne who has moved to the role of Director of Beverage within Wholesale and Foodservice for the Musgrave Group. With 10 years’ experience of working with Musgrave under his belt, Richard will be responsible for leading Musgrave’s beverage businesses across the island of Ireland, supporting the Group’s ambition of being a world class food and beverage business.

Welcoming the appointments, Trevor Magill, Managing Director of Musgrave NI said: “With our ambitious plans to grow our retail store network as well as expand our footprint across the foodservice and wholesale sectors, I am delighted to welcome David and John to the Musgrave NI business.

“We recently announced our £1.2 billion impact on the local economy and I am confident that the experience that David and John bring will ensure we continue to remain a positive force here in Northern Ireland. I would also like to wish Richard the very best in his new role.”

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