Food and drink retail brands Centra, SuperValu and Mace, plus wholesale brands Musgrave MarketPlace and Drinks Inc., all part of Musgrave Northern Ireland, have today launched their latest campaign ‘Love Local? So Do We’ which will spotlight the fantastic range of local products available from the brands across the region.

The campaign follows the recent publication of Musgrave’s economic and social impact report which was unveiled at a special event at St George’s Market in Belfast earlier this month and set out a £1.2 billion contribution to the Northern Ireland economy by Musgrave NI.

Supporting the findings and celebrating the brands’ commitment to local, ‘Love Local? So Do We’ is live in stores, branches and online now, with customers encouraged to enjoy the very best local products.

Director of Marketing Desi Derby said: “Our commitment to local is evident not least in our £240m annual spend on local food and drink, our relationships with over 250 local suppliers and our support for our local charity partners Action Cancer and Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke, for which we have raised a combined total of £4.4 million.

“We’re excited about our new campaign which will spotlight everything local, from food and drink to people and partnerships, testament to the positive impact we’re committed to making in local communities here.”

Following a major £500,000 investment, the Mace store and Post Office in Waringstown has converted to the Centra brand. This is the second Centra store to officially launch this month, following the opening of Centra Scotch Street in Portadown on 9th May.

The store, owned by Leon and Deirdre Toland, supports 21 jobs in the local community, including five new positions, and is a much-valued amenity for the area. Significant changes have been made to the store to create a more seamless and modern shopping environment for customers.

Owner, Deirdre Toland, said: “We have been serving the local community for 18 years and are delighted to relaunch our store under the Centra brand, continuing our long partnership with Musgrave. The refurbishment combined with our new offering for customers is a welcome addition to the local area and will provide a more modern shopping experience. Feedback from our shoppers has been extremely positive and we look forward to continuing to serve the local community with the best in modern convenience retailing for many years to come.”

The modern store offers a wide range of fresh and chilled foods plus a greater selection of meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including food-to-go from a greatly enhanced hot and cold deli counter, and a new range of freshly baked items from the in-store bakery.

Honest Coffee lovers can enjoy a hot drink to-go at the upgraded Frank and Honest Coffee dock which features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also avail of the coffee brand’s digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

To celebrate, the store team hosted a family fun day with a spin to win wheel, goodie bags, balloon modelling, face painting, ice cream and more. Leon and Deirdre were also joined by Musgrave NI’s Retail Sales Director David Higgins and Sales Manager Norman Bennett.

David Higgins commented: “Musgrave has worked with Leon and Deirdre for many years, and we are delighted to continue this valued partnership with them as they move to the Centra brand. “The recent renovation will be a real asset to the community, delivering improved convenience along with great value for local shoppers. As part of our commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from hundreds of best buys and savings of up to 40% on own brand products. “

“This store is also a fantastic addition to the growing Centra portfolio, and we wish the Tolands all the best on their new journey.”

Centra also offers shoppers a Supermarket Price Match on key everyday items with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, plus the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Committed to supporting local suppliers, Musgrave NI spends more than £166m on local food and drink annually, working with more than 3,000 local farmers, over 240 local suppliers and stocking over 4,500 local products across its stores, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range of meal solutions.

Significant investment has been made in sustainability measures, as Musgrave and its brands work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Features include LED lighting and top-grade energy efficient refrigeration.

For more information on Centra stores in Northern Ireland, visit www.centra.co.uk

Centra stores have been commended for excellence at the annual Musgrave Northern Ireland ‘Store of the Year’ awards. The Musgrave awards ceremony celebrates and recognises the achievements, hard work and dedication of its retail partners across its brands.

Centra McPolin’s in Annaclone scooped the Centra Foodmarket Store of the Year award, acknowledged for its outstanding customer service standards, strong sales and continually delivering what the community wants; ‘a store that’s small in size but big on stature’.

In the Centra High-Convenience category, Centra Kavanagh’s Waterloo Place in Derry~Londonderry was awarded Store of the Year for the fourth time due to its excellent teamwork, plus very high standards across range and customer service. Described as a ‘small store that packs a big punch’, the store also picked up the LRQA award which recognises the highest standards in food quality and safety.

The ceremony also saw Centra McCloskey’s Frosses Road in Cloughmills, which opened in July 2024, take the title of Newcomer of the Year. In the charity category, Centra Cuttle’s Deansbridge in Armagh was crowned Fundraiser of the Year for Action Cancer, after raising a fantastic £4,573 in 2024. In the Excellence in Social Media category, Centra Lusty’s Larne clinched the title, while Centra Boal and Martin’s in Holywood was also recognised for continuous improvement in the LRQA food quality and safety category.

Trevor Magill, Managing Director of Musgrave Northern Ireland said: “The Musgrave Store of the Year awards provide us the opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate the achievements, hard work and dedication of our retail partners, across our three brands.

“I want to say a huge thank you to all our retailers who work so hard to maintain the highest standards across our brands. Congratulations to all the finalists and award winners who never fail to deliver the best customer service to communities across Northern Ireland.”

The awards ceremony was hosted by radio presenter and DJ Pete Snodden last Friday night in The Slieve Donard Hotel. Finalists are selected following several rigorous rounds of performance and standards audits, with the highest accolade being ‘Store of the Year’.

~ Musgrave NI and Action Cancer celebrate 25 years of partnership ~

SuperValu and Centra retailers have officially raised over £4million in fundraising for Action Cancer, a record-breaking amount achieved by a company for an individual charity in Northern Ireland.

Entering their 25th year of loyal partnership in 2025, SuperValu and Centra stores have worked tirelessly for a quarter of a century to raise critical funds, enabling Action Cancer to provide life-saving services in local communities through the Big Bus as well as the Health Action Programme (HAP).

Focused on cancer prevention, detection and support in communities across Northern Ireland, Action Cancer delivers health promotion and improvement programmes, digital breast screening, health checks, skin cancer detection assessments as well as support and therapeutic services.

Over the last 25 years, Musgrave NI has funded 30,000 breast screenings, 30,000 health checks and 450 skin cancer detection appointments on board the Big Bus. In addition, there have been 2,576 Health Action Programmes delivered face-to-face in schools and 25 online sessions to local children in their classrooms.

The vitalness of Action Cancer’s service continues to be prevalent across NI as 20,000 people engage in the charity’s local services year on year, with the Big Bus making 200 visits throughout NI and 8,000 women screened for breast cancer every year.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing at Musgrave said: “We’re committed to making a positive impact on the communities we’re part of; and are thrilled to reach such a significant fundraising milestone for Action Cancer. Our retail partners, colleagues and indeed shoppers, across SuperValu and Centra have shown incredible support for 25 years now, we’re extremely proud of this and the difference it has made in aiding Action Cancer’s essential life-saving work. With cancer now affecting one in two people, there is no time to slow down, so we look forward to working alongside Action Cancer for many years to come”.

Gareth Kirk, CEO of Action Cancer added: “The support Action Cancer has received for the past 25 years and which it continues to enjoy today from Musgrave NI through its SuperValu and Centra brands, is both incredible and extraordinary. £4million is an incredible amount of money; money which has ensured that our mobile screening clinic the Big Bus, has year on year been able to deliver its life-saving breast screening, skin cancer detection and health check services throughout the whole of N .Ireland.

“The support received from SuperValu and Centra staff and their customers, has resulted in young women having their breast cancer detected early, young and old a skin cancer detected and others a health check leading to a GP referral.

“Extraordinary, for in the charity world, corporate / charity partnerships rarely, if ever, continue for 25 years. Our enduring partnership is based very much on a mutual respect for each other and our shared Values and Common Goals of making a positive difference to local people living in local communities throughout N.Ireland.

“We look forward to the next 25 years working together and in partnership delivering on our Mission: to save lives, support and improve quality of life for people in Northern Ireland through cancer awareness, prevention, detection and support.”

Making a real tangible and valuable impact, Musgrave, Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and foodservice company and the parent of SuperValu and Centra brands, began working with Action Cancer in 2001, which has led to life-saving interventions.

Fundraising highlights this year included the Espresso We Care initiative which saw 50p from the sale of every Frank and Honest coffee over 4 days donated, plus Sponsor a Mammogram, which challenged every store to raise £120 – what it costs Action Cancer to provide a free breast screening appointment to women outside of NHS screening age with no symptoms (40-49, and over 70).

Action Cancer Ambassador Nicola Somerville had her breast cancer detected on board the Big Bus when it visited Fruitfield SuperValu store in May 2023 when she was aged 48.

Nicola said: “I have availed of breast screenings on board the Big Bus since the age of 40. I attended every 2 years and was very organised about booking an appointment. I realised the importance of this service and was keen to avail of it. I found the mammograms themselves to be absolutely fine, I had no pain, and I was in and out in twenty minutes.

“I am very thankful for the Big Bus service, coming to towns and villages like mine and making this service more accessible to busy women outside of Belfast. I have encouraged work friends, family and friends to avail of the screening. We’re really fortunate to have this free service as it doesn’t exist anywhere else in the UK or Ireland so it’s really important that you book an appointment, it could save your life.”

In celebration of the 25-year milestone, Action Cancer has release additional breast screenings for women aged 40-49 or 70+ (those who fall outside of the NHS screening service age range), specifically for those who have no breast cancer symptoms (asymptomatic).

Women who are experiencing any breast cancer symptoms are strongly advised to contact their GP immediately.

Breast screening appointments can be booked online at www.actioncancer.org/appointments or by calling 028 9080 3344.

Centra on Main Street in Toome has officially relaunched following a major refurbishment and investment of £300,000.

The store, which supports 22 jobs in the community, was recently acquired by experienced retailer Ryan Cathcart, who operates Centra stores on Roguery Road, Toome and on Castledawson Road in Magherafelt.

The store features a wide range of meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including an enhanced food to go offering with sandwiches, salads and a hot food counter at the deli.

Commenting at the launch of the refurbished store, owner Ryan Cathcart said:

“We’re proud to unveil a fresh new look in the store which has been a fixture in the community for many years. Feedback so far has been very positive, and we look forward to providing shoppers with an extensive range, great value and excellent customer service for many years to come.”

Centra Sales Manager Norman Bennett added:

“Congratulations to our independent retail partner Ryan on his newly refreshed store – a lot of work has gone into the transformation and it’s clear to see customers are impressed with the changes. It’s a real asset to the community, offering the height of convenience at great value.  We have worked in partnership with Ryan for many years and are delighted to see this new addition to his business; I’d like to wish him and the team all the best with the new store.”

Other features in the store include a Frank and Honest coffee dock, which features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also avail of the coffee brand’s digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

As part of Centra’s commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from hundreds of best buys and savings of up to 40% on own brand products.  That’s as well as a Supermarket Price Match on key everyday items with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, plus the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Centra is also committed to supporting local suppliers, with Musgrave NI spending more than £166m on local food and drink annually, working with more than 3,000 local farmers, over 240 local suppliers and stocking over 4,500 local products across its stores, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range of meal solutions.

As Musgrave and its brands work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the updated store features energy efficient LED lighting and refrigeration system, while digital screens and electronic shelf edge labels will be introduced, all to reduce the store’s energy consumption and carbon footprint.

The store team also celebrated the launch with a fun day for customers with exclusive offers, a spin and win wheel, balloon modeller and face painter.

The store’s opening hours are: 6am to 9pm, Monday to Friday, 7am to 9pm on Saturday, and 8am to 9pm on Sunday.

Following a £1m investment, O’Kane’s convenience store and petrol forecourt on the Moy Road in Armagh, has been refurbished and has officially opened under the Centra brand.

The store which supports 67 jobs in the local community, including 15 new positions, has been in the O’Kane family since the 1990s, started by Tom. The business is now run by his sons Brian and Aidan, and daughter Helen. The store, which includes Moy Road Post Office, is a much-valued amenity for the area, and the significant investment has allowed for new and exciting additions.

To mark the occasion the O’Kane family were joined by Musgrave NI’s Sales Manager Norman Bennett and New Business and Acquisitions Manager, Barry Holland.

Commenting on the opening Brian O’Kane: “We are delighted to relaunch our store under the Centra brand. The refurbishment combined with our enhanced offering is proving extremely popular with our customers and we look forward to continuing to serve the local community with a one-stop shop and the best in modern convenience retailing for many years to come.”

The modern store offers a wide range of fresh and chilled foods plus a greater selection of options and meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including food-to-go from an enhanced hot and cold deli counter.

Coffee lovers can enjoy a hot drink to-go and refreshing iced coffee at the Frank and Honest Coffee dock, which features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also avail of the coffee brand’s digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

Inspired by the Frank and Honest coffee brand, the family opened a Frank and Honest café next to the store where customers can sit in to enjoy a hot drink and sweet treats from an ice cream counter.

Barry Holland added: “O’Kane’s Centra in Armagh is a fantastic addition to the ever- growing Centra portfolio, and we wish the family all the best on their new journey. The recent renovation will be a real asset to the community, delivering improved convenience along with great value for local shoppers, while the new café is exceeding expectations.”

In addition to an enhanced product range and as part of Centra’s commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from hundreds of best buys and savings of up to 40% on own brand products. That’s as well as a Supermarket Price Match on key everyday items with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, plus the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Centra is also committed to supporting local suppliers, with Musgrave NI spending more than £166m on local food and drink annually, working with more than 3,000 local farmers, over 240 local suppliers and stocking over 4,500 local products across its stores, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range of meal solutions.

As Musgrave and its brands work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the store features digital screens, energy efficient LED lighting, an energy efficient refrigeration system and electronic shelf edge labels.

The store team also celebrated the launch with a fun day for customers with exclusive offers, a spin and win wheel, balloon modeller and face painter. The store’s opening hours are: 6am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 10pm on Sunday.

For more information on Centra stores in Northern Ireland, visit www.centra.co.uk

Frank and Honest named Northern Ireland’s favourite convenience store coffee

With the coffee you’re carrying saying as much about you as the trainers you’re wearing, latest research* puts Northern Irish preferences under the microscope as the latte is crowned Northern Ireland’s favourite type of coffee.

The findings revealed that more than 28% of respondents pick the milky hot latte, with Cappuccino and Americano both following behind at 17% each. The research was commissioned by Musgrave, Ireland’s leading food retail, wholesale and foodservice company and parent of the Frank and Honest coffee brand, which came out as Northern Ireland’s favourite convenience store coffee.

On average, coffee drinkers are consuming three coffees per day, with 13% claiming to have five or more per day – with a third of respondents risking a sleepless night and enjoying a coffee past 6pm.

With the seemingly ever-expanding coffee menu across establishments, a major trend amongst consumers is personalisation, with a third adding flavours, and 54% of those satisfying their sweet tooth with a pump of caramel syrup.

Whether it’s oat, soya or coconut, the alternative milk trends also continue to froth to the top as 1 in 4 will now opt for non-dairy milk, rising to 30% with those aged 18-34 years old.

The results also showed that even though Northern Ireland gets on average 180 days of rain per year, a third of the population drink an iced coffee every week, with one in seven opting for the cool drink no matter the weather.

Sales of the icy beverage are being driven by the Gen Z and younger millennial market with 18–34-year-olds purchasing yet conversely over half of those aged 45+ have never and don’t intend to drink iced coffee.

Desi Derby, Director of Marketing at Musgrave said: “Coffee trends are ever- changing and evolving as more options and alternatives get added to the menu. We have noticed corresponding trends across our stores with syrups being chosen daily, and there has been a clear uptake in iced coffee preferences year-round in many of our stores; we look forward to rolling out the cool alternatives in even more stores soon.

“We’re delighted that Frank and Honest has been crowned Northern Ireland’s favourite convenience store coffee. Not only is it a great tasting coffee, but it also has an environmental pledge at its heart not least with fully compostable cups and lids. We’re committed to providing the injection of caffeine the region needs; in whatever brew they prefer.”

To celebrate the findings, Musgrave teamed up with local personality and radio presenter Melissa Riddell who hit the streets of Belfast with a giant love wall, filled with handwritten notes from the public declaring their love for the perfect cup of Frank and Honest coffee. Frank and Honest Coffee is available exclusively at participating SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores.

Coffee beans are at the ready in Centra and SuperValu stores across Northern Ireland, as the retail brands call on coffee loving customers to buy a coffee and Espresso they care in a fundraising campaign for Action Cancer.

Announced today on International Coffee Day, the initiative will run from this Thursday (3rd October) until Sunday (6th October). 50p from the sale of every Frank and Honest Coffee in participating Centra and SuperValu stores, will go straight to the brands’ charity partner to help it continue to provide its life-saving and support services.

Now in its fourth year, the ‘Espresso We Care’ fundraising initiative has raised £57,000 so far for Action Cancer thanks to caring coffee drinking customers.

These funds go directly to help keep Action Cancer’s mobile clinic the Big Bus on the road, bringing its breast screening service, health checks and skin cancer detection clinic to communities across Northern Ireland.

Director of Marketing at Musgrave NI, which owns the retail brands, Desi Derby, said: “Supporting local is very important to Musgrave and our Centra and SuperValu stores, and we are very proud of our long-term partnership with this local charity. We’re delighted to run this fundraising campaign again for the fourth time and hope our caring customers will pick up a coffee when they’re in-store and help us raise funds for a very worthwhile cause.”

Centra and SuperValu have been partnering with Action Cancer since 2001, and to date have raised more than £3.8million for the charity.

Thanking Centra and SuperValu staff and their customers, Gareth Kirk, CEO of Action Cancer said: “We are delighted that Centra and SuperValu are running their ‘Espresso We Care’ coffee campaign once again this year. We have been able to provide communities throughout Northern Ireland with our life-saving breast screening service and health checks on board the Big Bus for the last 24 years, all thanks to the continued support of Centra and SuperValu customers and employees. Last year, we expanded our list of mobile services available on board the Big Bus to include a new skin cancer detection service.

“From October 3 to October 6, please purchase a Frank and Honest coffee to support this wonderful 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.”

Starting at £2.70 for a Frank and Honest coffee, 50p from the sale of each coffee will be donated to the charities over the four-day period.

Leading retail group Musgrave continues its commitment to providing value for money for its customers with the launch of a Big Brand Sale across its Centra, SuperValu, and Mace stores.

The promotion, which sees 50 big brands discounted in Centra stores, and over 30 brands in SuperValu and Mace stores, until 28th September is just one element of a wider £6 million investment in value announced earlier this year by Musgrave.

Shoppers can save over £200 on special offers across Centra, while there are savings of more than £125 to be made across SuperValu and Mace. This is in addition to Centra’s and SuperValu’s ongoing Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products which change every three weeks.

While grocery inflation reached its lowest rate in almost three years in July, data and insights specialists Kantar reported that August saw a slight increase from 1.6% in the previous month to 1.8%*. This, teamed with back-to-school expenses, has placed additional strains on household budgets for many consumers.

Brand manager Jennifer Morton said: “We understand the pressures many shoppers are faced with at this time of year as summer ends and back to school bills mount. To help shoppers, we are committed to offering the best value in convenience through our Big Brand Sale across Centra, SuperValu and Mace, as well as our Epic Deals promotion and our extensive own-brand ranges which are up to 40% cheaper than better known brands, in Centra and SuperValu.

“Our investment in value, alongside an annual spend of £166 million in local food and drink, shows a real commitment to our stores, communities and customers.”

The current offers and Big Brand Sale promotions are in place until 28th September. The full range of offers can be found here:

https://www.centra.co.uk/leaflet