SuperValu sales up 1% to €2.1bn

SuperValu saw its annual sales increase by 1% to €2.1bn last year with that figure rising further to around €2.5bn if the recently aligned Superquinn brand is added.

The Musgrave Group announced its plans to merge its 24 Superquinn stores with its SuperValu brand last August, with that move formally being realised earlier this month. SuperValu now has a 25.2% share of the retail grocery market and is the largest domestically owned player.

Its expanded network — it has 22% market share in Dublin with 44 stores, positioning it well for the ongoing population growth expected on the east coast in the coming years — now consists of 223 stores nationwide, which handle 2.6m transactions per week and employ 14,500 workers.

At its national conference in Killarney yesterday, SuperValu announced its intention to create 210 jobs in the coming 12 months, with three new stores also on the agenda.

The business is to spend close to €20m on enhancing its brand during 2014. The new stores form part of a €7m investment by the group’s various independent retail partners.

On top of that, €12m will be invested in the expansion and refurbishment of 45 existing stores.

This investment also follows the announcement of a €20m in-store spend in the former Superquinn store network.

“With one-in-four shoppers now shopping in a SuperValu outlet, we are determined to build on the quality and value proposition that shoppers have come to expect from us and our retail partners. Looking forward to 2014, we will continue to focus on offering a unique combination of fantastic quality, excellent customer service and an innovative shopping experience,” SuperValu’s managing director Martin Kelleher said at yesterday’s conference.

Recent market share data from consumer insights agency, Kantar Worldpanel, showed that apart from German discounters Aldi and Lidl, SuperValu was the only grocery chain to increase share in the 12 weeks up to the beginning of this month, going from 19.9% to 20.1%, year-on-year.

“SuperValu’s success can be attributed to putting the customer first, investing in quality and staying true to our roots in communities across Ireland,” Mr Kelleher added.