Incoming boss pledges to retain Musgrave values

The incoming boss of the Musgrave Group has pledged to retain and promote the values which have helped the company develop from a small operator into a €3bn-a-year company.

Today it was made clear to the Evening Echo that Chris Martin didn’t just get the job because of his outstanding qualifications and ability, but because he was fully aware of the ethos that had developed in the company since its foundation.

A ready grasp of the Musgrave values was a necessity for anyone hoping to land the top job in the Musgrave Group, company chairman Hugh MacKeown said.

Chris Martin had shown a ‘ready grasp’ of these values in the 18 months he had been with the company.

These values have often been enunciated by the man he will replace next April, Seamus Scally, who along with Mr MacKeown, was a key driver in converting Musgraves from a small firm into one of the most dynamic companies in Europe.

The vision articulated by both Scally and MacKeown was that the company that began life in the Coal Quay in Cork in 1876, should be passionate about developing a vibrant independent retail grocery sector.

Their vision has delivered spectacular success: the Centra and SuperValu names are bywords for excellence of service, value for money and total focus on the needs of its franchise holders.

The confirmation that the commitment to the independent sector is to remain central to the Musgrave strategy will be hugely re-assuring to the 500 SuperValu and Centra store owners who collectively have made billions of euro worth of investment in their businesses.

Another decisive factor in helping Mr Martin land the post was the crucial role he played in helping the Musgrave Group clinch the 90 million purchase of the Londis UK stores earlier this year.