One of Ireland’s leading wholesale suppliers to the foodservice, retail, and SME businesses has invested €1.7 million in upgrading its Galway branch.
The upgrading initiative undertaken by Musgrave MarketPlace in the first six months of this year is part of a €2.6m project which also involved the development of its Derry branch.
The major investment transformed each branch into what it termed “a state-of-the-art food emporium” as well as reducing its carbon footprint.
The work to upgrade the Galway and Derry branches is the latest step in a €12.6m plan which the company spearheaded to transform each branch and improve its environmental performance. It followed branch upgrades in Dublin’s Ballymun and Robinhood, Cork, and Duncrue in Belfast.
The newly revamped Galway branch, which opens on Wednesday next, has been designed with the customer and environment in mind. As well as offering value, service and a broader product range, it includes a new food theatre for product demonstrations, a bespoke butchery counter, a new coffee counter, as well as in-branch expert advice.
All upgraded branches have been designed to save energy and reduce carbon emissions. It is estimated that Musgrave MarketPlace Galway will reduce its CO2 output by 82,000kg per annum, which is equivalent to the annual electricity required to run 50 homes.
As part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to eliminating food waste, Musgrave MarketPlace Galway has joined forces with social enterprise company FoodCloud. The partnership sees surplus food go to charity. So far in 2019, Musgrave MarketPlace Galway has donated more than 2,000 meals to local Galway charities.
Speaking about the investment in its branches in 2019, Noel Keeley, the managing director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners, said its upgraded branches marks “another significant milestone” in its brand journey.
“Our €2.6m investment in Galway and Derry is the next step on this journey and forms part of our €12.6m investment in our branch network. Upgrading our branches is a response to the changing needs of our customers, needs that were not present 10 years ago. Our food emporium format gives our customers a greater range across all products from world foods to bespoke meat cutting in branch, and crockery and equipment. Additional services available to our customers include a team of product specialists, a trends expert, dedicated chef skills masterclasses, and retailer workshops. We are focused on delivering our customers a first-class customer experience.”
Other new features at Musgrave MarketPlace Galway and Derry will include: An upgraded Click and Collect service which allows customers to place orders online. Customers can park in the conveniently located Click & Collect parking spots at the store exit and, if they have paid online, have their order brought out to the car when they call the Click & Collect number. Alternatively, they can pick up extra items in the branch while their order is being brought to the till where they can then pay for all of their items. Navigating the store has been made easier than ever thanks to a colour blocking system, which aligns with a map on your trolley.
Musgrave MarketPlace has more than 12,000 retail and foodservice lines covering confectionery, soft drinks, grocery, chilled, frozen and dry catering food, alcohol, non-food and equipment.It stocks all leading brands together with an extensive range of own-brand products.
