Centra retailers in Mayo employ 510 staff and source €3 million worth of products from local suppliers annually, new figures released by the company have revealed.
The figures were released by Centra for its National Retailer Conference in Killarney.
The convenience brand announced it made record retail sales of over €1.5 billion in 2014, a three per cent increase compared to 2013.
Local retailers contribute almost €11 million to Mayo communities annually through their stores across the county and make more than €115,000 in donations and sponsorships to some 240 Mayo charities, community groups, schools, and sports clubs.
Speaking at the National Retailer Conference, managing director of Centra, Martin Kelleher, said last year was a very successful one for the group.
“We continued to lead the convenience market and achieved milestone sales of €1.5 billion,” said Mr Kelleher.
“This is a tremendous achievement for the brand and our retailers ... It also places the Centra brand within the top 20 Irish brands by turnover, which is a huge accomplishment when you consider that this has been achieved by the combined efforts of 463 local businesses across the country.”
Mr Kelleher said one of the company’s strategies for 2015 will see the introduction of a new healthier food range, further investment in the company’s own brand and fresh food ranges, and the roll out of new technologies for better retail experiences.
