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Centra to create 468 jobs across Ireland
Centra has unveiled plans to open 18 new stores this year as part of a new €23m store expansion programme.
The opening of the new shops in 2023 will create 468 new jobs, according to the convenience retailer. This growth is set to bring the total number of those employed by Centra in Ireland to over 12,000.
As well as the new openings, Centra will also revamp 35 of its 490 existing stores across Ireland this year.
Centra, which is part of the Musgrave Group, reported sales of €1.98bn from 167 million consumer transactions last year. This remained unchanged from 2021 and was 17pc higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
The return of office workers saw on-the-go breakfast and lunch options increasing in demand, with sales of these products up by 13pc compared to 2021. Lunchtime deli sales were up by almost 11pc across the year.
Takeaway coffee purchases were also on the rise for commuters, with sales of Frank and Honest coffee up 7pc across 2022.
Own-brand products recorded a 10.3pc rise in sales as more consumers sought to cut costs in the face of soaring inflation. Grocery inflation rose to 15.4pc in the 12 weeks before Christmas last year.
Following a 40pc surge in demand in 2021, the retailer’s Freshly Prepared range saw sales grow by 10pc last year. The retailer attributed the rise to an increased appetite for at-home dining in the second half of the year as consumers tightened their belts in the face of rising inflation.
The retailer’s ice cream brand Moo’d also recorded a 13pc increase in sales in 2022.
Centra will also expand its delivery partnership with Just Eat and Deliveroo to six new locations in the first quarter this year. This option is currently available to shoppers located near 34 of the convenience retailer’s locations.
“Our in-depth understanding of the role of convenience in shopping decisions saw us adapt to the schedules of our time-poor shopper, meeting their needs at each hour of the day,” managing director Ian Allen said.
“Today’s customers are shopping little and often and Centra is the perfect solution to meet this trend.”
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