30 new Centra stores announced
Centra has announced plans to revamp 100 stores in its existing network, and to open 30 new stores as part of a €30 million investment in the brand.
Print6 February 2018
Centra’s newly-announced revamp and store opening programme is part of an ongoing transformation which began two years ago with the brand’s repositioning as the healthy convenience offering. The Live Every Day project has since continued to evolve. The success of this project is illustrated in the win by Centra Parnell St, of the IGD Innovative Store of the Year award recently.
The group’s performance in 2017 was driven by consumers reacting to this initiative, which included the roll-out of the Frank & Honest coffee brand, which is available in 370 stores nationwide, and expansion of the gourmet food offering. Hot beverage sales doubled last year, whiles sales of salad boxes rose to almost €2m and sales of Grab & Go sandwiches rose by 24%.
To complement the brand’s strong growth, Centra has announced the opening of 30 new stores in 2018, highlighting the Centra brand to independent retailers. A revamp programme is also to be deployed, which will see another 100 stores transformed into state-of-the-art Centra stores.
Meanwhile, changes are afoot internally, with Centra revealing plans to launch its Beat the Queue app to more than 100 stores this year. The app will allow lunchtime shoppers to pre-order sandwiches and other items online for collection, to save time and energy during lunchtime.
Martin Kelleher, managing director of Centra, says the company is very happy with its performance in 2017 in what is “an extremely competitive market.
“Our decision to reposition the brand has paid dividends,” says Kelleher. “We do not plan to rest on our laurels though. We will continue to lead the market in terms of innovation, and our ultimate ambition is to redefine convenience shopping.
“We are well-positioned for the future,” says Kelleher, “with plans to open a further 30 Centra stores in 2018. Our performance is ultimately testament to the efforts of our retail partners, who live the brand every day and deliver a tailored offer to the local community.”
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