New Marketplace is “future” of cash and carry

Matt Lee, general manager MarketPlace Robinhood, Frank Coughlan, managing director Musgrave Retail Partners, with a Musgrave MarketPlace chef

New Marketplace Cash and Carry concept for Musgrave formally launched at the group's Robinhood site in south Dublin

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Musgrave has invested €1.5 million in relaunching its 110,000 sq ft cash and carry in Robinhood Industrial Estate, Clondalkin, Co Dublin.

The cash and carry has been rebranded as Musgrave Marketplace, with an enhanced shopper environment and wider range of stock, particularly in its chilled and frozen categories. Three stores had previously converted to Musgrave Marketplace, in Ballymun, Cork and Belfast, and the group aims to see eight of its cash and carry branches converted to the Musgrave Marketplace banner by 2011.  

As part of Musgrave’s ‘First For Value’ commitment, it has introduced over 1,500 price cuts as well as deep-cut monthly promotions and weekly ‘Killer Deals.’ The Musgrave Excellence own label-range of 250 products sells at 10% to 15% below comparative branded products and Musgrave Marketplace sells all fruit and veg at cost price.

Chilled and frozen foods take centre stage at the Robinhood branch, occupying 6,700 sq ft, with over 1,000 products. A permanent cooking station is placed up-front of this section, where in-house chefs promote available lines with daily demonstrations.

Director of cash and carry, Michael Stafford said Musgrave has made several positive changes within Musgrave Marketplace by listening to customers, and evolving its services and range, based on this feedback.

For example, the store offers advice to retailers in the form of cost-control, value-engineering menus, retail merchandising and plannograms. Musgrave also offers HACCP training at the reduced price of €100 per person, compared to a typical rate of €300. Stafford said this service, which would be held twice a year, had proved popular with retailers, and at a previous class at Ballymun, 10 participants out of 30 were retailers. Its store redevelopment services had also proved popular with retailers, with up to 20 such programmes being carried out by the Robinhood team each year.

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