SUPERVALU & CENTRA STORES ACROSS IRELAND DONATE OVER €325,000 TO LOCAL COMMUNITY BUILDINGS
For the 8th year, SuperValu and Centra stores are spearheading environmental change in the Irish retail sector. In
partnership with the SEAI (Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland), who provided funding for the community upgrade projects, 13 stores across Ireland have rolled out the Building Sustainable Communities initiative.
This campaign calls on stores to identify and upgrade areas of their own operations which can be made more energy efficient, in keeping with high standards of energy efficiency and renewable energy usage, but also to identify community buildings in their area to donate funds to upgrade their facilities. The ambitious aim is to reduce energy costs, fossil fuel usage and greenhouse gas emissions year on year. This is a huge undertaking of both time and capital, but one which SuperValu and Centra feel extremely passionate about, especially when they see the difference it makes in their local community.
This year the community buildings in receipt of this substantial financial contribution, in excess of €325,000, as a result of the scheme and the stores’ notable efforts included; St. Christopher’s Day Care Centre Longford, Fermoy Rowing Club, St. Joseph’s National School Cavan, St.Benedict’s Priory Cobh and Bandon GAA, to name but a few.
In their clubhouses and buildings these local groups installed new heat pumps and insulation, while some opted for new energy efficient LED lighting. These upgrades put money back into the pockets of these very worthwhile causes, due to reduced yearly energy bills of almost €32,000 or 207,360 thermal KWH savings, and also resulted in better quality and more comfortable conditions for those using their facilities.
The 13 stores involved in this year’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative were:
- O’Keeffe’s SuperValu Bantry
- O’Gorman’s SuperValu Kingscourt
- Davis SuperValu Longford
- Conolly’s SuperValu Bagenalstown
- Staunton’s SuperValu Leixlip
- Smith’s SuperValu Kinsale
- Garvey’s SuperValu Cobh
- Dano’s SuperValu Mallow
- Myers Centra Oscar Traynor Road
- Herlihy’s Centra Fermoy
- O’Leary’s Centra Bandon
- Ahern’s Centra Carrigtwohill
- Musgrave Marketplace Galway
Reaching new heights with their sustainability credentials this year, a number of these stores installed solar PV panels to their roofs. Not only are these stores now conserving energy through LED lighting upgrades and new refrigeration systems, but they are now creating their own eco-friendly energy to power their store.
A shining example of the fantastic strives being made in their green endeavours is O’Keefe’s SuperValu Bantry. Having taken part in this SEAI SuperValu campaign in previous years O’Keefe’s SuperValu were the first store in in Ireland to have its store refrigeration run off environmentally friendly, natural refrigerants. They also have the lowest carbon footprint possible for a supermarket, with LED lighting and energy saving doors on all refrigeration units within the store. This year they were thrilled to install solar PV roof panels and begin to generate green energy.
Speaking in relation to this fantastic initiative John Randles, Head of Delivery with SEAI commented, “Awareness of energy and environmental issues is now more integral than ever, and in order to create and maintain sustainable communities, each and every one of us must play our part. SEAI works with communities by offering grant support for much needed energy upgrades. This brings businesses such as these energy leading SuperValu and Centra stores, and the broader community, together in a positive way that results in warmer and more energy efficient homes and buildings. As well as these tangible benefits, those involved are playing an important part in protecting the planet for future generations. This project is a great example of businesses reaching out to help organisations in their community and we congratulate all who participated.”
Echoing this statement, Daniel Murphy, Sustainability Manager for SuperValu & Centra commented, “Here at SuperValu and Centra we have an ongoing commitment to creating a sense of togetherness and energy reduction within our local communities. We firmly believe that this should begin in our own stores. We hope that our contribution and that of our retailers and the SEAI, who we are delighted to partner with, helps all the local groups and organisations involved to generate much needed savings, that will allow them to continue their fantastic work.
“Sustainability is a core value of ours and this campaign is just one example of how we strive for best practice within our retail sector. This year alone we rolled out 100% compostable reusable shopping bags across all SuperValu stores, and were thrilled to be shortlisted for the Energy Team of the Year in the 2019 SEAI Energy Awards, further recognition of the passion and commitment of our dedicated team.”
SuperValu and Centra are part of the Musgrave Group, Ireland’s largest grocery and food distributors. With 220 stores throughout Ireland, SuperValu has served the people of Ireland for over 30 years, and has become a well-established landmark across Irish communities. Centra maintains a reputation for quality, value and friendly service, with bright, accessible stores in over 465 locations throughout the country. For more information on SuperValu and Centra and their fantastic work in the local community, go to www.supervalu.ie and www.centra.ie or check out Facebook\SuperValuIreland and Facebook/CentraIreland.
