Centra on Main Street in Toome has officially relaunched following a major refurbishment and investment of £300,000.

The store, which supports 22 jobs in the community, was recently acquired by experienced retailer Ryan Cathcart, who operates Centra stores on Roguery Road, Toome and on Castledawson Road in Magherafelt.

The store features a wide range of meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including an enhanced food to go offering with sandwiches, salads and a hot food counter at the deli.

Commenting at the launch of the refurbished store, owner Ryan Cathcart said:

“We’re proud to unveil a fresh new look in the store which has been a fixture in the community for many years. Feedback so far has been very positive, and we look forward to providing shoppers with an extensive range, great value and excellent customer service for many years to come.”

Centra Sales Manager Norman Bennett added:

“Congratulations to our independent retail partner Ryan on his newly refreshed store – a lot of work has gone into the transformation and it’s clear to see customers are impressed with the changes. It’s a real asset to the community, offering the height of convenience at great value.  We have worked in partnership with Ryan for many years and are delighted to see this new addition to his business; I’d like to wish him and the team all the best with the new store.”

Other features in the store include a Frank and Honest coffee dock, which features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also avail of the coffee brand’s digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

As part of Centra’s commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from hundreds of best buys and savings of up to 40% on own brand products.  That’s as well as a Supermarket Price Match on key everyday items with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, plus the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Centra is also committed to supporting local suppliers, with Musgrave NI spending more than £166m on local food and drink annually, working with more than 3,000 local farmers, over 240 local suppliers and stocking over 4,500 local products across its stores, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range of meal solutions.

As Musgrave and its brands work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the updated store features energy efficient LED lighting and refrigeration system, while digital screens and electronic shelf edge labels will be introduced, all to reduce the store’s energy consumption and carbon footprint.

The store team also celebrated the launch with a fun day for customers with exclusive offers, a spin and win wheel, balloon modeller and face painter.

The store’s opening hours are: 6am to 9pm, Monday to Friday, 7am to 9pm on Saturday, and 8am to 9pm on Sunday.

Following a £1m investment, O’Kane’s convenience store and petrol forecourt on the Moy Road in Armagh, has been refurbished and has officially opened under the Centra brand.

The store which supports 67 jobs in the local community, including 15 new positions, has been in the O’Kane family since the 1990s, started by Tom. The business is now run by his sons Brian and Aidan, and daughter Helen. The store, which includes Moy Road Post Office, is a much-valued amenity for the area, and the significant investment has allowed for new and exciting additions.

To mark the occasion the O’Kane family were joined by Musgrave NI’s Sales Manager Norman Bennett and New Business and Acquisitions Manager, Barry Holland.

Commenting on the opening Brian O’Kane: “We are delighted to relaunch our store under the Centra brand. The refurbishment combined with our enhanced offering is proving extremely popular with our customers and we look forward to continuing to serve the local community with a one-stop shop and the best in modern convenience retailing for many years to come.”

The modern store offers a wide range of fresh and chilled foods plus a greater selection of options and meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including food-to-go from an enhanced hot and cold deli counter.

Coffee lovers can enjoy a hot drink to-go and refreshing iced coffee at the Frank and Honest Coffee dock, which features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also avail of the coffee brand’s digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

Inspired by the Frank and Honest coffee brand, the family opened a Frank and Honest café next to the store where customers can sit in to enjoy a hot drink and sweet treats from an ice cream counter.

Barry Holland added: “O’Kane’s Centra in Armagh is a fantastic addition to the ever- growing Centra portfolio, and we wish the family all the best on their new journey. The recent renovation will be a real asset to the community, delivering improved convenience along with great value for local shoppers, while the new café is exceeding expectations.”

In addition to an enhanced product range and as part of Centra’s commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from hundreds of best buys and savings of up to 40% on own brand products. That’s as well as a Supermarket Price Match on key everyday items with Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, plus the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Centra is also committed to supporting local suppliers, with Musgrave NI spending more than £166m on local food and drink annually, working with more than 3,000 local farmers, over 240 local suppliers and stocking over 4,500 local products across its stores, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range of meal solutions.

As Musgrave and its brands work to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the store features digital screens, energy efficient LED lighting, an energy efficient refrigeration system and electronic shelf edge labels.

The store team also celebrated the launch with a fun day for customers with exclusive offers, a spin and win wheel, balloon modeller and face painter. The store’s opening hours are: 6am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 10pm on Sunday.

For more information on Centra stores in Northern Ireland, visit www.centra.co.uk

Musgrave NI invests £500,000 in Bushmills

Musgrave NI has invested £500,000 in revamping its Centra store in Bushmills, which unveiled a modern new look on Saturday (4 May).

The business, which was acquired by Musgrave in October 2022, has been significantly transformed to offer local residents and visitors to the area, a bright and contemporary new layout and more modern shopping experience, and created six new jobs.

The major investment has allowed for new and exciting additions in store, including over 700 new products, a new hot and cold deli counter offering customers freshly made sandwiches and salads, and a selection of hot foods to go and a new in-store bakery. The off licence has also been expanded with more beers, wines, and spirits, as well as zero-alcohol beverages.

A new Moo’d Ice Cream counter offers a wide range of sweet treats while coffee lovers can enjoy a hot drink-to-go and refreshing iced coffee from the new Frank and Honest coffee dock. An environmental pledge is at the core of the gourmet coffee brand, featuring 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance certified coffee beans. Shoppers can also benefit from the digital loyalty app which offers a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.
Customers will also benefit from a brand-new seating area and self-service tills.

Store manager Mandy Glass said: “We are very proud to unveil our new look store, which is very much at the heart of the Bushmills community. We were delighted to welcome Bushmills United Youth FC to join our celebrations, after supporting them with a donation from our Big Community Giveaway at the end of last year.

“We’re here to provide an excellent service, plus a great range of products and value to both the local community and to visitors to the area, and we look forward to welcoming customers into our modernised store.”

In addition to an enhanced product range, including the new Good Food Locally Sourced range, and as part of Centra’s commitment to value, shoppers will benefit from over 100 special offer items every week and over 300 own brand products up to 40% cheaper than better known brands. This is as well as the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks.

Caroline Rowan, Head of Retail Operations for Musgrave NI added: “Centra is a community retailer and supporting local is very important to us. Musgrave NI spends more than £166m on local food and drink annually, and we work with more than 3,000 local farmers, partner with over 240 local suppliers and stock over 4,500 local products across our stores. We’re also committed to our partnership with Action Cancer, a local charity that visits communities across Northern Ireland with its life-saving early detection services.”

Supporting Musgrave’s ambition of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, the store has also been refitted with energy saving technology.

Caroline continued: “Sustainability is also high on Centra’s agenda, and we have significantly invested in new energy saving technology to make store operations more efficient and reduce our carbon footprint. This includes energy efficient LED lighting, top-grade energy efficient freezers and refrigeration, as well as electronic shelf edge labels which will reduce paper usage.

“We look forward to continuing to serve the community of Bushmills with the best in modern convenience retailing.”

Shore Road store creates 12 new jobs

Experienced store owners from Centra York Road in Belfast, Gareth and Tracey Beacom, have opened the doors to their second Centra, located on the Shore Road in Newtownabbey.  The 1,700 sq ft store and petrol forecourt is a welcome addition to the area supporting 12 jobs and combines convenience retail with an extensive food-to-go and grocery offering.

Bright and contemporary, Centra Trackside which officially launched with a family fun day on Saturday (24th June), is a fantastic amenity for the local community and on the go customers.

The comprehensive range includes a deli counter offering customers freshly made sandwiches and salads, or a selection of hot food to go.  Shoppers can also enjoy a hot drink to go with the Frank and Honest Coffee 2.0 coffee dock which provides a wide selection of hot drinks and features 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee beans, while a digital loyalty app offers customers a free coffee after earning ten digital stamps.

Speaking today, store owner Gareth Beacom said –

“We’re delighted to have opened the doors of our second Centra store. It will provide a convenient shopping and fuelling point for customers on the move  as well as a great amenity for the local community. The team and I are looking forward to welcoming customers instore and providing them with a one-stop shop for modern convenience.”

The new store also features a Nicholls fuel forecourt with a 24/7 pay at pump service, along with car washing and laundry facilities and extensive parking, while EV Charging points will be installed.  In-store services include PayPoint, Lottery and an ATM.

Aligning with Musgrave Group’s, (owners of the Centra brand) sustainability goals, the new store also features new LED lighting, energy-efficient refrigeration, and digital screens to reduce the store’s energy consumption and carbon footprint.

Musgrave NI’s Retail Sales Director, Paddy Murney said:

“The new Centra store in Newtownabbey will provide the height of convenience and value for local shoppers. With the cost of living continuing to affect our communities, it’s clear that keeping household costs down is important to our customers. As part of Centra’s commitment to value, our shoppers will benefit from over 200 special offer items every week and over 300 cheaper own brand products. That’s on top of our Epic Deals on four big brand products every three weeks.”

Centra is also committed to supporting local suppliers, with Musgrave NI spending more than £160m on local food and drink annually.

Paddy continued: “We work with more than 3,000 local farmers, partner with over 150 local suppliers and stock over 3,500 local products across our stores providing shoppers with the freshest produce and range of choice.”

The store’s opening hours are: 6.30am – 10pm Monday to Friday, 8am – 10pm Saturdays and Sundays.

Musgrave NI announces £12 million investment for 2021

Set against an ambitious growth strategy, local convenience retail brand, Centra continues its expansion across Northern Ireland with the opening of its 100^th store.

The landmark achievement comes as Musgrave Northern Ireland, which operates the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands, announced further investment plans of £12 million for 2021.  This includes the opening of over 20 new stores, creating up to 500 jobs and follows on the back of an investment heavy year in 2020, despite the pandemic.

As part of this significant investment, an additional 17 existing stores across the network will also benefit from a revamp.

Dunman’s Centra in Cookstown is the 100^th store in the convenience brand’s portfolio in Northern Ireland and is located just outside Cookstown on the Moneymore Road. In addition, Lusty’s Centra in Larne Harbour recently opened its doors and the next few weeks will see openings in Knockbreda and Toome.

Significant refreshes are planned for SuperValu Portstewart, McGleenan’s Centra Keady and McCool’s Centra Ballymena, providing more inspiration and ideas for shoppers with a focus on quality across fresh produce, meat, and food-to-go.

Musgrave has invested heavily in its convenience offering in recent years, including its artisan on-the-go coffee brand, Frank and Honest, which is available in over 150 SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores across Northern Ireland. With over 800 Frank and Honest locations across the island of Ireland, Frank and Honest is now the largest on-the-go coffee brand on the island.  Moo’d ice-cream, now available in over 20 stores, provides shoppers with a range of sweet treat options while Green Kitchen, the Centra salad bar offering, expanded the food-to-go menu.

Speaking today, Trevor Magill Managing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland said –

“We have ambitious plans for our network with the focus clearly on our vision to ‘redefine convenience’ in Northern Ireland. The development of new stores alongside the refurbishment of existing stores and continuing to innovate when it comes to product lines, ensures we are always focused on what matters to our shoppers.

“Our teams, across the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands, are dedicated to providing great quality and choice in terms of our offer, with value for money and exceptional levels of customer service at the heart of what we do.”

Centra is bringing enhanced convenience to people travelling on the M1 Motorway with the arrival of its highly anticipated brand-new store at Dungannon.   The bright and contemporary store, which opened its doors to the public on Thursday 22^nd August, combines high convenience with an expanded food-to-go offering providing a welcome stop for those travelling to and from the west of the province.

Centra M1 Dungannon marks the second store opening for local businessman, George Patterson of Patterson Oil who already owns Centra Gilford Road in Portadown.  The store represents an investment of £2.2 million and will create 50 new jobs in the area.

Commenting on Centra’s continued expansion, Nigel Maxwell Sales Director Centra Northern Ireland said:

“At Centra, our focus is on redefining convenience – providing our shoppers with a healthier offering and innovative ranges, particularly in food-to go and our Frank and Honest coffee brand.  Centra M1 Dungannon is the latest example of our stores responding to the changing needs of the busy consumer.  We are delighted to be working with George and his team and wish them every success.” 

Offering a range of options for breakfast, lunch and dinner, there is something for everyone whether travelling home in the evening, on the road for work or on route to a short break in the west.  Amenities in store include Frank and Honest Coffee, the largest on-the-go gourmet coffee brand on the island of Ireland and the Green Kitchen, a Centra salad concept designed for the consumer looking for a healthier option.

For the more adventurous, there’s the punchy and vibrant flavours of a burrito from the Mex-A-Go Burrito Bar; whilst hot self-serve food-to-go options, and an abundance of indulgent treats, including both whipped and soft scoop Mullins ice-cream, are a must for afternoon hunger pangs.

Speaking today, George Patterson said:

“We are proud to be opening the doors of our new store in Dungannon and build on the success we have had already with the Centra brand and wider team.  A prime location for those travelling the busy M1 route, we look forward to welcoming customers instore and providing them with a one-stop shop for modern convenience.”  

The new store features a large seating area on the ground floor alongside additional seating in the Motorway Restaurant on the first floor which also incorporates a children’s play area.  Wi-Fi is available throughout while a truck park is available on site including overnight facilities and a shower block.  The large 24-hour TEXACO forecourt incorporates AD BLU, LPG, Supreme Fuels, Home Heating Oil /Gasoil, Flogas Cylinders, Electric Charge points for electric cars, air vac and all Grades of Solid Fuels and Block Firewood.