Musgrave MarketPlace has officially unveiled its newly revamped Cork branch to customers. The €2.5 million upgrade of the Ballycurreen-based branch forms part of a €10 million investment to date in the Musgrave MarketPlace brand over the last three years as it continues to redefine wholesale on the island of Ireland.
As part of this €10 million investment, state-of-the-art Food Emporiums have been created in Musgrave MarketPlace branches to provide customers with a first-class customer experience alongside unrivalled value, product range and food expertise. Newly upgraded branches include Ballymun, Robinhood, Belfast and Cork with further refurbishments planned for later this year.
The new Food Emporium at Musgrave MarketPlace Cork has been designed with the customer in mind to respond to their changing needs. As well as offering value, great service and a broader product range, the newly revamped branch includes a bespoke butchery service, a coffee concession, a Food Theatre with product demonstrations, as well as in-branch expert advice.
Eco-Friendly
All upgraded branches have been designed to save energy and reduce carbon emissions too. It is estimated that Musgrave MarketPlace Cork will reduce its CO2 output by 100,000kg per annum which is the equivalent to the annual electricity used in 50 homes.
Musgrave MarketPlace Cork’s expanded product range also includes more eco-friendly options for customers in response to the growing awareness around the need to reduce the use of plastics by businesses. The new range features products made from renewable materials including palm leaf, sugar cane and Polylactic acid and includes paper and compostable straws, plates, cutlery and napkins as well as 100% plant based cleaning products.
To date, Musgrave MarketPlace has seen a 67.2% increase year-on-year in sales of these types of products indicating that customers are becoming more mindful of their plastic consumption within their own businesses.
As part of the brand’s ongoing commitment to eliminating food waste, Musgrave MarketPlace Cork will also join forces with social enterprise company FoodCloud. The partnership will see surplus food from the branch go to local charities in Cork. Musgrave MarketPlace’s Dublin branches have been working with FoodCloud for the past two years and to date have donated 115 tonnes of fresh food, equating to over 250,000 meals with a value of €345,000 to charities such as The Simon Community.
Commenting on the opening, Noel Keeley, Managing Director at Musgrave MarketPlace, said, “The opening of our newly revamped Cork branch marks another important milestone in our brand journey. We are investing significantly in our branches to create Food Emporiums within Musgrave MarketPlace which not only offer a first-class customer experience but also challenge the perception of the traditional cash-and-carry business.
“Our Cork branch has been designed with our customer in mind. From our expanded product range to expert advice in-store and our educational Food Theatre, we want to help our customers deliver excellence within their own business. We have carefully considered the customer journey in-branch and have added some new services and innovations which should enhance the overall shopping experience.”
© 2018 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
