SuperValu to Create 300 Jobs in Ongoing Expansion

By Geoff Percival

SuperValu is aiming to create 300 jobs this year, as part of an ongoing expansion drive. It came as queues of people turned out to bid for one of 100 jobs made available in the unemployment-stricken South-East. SuperValu's move, which will push job creation levels at the wider Musgrave Group to 700 posts this year, comes on the back of a strong performance in 2012, which saw the business increase sales by 5%.

The supermarket chain is set to invest €20m across its various franchise partners this year, with three new stores set to open and a further 40 existing outlets being either extended or refurbished. In all, the business hopes to add another 300 people to its staff, with over half of these positions set to be created at two new greenfield sites in Celbridge, Co Kildare, and Milltown Malbay, Co Clare.

Already, more than 12,000 people are employed across the network of 195 stores, with an annual payroll of €213m. SuperValu also said yesterday that it generated sales of €2.1bn last year, a marginal increase on the €2bn reported in the previous year. SuperValu managing director Martin Kelleher said the figure represents "a very good performance, which is ahead of the overall market".

"This was achieved by delivering value to shoppers through price reductions, promotions and our extensive SuperValu own-brand range." The most recent quarterly grocery sector market share data, from consumer survey provider Kantar Worldpanel, showed that apart from Dunnes Stores, SuperValu was the only mainstream player (excluding the discounters, Aldi and Lidl) to increase market share (by 0.1% to 19.9%) during the three months to the middle of February.

SuperValu's positive news also comes less than a month after another Musgrave brand, Centra, reported a 1.6% increase in retail sales to €1.43bn for 2012 and said that it plans to invest €20m in its store network during 2013, and create another 400 jobs and open 20 new stores.

Elsewhere yesterday, contact centre company, Eishtec, based in Waterford, which employs over 400 people at its main office and another 250 at a facility in Wexford, started a two-day jobs fair aimed at recruiting another 100 people.

Eishtec was founded in May 2011 by former contact management veterans Heather Reynolds, Brian Barry, and Colm Tracey and hit the headlines in January last year by creating 250 jobs at its base in Cleaboy, Co Waterford, after landing a contract with the British-based telecommunications giant, Orange.

Source: IrishExaminer -  SuperValu to Create 300 Jobs in Ongoing Expansion