Centra


Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group and is run by Musgrave, the Irish food wholesaler, meaning the stores are all owned by individual franchisees.
The chain has three different formats available to franchisees — smaller Quick Stop outlets, mid-sized Foodmarkets, and larger Supermarkets. The majority of the stores follow the Quick Stop format, as Musgrave also offers the SuperValu format, which is geared towards larger supermarkets.
There are currently over 450 Centra stores in the Republic of Ireland and 120 in Northern Ireland. In 2016, Centra posted a 3% increase in sales to €1.59bn. Centra's main competitors are Gala, Spar and Londis, as well as a number of smaller groups such as Costcutter.

History

The chain was originally launched in the Republic of Ireland as "VG" in 1960. In 1979, the VG chain was rebranded SuperValu with the smaller outlets subsequently rebranded as Centra. The company brought both of these stores to Northern Ireland, the latter through the acquisition and subsequent rebranding of Wellworths stores.

Stores

There are over 450 stores. In 2018, plans were announced to open 30 new stores and redevelop 100 others. Centra employs over 11,000 people and serves over three million customers per week.