Supporting local business, consumers & communities

You could say that we have been committed to sustainability for 130 years now. Back then, it was our hard work, commitment and fair dealings as a family-owned company that enabled us to develop relationships with local communities. And we continue to support communities today by supporting local entrepreneurs – retailers, suppliers and other businesses.

Our retail partners focus on real community needs because they know it’s also a key point of difference with their competitors – the multiples.

But they also have a real commitment to their neighbourhoods. They have a strong tradition of local giving and support – to schools, local sports groups, local hospitals, youth clubs and charities. And all our stores are in the heart of the communities they serve, channelling business back into the centre of town where people want to shop. We use our experience and expertise to support them in their locally focused initiatives, whether it’s ensuring the survival of local post offices or investing in the kind of flagship stores – like Denis Smith’s SuperValu in Navan and Larry O’Brien’s store in Kells - that fundamentally transform local economies.

It’s no coincidence that some of our most community-active retailers in Great Britain are also recognised for their roles as entrepreneurs – at the 2008 Retail Industry Awards, Budgens retailer Guy Warner won Independent Entrepreneur of the Year, while Andrew Thornton, another Budgens retailer in North London, won Independent Retailer of the Year and Environmental Retailer of the Year. These are local business people who recognise that the community-focused store is a potent business model.

The environment is another strong focus. Working with our retail partners, we’re focusing on areas that include minimising waste, reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, reducing packaging and facilitating consumer choice and ethical trading. And it’s delivering real, quantifiable results – for example, in 2007 we exceeded our target of 66 per cent recycling.

We’re obviously a leading player in the Irish economy. We support more than 3,200 stores across four territories owned by retailers who collectively employ 56,000 people and generated sales of €7.2 billion in 2007. But it’s a success story founded on partnership and collaboration.

People invariably say that having a great neighbourhood store is up there with good local schools and accessible GPs as a factor that helps them decide where they want to live. Working with our retail partners, this is precisely the kind of community asset we’re able to deliver. Sustainability is part of our DNA. Without our commitment to sustainable communities, we simply wouldn’t have a business.