At Buckley’s SuperValu, they ‘believe in local’ and nothing represents local more than the GAA with its strong heritage and deep roots in every community across Ireland.
For many years now, Buckley’s SuperValu has been giving generously to the GAA in Westmeath. Through SuperValu’s ‘Kits for Kids’ initiative, Buckley’s awards juvenile O’Neills training kits and footballs to four clubs they nominate within the vicinity of their stores in Mullingar, Moate and Birr each year. In Moate, for example, the four clubs to benefit from the reward scheme last year were Moate All-Whites, Caulry, Cill Oige (Rosemount/Castledaly) and Tubber.
Shoppers receive ‘Kit for Kids’ tokens which can be donated to their chosen clubs at in-store collection points.
“All of the participating clubs were thrilled to have received such good merchandise for the kids. It’s good for the store to hear positive feedback from people when they talk to us about how generous we were with their local club,” says Buckley’s SuperValu and Centra Group Operations Manager Eoin Kennedy.
“We have a built up a good relationship with these clubs as a result which in turn leads to further fundraising for them in the form of bag packs throughout the year within the store.
“We have been donating footballs for the past few seasons and find it’s something the clubs look forward to receiving each year. We have forged such a strong relationship with these clubs that it’s a talking point in the local area which we feel drives extra footfall for our stores.”
As a proud long-standing sponsor of the GAA Football All-Ireland Championship, SuperValu is committed to inspiring the next generation of GAA stars. Through this sponsorship, SuperValu and the GAA bring together in true partnership two of the country’s most community-focused organisations. Buckley’s SuperValu and the GAA share common values through focusing their approach on relationships, honesty, hard work, achievement and community identity.
“SuperValu and its local retailers across the country are supporting the GAA from top to bottom,” Eoin proudly explains.
“Here in Westmeath, we have sponsored county underage leagues and championships as well as the ladies football team in The Downs where my own two kids are part of the nursery. We see our sponsorship as a way of giving something back to the GAA community who have supported us down through the years. Many of our staff are involved in the GAA, so the links are very strong.”
The Buckley’s SuperValu and Centra Group is made up of three SuperValu stores in Mullingar, Moate and Birr, and a Centra outlet in Mullingar’s Millmount Shopping Centre. The Group is run by husband-and-wife Jimmy and Ann Buckley along with their daughters Lisa, who is Human Resources Director and is married to Eoin Kennedy, and Susan, who is Buckley’s SuperValu Mullingar Store Manager. The Group employs 200 people in total.
The Buckley’s are one of Mullingar’s oldest and most respected families. When Jimmy’s late parents Matt and Elizabeth (‘Ma’ as she was affectionally known), opened a small grocery store in 1949 next door to where Shaw’s Department Store is now located, they could never have envisaged the huge growth the family-business would experience.
In 1997, Buckley’s moved into what is their flagship store on Austin Friar’s Street, which is built on the graveyard of an Augustine Friary that dates back to the 12th century, and is also a kick of a ball away from TEG Cusack Park. The move coincided with Buckley’s coming under the SuperValu banner. This impressive 18,000 sq ft premises, which incorporates a Post Office, is arguably Mullingar’s busiest retail grocery outlet, with hundreds of customers filing through its doors every day of the week. As well as providing the usual supermarket services, it is a National Lottery agent and offers an ATM service to its customers.
In 2003, the Buckley family extended their interests to Moate and Birr. Moate is the smallest of the three stores with a floor space of 6,000 sq ft, while Birr extends to over 10,000 sq ft.
In 2005, Buckley’s opened a new Centra store in Mullingar. Formerly O’Driscoll’s, Buckley’s Centra forms the centrepiece of a busy shopping centre which also includes a filling station, butcher shop, hairdressing salon and tyre repair shop, and caters for the Millmount, Newtown and Ballinderry areas. Centra, which like SuperValu is part of the Musgrave Group, is a long-standing sponsor of the GAA All-Ireland Hurling Championship. Both SuperValu and Centra are official GAA ticket agents.
“We revamped our Centra store in 2017 and also added on 1,000 sq ft. A full refurbishment of our SuperValu store in Mullingar is planned for later this year,” continues Eoin, who is a native of Cloneyheigue, Kilbeggan.
Buckley’s SuperValu and Centra Group prides itself on its fresh produce, exceptional service and commitment to local jobs. Its mission is to provide customers with the best quality and prices as well as an enjoyable shopping experience.
All of Buckley’s fresh meat, fruit and vegetables are locally sourced and can be traced back to the farm where they were produced. Unlike many other big supermarket chains which operate in this country, SuperValu and Centra are Irish-owned and enjoy a wonderful relationship with their customers. At Buckley’s, they are on first-name terms with many of their customers.
