SuperValu stores across Ireland are committed to local employment and supporting local suppliers and community groups. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the midlands where the Buckley name is synonymous with the iconic Irish retail brand.
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 fronted by husband-and-wife Jimmy and Ann Buckley along with their daughter Lisa, who is Human Resources Director and is married to Eoin Kennedy, who is Group Operations Manager.
The Mullingar SuperValu is managed by Gary Curran. Caroline Cashen is store manager in Moate and Rory Cronin manages Birr. From humble beginnings over 70 years ago, the Group has grown to employ 200 people and is renowned for its superior customer service and quality fresh produce.
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 affectionately known) opened a small grocery store in 1949 next door to where Shaw’s Department Store is now located, they could never have foreseen the growth the family business would experience in the intervening years.
In 1997, Buckley’s moved into what is their flagship store on Austin Friars Street, which is built on the site of an Augustine Friary that dates back to the 12th century. 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, including online shopping, deli and meat counters and off licence, it is a National Lottery agent and offers an ATM service to its customers.
Under the same roof, you’ll find a pharmacy, two doctors’ practices, a dental practice, a podiatrist clinic and a Hidden Hearing clinic, making it a one-stop-shop for all your health and shopping needs! Two more doctors’ practices will shortly take up residence in the Mullingar SuperValu.
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.
“We revamped our Centra store in 2017 and also added 1,000 sq. ft in floor space. A full refurbishment of our SuperValu store in Mullingar was also carried out a few years ago,” Eoin Kennedy explains.
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.
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 grassroots to senior inter-county level,” 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’ve also sponsored the ladies football championships and have presented thousands of O’Neills training kits and footballs to clubs in our vicinity through SuperValu’s ‘Kits for Kids’ initiative.
“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, as they are with many other community-based groups. Furthermore, we are an agent for GAA match tickets thanks to SuperValu and Centra’s sponsorship of the respective All-Ireland Football and Hurling Championships.”
The Covid-19 pandemic brought out the best in the Buckley’s team who went to great lengths to look after the shopping needs of the most vulnerable and elderly in their community. Priority shopping hours were introduced for this cohort, as were free home deliveries at the height of the pandemic. A number of measures were also put in place to protect staff and customers, including social distancing, sanitiser stations, contactless payments of up to €50, plexiglass at checkouts and the wearing of face masks.
“We did a good job in ensuring everyone stayed safe and in managing our stock. We were among the first in Ireland to introduce signage and a one-way system for shoppers entering and exiting our stores.”
There are many more challenges to come for the retail sector according to the affable Operations Manager who is determined to meet them head on.
“While sales were up during the pandemic, the sector had four or five difficult years before that and is coming under severe pressure again. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, the new living wage, staff shortages, Brexit and rising inflation means we have a perfect storm on our hands. We have a few tough years ahead of us, but that won’t stop us from doing what we do best which is offering our customers high-quality, local produce at great prices along with an unrivalled shopping experience.”
Buckley’s SuperValu Mullingar
Austin Friars Street,
Mullingar,
Co. Westmeath,
N91 WPX9.
Telephone: 044 934 2420
First published in Grocery & Retail Ireland magazine Vol 1 No 1, Winter 2022
