Musgrave Northern Ireland, which operates the SuperValu, Centra and MACE brands, will create some 250 new jobs across 18 new stores with an investment of £18 million.

Already this year, Centra Foxes Glen on the Stewartstown Road, Belfast opened its doors supporting 21 jobs, including 10 new positions.

The investment will also fund significant refurbishments of SuperValu and Centra stores. Following the refresh of four SuperValu stores in 2022 as part of Musgrave's SuperValu Rejuvenation programme, several new stores will benefit from refurbishment creating an enhanced shopping experience, including a new hot and cold deli counter, a Moo'd Ice Cream bar, expanded in-store bakery, and an upgraded off-licence.

Trevor Magill, Managing Director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland said: "We have ambitious plans to grow our network of stores this year with 18 new stores due to open in 2023 across the region. Working with our retail partners, we are making significant upgrades to our stores to ensure that we are providing the best quality shopping experience possible, whilst reducing our impact on the environment.

"Our stores are at the heart of the communities in which we operate, and I'd like to thank our dedicated teams across SuperValu, Centra and MACE for helping us provide those communities with great quality, value and excellent customer service."

In 2022 Musgrave introduced a £2.7M Sustainability Fund, and in 2023 environmental impact remains high on the agenda with an additional £1M committed to supporting stores in reducing their carbon footprint. To achieve Musgrave Group's goal of Net Zero by 2040, the business has been supporting its retailers by providing suitable initiatives based on each store's needs and set-up, including upgrading freezers and refrigeration units, LED lighting retrofit, solar panels, and electronic shelf edge labels (eSELs).