June09Centra
Quality Awards
Centra Stores Rewarded For Excellence 368 Centra stores were recently rewarded with a Centra Quality Award for 2009.
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fewer than 368 Centra stores were presented with a Centra Quality Award for 2009, which is independently audited by the Excellence Ireland Quality Association, the highest number of Awards given to any single organisation in the country. Additionally, a further 20 Centra stores received the Supreme Hygiene Award, which rewards retailers that have performed to a consistently high level over a three-year period. This commitment to excellence, which is at the core of Centra’s market leading performance, was also recognised by Excellence Ireland, when they awarded Kilmartin’s N6 Centra, Athlone, the title of Ireland’s Cleanest Foodstore for the second year in a row.
Damien & Rachel Kilmartin, Kilmartins N6 Centra, Dublin Road, Athlone receive their Quality and Hygiene Award from Michael Morgan, Centra Sales Director. Also included are Eugene Baker, Head of Sales and Marketing, Pat the Baker, Awards sponsors, Martin Roper, Technical Director, Excellence Ireland Quality Association and Ray Bowe, Head of Quality, Centra.
“The Hygiene Mark indicates that a business complies with the highest standards of hygiene and food safety within their given industry,” noted Irene Collins, Managing Director of Excellence Ireland Quality Association. “The food retail market currently leads the field in terms of hygiene and quality compliance within the Irish food sector and Centra is certainly one of our leading lights within that sector. What impresses me most about Centra, is the way they continue to raise the bar every year, with their approach to hygiene and quality not just an add-on to what they do, but very much a part of their everyday routine.” Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Donal Horgan, Centra Managing Director, re-affirmed the company’s commitment to invest in excess of `2m in Centra’s continuing hygiene programme. This investment, together with the record number of awards, demonstrates Centra’s ongoing commitment to rigorous quality measures Kathleen Devin and Sheila McSweeney, and the highest of standards. Devin’s Centra, Cahirciveen, Co. Kerry, are Horgan said that a customerpresented with the Centra Quality Award by focused retail sector benefits eveMichael Morgan, Centra Sales Director. Also included in the picture are Eugene Baker, rybody in the food industry, from Head of Sales and Marketing, Pat the Baker; the producer right through to the Martin Roper, Technical Director, EIQA; final consumer. “At Musgrave, we and Ray Bowe, Head of Quality, Centra. are incredibly proud of the work we 16
do together with our retail partners in Centra,” noted Donal Horgan. ”We don’t believe there is a more entrepreneurial and innovative collection of like-minded people anywhere across the retail market. This commitment to excellence is no better demonstrated than in the dedication our retail partners show to their customers, their employees, their local communities and in the performance of their stores year in and year out – even in these difficult times, Centra continues to out-perform the market.” Indeed, Horgan predicted a further 35 new Centra stores and the refurbishment of 56 more in 2009, representing an investment of `44m and creating a further 1,000 jobs.
Pictured are Liam and Marie O’Connell, O’Connell’s Centra, Templemore, and Barry and Dervla Lynch, Lynch’s Centra, Gort Rd, Ennis, enjoying the Centra Quality Awards.