Musgrave has sought to correct reports at the weekend that suggested that sales at several of its former Superquinn stores have fallen 'by double digits' since the stores were rebranded as SuperValu outlets.
On Saturday, the Irish Independent ran an article entitled '30pc fall in sales at some rebranded Superquinn stores', which suggested that sales have declined by 30% at its Blackrock outlet, by 14% at its Knocklyon outlet, and by 15% at its Ballinteer outlet, since the stores were rebranded as SuperValu in February.
In response, a Musgrave spokesperson said that "A recent article that stated that sales at some former Superquinn stores have fallen by 30% following the name change to SuperValu is factually incorrect."
It said that while the "value of transactions at the former Superquinn network has fallen since February", this is reflective of the fact that its shopper are increasingly switching "to Own Brand to save and take advantage of our market leading promotional offers."
It added: "The name change followed a considered review of all the options, reflecting the realities of a totally changed grocery marketplace. We are just five months into the integration, having changed the name of stores in February. We are satisfied with progress made over the five month period, but recognise that this is an ongoing process and will take time to fully integrate the stores into the SuperValu network."
At the end of August, the former Superquinn outlets will transition to the SuperValu IT system, creating greater synergies across the Musgrave business. Musgrave added that ranges have already been "aligned across both store networks."
The Irish Independent article, which can be viewed here, has since been updated.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Stephen Wynne-Jones
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