Furey Smyth Eurospar Group was recently presented with the Sustainable Retailer of the Year Award 2022 by Retail Excellence Ireland at a ceremony which was held at the Galmont Hotel & Spa in Galway City.
The Furey Smyth Group operates a network of eight prominent Eurospar supermarkets across Ireland and was honoured for the environmental sustainability of its supermarkets across Ireland
This includes installing solar panels across all feasible locations, along with the complete overhaul of its expansive refrigeration infrastructure.
Energy Efficiency
Eurospar explained that the solar panels now provide efficient self-generated electricity to five stores, dramatically reducing the group’s reliance on carbon intensive, grid supplied electricity.
The new suite of ultra-energy efficient refrigeration units have significantly reduced energy consumption across the Furey Smyth Group from the single most carbon intensive aspect of grocery retailing, it added.
Malachy Hanberry, managing director, Eurospar Ireland, commented, “Chris Furey and his team are showing forward-thinking and leadership in this area of sustainability within the supermarket industry and they are thoroughly deserving of this accolade and acknowledgement from Retail Excellence Ireland."
Energy Usage Decrease
To-date, the group has seen a 40% decrease in energy usage, at a time when electricity prices have reached an all-time high, with that figure projected to increase further as longer daylight and increased sunshine during the summer months leads to greater solar generation output.
It is estimated that the savings achieved equate to a total 1,156,538kWh annual savings, which is equivalent to 342,104KG of carbon emissions savings, which is equivalent to planting 70 acres of forestry.
According to Eurospar, Furey Smyth’s programme marks the 'single biggest sustainability investment programme' by an independent retailing group in Ireland.
This follows other initiatives across the Furey Smyth Group including the rollout of energy efficient lighting across all stores.
© 2022 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
