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Centra Managing Director, Martin Kelleher, celebrating the news that the retailer contributed almost €37 million to the local community in Cork county last year.

By Eoin Scanlon

One of the leading retailers in Cork has announced it spent almost €37 million in local communities across the county in 2013.

Centra’s ‘Community Impact Study’ shows they spent €36.7 million between payroll, supplier and business spends in Cork, along with donating €441,342 to local charities and for sponsorships. This equates to over €524,000 for each of Cork’s 70 stores. While nationally, Centra spent over a quarter of a billon euro in local communities.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Speaking on the announcement, Brian Herlihy, managing director of Centra, Fermoy, says their mission statement is to be ‘at the heart of the community’ and that supporting local community efforts is ‘absolutely critical’ to them.

 “That manifests itself in the amount of local groups we sponsor”, he says. For instance, Herlihy’s raised over €5,000 last year from organising a triatlon event.

Key to the strong relationship between Centra and the local community is in the nature of the business ownership, which is about individual store-owners.

“All of the stores are individually owned, so investing back into the community is hugely important to us. It’s local retailers being involved within the locality, with local suppliers and local sponsorships.”

Mr Herlihy sees a ‘quid pro quo’ in this relationship, where the continued support of the community in return benefits and increases the business in their stores.

The figures break down as follows in Cork county: over €25 million was paid out in wages to Centra staff across Cork, over €9 million in local supplier spends, €1.5 million in business spend and almost half a million euro on charities and sponsorship.

'ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE'

Commenting on the report, managing director of Centra, Martin Kelleher said: “We now have solid data demonstrating the significant economic importance and impact of our stores up and down the country. Unlike some other retailers whose profits leave Ireland, our customers’ hard-earned euro are going back in to the community.

For the last 35 years, support of communities has and will continue to be, at the very heart of what makes Centra a successful business.”

Withing The Avondhu catchment in county Cork, Centra stores include Herlihy’s, Fermoy; Farrell’s, Mitchelstown; O’Sullivan’s, Kilworth and Bridesbridge; Dano’s, Doneraile and O’Sullivan’s, Kildorrery.

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