Sales in the Centra chain of convenience stores in the Republic rose by 17 per cent to €1.2 billion last year.
The chain's owner, Musgrave SuperValu-Centra, does not reveal the specific profit margins of its respective chains.
Musgrave managing director Donal Horgan attributed the rise in sales to new store openings, in-store innovations, the revamp of existing stores and the general repositioning of the Centra brand.
A total of 47 new Centra stores covering 103,000 sq ft of retail space were opened last year, representing an investment of €51 million by Centra's independent retailers and creating 500 new jobs, he said. The chain opened its 400th store, in Parnell Street in Dublin, during the year.
A further 64 stores were revamped at a cost of €24 million to Centra retailers, adding 38,000 sq ft of retail space.
Most Centra stores are owned by independent grocers or grocery groups under franchise from the privately owned Musgrave group. Musgrave is a significant beneficiary of the brand's growth as it is the exclusive wholesaler to the franchises.
"The repositioning of the Centra brand around the central idea of 'Bright Ideas for Everyday Living' has driven our business in 2006 and has led to many range developments in both the food and technology offering," Mr Horgan told retailers at the group's national conference in Killarney yesterday.
These included the introduction of smoothie and juice bars, soup, a summer eating range and salad bars, as well as new in-store services such as "touch screen" automated ordering of food-to-go, electronic menu boards, wi-fi access for customers, plasma TV screens and phone chargers, he said.
Mr Horgan said the rise in sales from €1 billion in the previous year was achieved against the backdrop of "very competitive market conditions".
Outlining Centra developments for 2007, Mr Horgan said: "Our target is to add 37 new stores in 2007 as a result of store openings and transfers from other symbol groups and non-aligned independent retailers. This will result in the creation of over 800 new retail jobs across the Centra network."
