Alosra supermarket and Ireland’s Musgrave enter into commercial deal
BMMI Group’s fully owned subsidiary Alosra supermarket has entered into a commercial deal with Ireland’s leading food retail and wholesale company, Musgrave.
With seven stores across Bahrain and two in Saudi Arabia, Alosra supermarket is a leading grocery retailer that has been a true lifestyle partner to its customers since 1987. Established in 1876, Musgrave is one of Ireland’s leading retailers, with brands including SuperValu, Centra, and Daybreak, as well as Musgrave MarketPlace, the country’s leading wholesale supplier to retail, foodservice and SMEs.
The deal will give Alosra the opportunity to bring in exclusive Irish products, widening its offering to include some of the European country’s best-known and loved brands. Similarly, through exporting their products to Bahrain, Musgrave has an ideal opportunity to expand their reach to another international market, helping showcase Irish products across the globe.
Alosra and Musgrave have proven to have solid brand synergy and to share similar
values, including their support for the local community. For example, Alosra’s ‘Think Local’ programme supports local producers and farmers to sell their products in their stores, Musgrave also runs a Food Academy programme in conjunction with Bord Bia (the Irish Food Board) where small businesses and producers are nurtured through their journey from start-up through to gaining their retail listing.
Alosra has had a longstanding interest in and a relationship with Ireland, said BMMI General Manager of Food Retailing and Production, Jaffar Al Asfoor, who oversees Alosra supermarket. “The Alosra team has been travelling to Ireland frequently for years, and we have always been impressed with the quality and diversity of their offering,” said Mr Al Asfoor.
“In fact, many members of our team have actually trained in Ireland and we have always been inspired by how passionate the Irish people are about their heritage and their food. In Musgrave, we have a like-minded partner providing a great opportunity for a taste of Ireland to come to Bahrain.”
The Alosra team also recently attended “Marketplace International” in Dublin, a unique, invitation-only event that brings together top Irish food and drink exporters and international trade buyers. Organised by Bord Bia, the trade show has a major focus on sustainability, with all participating Irish suppliers at the event being Origin Green verified members, which is a national sustainability programme.
Marketplace International was an ideal platform for Alosra to further develop their relationships with Irish suppliers who, much like Alosra, are committed to the importance of sustainability.
Furthermore, the event provided an opportunity to promote Bahrain’s thriving grocery retail sector and Alosra’s strong position in the market.
--
About Alosra
Alosra supermarket, the grocery retail subsidiary of the BMMI Group, has been a true lifestyle partner to its customers since 1987. Alosra continues to successfully carve out a leading market share of Bahrain’s high-end grocery sector through its huge portfolio of handpicked local and international products, unbeatable focus on customer experience, commitment to sustainably supporting the local community and their reputation as the ‘fresh and friendly’ face of retail. Alosra currently operates seven stores across Bahrain and two in Saudi Arabia, as well as runs an online delivery website.
About BMMI
Headquartered in the Kingdom of Bahrain, with international operations in nine countries in the Middle East and Africa, BMMI is a diversified retail, distribution, hospitality, and contract services and supply group, supported by an advanced and integrated logistics capability.
Listed on the Bahrain Bourse, and with over 130 years of uninterrupted operations in the Arabian Gulf, BMMI is now one of the leading private sector business enterprises in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the GCC region and a fast-growing multinational organisation. With a multicultural workforce representing over 40 different nationalities, the Group currently operates strategic branches, associates and joint ventures across the Middle East and Africa.
About Musgrave
Musgrave is one of Ireland’s longest-running family businesses, founded in 1876 in Cork by brothers Thomas and Stuart Musgrave. Today Musgrave and its retail partners support more than 40,000 jobs, in more than 1,400 stores and offices across seven brands in three markets, with total retail sales of €3.7 billion.
Through its retail brands, Musgrave delivers sourcing, sales, marketing and supply chain expertise, so local entrepreneurs can go head-to-head with the international supermarket chains. Musgrave operates the following brands in three markets:
• Republic of Ireland - SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak, MarketPlace and Chipmongers
• Northern Ireland - SuperValu, Centra, Mace, DayToday and MarketPlace
• Spain - Dialprix and Dialsur
At Musgrave, Growing Good Business is at our core and we have an ongoing commitment to building sustainable communities across the island of Ireland as part of our 2020 sustainability strategy Taking Care of Our World. Musgrave was also the first retailer to become an accredited member of Origin Green, Bord Bia’s national Sustainability programme.
For further information, please contact:
Pavlos Manousos Babiolakis
Senior Manager – Customer Experience
Telephone: +973 17739557
Email: pmanousos(@)alosra.com.bh
