In my column last Sunday, I wrote about the sustained success of the Musgrave retail dynasty, arguing that the scale and significance of the Cork-based group are often overlooked because it is so deeply embedded in everyday Irish life.

The piece prompted a lot of correspondence from readers making a similar point: Behind every successful franchise is a franchisee. 

It is easy to see the big brand above the shopfront and forget the person, or the local family, who has invested their money, taken on the risks, and put in the hours to make that individual store work.

When you think about it, behind the SuperValu and Centra signs are hundreds of people running businesses, employing tens of thousands of local people. 

Their stories are an important part of the wider Musgrave success story – and one that deserves a closer look.

The group owns a number of its own stores, often buying them back from exiting owners before, often, flipping them on again. In recent weeks, it has mopped up four SuperValu stores built up over the years by the Nally family in Co Meath and Co Kildare.

But, by and large, the overwhelming majority of SuperValu supermarkets (257 across the island) and Centra convenience stores (621 and rising) are run by local, independent retailers. A number have amassed several stores before broadening out into other areas such as hotels and property. Many operate one or two stores. 

The same can be said for retailers who operate under the Spar or Londis banner (both controlled by BWG), or under one of the many retail franchise brands run by the highly successful Barry Group, another storied family-owned retail operation that emerged from Cork.

For the purposes of this column, however, I want to focus on the people operating under the Musgrave umbrella, and the different ways they have built businesses around the SuperValu and Centra brands – because it acts as a means to show the scale of importance of their operations.

Take the Pettitt family from my home county of Wexford. Back in 1946, as rationing was coming to an end, Jackie Pettitt opened a shop in Wexford town. Today, his great-great-grandson Cormac is the managing director of a group spanning supermarkets, pubs, and hotels. 

Cormac’s father, Des, expanded the business as an independent retailer under its own name before, in 2006, it affiliated itself with the SuperValu franchise. It now has six supermarkets, mostly in the South East of the country. The most recent accounts for its overall holding company, Torski, show that its retail business generated sales of €139.6 million for the year to the end of January 2025.

The success of the retail operation has allowed the family to expand into hospitality, and it owns the Talbot Collection of hotels, which includes properties in Wexford, Stillorgan, Cork, Carlow, Middleton, and Clonmel. It also owns Newbay House in Co Wexford and the Absolute Hotel in Limerick.

The hotel operation had revenues of €53.1 million for the period, bringing overall revenues for the year to €193.7 million (the small difference is made up by its farming operations, which supply its own supermarkets with meat).

All told, the group made a pre-tax profit of €9.3 million for the year, up from €7.9 million on the year before. Retained profits stood at €104 million at the end of the last reporting period, while it owed banks just €23 million.

Number of employees? A whopping 1,148 employees – between full- and part-time – who were paid collectively €42.9 million in wages.

It is a lot of money coming into a region from one business.

The same can be said for the Garvey family, who are the leading Musgrave franchisee in the South West. The family run four SuperValu supermarkets in its home county of Kerry, along with further outlets in Corbally, Co Limerick, Cobh, Co Cork, and Dungarvan, Co Waterford.

It does not end there. The family also runs four Centra stores, one of which is attached to a fuel station in Newcastlewest, Co Limerick. Again, it has followed the path to hospitality, and the business owns three hotels in Dingle, including Benners and the Dingle Skellig Hotel.

Its most recent accounts are slightly old, dating back to the year ending January 14, 2023. Since then, it has restructured and moved its main holding company to the Channel Island of Guernsey. 

But those accounts give a snapshot of its performance – revenues hit €144 million while it posted pre-tax profits of €4.1 million. Overall, the company behind the group employed 966 staff.

Drive up the coast to Galway, and you enter Kavanagh country. The Kavanagh Group, again family-owned, is a major player in counties Galway, Mayo, Sligo, and Donegal, running 12 SuperValu supermarkets (it also has a Centra in Derry). 

It has entered the UK market, with a food emporium located between Hampstead and Camden Town, as well as two Budgens outlets (a separate retail brand) in Surrey and Berkshire.

Its finances are held through a holding company in the Isle of Man, so there is no clear picture of its revenues or profitability. But it is potentially the largest operator within the Musgrave family. (The family also own the Wyatt Hotel in Westport, Co Mayo, for good measure).

Closer to Dublin, there is the Moriarty Group, built up over the years by Luke Moriarty and his family. It has SuperValu stores in the suburban Dublin towns of Balbriggan, Palmerstown, and Skerries. 

Like other families I have referenced, it has expanded into hospitality through the Bracken Court Hotel in Balbriggan and the Court Yard Hotel in Leixlip. It has significant property holdings and runs a café and bakery, The Gem Treatery, in Balbriggan.

Between all its operations, it employs 641 staff, according to the most recent accounts for its holding company, Landgrove Stores. Those accounts, for 2024, show it had revenues of €58.6 million and shareholders’ funds of €21 million. 

These are examples of the bigger players with the Musgrave family. But around the country, just like with BWG and the Barry Group, there are individual retailers running major businesses with a high level of staff.

We may see the same familiar signs above the shopfronts, but behind each one is a business – and usually a family – of its own.

Elsewhere last week…

Alan sat down with Denis O’Brien for a fascinating interview, where the tycoon talked about why he got into – and out of – Irish media. In the interview, he argued that Irish business journalists “haven’t a clue” and was angered by his media portrayal here but, after getting out of radio and newspapers, the billionaire has a bigger enemy now. He let fly in an in-depth interview.

After a six-day trial rooted in local An Taisce disputes and leaked WhatsApp chats, a High Court jury has cleared Emma Gilleece of defaming Limerick solicitor Michelle Hayes in a series of tweets. Francesca unpicked the story.

Paddy McKillen Jr, the hospitality entrepreneur, is trying to secure a personal insolvency arrangement despite the opposition of two lenders. He has now filed affidavits denying he has “hidden anything” from anyone. Tom had the details. 

Cloudsmith has raised $123 million to date, a record for a Northern Ireland start-up. Its co-founder Alan Carson talked to Thomas about scaling a global B2B software company from the region, and why others can do it too.