FOOD SECURITY & DISTRIBUTION

THE CORE PROPOSAL

• Create a national food-security and strategic-reserve strategy covering essential food categories.
• Establish a State-owned national food network, subject to independent feasibility, valuation, competition and regulatory assessment.
• Expand the network from approximately 194 to 300 stores, using a mix of new development, acquisition and conversion of existing supermarkets and smaller-format outlets.
• Centralise food procurement across the retail network and State institutional demand.
• Give Irish farmers and Irish food manufacturers preferred access where competitively available and consistent with procurement rules.
• Maintain a rotating 90-day strategic reserve of essential food categories.
• Develop emergency logistics arrangements for fuel shortages, port disruption, extreme weather and cyber incidents.

1. NATIONAL FOOD NETWORK

The model proposes acquisition of an existing national supermarket operating platform and distribution infrastructure, including appropriate stores, logistics, systems and property or lease interests. The objective is to create national purchasing scale while operating in the public interest.

• Operate with a 1% State profit ceiling, with remaining verified efficiency gains intended to be passed through as lower prices.
• Use long-term Irish supplier contracts where competitive and commercially viable.
• Centralise purchasing and distribution to reduce duplication and improve supply-chain resilience.

2. INITIAL CAPITAL REQUIREMENT

05 NATIONAL FOOD SECURITY & DISTRIBUTION

NETWORK SCALE • CONSUMER SAVINGS • STRATEGIC RESILIENCE

3. 300-STORE NETWORK

The additional 106 stores could combine new construction with acquisition or conversion of existing supermarkets and smaller-format outlets. A blended planning allowance of approximately €12m per additional store gives roughly €1.27bn before any savings from conversions or property reuse.

4. ANNUAL SALES & EFFICIENCY MODEL

5. POTENTIAL EFFICIENCY SOURCES

6. STRATEGIC FOOD RESERVE

Maintain a rotating 90-day reserve of essential food categories, with minimum stock targets, rotation systems to minimise waste and regional storage capacity where economically justified. Emergency distribution arrangements should cover major supply disruptions.

7. SAFEGUARDS & COMPETITION

• Use competitive procurement and independent oversight to avoid unnecessary crowding out of private enterprise.
• Subject any acquisition or expansion to independent valuation, competition law, financing, planning and regulatory requirements.
• Treat all sales, savings and capital figures as planning assumptions until independently costed and validated.
• Publish annual performance, consumer-price, supplier, reserve and financial data.

THE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE

Lower food costs • stronger Irish supply chains • strategic reserves

National purchasing power • greater resilience during disruption