ShelfLife Magazine October 2021

LARGEST INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED GROCERY TRADE CIRCULATION IN IRELAND

October 2021

High street move

+

Covid consequences Dan White reflects on Covid’s long-term implications for retailing

Circle K Ireland MD Gordon Lawlor discusses acquisition of ten Griffin Group convenience stores Four-day week advancing forward Caroline Reidy explores the pros and cons of a four-day week in advance of a nationwide trial due to begin in January 2022

CONVENIENCE RETAILING • OFF-TRADE • SUPERMARKETS • NEWSAGENCY • FORECOURT

Source: Nielsen, Total Scantrack (excl Dunnes and Discounters), Chocolate, Value, 17 w.e 27th December 2020

OPINION 3

ShelfLife October 2021 Vol. 28 No.10

Nation eagerly awaits 22 October, but how much will truly change?

Editor GILLIAN HAMILL (01) 294 7776 gillian.hamill@mediateam.ie Staff journalist JULIA O’REILLY (01) 294 7709 julia.oreilly@mediateam.ie Contributors CAROLINE REIDY FIONNUALA CAROLAN BARRY WHELAN COLIN GORDON Head of business IAN MULVANEY (01) 294 7766 ian.mulvaney@mediateam.ie Account manager MARK MORGAN (01) 294 7767 mark.morgan@mediateam.ie Circulation subs@mediateam.ie Publisher JOHN McDONALD (01) 294 7744 john.mcdonald@mediateam.ie Printing W & G Baird Ltd

In all the headline news on the nation’s remaining Covid restrictions being lifted on 22 October, it’s easy to overlook the fact two restrictions will remain in place. Namely, self-isolation when we have symptoms, and secondly, mask wearing in healthcare settings, indoor retail and on public transport.

In fact, Nphet member Professor Philip Nolan previously indicated that mask-wearing will be a fabric of Irish society for quite some time. With that in mind, it’s worth turning to page 70 to see what the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) had to say regarding allegations of discrimination which include the terms ‘face covering’ or ‘face mask’ within their details.

As Dan White writes in his analysis of our post-Covid environment on page 14: “Anyone hoping for a return to 29 February 2020, that the events of the 20 months were no more than a bad dream to be swiftly forgotten, is likely to be disappointed.”

In this regard, it’s worth noting Tesco’s latest results, released as ShelfLife was heading to print. Tesco’s sales in the Republic of Ireland in the first half of its financial year declined by about 2% to €1.45 billion when compared with the same period of 2020. Tesco said its sales dropped in the first quarter, reflecting the impact of stockpiling in the prior year which was “particularly marked due to earlier and stricter lockdown restrictions than in the UK”.

Then in the second quarter, Tesco’s annual like-for-like sales grew, benefiting from a strong clothing performance and seasonal events. Its online business achieved growth of 10.8% year-on-year and now represents 8% of total Irish sales.

Unsurprisingly, the rise of online shopping also features prominently in Dan White’s analysis. On this topic, Marks & Spencer should be heartily congratulated on a prudent partnership with Ocado!

Gillian Hamill, editor, ShelfLife magazine

ShelfLife is a controlled circulation magazine, available to selected individuals with interests in the retail and wholesale grocery trade, who fall within the publisher’s terms of control.

For those outside these terms, annual subscription is €98.00 including postage & packing.

Contents October 20

12

22

64

COVER STORY 26 Convenience to the fore

Fionnuala Carolan examines the acquisition of 10 Griffin Group c-stores by Circle K in closer detail

NEWS&ANALYSIS 4 News grid 6 Seen and heard 10 CSNA news

Managing Director JOHN McDONALD; Sales Director PAUL BYRNE Operations Director BILLY HUGGARD Published monthly by Mediateam Ltd., 55 Spruce Avenue, Sandyford, Dublin 18.

A94 RP22 Telephone (01) 294 7776 Fax (01) 294 7799 ISSN: 1393 0753

Circulation audited by Audit Bureau of Circulations.

ShelfLife is a member of Magazines Ireland

FEATURES&REPORTS 12 Today’s Women in Grocery:

Virtual networking event heard how learning from past events can enable the prediction of future trends 14 Dan White delves into the far-reaching financial impacts of Covid-19 across Ireland’s retail sector 18 Londis store profile: John Glennon of Glennon’s Londis Cabra tells Julia O’Reilly about revamps, ad campaigns, and what makes a store a success

22 Nearby store profile: Kaushaul Katharia speaks to Fionnuala Carolan about moving to Ireland and his grand plans for the future

28 Fresh focus for Gala retail: We take a closer look at the innovative in-store concepts continuing to drive both footfall and sales

32 Mace store profile: Following a major revamp, Mace Mountrath in Co. Laois has a stunning new appearance and is outperforming in almost every category

63 Appointments 64 Noffla news 66 Market movers

Reidy explores the pros and cons of the four-day working week

24 Recruitment: Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines how to ensure your leadership style within a virtual setting motivates your team

30 Marketing: Change for change’s sake to appease consumers who are supposedly “born bored” is never a wise move, writes Colin Gordon

MARKETING& CATEGORY FOCUS 34 Irish brands

ADVISOR

46 Fuel

20 HR: The HR Suite’s Caroline

60 Cash and carry

52 NoLo (no/low) alcohol

4

NEWS

NEWSGRID The top news stories in FMCG

and retail from across Ireland

World-leading anti-food waste app launches in Dublin

Londis announces new €1 million ad campaign

Leading global anti-food waste app ‘Too Good To Go’ is calling on all Dubliners to join the movement. The world’s largest B2C marketplace for surplus food, Too Good to Go “empowers the public and local businesses to fight food waste by offering ‘Surprise Bags’ of surplus food at the end of the day to stop it from going to waste”.

Dublin is the first city in Ireland to join the movement. The app is available for iOS download in the Apple App Store and Google Play for Android.

Londis has launched a new television and social media multi-platform advertising campaign starring comedy duo, Liam and Des who both starred in Londis’ sponsorship of RTE’s Ireland’s Fittest Family. Following an investment of €1 million, this campaign is a modern take on the Londis strapline ‘Local like you’ and focuses on how ‘Londis Listens’ to its shoppers, learns from them and tailors in-store offerings to reflect the needs of Londis shoppers. For more details, turn to page 16.

Aryzta has ‘turned financial corner’ despite loss of €235m Continuing the battle to reverse its financial fortunes, Swiss-Irish food group Aryzta reported a loss of €235.8 million for the year to the end of July. This was down from a loss of €1.09 billion the previous year. The Irish Times reports the group saw revenue drop by 8.6% to €1.5 billion, as a result of Covid19 affecting foodservice and quick service restaurant (QSR) sales. Despite this, the group said the results exceeded expectations and that it had successfully “de-risked” its financial profile through a continuing process of cost reduction and asset disposal.

Peter Bough, buying director with Aldi Ireland and Peter Mulrine, managing director of Mulrines

Mulrines secures new €9.5m Aldi contract Aldi has announced a new €9.5 million deal with the Donegal-based drinks producer Mulrines. Following a year of strong sales, the new 12-month contract will see Mulrines increase the volume of product it supplies to Aldi by almost 25%. The producer will now supply Aldi with over 11.5m litres of its Irishproduced fruit juices and smoothies each year, equivalent to five Olympic swimming pools full of product.

Joyce’s Supermarkets partners with Croí Joyce’s Supermarkets is delighted to be teaming up Croí, a registered charity dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke, to support its work in the West of Ireland.

Customers will be able to donate directly via bucket donations at till points.

Information posters containing key information about Croí’s dedicated heart and stroke helpline, Heartlink West, will also be displayed in ten Joyce’s stores across Co. Galway, including a QR code for customers to donate online.

Tesco anchor tenant in €500m Quintain investment in Adamstown Quintain has commenced construction of the first phase of its new €500m urban village development in Adamstown, Dublin. The first phase includes 279 apartments and over 91,000sq ft/8,500sq m of space to house two major supermarkets, 20 retail units and five restaurant outlets, along with a multi storey car park. The development, which will be called The Crossings, has signed a lease with Tesco for a 40,000sq ft/ 3,700sq m store, which is set to open in January 2023.

Judge rules Dunnes must fit out Point Village store Dunnes Stores is required to take steps to fit out its anchor store in Dublin’s Point Village, High Court judge, Mr Justice David Barniville has ruled. The ruling was made earlier this month in what has proved a lengthy litigation saga over nine years between Dunnes and Point Village Development Ltd (PVD). Since April 2013, PVD has been in receivership.

Spar launches plant-based chicken fillet roll Staff from Joyce’s Supermarket in Headford: Back (L-R) Cian Duane and Rory Hennelly, and front (L-R) Barbara Toher and Margaret Keady

Retail Ireland: Budget 2022 must secure retail recovery Retail Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the retail sector has set out its key Budget 2022 priorities. The group highlighted major recruitment problems, which are causing serious difficulties to businesses trying to overcome Covid and Brexit disruption.

The submission also calls for a refocus on competitiveness.

Spar has announced the launch of a new plant-based fillet, which is a first for the Irish market and will provide a meat free alternative to the traditional chicken fillet roll. Initially the plant-based fillet will launch in stores on university campuses before rolling out to other Spar stores. Spar added that the symbol group has plans to continue expanding its portfolio of meat alternative products. ■

Trinity third year nursing students, Leyah Stokes and Olivia Deverell from Laois with BWG Foods’ head of food innovation Orla Jordan and Julianne Prendergast

For more details on all the above and the latest grocery-related news as it happens, visit www.shelflife.ie.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Yay For Autumnal Feasting!

Shorter days demand shorter cooking times!

From winning weekday meals to succulent Sunday roasts, we’ve got the flavours to make dinner a success. As the nights draw in, we’re bringing your customers the deliciously fuss-free feasters to solve every kind of dinner dilemma! Add a little more everyday yay to their evening with our hearty dishes – delectable dippable chicken nuggets, hearty aromatic kievs and tasty mini fillets.

Stock your shelves today!

Contact our commercial team to stock up now:

048 3835 2233

#EverydayYay moyparkchicken.com

6

SEEN AND HEARD

Tap to Donate with SuperValu for AsIAm With the help of TikTok famous Irish dancing group Cairde, SuperValu and AsIAm encouraged the nation to ‘Tap to Donate with SuperValu for AsIAm’. As part of SuperValu’s ongoing partnership with AsIAm, Ireland’s national autism charity, a fundraising drive took place in all SuperValu stores from 23-25 September. SuperValu encouraged customers to simply tap to donate €2 at tills when making any purchase to help raise much-needed funds for AsIAm. Money raised over the three-day fundraising drive will support autism inclusion through the work of the organisation and a new SuperValu-AsIAm community support fund.

Cairde has created a video for the campaign to encourage people of all ages across to get involved. You can watch the video on Cairde’s TikTok channel or on its Instagram. To donate online, visit asiam.ie/donate.

Adam Harris, AsIAm CEO and Irish dancing group Cairde help launch Tap to Donate for the autism charity

SuperValu retains Ireland’s most successful supermarket accolade SuperValu took home a massive 100 award wins at the 2021 Great Taste Awards making it, once again, the top performing Irish supermarket at the world’s largest and most trusted food and drink awards. SuperValu’s wins include 49 products from the Signature Tastes range, solidifying its position as the number one premium range for taste and quality in an Irish supermarket. SuperValu took home three 3-star awards this year and an additional 26 awards on its 2020 wins, making it Ireland’s most successful supermarket at the awards once again.

This year SuperValu’s Signature Tastes Irish Hill Lamb Rump Roast was awarded 3-stars, making it one of the highest ranked products from an Irish retailer. Other 3-star winners include the Signature Tastes Riojan Chorizo Cular and the Signature Tastes Irish Hampshire Easy Carve Ham Fillet.

Other winners at the event included the Signature Tastes Kevin Dundon Christmas Pudding, Signature Tastes Sicilian Lemon Yogurt, SuperValu Lamb Rack, SuperValu Sour Cream, The Happy Pear Lovely Basil Pesto and the Signature Tastes Freshly Squeezed OJ.

SuperValu’s wins include 49 products from the Signature Tastes range

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Your business waste easily sorted!

A new initiative designed to take the uncertainty out of waste segregation for businesses has been launched by MyWaste, Ireland’s official guide to waste. This government-funded initiative provides a free, extensive, suite of signage and training materials to help workforces make accurate recycling decisions.

This will assist Irish businesses to achieve greater circular economy performance through increased recycling and composting rates.

A waste characterisation study by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) shows that 70% of recyclables and materials suitable for composting, are currently lost through the general waste stream.

Targeted materials (those suitable for recycling) accounted for only 60% of the materials in the mixed dry recycling bins, with food waste among the contaminants.

The study found that by improving waste segregation practices, businesses could divert up to 350,000 tonnes of waste from the general waste stream annually.

Speaking on behalf of the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices, Kevin Swift, Connacht Ulster Region Waste Office said: “This initiative will empower small and medium size businesses, particularly those in the retail, hospitality, manufacturing and corporate sectors, to further improve how their waste is managed.”

The toolkit is free to download or order from www.mywaste.ie/business/.

MyWaste helps workforces make accurate recycling decisions

Five Food Academy producers to be showcased in SuperValu stores nationwide Five local Irish food producers have been chosen from 290 Food Academy suppliers and are being showcased in SuperValu stores nationwide over a three-week period. The producers are part of SuperValu’s Food Academy programme that is run in conjunction with Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise office.

Since 23 September, each of the five producers have been able to see their products on sale across 150 SuperValu stores around Ireland.

The five companies chosen for nationwide distribution include Blakes Always Organic from Co. Leitrim; Little Thai Kitchen from Co. Waterford; Feighery’s Farm from Co. Tipperary; Hassetts Bakery from Co. Cork and The Sweet Potato Pizza Company from Dublin. The products selected demonstrate the quality and range of choice that the food entrepreneurs of today are creating and delivering to shoppers across the country.

The Food Academy programme currently supports 290 Irish food and drink producers, making their products available 52 weeks of the year in their local SuperValu stores. In 2020, there was a 15% growth in SuperValu Food Academy sales, with participants delivering €28m in retail sales.

The five producers have their products on sale across 150 SuperValu stores around Ireland

You’ll be in good company at MACE Line up with MACE brand ambassador Johnny Sexton and the rest of our winning team.

At

MACE, we’re looking for retailers who bring a smile to work every day to join our amazing team.

Take the first step and get in touch with Andrew or Liam who can give you a full introduction to what the MACE brand and MACE team can do for your business.

Our new stores are designed to be both bright and welcoming, to place you at the heart of the community in which you serve.

To find out more, contact:

Speaking of service, our quality fresh foods and innovations meet the ever-changing needs of people and have been proven to drive profitable sales increases for MACE Retailers.

You will have the support of our experienced team around Ireland, along with award winning marketing to grow your business.

Andrew McCann (Regional Manager North) amccann@bwg.ie / 086 041 4334 Liam Attridge (Regional Manager South) lattridge@bwg.ie / 086 852 1362

www.mace.ie facebook.com/MACEIreland

instagram.com/MACE_ireland

youtube.com/MACE_ireland

twitter.com/@MACEIreland

8

SEEN AND HEARD

Britvic Ireland managing director Kevin Donnelly proudly accepting Britvic Ireland’s Origin Green Gold Membership 2021 plaque

Britvic Ireland awarded Origin Green Gold Membership 2021 Britvic Ireland has been awarded Origin Green Gold Membership for 2021, joining a committed group of leading food and drink companies who have been recognised and celebrated by Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme for excelling in their sustainability targets and demonstrating best-in-class environmental performance among their peers.

Since first achieving Origin Green accreditation, Britvic Ireland has made major breakthroughs in sustainability across all areas of the portfolio including reducing waste and water, supporting packaging circularity, reducing sugar by 43% per serve and supporting local communities.

Kevin Donnelly, managing director Britvic Ireland, paid tribute to the team effort involved in achieving the award. “It’s a privilege to receive gold accreditation and recognition of the hard work of the whole team at Britvic Ireland,” he said. “We have set exacting sustainability targets, which are transforming every aspect of our business. This award gives us encouragement that we are on the right path to achieving our goals.”

Centra named top convenience retailer at 2021 Great Taste Awards Centra claimed 47 accolades at this year’s 2021 Great Taste Awards, making it the number one award winning convenience retailer in Ireland.

The ‘Inspired By Centra’ range took home 17 wins after being tried and tested by a panel of over 500 experts. Award-winning products from the Inspired by Centra range include Angus Striploin Steaks, Centra Rotisserie Chicken and Centra Tomato and Mozzarella Sourdough Pizza. Other products to receive awards were Superquinn Sausages, Centra Butter and Centra’s Sultana Fruit Scone.

Speaking about the achievement, Ian Allen, managing director, Centra said: “We are absolutely delighted to be named the top winning convenience retailer at the Great Taste Centra took home 47 accolades, Awards. Being awarded including eight two star and 39 with 47 accolades at such a one star awards prestigious event shows the commitment Centra makes in offering quality Irish products to our shoppers. This is a fantastic achievement and one that we’re exceptionally proud of.”

The Great Taste Awards, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the world’s largest blind tasting awards and the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink.

Make yours a clutter free space with SmartWall Deep RiverRock has a new brand character, Tony Cantwell, to remind us all of the positives in everyday life situations

Deep RiverRock making waves in recycling Deep RiverRock has been making waves with its new-look 100% recycled bottle. The brand first launched its full recycled 100% RPET across the total portfolio back in 2019.

The brand continues to grow market share as the second largest impulse water brand on the island of Ireland. Thanks to continued modernisation and premiumisation, Deep RiverRock now proudly launches a new strategic direction and brand platform – Nice One! The new brand campaign will show how choosing the Deep RiverRock 100% recycled bottle is a Nice One! Deep RiverRock will use a new brand character, Tony Cantwell, to remind us all of the positives in everyday life situations.

To deliver the Deep RiverRock brand message, the new ‘Nice One’ campaign went live in September, led by a heavyweight TV campaign on RTE, Channel 4, Virgin Media and Sky, together with a number of video on demand platforms. The campaign is further supported with new packaging, digital, out of home, experiential, social, PR and shopper activity.

Along with the new brand platform coming, the Deep RiverRock 500ml flavoured water range has had a fantastic summer, with the launch of three new Immunity Defence SKUs, Deep RiverRock flavours have seen both ROS and share growth across the island.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

SmartWall is a unique configurable work station that combines bulk storage shelves and productivity grids and accessories. The primary purpose is to keep workspaces organised and free of clutter. When used above a work table or workstation, the tools and supplies can be kept off the work surface to improve cleanliness and overall productivity.

The use of the system around and above sinks, work tables, and equipment will keep these areas cleaner and more organized. SmartWall can become an integral part of everyday operating processes to improve efficiencies and ultimately the return on investment (ROI).

Metro wall shelving configurations can be ordered in single shelf options, multiple shelf units, and side-by-side connected wall mount units for larger areas. These durable wall shelving units are designed to hang on the wall and customized to create the exact layout you need. They can be placed at any height to keep supplies within an arm’s reach of staff members. Made from durable, rust-resistant materials, these industrial wall shelves will fit several needs in your facility. Chrome plated, Metroseal rust-resistant epoxy, and Type 304 stainless steel options are available to address different environments. ■

SmartWall and its system of integrated wall tracks offer the flexibility to add wall shelving and wall mounted task stations

WINNING TASTES GOOD 71% OF IRELAND PREFER THE TASTE OF PEPSI MAX

MAXIMUM TASTE NO SUGAR In a blind taste challenge in the Republic of Ireland from 24.05.19 to 26.09.19, 19,693 out of 27,890 people surveyed preferred the taste of Pepsi Max to ROI’s biggest selling cola. For more info see www.pepsimax.ie

10

CSNA NEWS

CSNA NEWS CSNA news and magazine training videos available online Did you know that the CSNA has a suite of training videos available exclusively for CSNA members? The videos are a valuable resource for any store looking to train or upskill their employees involved in the news and magazine sector of their store. These videos cover:

JOHN PAUL LONERGAN, national president, CSNA

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Deliveries Magazines Category management Datascan and returns Online invoicing, credit notes and ordering

You can view these videos on the CSNA website.

The CSNA’s online videos on handling newspapers and magazines are a valuable resource for training staff

CSNA asks publisher and distributor to get express permission to continue “boxing out” a UK-oriented trade magazine Information and trade insights are very important to retailers and those connected to our sector.

We have a number of publications, including ShelfLife, to whet our appetite and provide us with well-written, relevant content. These magazines are delivered to retailers from their Irish printers, through Newspread, EM News or An Post. There is no charge to any retailer receiving them.

This is in contrast to the business model adopted by the publishers of UK title RN. They instruct their distributors (in Ireland it is EM News) to send their title to newsretailing accounts on the normal sale-or-return terms for a short period and then switch the

conditions to being ‘firm sale’. This means that the copy cannot be returned for crediting.

In our view, this is a despicable practice and is unique to this title, which is supremely ironic given the fact that the underlying philosophy of the title is supposed to be designed to benefit, not levy a charge, upon the retailer.

As far as the association is concerned, this publication, and the methods employed to place it into our stores should not find favour with Irish customers of EM. Unless you really believe it provides a necessary information benefit to your business, we suggest you can easily live without it, and save yourself over €120 per annum!

Reviewing this matter could save retailers money

PSO levy: Changes from 1 October welcome but SMEs still paying a disproportionate rate

Energy bills will be substantially higher this year

Last year, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU), the body charged by the government to recommend pricing of the Public Service Obligation (PSO) levy, broke all records in recommending that businesses pay at a rate of €33.39 per kVA. To remind you, this charge isn’t based on consumption, it’s calculated on the capacity your business has been fitted out with.

This year, your energy bill will be substantially higher, but the PSO levy element has been reduced by 41%, to €19.61 per annum

per kVA. This will be billed as €1.63 kVA. If you haven’t spoken with our CSNA energy advisor, perhaps now is a good time to get independent professional assistance.

We will continue to make the argument to the department that it is our belief that the methodology used by CRU is both irrational and unfair to business users.

A shop with a 29 kVA rating will pay a flat €163.55 for a PSO levy but their competitor with a 30 kVA rating will pay €588.30, regardless of the consumption of either store!

Keep updated on the Covid-19 situation on the CSNA website: www.csna.ie ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Don’t keep your weekend staff in the dark

3Money to cease after October 2021

It is very frustrating and annoying when the actions (or inactions) of your staff cause problems, many of which have negative financial implications for the business.

• You need to ask yourself: How did this happen?

• Could it have been avoided?

• Are others (including myself) equally at fault?

Most importantly, you need to take immediate actions to prevent recurrence.

Very frequently we find that the errors and omissions that cause the problems are down to a lack of adequate training, particularly with instructions to part-time, recently hired and relief staff.

With the numbers of regular staff absent due to leave and possibly isolation, we have relied on those less familiar with certain roles and duties to “keep the show on the road”; it is vital that you or your manager ensure these staff are acquainted with the potential pitfalls: • • • • • •

Age-restricted products Quantity-restricted products Policy on till procedures Phone phishing Customer service Newspaper and magazine processes (the very best tip we can give you on this is to watch the CSNA training on the CSNA website).

There are an enormously disproportionate number of costly errors that are caused by untrained staff; the solution is in your hands.

It is vital that all staff are trained on potential pitfalls including phone phishing scams

CSNA CONTACT DETAILS

Swirl’s prepaid card allows consumers to only spend what they have on their account therefore eliminating the possibility of credit card debt

As you may be aware, 3Money will no longer be providing its service after October 2021. As a result, you will see an increase in demand for Swirl cards over the next number of weeks. Your 3Money customers will be looking for another prepaid card that can be topped up with cash in your store.

The CSNA Services subcommittee have been in contact with Swirl as to what extra benefits this opportunity may have for our members and we hope to be able to give a more detailed report shortly on this matter. ■

If you have any queries regarding CSNA services or membership please contact the office in Naas, Co. Kildare on 045-535050 or by email to info@csna.ie/www.csna.ie

New! PerfEct Meal solUtIoNs!

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

12

EVENT

Reflecting to reap rewards

Under this year’s theme of ‘Looking back to move forward’, the recent Today’s Women in Grocery (TWIG) virtual networking event heard how learning from past events can enable the prediction of future trends

T

he past can weigh heavily on your shoulders, or you can use it to guide you and propel you forward. That was the message to participants in this year’s Irish Grocery’s Benevolent Fund’s annual lunch event in conjunction with Today’s Women in Grocery (TWIG) held on Friday, 17 September to raise funds for those working in the sector who experience unexpected financial hardship.

The virtual event was attended by almost 500 people, and hosted by MC Sonya Lennon with a line-up of five sterling speakers including: Gráinne Wafer, global brand director for Guinness at Diageo; Roísín Hennerty, managing director of Ornua’s Global Foods Division; Sinéad Bryan, managing director at Vodafone; Sharon Buckley, commercial director of the Musgrave Group and Chupi Sweetman, CEO of Chupi Jewellery.

The Today’s Women in Grocery (TWIG) virtual networking event held on Friday, 17 September, was attended by nearly 500 guests

what is the lasting legacy you are creating?

“Thinking about what experiences have shaped us, what were our highs and lows, what patterns emerge from these and what can we learn from this about what it says about us,” Wafer told the audience.

Looking back to move forward Today’s Women in Grocery (TWIG) 2021 committee members

Building on successes TWIG chair Sharon Yourell Lawlor emphasized that through looking back at the past, we can anticipate the future better, shorten our learning curve, predict trends and use them to achieve the results we want.

“We can build on our successes and avoid making the same mistakes,” she said. “And what better context than now, as we emerge from Covid to reflect, look back and consider the past, the recent Covid past or a longer horizon, to ensure we now move forward stronger than ever to build on our successes and position ourselves for future growth.”

Creating a lasting legacy Key speaker Gráinne Wafer of Diageo told attendees, that when faced with challenges the team she works alongside often ask “what would Arthur [Guinness] do?”: “Of course, the question is not literally about what Arthur would do, but more about what is the core set of values and principles that you need to hold dear when making decisions…

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

The theme of “looking back to move forward” was addressed by all the speakers. Sharon Buckley spoke about how the last year and a half has given her a greater appreciation, both professionally and personally, on the importance of surrounding yourself with individuals and activities that lift you up and energise you. Roisin Hennerty commented that the period of unprecedented change brought about by Covid-19 highlighted the importance of diversity, belonging and inclusion to their business. Reflecting on the beginning of her career, Sinead Bryan spoke about the importance of taking risks and backing yourself, while Chupi Sweetnam spoke about the looking back on her career and being proud of overcoming some of the early challenges she experienced as a female entrepreneur.

Doyle Collection, INUA Collection, Glanbia and Coca-Cola.

Through the IGBF, enormous assistance has been provided to relieve hardship amongst employed, unemployed and retired members and their spouses, who have fallen on difficult times because of ill health or bereavement.

The charity currently assists nearly 250 families monthly and will contribute over €560,000 annually on welfare support.

The fund is a registered charity and also a registered friendly society and has historically been very well-supported by the leading companies in the retail, wholesale, food and drink and services industries. Individuals in difficulty can apply for financial assistance and the awarding of grants are managed through a well-governed welfare process n

Crucial support The event, sponsored by CPM, Musgrave, Diageo and Suntory Beverage & Food Ireland, also featured a raffle with six great prizes including a Chupi 14k Gold TWIG Band Diamond Ring, and five overnight breaks in some of Ireland’s top five and four-star hotels.

Sponsors of these prizes included GSK, the

TWIG chair Sharon Yourell Lawlor of Think Plan Do Consultancy, with MC Sonya Lennon and TWIG vice chair Frances Higgins of BWG Foods

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14

OPINION

Dan’s Digest

With Dan White VieWs on the latest eConomiC & politiCal neWs

Analysing the longterm impact of Covid Armed with all the statistics, Dan White delves into the far-reaching financial impacts of Covid-19 across Ireland’s retail sector

Online retail’s share of total card spending leaped from less than 33% of all card spending in August 2019 to a massive 49% in April 2020

W

ith most of the remaining Covid19 restrictions set to be lifted later this month, retailing is getting ready to return to normal. But it will be a very different normal from the old pre-March 2020 normal.

On 22 October, more than a year-and-ahalf after they were first introduced, the vast majority of the surviving Covid-19 controls in this country will be scrapped, paving the way for a belated return to normal.

But what kind of “normal” will it be?

Anyone hoping for a return to 29 February 2020, that the events of the 20 months were no more than a bad dream to be swiftly forgotten, is likely to be disappointed.

April and May of 2020, according to the Central Statistics Office. These were not coincidentally the two most severe months of lockdown.

In the same two months almost two-thirds of clothing sales and close to 60% of electrical goods sales were online.

Of course, such strong increases in sales and market share weren’t sustainable. As the economy has gradually re-opened, food and online retailers have seen a return to more “normal”, that word again, trading conditions.

Strong grocery performance continues

By August of this year, food, beverage and

tobacco sales were growing at an annual rate of 1.8% while online’s share of electrical goods sales had fallen below 15% and to less than 8% of clothing sales.

However, before one is tempted to say: “Nothing to see here, move along folks” one should bear in mind that August 2021 food, beverage and tobacco sales were running 15% ahead of those for the same month in 2019.

Further evidence of the very strong performance of food retailing during lockdown is provided by the latest survey data from market research firm Kantar. According to Kantar, while grocery sales fell by 2.3% in the 12 weeks to 5 September 2021, they were still 11% higher than for the same period in 2019.

New normal The retail winners from lockdown were the traditional bricks and mortar food retailers and the online behemoths such as Amazon. With consumers in most developed countries under effective house arrest but incomes largely protected by various furlough measures such as the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) in this country, we spent more on food (and drink) at the supermarket and any other “stuff” we bought was purchased online.

Food, beverage and tobacco [mainly supermarket] sales were up by 14% in both ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

With a market share of 22.5% for the 12 weeks to 20 September 2021 according to Kantar, SuperValu is the market leader in grocery

OPINION

15

Big three While grocery had a good lockdown, some firms did better than others. With a market share of 22.5% for the 12 weeks to 5 September 2021, SuperValu is the market leader in grocery, according to Kantar. It is followed by Dunnes and Tesco, both of which had a 21.4% market share. Kantar points out that each of the grocery big three increased their market share compared to the previous 12-week period, the first time this happened in over ten years.

Take a longer view and a significantly different picture emerges. Go back to the 12 weeks to 8 September 2019 and Dunnes was on a 22.2% market share while Tesco and SuperValu were both on 21.4%. Looked at over a two-year time span, it can be seen that Dunnes has lost share of a, significantly larger, market while Tesco has been treading water with SuperValu, alone among the big three, significantly increasing its market share over the past two years.

The discounters, Aldi and Lidl, have been the other lockdown grocery winners. Two years ago, their combined market share was 24.4%. Kantar estimates that it was 25.5% in the most recent 12-week period.

Online retailing Trying to get a handle on what’s happening with online retailing is more difficult.

According to the CSO, online’s share of electrical and clothing is now back to where it was in 2019.

Maybe, maybe not. The CSO’s problems in tracking online sales have been welldocumented. While the huge increase in online sales it picked up in the early months of lockdown certainly corresponded with what most of us could see with our own eyes, the more recent contraction in sales is harder to square with what is apparently happening all around us.

During lockdown, a slew of clothing and other retailers including Debenhams, Carphone Warehouse, Topshop and Oasis, bit the dust. They’re gone and they’re not coming back, ever.

Fortunately, there is another method of measuring the growth of online sales, the Central Bank’s credit and debit card spending data. This shows that online’s share of total card spending leaped from less than 33% of all card spending in August 2019 to a massive 49% in April 2020 at the height of the first lockdown before falling back to 34% in August 2020.

However, online was back up to 36% of total card spending by August 2021. Perhaps more significant has been the long-run increase in online as a proportion of total card spending, up from 31% in August 2018.

Lockdown seems to have turbocharged the move to online in non-food retailing that was

Marks & Spencer’s joint venture with Ocado recorded sales of £2.3bn

already taking place.

While all of the major Irish grocery retailers now offer their customers some sort of online option, grocery has up to now proved more difficult for online to crack.

That may be about to change.

Smart move by M&S While M&S has experienced severe difficulties in this country, the retailer having had to drop 800 food lines due to Brexit, the success of its online venture in the UK, where it has teamed up with Ocado, has received less attention. The joint venture recorded sales of £2.3bn and operating (pre-

interest) profits of £204m in the year to the end of February and is almost as profitable of M&S’ own food (i.e. food sold through its stores) division which recorded operating profits of £213m over the same period.

Which inevitably begs the question: Has M&S cracked online food retailing? While it’s almost certainly too early to say yet, this is definitely one to be keeping an eye on. If the answer turns out to be yes, then Covid’s long-term implications for retailing could turn out to be even more significant and the new “normal” even more different than we had previously thought. ■

“The CSO’s problems in tracking online sales have been well-documented. While the huge increase in online sales it picked up in the early months of lockdown certainly corresponded with what most of us could see with our own eyes, the more recent contraction in sales is harder to square with what is apparently happening all around us.”

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

16

ADVERTORIAL

Londis launches new €1 million nationwide advertising and social media campaign

Liam and Des meet Londis Retailers at the Exclusive Retailer Preview in Leopardstown

L

eading community retail group Londis has launched a new nationwide advertising and social media campaign following a €1 million investment.

The multi-platform campaign is a new, modern take on the Londis strapline ‘Local like you’ and focuses on how ‘Londis Listens’ to its shoppers, learns from them and tailors in-store offerings to reflect the needs of Londis shoppers. Liam and Des are key characters in the campaign as they listen to customers’ interactions and stock the store shelves accordingly.

It is a contemporary take on Londis’ marketing legacy of ‘Local like you’ and amplifies the thing that sets Londis and its independent retailers apart in the industry, which is that each store is reflective of the community that it is based in. As Londis stores are owned and run by locals, the new ads build on Londis’ proud contention that ‘We

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

The new Londis advertising campaign hit TV screens late last month and there has already been a great reaction to the new humorous campaign, which stars Ireland’s favourite duo, fictional Londis workers Liam and Des. Ireland was first introduced to the intrepid pair in 2019 as part of Londis’ award-winning sponsorship of RTE hit-show, Ireland’s Fittest Family and their comical interactions have been providing great entertainment to viewers of the show ever since. Now, Londis has built on those original witty stings and is inviting viewers to become even more invested in Liam’s and Des’ adventures

know what locals wants because we are local like you’ and builds on Londis’ multi award winning ‘Soccer Time’ and ‘School Disco’ advertising campaign. In a nutshell, the Soccer Time and School Disco ads focused on ‘Why’ certain Londis stores sold certain products on certain shelves, while our new campaign explains ‘How’ Londis does it, which is by listening to their shoppers.

The new campaign was unveiled at an exclusive retailer event at The Retro Drive-In in Leopardstown recently, which featured the debut screening of the TV commercials.

Commenting on the partnership, Gillian Rigley, Londis marketing manager said: “We’re delighted to announce the launch of Londis’ new advertising campaign. Londis has always been at the helm of community retailing, but this marketing investment signals a new era for the Londis brand where its inherent commitment to local people will be modernised for the communities and consumers of today. Through this campaign, we’re hoping to provide some enjoyable entertainment that will lift the moods of our customers. The Londis brand is centred on how our retailers are ‘Local Like’ their

customers and how their teams are driven to answer their customers’ needs, something we’ve tried to highlight and emphasise with this campaign.”

Liam and Des appear in the Londis Price and Item TV Ads too

ADVERTORIAL

Londis Team during filming at Londis Cabra, left to right Gillian Rigley, Londis Marketing Manager, Suzanne Weldon, BWG Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Emma Houlihan Londis Brand Manager and Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director

New ads There are two ads in the new campaign with two different stories happening in parallel.

The first ad is called ‘Going Steady’ and the second ad is called ‘Competitive Shopping’.

‘Going Steady’ is a great, tragi-comic scenario.

Trevor’s huge self-confidence is disarming. He is so self-assured and oblivious to how the rest of the world sees him. So of course, Trevor thinks he has a chance to win Aoife’s heart. In his mind it’s a certainty. But we soon realise that, in his choice of gifts for Aoife, this is not going to end well.

In ‘Going Steady’, Trevor and Dave discuss Trev’s plans to ask Aoife out. Des and Liam listen to Trev’s various ideas for gifts, from the mundane to the bizarre, and deliver them to the shelf right beside Trevor. But it all goes wrong when Aoife arrives with her boyfriend. A sympathetic Des takes charge and fills the shelf with the things Trev now

Competitive Shopping - an Insight into Parental Guilt

needs. We wanted to show that even the most casual whimsical demand from Trevor is taken seriously and delivered upon by Liam and Des and by extension Londis, who work hard behind the scenes to ensure that Trevor has what he wants right at arm’s length. By the end Des and Liam can anticipate Trevor’s needs as well as his wants.

Meanwhile, ‘Competitive Shopping’ is an insight about parental guilt. In this case Una is momentarily shamed at her shopping choices by busy-body Karen, but given a moment to think about it Una decides she’ll buy what she wants and never-mind what other people think.

Of course, Des and Liam are there to guarantee everything Una wants is at her fingertips.

Showcasing Londis Both these ads were designed to emphasize the local credentials of the brand and to showcase the latest Londis store design, which is being rolled out to other Londis stores across the

17

Going Steady - Trevor and Dave

country. The new advertising campaign officially launched with a national broadcast of the new television advertisement, alongside ‘video on demand’ and a strong digital and social media campaign.

Directed by Irish film director and writer Damien O’Donnell, under the umbrella of creative agency, In the Company of Huskies, these exciting new adverts were filmed in one of the latest new-look Londis stores, Glennon’s Londis Cabra in Dublin and will be broadcast across television, video on demand and accompanied by digital and social media campaign.

There are over 140 Londis stores serving local communities right across the country, supporting local jobs and local suppliers.

Londis is one of Ireland’s most established convenience retail brands and caters to a wide and diverse base of customers through its forecourt, neighbourhood and urban store formats. ■

Exclusive Londis Retailer Launch Retro Drive In Movies

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

18

STORE PROFILE

The Londis Bia Blas deli concept is bright and attractive

As the location for Londis’ exciting new adverts, Glennon’s Londis Cabra in Dublin will be broadcast across television, video on demand and accompanied by a digital and social media campaign

On location B ack in 1990, brothers John and Eddie Glennon from Mullingar founded the Glennon Group. Today, the pair run a number of successful stores nationwide. A keen eye might even recognise one of those stores, Londis Cabra, from Londis’ latest ad campaign.

“We’re in Cabra almost two years now,” says John Glennon, who was on hand to discuss the recently renovated 2,500sq ft store with ShelfLife magazine, “and we’ve been there straight through the pandemic.”

Glennon’s retail journey goes all the way back to 1981, when he got his start in Tesco after finishing school. From there, he spent seven years working in multiples including H Williams and Quinnsworth before joining forces with his brother Eddie.

Catering to customers Ahead of the Cabra store’s revamp, the Glennons worked with Londis to shape their store to better cater to its existing customer profile. “One of our main challenges was

changing the format of the shop,” he says.

“There are a lot of elderly and retired people in the area, as well as schools and working people.”

As well as updating the store, Glennon says the main goal of the revamp was to reorganise the store’s layout to highlight what it already had on offer: “We changed the layout to better suit the shoppers we get in every day.

Our grocery department has been reduced to allow for an enhanced fresh food offering, and there’s now a much greater off-licence selection too.

“In the past, the store had been catering solely to the weekly shopper with their basket or trolley,” he adds. “It’s now been redesigned to suit the more convenience-driven shopper that’s headed to school or work and wants to pick up a coffee, a pastry or a sandwich.”

Stellar staff Glennon adds that the staff at Londis Cabra – eight full-timers and four part-timers – were stellar throughout the revamp. “They were

An enticing fresh bakery selection is available in-store

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

John Glennon of Glennon’s Londis Cabra tells Julia O’Reilly about revamps, ad campaigns, and what makes a store a success excellent. I’d say 90% of the time, the Cabra team were in charge of everything. The shop fitters and planners would come in and out, but it was really the team driving us through the revamp and keeping the show on the road.

And believe me, they were looking forward to it too.”

Stronger than ever Glennon is delighted with both the results of the revamp, and the progress the store has made since. Despite the challenges of the last 18 months, he says Londis Cabra is now stronger than ever.

Glennon thinks the store’s boost in sales can in part be credited to elderly cocooners shopping local. “Some elderly people didn’t want to get on the bus to go into town to go shopping,” he says, “they were using their local shops more. I think we benefitted there.”

Ad campaign Another bit of good news for the store came all the way from Londis HQ, which chose

Glennon’s Londis Cabra features an extensive off-licence department

STORE PROFILE

A range of tasty and nutritious hot meals are also available in-store, perfect for time-pressed shoppers looking for a quick and easy dinner

Londis Cabra as the location for its latest TV advertisement.

“Londis came to me with the suggestion, and I thought it would be great,” says Glennon. “I believe getting that airtime can bring positives to a store.”

The locals seemed to get a kick out of it too: “The locals saw the filming going on and a lot of them came in to investigate what was happening. They might not recognise the store when they see it on their screens, but it brought a bit of excitement.”

Secret to success With many retail success stories to his name, Glennon is a good person to ask what it takes to make a store a hit? “Location is key,” he advises. “It’s so important that you start with a good location as the foundation. Once that’s covered, it’s about customer service in all its forms.”

Glennon takes a holistic approach to customer service: “People often think customer service is how the customer is treated at the till, or how long they’re waiting in line. But it’s so much more than that. It’s coming into a clean store, having the products someone is looking for, being open at a certain time of day. The list is endless.”

19

The store has been “redesigned to suit the more convenience-driven shopper that’s headed to school or work and wants to pick up a coffee, a pastry or a sandwich,” says retailer John Glennon

Industry change Work 40 years in any industry and you’ll observe plenty of change. Retail is no exception. Through the years, Glennon has watched the rise of on-the-go food and the demise of ‘dry grocery’; the onslaught of instant communication and social media; as well as the more recent rise of online shopping and grocery delivery.

Some things seem so integral to retail that it’s hard to imagine a time without them.

While picking up a hot coffee from a local retailer may seem as humdrum as buying a stick of gum today, it wasn’t long ago that the retail coffee business was non-existent.

Glennon recalls having one of Ireland’s first press button coffee machines in one of his stores around 20 years ago – “It was a great novelty at the time.”

Then came the arrival of the discount retailers, which Glennon says changed the way retail in Ireland worked: “When I started out, there were no discounters in the country.

Most retailers closed on a Sunday and traded late two nights a week. Otherwise, most

closed at 6pm and on Bank Holidays too.

That’s changed now. Both the availability of shopping and the variety people have now is dramatically different.”

Still, Glennon takes a considered approach to the current state of the industry: “Retailers have always faced challenges and always will.

Yes, it’s a tough industry, but it always has been.”

Londis support A tough industry indeed, which is why the Glennons are all the more grateful to the team at Londis for the support they’ve received throughout the last two years. “I’d like to thank the team at Londis for all the help they’ve given us you to date, especially during the revamp and indeed throughout the pandemic,” Glennon says. “In terms of Covid19, they made everything as straightforward as possible. They did the research and presented us with a weekly checklist. Everybody was singing off the same sheet. It allowed us and our team to know we were doing everything we should to stay safe.” ■

“People often think customer service is how the customer is treated at the till, or how long they’re waiting in line. But it’s so much more than that.”

With a stunning new look, the filming of the latest Londis advertisement campaign in Glennon’s Londis Cabra generated excitement among intrigued locals

The store maintains impeccable cleanliness and standards throughout all categories

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

20 ADVISOR: HR

Is a four-day working week viable?

CAROLINE REIDY

managing director, The HR Suite

In the aftermath of the pandemic, many workforces are increasingly exploring how to work smarter, not harder. In advance of a nationwide trial of the four-day working week commencing in January 2022, The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy explores both the pros and cons

S

ince Covid-19, the debate around the optimal working week has strengthened as conversations circulate around the new way of working. In order for companies to achieve the maximum benefit for both employers and their staff members, certain factors need to be considered when adjusting their working week.

The first and most important factor a company needs to consider is how to work smarter rather than longer, as this is the alleged key to greater productivity. The second factor that needs to be considered is how to increase leisure time for full-time employees. Increasing employees’ leisure time not only increases motivation levels but can also decrease their chances of experiencing burnout.

Condensed working hours

Supports will be made available for businesses who sign up to participate in the fourdayweek.ie pilot scheme including training, coaching and mentoring

CONTACT THE HR SUITE:

If you require further information or advice on HR, please do not hesitate to contact The HR Suite’s consultants on (01) 9014335 or (066) 7102887 or email the company at info@thehrsuiteonline.com.

The idea of working a four-day week (i.e., reduced hours) is captivating for many people within the workforce who work five or more days a week. For the vast majority of individuals in the workforce, having a longer weekend would improve their worklife balance. One principle that has been spoken about is the Pareto principle as a way to manage your workload when given a shorter work week. This principle stipulates that 20% of an employee’s tasks will create 80% of the value; so, although many employees may believe that they cannot get all their tasks completed if their working week is shortened, the principle specifies that it’s about focusing on your highvalue tasks as opposed to putting yourself under pressure to get all tasks completed.

Working a condensed week – i.e., working full-time hours across four days rather than five is one way that many employees currently achieve a four-day week. However, studies have also indicated that full-time employees who work this way have showed decreased levels of productivity and reduced levels of engagement. According to the UK Health and Safety Executive in 2017, it is estimated that approximately 44% of work-related stress in the UK is caused by workload resulting in an economic cost of £5 billion per year. When redistributing working hours in this way, it is imperative that this factor is taken into consideration as this may not be the best option for an employer and employees.

Working smarter not harder From an employer’s perspective, a reduced working week can only be advantageous when the hours spent at work are the hours when the workforce are functioning at the most productive level or in flow. Furthermore, the quality of work improves over a shorter length of time. It raises the question

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

whether employers should focus on the volume of tasks to be performed and completed, as opposed to focusing on contracting employees to sit X number of hours in an office.

Four-day week trials There have been many reports of successful trials of fourday weeks in the media of late, including in Iceland, New Zealand and Japan, where employees work a reduced working week. Spain and Scotland have become the latest countries to announce four-day week trials. In Ireland, a sixmonth four-day week trial will commence in January 2022 and supports will be made available for businesses who sign up to participate in the pilot including training, coaching and mentoring, etc. You can find out how to sign up here: fourdayweek.ie.

In Japan, Microsoft implemented a four-day working week as an experiment to investigate whether or not employee productivity would be boosted within the company. According to Microsoft Japan, sales increased by approximately 40%.

One would wonder why a four-day week isn’t enjoyed worldwide with such positive results? One of the main reasons why the four-day working week is perhaps not universal is because many work cultures celebrate long working hours and an employee’s devotion to work.

The director of employee relations at Ibec claims that, although it promotes worker flexibility, for certain business sectors it would be unrealistic. For example, within the healthcare industry there is a demand for seven-day staff – so a four-day week may not suit all roles within all industries.

The real challenge is to establish the optimal number of weekly hours to be completed within the working week to maximise productivity and performance for employers.

FOUR-DAY WEEK PROS:

FOUR-DAY WEEK CONS:

Improved work/life balance

Possible longer working day

Increased productivity

Availability of childcare facilities etc.

Improved wellbeing

Availability of services to customers

Higher level of employee engagement

More complex contractual issues

Talent retention and attraction of talent

May not suit all employees

Reduced energy costs and carbon footprint for employers

If you are considering what impact a four-day week working arrangement might have on your organisation, then you may wish to explore the Q&A section on the fourdayweek.ie website. ■

always-nearby.com

At Nearby, we provide the support and market knowledge that your store needs to thrive in today’s market. We look for retail partners who are passionate about their customers, their products and the future of their store.

The best part? With a retail support system in place, you will have more time to get on with things that make your business unique, while we take care of the rest!

To find out more about the benefits of becoming a Nearby retailer contact:

Arron Potts Head of Retail Development ROI apotts@sandwni.com Tel : 083 193 9229

22

STORE PROFILE

Nearby Donore is a sizable store at 3,000sq ft and occupies a central role in the local community as the only village shop

Kaushaul Katharia is the owner of Nearby in Donore, County Louth. He speaks to Fionnuala Carolan about the great personal journey he has had since moving to Ireland from his home in India and his grand plans for the future

For the love of retail T

he Nearby store in Donore, Co. Louth has been given a new lease of life since Kaushaul Katharia took over the running of it in 2019. The village shop needed an overhaul and a steady pair of hands and wholesaler S&W Wholesale identified Katharia as the man for the job.

Originally from Northern India, Katharia came to Ireland in 2007 in the name of love. The cross-continent move was deemed necessary due to his inter-caste marriage.

Many Indian families still prefer marriages arranged within their religion and caste which meant that it would have been problematic for Katharia and his wife Shivani

The compact Cuppa concept is an ideal solution for fuss-free hot beverages on-the-go

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

STORE PROFILE

Retailer: Kaushaul Katharia Group: Nearby Donore Address: Unit 3, Cuileann Court, Cruicerath, Donore, Co. Meath Size: 3,000sq ft Opening hours: Monday – Sunday; 7am – 8pm

Sharma to be married in India, so their best option was to move abroad. This can’t have been easy for the couple but there doesn’t seem to be any trace of resentment about his situation, simply accepting it as a fait accompli.

Arriving in Ireland at just 25 years of age, just as the recession bore down on the country, he counted himself lucky to secure employment with the AIM group, a retail/ wholesale outfit that owns the Home Savers brand of retail stores and previously owned the Irish arm of Iceland. Katharia credits Naeem Maniar, MD of the AIM Group as being a big support to him and says he is very appreciative of the vast experience he gained there.

“I was involved in the first store opening in the Ilac Centre,” he recalls. “There was an Iceland on the ground floor and a Home Savers on the first floor. I started working in sales support and got a lot of experience and exposure there.” He worked there for six and a half years but always had grand plans to go it alone. “I eventually decided there

was no more growth for me there. They all really supported me and gave me all the help I needed to start on my own,” he explains.

His first store Katharia’s journey as a retailer began in 2013, when a contact from a competitor approached him about taking over their branded shop in Ballymore Eustace, Co. Kildare. He soon realised that running your own store was a whole different ballgame to working for someone else. “I struggled for the first six months,” he freely admits. “I spent 16/17 hours a day working in the store for six months in order to learn everything.

I sent my family back to India so I could put all my efforts into learning all I could.”

He says that his wife Shivani and children Navanshi (11) and Paavni (8) enjoyed the time with family allowing Katharia to focus completely on the new business. This dedication paid off and the business turned around within the year.

Moving to S&W Wholesale He traded with a competitor for the first three years but slowly began to buy more and more from S&W Wholesale as he recognised the value and felt that the service was superior. He ultimately decided that he wanted to adopt S&W’s new symbol group Today’s Local and was one of the first symbol stores for the group. They now have over 140 symbol stores across Ireland. Katharia mentions S&W’s experienced retail team and the support they provide, as being great to work with and he feels that the company has

“The store has already seen a sales hike of 60% since we took over. S&W are really supporting me through this. The BDMs are here every week and we’re working together to make sure we get it right.”

STORE PROFILE

performed very strongly throughout Brexit, maintaining a strong supply chain when others were experiencing shortages.

With full confidence in S&W Wholesale and the Ballymore Eustace store trading well, he was ready for his next project and in 2016, a store came up in Tullow, County Carlow.

The previous owners had run the store for 42 years and were ready to retire. It had a strong and loyal clientele that he wanted to cultivate. “The day I opened that store, I started a Facebook page for the business and within a week, I had over 700 likes,” he says.

“Today’s Local in Tullow has been really, really good for me and the food business in that shop is really strong even though we have huge competition there. The store has been profitable for me from day one and S&W Wholesale have played a vital part in helping me deliver this for our customers,” he says.

Donore to the fore Katharia had made no secret of the fact that he wanted to keep growing his portfolio so the third shop came about when he was approached again by S&W Wholesale to take over a Today’s Local shop in Donore,

Co. Louth. “I gave myself a target to take on a new store every two to three years until I am in my mid-forties and then I will slow down a bit,” he explains. “It takes about a year for a store to find its feet and then it starts to run itself but I give it another six months to make sure it is being run properly and then I’m ready to move on to the next project,” he says.

He took over the Donore store in May 2019 so luckily had his feet under the table before Covid hit. However, it was a difficult time to try to turn around a new business, and he decided that the new Nearby symbol group would be an ideal fit due to its community-focused ethos.

Nearby Donore is a sizable store at 3,000sq ft and luckily it is the only shop in the village, but Katharia says that customers don’t have far to travel to other shops in Duleek and Drogheda which is only ten minutes away with all the big supermarkets.

“The challenge is there. If you don’t look after the customer and look after their needs, they won’t actually come or they will only come for milk and butter,” he says.

“We changed the whole look and feel of the shop so now the key categories are doing well like impulse, soft drinks, deli and our exclusive coffee brand Cuppa.”

Investing in the store There is a generous sit-down area of approximately 400sq ft but while it has been closed for Covid, Katharia was not going to see it go to waste. He introduced a range of non-food items like toys, cleaning products and DIY tools which has added €300/€400 a week to his sales.

“I will eventually go back to seating when we get the deli back to where it should be.

Hopefully before next summer we’ll have indoor and outdoor seating,” he says. “We as a community store will continue to follow the guidelines set out and do all we can to protect both my customers and staff.”

He is investing in his staff with higher than average pay and training in order to keep the turnover low and attract a high calibre. There are six full-time and six parttime staff and he has a new manager and assistant manager with great experience coming on board so he is hopeful that this will take the store to the next level.

“My future goal is to have a very strong deli and in-house bakery because there is huge potential here,” he says. “The store has already seen a sales hike of 60% since we took over. S&W are really supporting me through this. The BDMs are here every week and we’re working together to make sure we get it right.”

The future Nearby Donore is definitely on the right track but Katharia is not one to let the grass

23

“We changed the whole look and feel of the shop so now the key categories are doing well like impulse, soft drinks and deli,” says retailer Kaushaul Katharia

grow under his feet so he is already in talks to take over another S&W store. “S&W Wholesale brought me to another store in Dublin so I’m just in the middle of pricing that for the deal so hopefully by the end of October I’ll have this new store,” he tells ShelfLife. “I always like to be getting excited about a new adventure. As an entrepreneur, this is what excites me.”

On a personal level he is very happy in Ireland and hopes his parents might travel from India to visit soon. He very honestly admits that he would love his daughters to get involved with the business when they are older but realises that this is a long way off yet. For the moment he is busy keeping an eye on his three businesses and relishing his next adventure with S&W. ■

Retailer Kaushaul Katharia has introduced a range of non-food items like toys, cleaning products and DIY tools which has added €300/€400 a week to his sales

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

24 ADVISOR: Recruitment

BARRY WHELAN managing director of Excel Recruitment

www.excelrecruitment.com

Six tips to maximise your work from home leadership strategy

For many roles and companies, remote working is here to stay.

Here, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines how to ensure your leadership style within a vitual setting can still motivate and drive the best performance from your team

W

ithin the wider trade of retail, there are of course many people who cannot work from home. However, there is still a significant number, particularly in the brand and administration end of retail, who are working remotely and for whom this may remain a large part of their future work life. Over the last 24 months, companies have proven that productivity levels can be maintained and even improved with remote and agile working, so it is more important than ever for employers to take full control of the situation by adopting the correct leadership strategies.

not have to relate to work and should not feel structured or regulated. The idea is to get to know your colleagues, as better and more comfortable communication leads to higher standards of work and increased productivity. Senior members of staff should also involve themselves in this activity, as it bridges the gap between all levels of seniority.

2. Be clear and transparent To build on the note of effective communication, it is so important to set in place clear and reasonable expectations you expect your employees to adhere to. Full and comprehensive communication guidelines should be circulated including the company’s expectations of their employees and how they can continue to embrace and strengthen the culture of the company. This gives both the employee and the employer something to reference if there is ever a need and ensures that each party understands their role.

3. Utilise technology

Creating ‘break out rooms’ after online meetings finish, where colleagues can have an unstructured chat for a few minutes, helps teams feel more connected, writes Barry Whelan

1. Communicate In any business, one of the most important aspects of working on-site is the opportunity to interact with and meet employees and colleagues.

It is therefore vital to establish these moments even in a virtual setting.

This can be done by creating ‘break out rooms’ after online meetings finish, where employees must stay on the call for an extra five to 10 minutes to discuss anything they like – it does

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

An employee’s work from home set up should not differ greatly from their office, in terms of their ability to perform the tasks assigned to them and they therefore need to be given the appropriate tools and training to enable this. Virtual meeting platforms and suitable forms of communication need to be set in place to ensure no employee feels vulnerable or unsure of where to turn when working from home. Processes need to be set in place from the start of remote working to ensure there is visibility among team members about the status of projects and tasks.

4. Be inclusive and reach out It is easy to forget that whilst remote working may be the ideal situation for some, for others at times it can feel lonely and isolating. That is why it is so important to instill an ethos of open and genuine communication.

CC colleagues on emails, video call or message them to check in on their day and invite them on your relevant calls with team members. For a business to work as a synergy, the members involved must both act and feel like a team and not only work together but thrive together.

5. Show your appreciation and reward achievement Employees are only human and sometimes employers need to be reminded of this. By regularly showing gratitude and recognition for well performed tasks, employees feel appreciated and encouraged to maintain their high standard of work. Successes and achievements within the company represent both the employee and the business and should be measured and rewarded with specific methods in place to ensure fair and equal distribution of recognition.

6. Have confidence in your employees Once given the appropriate tools to succeed, most strong employees will do just that, and it is important to give them the space to do so. While it is necessary to make your employees feel valued and supported, you must ensure that you do not end up micromanaging their work. A balance between the two must be established to ultimately create the best outcome. ■

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26 COVER STORY

Convenience to the fore Last month Circle K announced that it had bought ten high profile Londis stores in Dublin city centre, its first move away from forecourts in Ireland. Fionnuala Carolan looks at why the company would make such a move in an already crowded convenience market

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he Irish government’s aim is that by 2030, 100% of new cars and vans will be electrical vehicles, that is either a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV). You would imagine that this will surely have a devastating effect on the forecourt industry with its main commodity fuel being phased out, much like in the tobacco industry where its focus has shifted to vaping in order to future-proof itself. Surely if people can power their vehicles at home before a journey, one might think, they can almost avoid using forecourts at all if they wish.

However, according to Circle K’s research, forecourts will continue to play a significant

role in powering Ireland’s vehicles in the future, with over two fifths of motorists saying they will rely on forecourts for access to electric vehicle charging facilities. That is all well and good but how do forecourt operators ensure that consumers will still want to visit forecourts in the future despite the option of charging cars at home?

Facilities in many Irish motorway service stations are world-class and the food options are vast, from resident outlets like McDonald’s, Burger King and Supermacs to extensive hot food offerings, branded coffee and ice-cream concessions and comfortable and extensive dining spaces. Circle K says it has invested more than €150 million in the

“Ionity are renowned globally for being at the cutting edge of EV charging and our partnership with them is testament to the scale, quality and geographic spread of the Circle K network both here in Ireland and internationally,” Circle K said in December 2020

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Irish market since it took over the network from Denis O’Brien’s Topaz in 2016. With this in mind, forecourt operators simply cannot afford investment of this scale to become unviable.

Food glorious food As we’ve established, if people are increasingly driving electric vehicles, they won’t have the same reliance on forecourts. For example if you are driving from Cork to Galway, you will surely charge your car the night before and not have to rely on stopping at a forecourt for anything from 20 minutes to an hour to charge up. They will still however want to stop for food and need to use toilet facilities and you would imagine that this is where the focus must be for the forecourt operators of the future. Charging stations and car wash facilities will be important but the money will be made from the food.

Could this be why Circle K decided to buy the Griffin Group stores? This is Circle K’s first move onto the high street in Ireland and its first multi-site acquisition of standalone stores in Europe. The locations of these Griffin Group stores are Upper O’Connell Street, Lower O’Connell Street, Westmoreland Street, College Green, Nassau Street, Grafton Street, Fonthill, Parkwest and Sandyford. You can’t get more high profile than this.

The Griffin Group headed up by Seamus Griffin and operating under the Londis banner with BWG has a very successful food-to go business and Circle K will be using these stores to gain learnings from Irish consumers’ behaviours and maybe trial some new concepts. The Griffin Group has partnerships with brands like Chopped

COVER STORY

and Subway so this would have been very attractive to Circle K.

Circle K has 420 forecourts in Ireland, including deals with independent forecourt owners and an extensive network operated by the company itself

Acquisition time Gordon Lawlor, managing director, Circle K Ireland told ShelfLife that they first started thinking about opening standalone outlets in Ireland three years ago but decided that it was best to wait for an acquisition opportunity rather than opening stores one by one.

“When we were approached by the Griffin Group late last year, we felt it was a great opportunity to acquire 10 very high-profile locations with established expertise in food, and excellent partner brands which greatly complements our network of forecourt locations,” he explains.

Lawlor goes on to say: “We are particularly excited at the opportunities this presents for our food business across our network in terms of innovation, shared learnings and new offerings for our customers, and are looking forward to collaborating with our new colleagues and partners.”

Circle K is owned and operated by the Canadian company Alimentation CoucheTard and it has more than 14,000 stores in 26 countries worldwide. The company already has 420 forecourts in Ireland, including deals with independent forecourt owners and an extensive network operated by the company itself.

The Griffin Group acquisition is still subject to approval from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission but if it gets clearance, Lawlor says it will replace the brand over the door with its Circle K logo “within weeks”. A total of 200 Griffin Group staff are currently employed at the locations, all of whom will be kept on by Circle K bringing the company’s total number of employees in Ireland to just under 2,400.

Griffin Group background The Griffin Group has been operating in Ireland for over 30 years with 15 stores around Dublin. Griffin Central was founded in 1951 by Seamus Griffin Snr, whose Blackrock store was the first self-service supermarket on Dublin’s south side. It was subsequently taken over by his sons and eventually headed up by Seamus Griffin Jnr. The group joined Musgrave in 1997 and operated six Centra stores in Dublin.

In 2005, the group’s then nine stores rebranded to Londis and a successful relationship with BWG ensued.

So it is fair to ask, why was the Griffin Group looking for a buyer? It is no secret that city centre shops were hit badly during Covid and Griffin’s concentration of stores in the most deserted part of the city during the pandemic surely suffered more than most.

Calls to Griffin for comment by ShelfLife were unanswered but he is an entrepreneur, and we can only guess that maybe a new venture was what he needed after 18 months of managing business in a significantly

27

quieter-than-normal Dublin city centre.

News of Griffin’s new venture Bueno, an ice-cream brand with locations around the country including Tullamore, Castleknock and Rathcoole may have something to do with it. On announcement of the news that he was selling the ten shops, Griffin wished his departing colleagues well and thanked them for their commitment to the Griffin Group over the past three decades.

We asked Lawlor whether there was any worry that the city centre might never recover the same footfall it had pre-Covid and with this is mind, was it a high risk investment? He admits that Covid has undoubtedly impacted the high street but as society reopens, they are seeing signs of recovery already. “With more and more people returning to the city centre, offices reopening, universities and colleges returning, and tourists starting to visit Dublin, the recovery will continue,” he says.

“We look at investment in the long-term and we see great potential for our offering in these locations.”

What Circle K can deliver While the convenience market is attractive to Circle K, what can Circle K offer the high street convenience market in Ireland to make the brand stand out from the myriad of brands already occupying this space?

Lawlor says there are a few things

Circle K has 420 forecourts in Ireland, including deals with independent forecourt owners and an extensive network operated by the company itself

that really stand out for him including being an international player, having a very experienced team in Ireland and the investment in its convenience offering which includes Circle K’s own fresh food ranges.

“We have constantly innovated in recent years through the development of our food ranges, specialty coffee, next generation fuel, EV charging facilities and wider convenience offering all for the benefit of our customers,” he explains. “As a business, we always look at how we can do things better and the addition of these locations will certainly support this.

“We are also one of the largest convenience retail chains in the world. This affords us access to the very best minds globally and very best insights from different markets which we use to inform our own approach here to develop our offering for customers.”

Overall footprint There is definitely more than a whiff of confidence from Circle K about its future in Ireland’s convenience market and Lawlor admits to ShelfLife that they are keen to grow the overall footprint of the business in Ireland, forecourt and high street, which was a key part of the rationale behind the Griffin Group acquisition.

“In terms of Ireland, we are keen to continue growing our overall footprint enabling us to deliver our product and service offering to even more customers,” he says. “This applies to other potential opportunities with standalone stores in high footfall areas or on the high street, but equally in our traditional forecourt channels – company owned and operated stores, franchise opportunities and dealer operated service stations. We are really keen to explore opportunities in other cities as well, such as Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.”

Circle K is certainly on the march and so let the battle on the high street and the forecourts across the country commence!

Competition can only be a good thing for the market and we will watch with interest as it unfolds as the country comes alive again post-Covid. n www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

28 FEATURE

Fresh focus for Gala Retail With a year-on-year sales growth of 9% in Q1, and 11% in H1 of 2021, the Gala Group is generating impressive results.

Here, we take a closer look at the innovative in-store concepts continuing to drive both footfall and sales Despite the challenges that the convenience retail sector has faced since early 2020, innovation and a focus on responding to the changing consumer trends of Irish consumers has ensured that the Gala Group continues to remain at the forefront of the sector.

There are over 250 Gala Group stores in locations throughout Ireland, giving the Gala Group a grounding in communities across the country.

The Gala Group had a strong start to 2021, reporting a year-on-year sales growth of 9% in Q1, and 11% in H1 and in the past 12 months, the Gala Group has added 24 new stores to the Gala estate, with a further 15 existing Gala stores undergoing refurbishment.

The group says its commitment to creating fresh, contemporary stores, both for existing and new stores, has been at the forefront of its activities with a focus on creating attractive and modern store layouts, reflecting the innovative, forward-thinking nature of Gala Retail.

Tailored to communities Gala Retail stores are tailored to the communities in which they operate and because of this, no two Gala stores are the same. Gala’s refreshed branding creates a vibrant and welcoming contemporary convenience store, with offerings and fresh food concepts designed to cater to the needs

Baker’s Corner enables retailers to offer quality home baked goods, freshly prepared in-store each day

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

of its customer and store layouts designed to make each store’s offerings stand out to consumers.

As the convenience retail sector has evolved, with fresh food offerings emerging as a key driver for consumers, Gala Retail has responded by making fresh food a central part of its offering. The Gala Group has invested heavily in the expansion of its fresh food team and in the development of its exclusive range of in-store concepts. It has more fresh food executives per retailer than any other convenience symbol group, demonstrating the pivotal role of fresh food in convenience retailing and Gala’s dedication to ensuring Gala retailers have access to innovative, modern concepts that set their stores apart from competitors and deliver quality, convenient, food to go options that will draw consumers into their local Gala store.

Fresh food-to-go is not just for people on the move, with the busy lifestyles that people are leading at the minute they are also looking for high quality, convenient and fresh food-togo options to enjoy at home. This is something that Gala has taken into account with its

exclusive range of in-store concepts.

Baker’s Corner The first of Gala’s concepts was Baker’s Corner, which enables retailers to offer quality home baked goods, freshly prepared in-store each day to their customers and the concept has been instrumental in recruiting new customers to the Gala brand.

Baker’s Corner is delivered in partnership with an independent Irish-owned business, reflecting Gala’s focus on supporting local communities and local suppliers. Baker’s Corner was soon joined by Coffee Junction, Gala’s own coffee offering and a natural pairing for Baker’s Corner.

Coffee Junction The Coffee Junction in-store Gala coffee offering has been developed exclusively for Gala retailers and is available from selected Gala stores nationwide. Coffee Junction is all about providing convenient, quality coffee for people on the go and the signature ‘Coffee Junction’ blend makes it a popular choice with thousands of Gala customers each day.

FEATURE 29

Galato

Coffee Junction provides convenient, quality coffee for people on the go, featuring a signature Coffee Junction blend

New Street Deli For Gala’s deli offering, New Street Deli, a colourful street food inspired deli menu was created to complement and reflect the updated modern look of the rebranded deli areas in-store. New Street Deli caters to a range of customers with its innovative street food inspired menu, with offerings ranging from New Street Spice Boxes and Messy Taco Fries to on-trend Healthy Protein Salad Boxes and New Fusion Wraps, as well as the usual deli favourites including hot breakfasts, freshly made sandwiches and baguettes.

Gala introduced its own fresh whipped ice cream and dessert station, Galato in 2019.

The Galato offering comprises of a range of chilled dessert options, including icecream, milkshakes and desserts, with a twist, incorporating crepes, puddled doughnuts, waffles and much more into seasonal offerings including the Halloween Spooky Banana Boat, Christmas Hot Waffle & Ice Cream with Cinnamon Sprinkles; Valentine’s Day mini filled donuts and a St. Patrick’s Day green and gold sundae. The offering taps into the upturn in consumer demand and popularity of frozen desserts and is a great addition to Gala’s expanding concept range.

Distill Distill is Gala’s off-sales alcohol offering, which includes the finest new and old-world wines and spirits, as well as a wide selection of beers and other alcohol beverages for Gala customers to conveniently shop during their trip to a Gala store.

Blissimo Most recently, the Gala concept range introduced the Blissimo pizza concept which

Gala’s off-sales alcohol offering, Distill offers an excellent selection within a vibrant setting

brings pizza on the go to its customers.

Freshly made in-store and sold by the pizza or individual slices, Blissimo offers Gala customers a fast, fresh and tasty option whether they’re looking for a quick snack on the go or a delicious and convenient meal for all the family.

The innovation and introduction of these concepts to stores has been hugely beneficial to Gala retailers, visibly increasing sales and driving footfall and drawing new customers to stores. Here we look at two of the Gala Retail stores that have benefitted from the Gala Group’s fresh, forward-thinking branding and innovation in fresh food.

CROWE’S GALA, SIXMILEBRIDGE, CLARE Crowe’s Gala is a family-run business based in Sixmilebridge, Co. Clare. The 3000sq ft convenience store has just recently undergone a refurbishment, refreshing the store’s look and layout and upgrading its concept offerings.

Coffee Junction was the first concept that Crowe’s Gala introduced a number of years ago. Speaking about its impact, store owner, Flora Crowe says: “We noticed a significant increase in our sales following the introduction of Coffee Junction, through a combination of great marketing and a really great coffee in our new store. Our recently refreshed branding has also led to a bump in sales following the store refurbishment.”

The Galato ice-cream and chilled desserts offering has also been a big hit with customers of Crowe’s Gala. “Galato ice cream has been a big winner for us in the last two years,” says Flora. “With Ireland being the highest consumer of ice cream in Europe it is a must for any good store now and a great addition to the range of concepts from Gala.”

New concepts such as the New Street Deli (shown above) at Mulrooney’s Gala have boosted footfall to the store

MULROONEY’S GALA, NENAGH, TIPPERARY

“Galato ice cream has been a big winner for us in the last two years,” says retailer Flora Crowe

In early 2020, the Mulrooney’s Gala store in Nenagh underwent a massive renovation.

“We wanted to update the store to align it with the new contemporary Gala image,” says Shane Mulrooney, who runs the store along with his father, Sean.

A key element of the store’s upgrade and refurbishment was the introduction of a large New Street Deli counter, Galato ice-cream and chilled desserts station and a Coffee Junction dock from the Gala Retail concept range, all of which have elicited a great response from the customers in the local community and have delivered customer footfall during a challenging time for the retail sector.

“Footfall has increased along with our sales and profitability,” says Shane. “It’s a different store with a completely different feel. It’s the in-store concepts and all that they have brought that has set us apart locally. The feedback we’ve got from customers has been brilliant.” n

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

30 ADVISOR: Marketing

We’re not bored; we just need some attention!

COLIN GORDON

marketing expert

While the marketplace is continually evolving, change for change’s sake to appease consumers who are supposedly “born bored” is never a wise move, writes Colin Gordon

C

onstructive criticism! It’s no harm to disagree with someone else’s view or stance so long as it’s done in a positive and constructive way. Or as the saying goes, you can disagree without being disagreeable. Some refer to this whole area as creatively conflictual (those who do tend to be from the American side of the Atlantic). The brand owner-franchisee system has often been built on this platform.

Born bored?

In that vein, and without knowing the individual involved, I have to say I thoroughly disagree with the statement from the CMO of the international dairy company Arla, a company originally from and headquartered in Denmark. In a comment piece in the Financial Times in May of 2021, Hanne Sondergaard pronounced that “consumers are born bored” and need, what she called, “novelty”.

The context for the piece in the FT was the growth in plant-based milks (as alternatives to bovine or other animal milks). The piece itself was interesting in pointing out how these ‘milks’ have used non-traditional routes-to-market to gain scale, focusing on coffee shops, for instance, rather than more mainstream grocery outlets. I get the context and found the article interesting, but I found her “novelty” and “bored consumers” comments a bit jarring.

Strong brand attachment Before trying to be constructive, can I plant a few visuals in your mind?

From the worlds of high involvement goods (e.g., cars and fashion goods) to FMCG goods (which many presume are low involvement purchase decisions), you can identify, for example, a Toyota Yaris, a bottle of Chanel No.5, Nestlé’s KitKat,

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Despite a continual focus on innovation across the marketing sector, consumers do not want major changes to be made to iconic brands such as Guinness

Avonmore Milk, Tayto Cheese and Onion, Brennan’s Bread, Guinness Stout and Coke. I’m sure there is a plethora of case studies to throw up against these, but one thing’s for sure! Just as with Texas, you can’t mess with these brands and what consumers have built up such a strong attachment towards.

There is no sign that the consumers of KitKat are “bored”. Yes, the packaging design has changed over the years, but carefully and subtly.

Consumers of Avonmore would have said in research that they thought the branding could do with a lift but shrank back in horror at anything but minor amends over many years. The product spec of Coke was touched in 1985 but the changes were walked back almost immediately. The

communications platform and pack identity of Brennans white sliced bread hasn’t changed hardly at all over the decades; ditto Tayto. The Yaris is the same brand it was more than 10 years ago and sits in the same relative place in the Toyota corporate portfolio as before. And so on and on.

There have been changes across all these examples, no doubt, but to say consumers want novelty on brands and products that they consider part of their overall experience and engagement because they are bored seems too big a stretch.

Bored brand managers I’ve found over the years that the people who are most bored are the brand managers. They put their

“Change for change’s sake is expensive, reduces focus on the base product(s) and can become a merry-go-round as the need for novelty and excitement repeats itself.”

ADVISOR: Marketing

precious possessions – their company’s brands - out for various pitches (communications, PR, promotions, packaging); they use price as a lesser part of the 4P marketing mix (rather than an equal to the other three).

In fact, the more often a change in brand management, the more changes seem to take place. They seem to react too easily to calls from the trade and from overly simplistic research conducted into the brands for “innovation” when, often, what the call is really for is “please engage with me, don’t take me for granted!”

As the marketing supremo behind Sky Sports’ 1992 entry into what became the Premiership would say: “marketing is everything … it has to touch (the consumer’s) soul”.

Merry-go-round of changes Change for change’s sake is expensive, reduces focus on the base product(s) and can become a merry-go-round as the need for novelty and excitement repeats itself. It requires the avoidance of fads, identification of how to tackle early adopters and then get the rest of

the market to follow on. In FMCG, it presumes elastic store and shelf space.

And it also begets the core question of what exactly is new – the product, the identification, the ad, the format, the price? Where is the ultimate brand manager, the CEO, in all this drive to change?

I do agree with the idea of evolving a market offering. And I’m not so naïve as to think things should stay the same forever. New tastes and ideas, of course, enter the frame and I accept things can become stale or lose relevance over time (often because of mismanagement or no management in the past), so I guess it’s a balance between the company or the brand manager being bored and the consumer seeing novelty in other parts of the market and becoming less sceptical about change. It’s also a balance in how far to push the change agenda and in how to not just give up on the base products.

The consumer isn’t so much bored as wanting to be wanted – don’t take them or the drive for novelty for granted! ■

31

‘Marketing is in trouble: How we got here and 10 steps to get us out’ by Colin Gordon is now available to purchase, published by Orpen Press.

To get your hands on a copy, visit the following: www.orpenpress.com UK: www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08M9XY6HF US: www.amazon.com/dp/B08M9XY6HF Ireland: Marketing is in trouble eBook by Colin Gordon - 9781786051127.

Rakuten Kobo Ireland - www.kobo.com/ie/en/ ebook/marketing-is-in-trouble.

INTERVIEW

20

QUICK QUESTIONS WITH

PAUL Mc INERNEY

director of brands & marketing, Primeline Group 4. Which social media platform do you use most?

Instagram.

9. First thing you would do if you were Taoiseach?

A national solution for childcare for all.

to vaccinate the developing world and allowing new and more deadly strains to develop.

5. Best ad on telly?

3 Ireland – Grandad monster hunter.

10. If you had to live in another country, where would you choose?

USA, Massachusetts to be exact.

16. City or beach break?

6. Worst ad on telly?

Just Eat – Snoop Dogg.

Paul McInerney

1. Best place for coffee?

The Coffee Shot, Sandyford.

2. Favourite movie?

Shutter Island.

3. Top book recommendation?

Legacy by James Kerr.

7. Favourite grocery shop?

Online for me!

8. What would you cook if you were to compete in ‘Come Dine With Me’ and would you win?

Has to be moules marinière to start, followed by beef wellington with pesto and parma ham, and my favourite dessert – pavlova, accompanied by a G&T to start, a Valpolicella with the main course and a beautiful Irish whiskey to relax with. Not a hope of winning!

11. Greatest achievement to date?

A wonderful family.

12. Best website?

Bestlifeonline.com.

City.

17. Top restaurant recommendation?

Locally, Quattro in Stepaside and in town, Fire at the Mansion House.

18. Pop or rock?

13. Most annoying public figure?

Dáithí Ó Sé.

Rock.

14. Best piece of advice you ever received?

Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived forward.

7pm – And breathe – wind down.

15. Biggest fear?

Not putting an end to Covid-19 by failing

19. Favourite time of the day?

20. What’s the last compliment you received?

That I’m a listener who can remove complexity and verbalise solutions. ■

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

32

STORE PROFILE

Resplendent in Mountrath Following a major revamp completed in January, Mace Mountrath in Co. Laois has a stunning new appearance and is outperforming in almost every category

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he response of customers to the new design and flow in Mace Mountrath is all the encouragement Dermot Mulhall needed to know that he had made the right call when deciding to undergo a major revamp of his store.

The revamp was not without its challenges; “it took a full year,” explains Mulhall. “We started in January 2020 and with all the delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we didn’t complete the works until January, 2021.” However, looking at the finished store, he attests it was definitely worth the extra headache.

As well as looking stunning following a dialling up of the traditional Mace colour palette, the 3,800sq ft store is outperforming in almost every category with Mulhall reporting a huge uptake in alcohol in particular.

“Even with the pubs and hospitality open, we are still experiencing strong sales growth in the off-licence section, which is tremendous,” he says.

Enhanced design The enhanced design includes changes in the off-licence section in Mace Mountrath – reflecting the new legislation governing the physical separation requirement – and an adaptable seating area while retaining (and enhancing) firm Mace favourites such as

Retailer Dermot Mulhall is delighted with the finished results of a major revamp at Mace Mountrath

Retailer: Dermot Mulhall Address: Mace Mountrath, Portlaoise Road, Mountrath, Co. Laois Staff: 22; nine full-time and 13 part-time Size: 3,800sq ft Opening hours: Always open

the ‘for food’s sake’ deli. The inclusion of a Bewley’s barista is a feature of particular note that is appealing to Mountrath’s shoppers and passing trade.

The new-look décor is indicative of the shift convenience and forecourt stores have been experiencing in recent years. These days, forecourts as majestic as Mace Mountrath are shopping destinations for travellers as they plan their journeys around where they are going to stop for fuel, rest and sustenance.

An array of tasty and nutritious food-to-go options are available in-store

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Brand confidence

STORE PROFILE

Dermot Mulhall’s decision to embrace the new-look Mace design is a nod to the confidence in Mace’s brand strength in what is a very competitive industry. The development of Mace Mountrath represents a sizable investment and is also a sign of their unwavering commitment of service to the local community and passing trade.

In a real sense, the existing structure was maintained, but enhanced. New internally lit department signs have been introduced, and all high, eye and buy level POS have been refreshed and rejuvenated. The off-licence has been truly transformed with new feature lighting and orange trough lighting denoting sections.

In an innovative design feature, spirits are in open flow presentation and while retaining crucial functionality, the separated off-licence space is wonderfully welcoming.

A firm Mace favourite, the ‘for food’s sake’ deli is generating strong sales

STORE PROFILE 33

The inclusion of a Bewley’s barista is a feature of particular note that is proving a hit with customers

The bakery is a major stand-out for Mace Mountrath and a real source of pride for Dermot Mulhall and his team

Mace Mountrath’s separated off-licence space is wonderfully welcoming with new feature lighting and orange trough lighting denoting sections

Another major enhancement, for Mulhall, is the optimisation of the fresh food displays, which can’t be missed by customers and really helps to bring the store alive. The mouthwatering food on offer can’t but entice a peckish traveller, or local, and the layout is designed with that in mind. The bakery is an area of particular pride for Mulhall and his team. It is a major stand-out for Mace Mountrath.

“Before that, though, I wanted to gain some life experience and took off travelling. At the end of 2006 after travelling for a few years, I returned home. I began to work in the store initially on a casual basis just to earn some money and ended up working there for four years, until 2010. I guess, you could say it was by default I ended up in retail.

“I found I liked it, had a knack for it and wanted to progress this as a career, which I did,” he added.

Mulhall took over the store as the operator in 2010 and was trading under another BWG symbol brand before he made the decision to move to the Mace family in 2019, a decision he is delighted with.

the country was in lockdown, which was massively challenging. Through it all, though, Mulhall and his team persevered and he is effusive in his praise of their work and commitment to the business and the industry.

“I rely hugely on Pat, Dominic and Kirsty who help keep all the plates in the air,” he says. “They work tirelessly to ensure we have consistency across all aspects of the business and having such a strong team is a great comfort. As key members of the team I know I can rely on them to keep the show on the road.”

Career path Mulhall’s journey to this point is as diverse as it is interesting and it’s the world experience he gained on his unique journey that helps make him the retailer he is today. While some retailers – the majority really – are born to the industry, or catch the bug early on, his journey was more circuitous.

“I was on a slightly tangential but, really, totally different career path,” he explains. “On leaving school I completed a degree in Hotel and Catering Management in DIT Cathal Brugha Street Dublin and was set on pursuing a career in the hospitality industry.”

Mulhall started out his working life by working in a number of hotels around Ireland but not wanting to be limited to experience of just one industry, he moved into business and accountancy, as he sought a definitive career path for himself.

Covid-19 The far-reaching effects of the Covid19 pandemic, of course, meant that the Mountrath revamp was not without its challenges as it was affected by a number of stops and starts. “The original plan had been to complete the revamp over two phases, which seemed very straightforward and manageable,” Mulhall says. “We actually managed to complete it over two phases in the end – but each phase was six months apart!”

The pandemic also resulted in a huge downturn in passing trade during the months

Throughout the store, new internally lit department signs have been introduced, and all high, eye and buy level POS have been refreshed and rejuvenated

Local employment In total, Mace Mountrath provides employment locally to 22 people, nine fulltime staff and 13 part-time. It’s a vital part of the local community and especially following the revamp is now known locally as a store that also sells fuel.

“We are part of the community and enjoy serving our customers – locals and passing trade,” says Mulhall. “It’s the ever-changing environment that I truly love about retailing.

There is no such thing as a dull day and having such a great core team makes it all the more enjoyable…if only because when I do get a down day I know that they are looking after everything and I don’t need to worry.” ■

The development of Mace Mountrath represents a sizable investment and shows the team’s unwavering commitment of service to the local community and passing trade

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

Irish Brands

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34 CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

Legendary Irish In a post-pandemic environment, supporting Irish products and jobs has become more important than ever and the innovation and quality craftmanship on display from Irish producers makes supporting Irish brands a truly tasty proposition, writes Gillian Hamill

A

s ShelfLife’s readers will be only too aware, Ireland is renowned globally for our premium quality food standards.

Further enhancing this reputation, last month, Bord Bia announced that 50 Irish food, drink and horticulture companies had achieved gold membership Origin Green status based on exemplary performance in reaching their sustainability targets. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue commented on Ireland’s strengths in this area, noting: “Food Vision 2030 charts a way forward for all of us in the agri-food sector to deliver on its key ambition - for Ireland to become ‘A World Leader in Sustainable Food Systems’.”

Supporting homegrown and local produce and thereby supporting Irish jobs has continuously been a major focus for Irish shoppers – a fact clearly demonstrated each and every year in our ‘100 Most-Chosen Master Brands’ published in partnership with Kantar.

Now, this commitment has been copper-

fastened in a post-pandemic environment.

Fortunately, according to KBC Ireland’s Austin Hughes, Irish jobs data for the second quarter of 2021 showed a very strong but not entirely surprising rebound in numbers at work as health-related restrictions eased and the re-opening of the economy gained momentum.

According to Hughes, the jobs data confirms that “the Irish economy is now seeing a strong and broadening rebound in activity that is underpinning jobs growth”.

The EY Entrepreneur of the Year Alumni Survey 2021 also revealed some encouraging insights. According to the survey, the outlook for entrepreneurship on the island of Ireland remains bright despite the twin headwinds of Brexit and Covid-19, with almost nine out of 10 entrepreneurs (88%) intending to increase headcount in the next 12 months.

The broad view for the future is positive amongst entrepreneurs, however 96% cite talent issues as a major challenge to growing

their business – both the availability of a skilled workforce across the island and the ability to attract and retain the right talent to their businesses. This has significantly increased as a point of concern since 2019 when 53% said talent issues were a major obstacle to growth.

While positive signs of recovery are emerging, Irish consumers are more aware than ever of the continued importance of supporting Irish. Indeed, the prevalence of ‘Irish staycations’ has made many people reflect more on the positive advantages of supporting Irish. This was demonstrated by a Guaranteed Irish study published in July of this year, which found that 84% of Irish people say locally sourced Irish produce plays a significant role when deciding where to dine out.

Fortunately, the quality, handcrafted standards of the homegrown companies listed within these pages makes supporting Irish products and jobs an even easier decision for shoppers nationwide.

Deliciously Meat Free

Meat Free Deli Slices are the latest innovation from Denny, the fastest growing chilled meat free brand

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Denny has been at the forefront of consumer trends for 200 years. 2020 saw the brand move into meat free for the first time where it quickly established itself as the fastest growing chilled meat free brand, with the number one chilled meat free product, with its Meat Free Sausages*.

The brand has continued to innovate in this space, growing its Meat Free range to nine products across both chilled and frozen categories.

October sees Denny’s latest Meat Free NPD hit the shelves, with the launch of Meat Free Deli Slices which come in two flavours, Ham Style Deli Slices and Chicken Style Deli Slices.

Senior brand manager Matt Paterson said of the launch, “we are really excited to see these hit the shelves as we see a real gap in the market for truly delicious meat free lunchtime options”.

The new Denny Meat Free Deli Slices will be nationally distributed from mid-October at €2.50 (RRP). *(Source: Nielsen IOI Data up to 28/3/21)

Denny’s new Meat Free Deli Slices are available in Ham Style and Chicken Style variants

Full of Taste. Free of Meat.

New!

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36 CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

A delight from Dingle Dingle Distillery is proud to launch its highly anticipated sixth and final release of its Single Malt Batch series – Dingle Single Malt Batch 6.

Some 15,000 bottles of the liquid have been produced with an allport maturation and with an additional 1,000 Cask Strength bottles available.

Priced at €70.00 (RRP) per 70cl bottle with the Cask Strength priced at €150.00 (RRP), the new single malt whiskey (46.5% ABV) is available to purchase now at DingleDistillery.ie, IrishMalts. com, Celtic Whiskey Shop and across independent off-licenses nationwide. Dingle uses non-chill filtration to produce its whiskey and adds no colouring.

Elliot Hughes, managing director at Dingle Distillery, said the team are delighted to launch the final batch in a series of carefully curated whiskeys.

“This launch will be of particular interest to those who have followed our journey since our first batch release in 2016 but also for those who want to experience the art of the Dingle Whiskey distilling process through the final Single Malt Batch in the series,” Hughes said.

“At Dingle Distillery, we always endeavour to create really special and unique products and we think this is evident in Single Malt Batch 6,” he added. “We are really proud of this launch and can’t wait for whiskey fans to try it.”

Graham Coull, master distiller at Dingle Distillery, said it was a pleasure to be part of the distilling process.

“Our Single Malt Batch 6 is fully matured exclusively in Tawny port casks, Batch 6 is a great of example of the interaction between single malt spirit and fortified wine,” Coull said.

“A whiskey with multiple layers of sweetness and a well-balanced depth of flavour,” he described Batch 6 as a true “must try, even more so as it is the last in the series”.

Pizza perfection Goodfella’s Pizza, launched in 1993, remains Ireland’s number one frozen pizza brand.

Produced in state-of-the-art facilities in Naas and Longford, Goodfella’s is proud to be made in Ireland and supporting Irish jobs.

Goodfella’s is constantly striving to meet consumer needs and wants. Tapping into key trends and meal occasions, Goodfella’s has something for everyone and continues to deliver tasty pizzas for all the family.

The brand has a wide frozen pizza portfolio, whether it’s the Takeaway pizzas — perfect for those weekend nights in or the everyday Thin range that provides families of all ages an easy but delicious meal solution. Goodfella’s Deep Pan range now has an even lighter, fluffier base and new, more relevant toppings which tap

Goodfella’s is Ireland’s number one frozen pizza brand

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

The Dingle Single Malt Batch 6 is fully matured exclusively in Tawny port casks

Distillery distinction Readers will know Dingle Distillery for its highly regarded Dingle Gin, recognised as ‘World’s Best Gin’ at the World Gin Awards in 2019. The distillery also produces Dingle Vodka, noted for being quintuple distilled.

A sister company of the Porterhouse Brewing Company, Dingle Distillery opened its doors in 2012. With an ethos centred on quality, artisan whiskey production, Dingle is an independent family-owned business.

For more information, follow Dingle on social media: Instagram @dingledistillery, Twitter @DingleWhiskey and Facebook @DingleWhiskey.

into younger audiences and their preferences.

Given the now mainstream nature of vegan products as well as those with special dietary requirements, Goodfella’s felt it important to create ranges of both Vegan and Gluten Free that offer standout and deliver on quality. With the brand’s newest innovation - Goodfella’s Pizza Pockets — the team has created a delicious pizza snack that takes only two minutes in the microwave. A quick and easy way to get that same delicious, cheesy flavour while on-the-go.

Whatever the occasion, consumers can depend on the delicious Italian American-style pizzas from the ‘original frozen pizza people’.

Goodfella’s, Made with Respect!

gut health, digestive, and vitamin boosts.

Included in the expansive offering are a selection of Loaves, Bloomers, Soda Bread, Baps, Buns, and a Healthy range too.

To support the campaign, Gallaghers Bakehouse has launched a major new campaign featuring Daniel O’Donnell revealing the secret of just how Gallaghers Bakehouse is bread made better. The campaign will run across radio, digital, OOH, PR, and print.

Bread made better Gallaghers Bakehouse has been baking delicious fresh bread since 1968 in the picturesque village of Ardara, Co Donegal. The bakery is now introducing a new range which is set to transform the bread category. Built on a growing trend towards sourdough and a demand for healthier and tastier choices, the new range perfected by Gallaghers’ expert bakers includes sourdough that is fermented over 12 hours and baked slowly to deliver a unique and great tasting bread, which even when toasted maintains shape and bounce.

The result is simply bread made better.

This exciting new range boasts all the benefits of sourdough goodness, fermented for a light texture and flavoursome taste whilst full of fibre, offering a bread that is not just tastier but also healthier too. Using only the simplest ingredients and time, the range includes products packed full of health benefits including high fibre, low sugar, good

Gallaghers Bakehouse’s sourdough loaves are fermented for a light texture and flavoursome taste whilst full of fibre

Daniel O’Donnell stars in a major new campaign revealing the secret of just how Gallaghers Bakehouse is bread made better

NEW!

THE

PERFECT MEAL ON THE GO!

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38 CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

A

&

with Tom Noonan,

head of marketing at Bewley’s

Q: How does Bewley’s – and specifically the iconic Grafton Street café – occupy a role within Irish culture and heritage?

A: After 180 years in business, Bewley’s has had a profound impact on the Irish coffee scene and has one of the highest brand recognition rates amongst consumers in Ireland.

Our role within Irish culture and heritage comes down to the fact that we ensure our people and customers are at the centre of everything we do; from coffee farmers and brokers to people we employ and families we support. One of the values of our business is to respect people and this can be seen all the way through our supply chain.

Over the decades, we have not only mastered the art of great-tasting teas and coffees but have also positioned ourselves as part of the fabric of Irish culture with Bewley’s Grafton Street. The café is the beating heart of our business - it’s where we bring the Bewley’s experience to life and is an important part of the coffee journey for our customers.

We hear so many stories from people about fond memories of time spent in Bewley’s Grafton Street, whether it’s the ritual of a sticky bun and cup of coffee on a shopping trip to Dublin or taking a moment to appreciate the surrounds of a bustling Grafton Street at one of the café’s windows. Bewley’s Grafton Street is an iconic Irish landmark and not many brands can share the same heritage with their customers - it’s something we are really proud and protective of.

Q: How many Irish jobs does Bewley’s support and how significantly does the company contribute to the Irish economy each year?

A: Bewley’s employs over 200 people in Ireland, and they represent our business every day.

Through the unique relationships we have developed over the years, we are focused on protecting our people and the business we’ve helped grow.

Bewley’s Big Coffee Social for Hospice is a great example of how we give back to our communities. Over 4,500 coffee socials take place around the country and our partnership with Hospice raises €2 million in much-needed funds every year.

Giving back is an important piece of our business and education is a big part of that.

We’ve trained numerous World, Irish, and British Barista Champions and at last count, we had trained more than 2,000 baristas across the island of Ireland.

Q: Through the group’s Fairtrade, sustainability and quality standards, how has Bewley’s worked to create a brand that is a source of national pride?

A: At Bewley’s, we take pride in our series of ‘firsts’, particularly as a lot of those relate to our sustainable business practices. We were the first brand in Ireland to import Fairtrade certified coffee, the first coffee brand to be certified carbon neutral and we are one of the founding members of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme.

This is something we are proud of and believe that our Irish customers hold in high regard.

Since 2010, we have decreased the waste that we send to landfill by 84% and reduced our CO2 emissions per tonne of manufactured coffee by 62%.

Of course, sustainability is continually evolving; we’re always looking to improve and innovate in this area.

Q: How has Bewley’s worked as a team with your retail partners across Ireland to navigate the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic?

A: I don’t think any brand or company could have foreseen the impact that Covid-19 has had.

It fundamentally changed our way of life and, in a business context, it made us think about how we run our operation. As consumption moved from out of home to at home, we worked closely with our retail partners to ensure that we could meet these new levels of demand. In our foodservice business, we had to adapt quickly and continue to innovate to meet our changing customer needs. We moved our training model online and developed the Bewley’s Connect platform where our

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Tom Noonan

customers can engage in barista training 24/7 and we also offer additional digital resources such as machine servicing guides and access to recipes. Now, as we’re emerging from the pandemic, we believe that we’re well placed to better service our customers.

Q: How is Bewley’s innovating to meet the latest consumer trends in flavour profiles and formats within the Irish market?

A: It’s fascinating that in just a few short years, Irish coffee drinkers’ tastes have evolved and changed so dramatically. We have adopted a new coffee culture and with that has come a demand for new flavour profiles and better-quality coffee.

One of the biggest shifts in coffee consumption in the past number of years has been the newfound popularity of plant-based milk.

What initially started in the retail sector with consumers choosing plant-based milk to drink at home, has now become the norm in cafes, restaurants and hotels across the country. We recognised the uptake of these plant-based alternatives and late in 2020, we launched our partnership with Alpro to offer Ireland’s first bean-to-cup plant-based coffee dock. We have seen great success with this in our c-store network and we are continuing to roll this out to operators across the country.

Within the foodservice industry, an emerging trend we’ve seen is the increase in automation.

In cafés, this is seen in automated grinders, Puqpress tampers, pre-programmed espresso machines, and even automatic milk steamers.

What’s next for us on the beverage innovation front is the launch of an immunity range of coffee-based drinks. We see an ever-growing demand from consumers for functional beverages and in Q4 this year we’ve just launched Ireland’s first range of Immunity Coffee.

ETHICAL IRISH ROASTERS At Bewley’s we have adapted our operations to reduce the volume of waste being sent to landfill by 84% since 2010 and reduced CO2 emissions per tonne of manufactured coffee by 62%. This sustainability journey will never be complete, however we are committed to making a difference so you can supply, serve and savour Bewley’s coffee knowing our collective efforts will have a positive impact on our shared future.

We love talk ing about coffee - get in touch with us today to talk about improving your coffee offering

+353 1 816 0600

sales@ bewleys.com

bewleys.com/ie

40 CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

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to achieve the recommended daily intake of 5µg. It has been reported that Vitamin D deficiency is very prevalent in Ireland*.

MiWadi makes the water that you need to drink each day, extra delicious and refreshing.

The 0% Sugar range contains no more than five calories per glass and is available in four fruity flavours: Orange, Apple & Pear, Apple Berry and Blackcurrant.

MiWadi continues to grow year-on-year maintaining its number one position in the squash category**.

All Ballygowan bottles are 100% recycled plastic and continue to be 100% recyclable

Ireland’s original and number one bottled water Ballygowan, Ireland’s number one water brand, relaunched this year taking a major step forward on its sustainability journey.

All plastic bottles are now made from 100% recycled plastic and continue to be 100% recyclable.

The shift to recycled bottles will remove 51 million virgin PET bottles (non-recycled) which is 1288 tonnes and replace it with 100% recycled and 100% recyclable rPET bottles. A further 245 tonnes of plastic are also removed through light weighting in 2021.

When recycled correctly, the new rPET bottles can be reused over and over again, becoming a contributor to the circular economy, and resulting in a positive impact on the planet.

Ballygowan’s home at Newcastle West, now operates on 95% renewable energy and 100% renewable electricity. That is the highest level of renewables use by any Britvic factory worldwide. The facility at Newcastle West has also achieved zero waste to landfill.

Ballygowan offers Irish consumers the opportunity to buy a locally produced brand, bottled at source in Ireland. Not only does this support Irish jobs, it also reduces the environmental impact of transporting bottles of other water brands from factories across Europe.

In addition to the launch of the new bottles, Ballygowan has launched a new brand identity.

The new Ballygowan logo, a ‘sky to land’ logo, encapsulates the brand story of Atlantic rainfall drifting in from the Atlantic Ocean which falls on land close to Newcastle West, Co. Limerick. It is filtered through mineral rich limestone over 750 years and then it returns to the surface from a well, where it is bottled and enjoyed all over Ireland.

Hot stuff!

Hot Chip Dublin is an artisanal producer of premium quality cookie dough, which produces cookie dough rolls for retail and cookie dough balls for cafes and grocery stores to bake fresh in-store.

Currently, Hot Chip Dublin’s range of handmade products made in Dublin, is stocked in over 40 locations across Ireland.

The group currently offers 500g cookie dough rolls for retail. Current flavours include Mixed Chocolate (the biggest seller) which is infused with a generous helping of the finest Belgian dark and milk chocolate, White Belgian Chocolate, S’mores and the new 100% plantbased Vegan cookie dough.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Hot Chip Dublin’s cookie dough comes cleverly wrapped in baking paper making it extremely easy to chop up and bake straight from the fridge

The company also recently collaborated with Avoca to produce an exclusive Caramel, Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt flavour cookie dough.

Established in September 2020 by Dave McSharry, the goal of Hot Chip Dublin was to introduce a gourmet cookie dough to the Irish market, made using the highest quality ingredients, which is big on flavour and distinctive in terms of look, taste and texture.

The idea came to McSharry after he moved home from Australia after living there for three years.

“Premium cookie brands like Crème London, Levain Bakery, Maman, Jacques Torres and Chip NYC were a big part of why I started Hot Chip Dublin as I wanted Irish consumers to have access to iconic cookies that would be thicker than the typical, flat, circular cookies, that would be crispy yet chewy and that would taste like a really delicious and decadent treat,” McSharry says.

As such, the brand uses the highest quality ingredients like Irish butter and flour and Belgian chocolate chips in its cookie dough, which is also made with no additives, preservatives or stabilisers.

Rapid expansion over the past few months has seen the brand become the go-to for premium cookie dough here in Ireland. It is currently stocked in many well-regarded stores across Ireland such as Avoca, Fallon & Byrne, Mortons, Lotts & Co, Wilde and Green as well McCambridges and Joyces in Galway.

“Sales have been excellent for several months now and as a result we have moved into a bigger facility in Tallaght where we have four employees making our popular dough every day,” says McSharry.

A family favourite MiWadi is a truly iconic Irish brand and continues to grow from strength to strength in the marketplace. From humble beginnings in 1927, MiWadi has been a fruity and flavoursome part of childhood in Ireland for 94 years and has always remained relevant to Irish families with a wide range of flavours in its Regular, No Added Sugar, 0% Sugar and Drops ranges. MiWadi is still produced in Dublin to this day and is a proud member of Love Irish Food.

This summer, MiWadi was delighted to announce that every bottle of its 0% Sugar range is now fortified with Vitamin D which supports your family’s immune system.

Vitamin D is very important in our diet to help support your family’s general health, growth and development but it can be difficult

*(Source: Department of Health Article Reporting on Vitamin D Deficiency in Ireland, April 2020) **(Source: Nielsen Value Share MAT Total Squash Category September 2021.

Vitamin D contributes to the normal functioning of the immune system and maintenance of normal bones and teeth)

MiWadi has been a fruity and flavoursome part of childhood in Ireland for 94 years

Celebration for Centra suppliers as they claim 19 awards at Blas na hÉireann Centra food producers have claimed 19 accolades at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards, including seven gold awards.

Celebrating the very best of food and drink, Blas na hÉireann, The Irish Food Awards is the largest competition on the island of Ireland for quality Irish produce. The awards, announced on 2 October, saw 15 Centra suppliers take home seven gold, five silver and seven bronze awards for their products available in Centra stores across Ireland.

The expertly created Inspired by Centra range came out on top with 11 products receiving awards, six of which were gold.

Working with trusted suppliers nationwide, the Inspired by Centra gold winning products include the Inspired by Centra Irish Rotisserie Chicken supplied by Carton Bros, Co. Cavan, Inspired by Centra Irish Angus Sirloin Steak with pink peppercorn butter produced by Kepak, Co. Cork, Inspired by Centra Potato Gratin produced by Ballymaguire in Dublin

The Inspired by Centra range saw 11 products receiving awards, six of which were gold

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42 CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

and Inspired by Centra Overnight oats produced by Fresh Cut Foods, Co. Dublin.

Speaking on the success of Centra’s suppliers, Ian Allen, managing director, Centra said: “As the leading Irish convenience retailer, we pride ourselves on offering quality Irish produce for our customers to enjoy. Our trusted suppliers scooping 19 accolades at this year’s awards demonstrates this. The Blas accreditation is a testament to Centra’s quality products from trusted Irish suppliers available across our network of 480 Centra stores nationwide.”

Brothers Mike and Dennis Sutton own Ballyneety-based bottled spring water company, Ishka

Aimed at reducing harmful plastic pollution on our beaches, Ishka is doing so three years ahead of an EU deadline and becoming the first bottled water company in Ireland to implement such a measure.

Gold Star sauces

Pioneering sustainability Ishka, the Limerick-based bottled spring water company, is constantly looking for new ways to innovate and stay one step ahead of a rapidly changing retail environment.

As well as providing the best quality spring water on the market, it is committed to embracing environmental and sustainability innovations.

It is currently pioneering the use of tamperproof tethered caps, tweaking its production lines to ensure the cap remains with the bottle at the recycling stage.

It is one of several ways in which it argues that a strong business model can co-exist with environmental responsibility.

Earlier this year, Ishka used the wooden-sail cargo vessel The Ilen to transport a shipment of its water to the Aran Islands and Galway city to demonstrate the sustainable ways in which business can, and should, operate.

Consumer behaviour is also at the heart of what the Ballyneety-based company does – it commissioned research last month which showed consumers in Ireland drank almost an extra litre of water a day as the pandemic locked them out of offices, schools, colleges and hospitality.

Now a strong, recognisable brand on the retail landscape, family-run Ishka is on course to increase its market share, largely because it can lay claim to being Ireland’s freshest spring water – bottled from five, 200m-deep certified wells, untouched by human contact and not stored prior to bottling.

Ishka is pioneering the use of tamper-proof tethered caps

Porter & Nash is delighted to announce that its sauces, which can be used for cooking, pouring or used as a base for creating other sauces, have scooped Gold Star Awards at the renowned Great Taste Awards 2021. The brand received a Gold Star for its Caramelised Onion & Balsamic Sauce, and also for its Slow Roasted Garlic & Thyme Sauce. Porter & Nash’s gravy and sauce range provides a tasty edge to homecooked meals everywhere, whether they be meat-based, vegetarian or vegan. The group has seen demand for its gourmet sauces grow as consumers experiment more in the kitchen and test their taste buds. >>

SuperValu suppliers scoop 83 awards at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Awards SuperValu’s suppliers picked up an impressive 83 awards at this year’s Blas na hÉireann awards at the virtual ceremony held on Saturday, 2 October.

The latest result has brought the total number of awards won by SuperValu suppliers over the last four years up to 432 awards across SuperValu Own Brand, Signature Tastes and Food Academy.

Considered to be the ‘Oscars of the Food World’, the prestigious Blas na hÉireann awards celebrate and reward the very best tasting Irish food and drink products, and the passionate, committed producers who make them.

Following on from a successful year in 2020, this year was again a great success for Ireland’s largest grocery retailer. This year, SuperValu Own Brand and its exclusive brand producers picked up 32 awards – winning 7 Gold, 11 Silver and 12 Bronze.

SuperValu award winners included two prestigious ‘Chef’s Larder’ awards. These were won by McCormack Family Farms’ SuperValu Signature Tastes Growing Pea Shoots and Kepak’s SuperValu Beef Tomahawk Steak. This highly regarded title is awarded for ingredients, specialist products or recipe staples that a chef would find to be a valuable part of their larder.

SuperValu Signature Tastes also took home four Gold awards for Signature Tastes

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Potato Gratin of Ballymaguire Foods, Signature Tastes Chocolate Yule Log of Couverture Desserts Ltd, Signature Tastes White Chocolate and Cranberry Bites of Carleton Cakes and Signature Tastes Whole Grain Mustard by Follain. Other Gold award winners included Carton Brothers Ltd’s SuperValu 48 Hour Marinated Irish Rotisserie Chicken, Manor Farm’s SuperValu Irish Free Range Whole Chicken and SuperValu Ham and Cheese Vol au Vent by Prestige Foods.

It was also a great year for SuperValu’s Food Academy producers who picked up 51 awards – 15 Gold, 17 Silver and 19 Bronze including Roll It Pastry (Meath), Filligans (Donegal), Isle of Crackers (Wexford), Cape Clear Distillery (Cork), Sushi King (Dublin) and Love A Little Sauces (Donegal). Tipperary’s Tullahay Farm won ‘Best New Product’ and a Gold award for its Raspberry Bramble Fruit Flavoured Whey Drink. There were also four winners in the ‘Chef’s Larder’ category for Food Academy including Fancy Fungi Mushrooms (Wexford), Roll It Pastry (Meath), Olly’s Farm (Dublin) & Garryhinch Mushrooms (Offaly). It was a fantastic day for Fiona and Malcom Falconer of Wexford based Wild About who took home the coveted ‘Supreme Champion’ award, the top accolade in Blas na hÉireann.

“2021 has been yet another outstanding year for SuperValu at the Blas na hÉireann

McCormack Family Farms’ SuperValu Signature Tastes Growing Pea Shoots won a prestigious Chef’s Larder Award

awards with a total of 83 awards: including 51 awards for our amazing Food Academy producers,” said Ian Allen, managing director, SuperValu. “We are immensely proud of our award-winning brands and it’s wonderful to see the suppliers and producers receive the recognition they richly deserve.”

Now in its 14th year, the Blas na hÉireann awards is the biggest annual competition for quality Irish produce across the island of Ireland with thousands of products entered hoping to win Gold, Silver or Bronze Awards across 100 food and drink categories.

Irish Brands CATEGORY FOCUS 43

for

Porter & Nash for

Porter and Nash Slow Roasted Garlic and Thyme Sauce

Fuel Irish Brands

Co. Tallaght-based Porter & Nash has seen demand for its gourmet sauces grow as consumers experiment more in the kitchen

NoLo Alcohol

Porter & Nash’s Caramelised Onion & Balsamic Sauce and Slow Roasted Garlic & Thyme Sauce both received Gold Stars at the Great Taste Awards 2021

Cash & Carry

Porter & Nash Porter and Nash Slow Roasted Garlic and Thyme Sauce

>> An Irish food company founded by chefs Gavin Cassidy and Eoin Lennon in 2018, Porter & Nash’s unique plant-based range offers nutritional and flavoursome gravies and cooking sauces suitable for all cuisines and diets which are produced from Irish sourced ingredients, including Kombu Kelp seaweed from the Irish west coast. The Porter & Nash approach to cooking celebrates a balanced diet that makes the most of the flavour and quality of naturally grown sustainable Irish foods. Porter & Nash is based in Tallaght, Co. Dublin. For more information, visit www.porterandnash.com.

A fruitful partnership Dairyglen has partnered with Irish soft drinks giant Britvic to supply new MiWadi Fruit Ice and Robinson’s Fruit Ice nationwide. The new fruit ice lines feature two flavours: Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant with no added sugars in a non-carbonated shaved ice format.

MiWadi is Ireland’s number one flavour enhancer brand* and a firm favourite amongst Irish consumers, making this a much soughtafter addition to the traditional frozen drinks market.

Fruit Ice represents a new opportunity for retailers who are looking to expand their frozen drinks offering and sell one of Ireland’s biggest brands.

“Britvic is one of the leading branded soft drinks businesses in Europe, so to secure a distribution contract with them is an important

MiWadi Fruit Ice is an exciting new in-store concept featuring Ireland’s number one flavour enhancer brand

milestone for us,” Dairyglen said in a press statement. “The frozen drinks category has seen huge growth during the pandemic, so we’re excited to bring retailers across Ireland something new and exciting in this space.” ■ *(Source: Nielsen Total Squash Category MAT 15 Aug 2021)

*

Dairyglen team up with Britvic in new partnership for MiWadi Fruit Ice Dairyglen have partnered with Irish soft drinks giant Britvic to supply new MiWadi Fruit Ice and Robinson’s Fruit Ice nationwide. Their new fruit ice lines feature two flavours: Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant with no added sugars in a non-carbonated shaved ice format. MiWadi is Ireland’s no.1 flavour enhancer brand* and a firm favourite amongst Irish consumers, making this a much sought-after addition to the traditional frozen drinks market.

Fruit Ice represents a new opportunity for retailers who are looking to expand their frozen drinks offering and sell one of Ireland’s biggest brands. “Britvic is one of the leading branded soft drinks businesses in Europe, so to secure a distribution contract with them is an important milestone for us” “the frozen drinks category has seen huge growth during the pandemic, so we’re excited to bring retailers across Ireland something new and exciting in this space.

E XCLUSIVE TO

*Source: AC Nielsen Total Squash Category MAT 15th Aug 2021

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

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Keeping the fires burning As the dark evenings draw in, keeping warm and cosy will be to the front of your customers’ minds and as such, it’s vital to ensure you carry the bestsellers guaranteed to fire up sales, writes Gillian Hamill

W

ith many workers now permanently working from home, for at least part of the week, ensuring they have cost-effective, quick, convenient and easy home heating solutions has become a more important consideration than ever.

Last month, Ireland’s Single Electricity Market Operator (Semo) issued a further amber warning “due to a generation shortfall”.

The organisation attributed “a number of reasons” for its alert issued on Thursday, 9 September, including the offline status of the plants in Whitegate in Cork Harbour and Huntstown in north Dublin, which represent 15% of conventional generation.

“Three of the four units at the Tarbert plant in north Kerry were also unavailable due to technical problems, and the output from the country’s wind farms was very low due to weather conditions,” Semo said in a press statement. The Irish Times also reported that “a number of other generators were

Cylinder safety at the core As temperatures drop and the long evenings begin, many homeowners are turning on their home heating systems for longer periods of time. Homeowners need to be well prepared

Calor is proud of its extensive product range

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

also unavailable or had reduced capacity, while support from Britain via the East-West Interconnector was limited due to a tightness of supply there”.

These winter blackout fears have since partially eased, amid more recent industry confidence in the generators at Whitegate and Huntstown. EirGrid said it was “closely monitoring the situation,” and working to optimise its operation of the electricity grid in the short term, as well as engaging with the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) and the Department of the Environment,

Climate and Communications.

Nevertheless, the possibility of rolling blackouts will lead to shoppers stocking up on firelighting solutions as a reliable source of heating. European Union finance ministers also met earlier this month to discuss how to tackle an “unprecedented” spike in energy prices. Again, one of the consequences of these rises will be that value-for-money heating solutions, such as firelogs, firelighters, gas cylinders and spot-heating options, will be top of mind for many shoppers as we head into the winter months.

for the winter months; they want energy that is reliable, affordable and safe to use. Calor retailers can be confident in recommending Calor cylinders to their customers, because of the commitment the company makes to safety in its cylinders At Calor, safety and trust are paramount for its retailers and their customers. Over the past 80 years, Calor has been meeting the energy needs of homes and businesses across the island of Ireland. Throughout this time, Calor has earned a reputation for delivering the highest standards of cylinder safety in the products it offers, and those available through its extensive retailer network.

All Calor cylinders are filled by Calor, so the company can be sure of the safety of each one. Every Calor cylinder goes through a substantial and detailed seven-point mandatory safety check before it is delivered to a Calor retailer.

Calor is proud of its extensive product offering that allows customers to see the benefits of using gas, including Calor BioLPG,

its 100% renewable energy, which offers customers a sustainably conscious fuel option.

For more information on becoming a Calor retailer or to see Calor’s range of mobile heaters, check out its website at www.calorgas.ie.

Every Calor cylinder goes through a substantial seven-point mandatory safety check before it is delivered to a Calor retailer

Instant heat wherever you are

Calor portable gas heaters deliver instant heat for your home whenever and wherever you need it. Powered by Calor gas cylinders, they’re easy to move around and because you can choose to heat only the room you’re using, they’re cost-effective too.

See calorgas.ie

Irish Brands

Fuel

NoLo Alcohol

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Bord na Móna Eco-Logs are 100% natural made from sawdust and wood chips

Bord na Móna Air Dried Wood Logs offer high heat output, a long burn time, are easy to light and are also a carbon neutral fuel

Sustainable selection Bord na Móna is an Irish semi-state climate solutions company helping lead Ireland towards a climate neutral future.

The business is now transitioning from a peat-based business and its focus in the consumer products area is to continue to develop and supply a more sustainable product range for use in the home heating category. Bord na Móna will continue to sell briquettes into 2024, however in parallel, the company will continue to develop a sustainable range of home heating products to meet the demand of its loyal consumers.

From a proud past to an optimistic future, Bord na Móna has a long history of innovation. Today, 70% of the products in its home heating category are more natural and sustainable.

This season Bord na Móna is launching a new Eco Firelighter. This is a natural sustainable fire starter, made with high quality natural wax and fine wood wool which is a renewable sustainably sourced

wood waste product. This new ignition product is free from odour and suitable for open fires, stoves, barbecues, and garden chimeneas.

Bord na Móna has also launched its own In-house Air-Dried Wood production facility at its Kilberry plant in county Kildare. Air Dried Wood logs offer high heat output, a long burn time, are easy to light and are also a carbon neutral fuel. The brand’s Kiln Dried Hardwood logs with less than 20% moisture and Kiln Dried kindling are ideal for stoves and open fires. While quality and value are key purchase drivers, being easy to carry is also a key priority for shoppers and these products are readily available in convenient carry-home packs.

Many consumers are time poor and are seeking out more convenient fire heating solutions. The Bord na Móna Firelog, Quicklog and Eco-Log are designed to meet the needs of the modern-day household. The Eco-Logs are 100% natural, made from sawdust and

Bord na Móna Eco Firelighters use sustainably sourced fine wood wool and natural candle wax

wood chips, are clean to handle and are growing in popularity and demand with shoppers. An extension to the Eco-Log 8 is the new 12 Eco-Log format just launched this season with more choice and value for consumers. The Eco-Log is dry and easy to light, creating an odourless, fast-lighting fire. The extra fast lighting Quicklog is loved by consumers, creating the perfect base to get a fire established conveniently, cleanly, and quickly and is available to purchase in a take-home convenient box of 10.

Bord na Móna offers a tailored after sale support service to all trade customers including product-specific point of sale material to help educate, advise, and support shoppers in making the right choice to suit their needs.

Further information is available from your local business development executive or contact the customer support team at 1850 744 755.

Bord na Móna’s extra fast lighting Quicklog creates the perfect base to get a fire established conveniently, cleanly, and quickly

Zipping ahead

Wrapped Firelighters are formulated to light even the most difficult fuels

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Zip is predicting an above average winter for real home fire occasions. Meanwhile, a report in The Irish Times has predicted rolling blackouts and an Irish energy crisis which will lead to more people lighting indoor fires and stoves to keep themselves warm this winter*.

Consumer research has shown that having a real fire was a way to bring families together, 71% of respondents said that having a fire helped improve their mood – this rose to 77% for younger respondents. Zip believes that the fears around energy supply and Christmas get togethers suggests the category will see an uplift versus previous years.

This winter Zip will be launching a brand-new TV and radio campaign, #theresalwayszip. The campaign is all centred around reassurance in what has been an unpredictable couple of years. The TV advert will take the viewer on a journey of a young

Zip High Performance Original Firelighters are long burning and powerful

NEW ECO Firelighters Supporting our products with

Point of Sale

A natural & sustainable fire starter Made from fine wood wool and natural candle wax

STOCK UP TODAY! Call us at 1850 744 755 or contact your local Business Development Executive

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NoLo Alcohol

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50 CATEGORY FOCUS Fuel

boy as he grows up and has kids of his own, who then have kids of their own. While the world around him changes, Zip and the fire has always been there. Zip will also be running a Christmas competition on its social media pages @zipfiresireland and Instagram @zip_fires_ireland coinciding with the TV and radio campaign.

To ensure Zip has something for everyone the company has continued to expand its product range. Zip launched a range of winter fuels in 2020 which included Zip Kiln Dried Wood, Kiln Dried Kindling and Smokeless Coal. This combined with its world-class firelighters means customers can buy their whole fire solution from a brand they trust.

The brand didn’t stop there and to make life even easier for busy families, it introduced the Zip Firebag, a real fire in an instant. Zip has now announced it is adding the 100% Natural Firelighter to the winter range, this is its most powerful natural firelighter. Zip’s Natural Firelighters are sustainably sourced, clean burning, odourless and have a burn time of up to 13 minutes. When your customers need to get their fire going there’s always Zip. *(Source: www.irishtimes.com/business/energy-andresources/ireland-at-risk-of-power-cuts-after-new-amberwarning-1.4669712)

A

&

With the Zip Firestarter, just light the wrapper and add fuel after 10 minutes

Zip Smokeless Coal has high heat output and is clean burning

with Frank Cahalan,

Frank Cahalan

trading controller Ireland, Standard Brands (Zip)

Q: What changes has Zip made to enhance its sustainability credentials?

A: A recent carbon footprint study at the Zip factory saw an overall reduction of 32% in GHG emissions from 2010 to 2019. We are a zero-waste factory meaning our waste is either recycled or used for energy re-consumption. In addition, an ongoing project initially developed in 2018 saw a potential saving of 5 million litres of water over five years. At the end of 2020, we have already saved over 4 million litres.

In order to offset a percentage of our carbon emissions, we have partnered with a carefully selected carbon offsetting partner to support several community projects that focus on good health, wellbeing, gender equality, education and creating jobs. Each project is part of a verified carbon reduction scheme, meaning we can confidently report our emissions being offset.

Q: Zip has continued to innovate to meet changing consumer demand with the launch of products such as Zip Kiln Dried Firewood and Zip 100% Natural Firelighters. Why is it important for Zip to innovate in this way?

A: Zip has been around since 1936 and one of the key reasons is, we innovate; we invest in consumer research and in the category to keep ahead of trends. We listen to what consumers tell us and we know that the next generation

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

The Zip Fire Bag burns for up to four hours with unique Zip lighting technology

are looking for more sustainable solutions, which we can provide.

Q: How does Zip’s portfolio meet the current major trends in the fuel category? Are there plans to expand your product portfolio in the pipeline?

A: As the category leader we pride ourselves in growing the fire care category for our customers and consumers. We know that times and trends are always moving, therefore, we ensure we have a robust NPD pipeline to meet changing consumer demands. Our current portfolio offers something for everyone, whether someone’s lighting their fire every day to keep the heat and hot water going or a busy family looking for convenient and quick-fire solutions.

Q: How is Zip currently performing in sales terms, and what are the key factors behind this result?

A: Zip has gained +5pts of retail € share of total

Zip Firelogs are perfect for those times when instant ambience is needed yet time is of the essence

The Zip Starterlog is 100% natural and burns for up to 90 minutes with no need for additional firelighters, paper or kindling

fire care in the latest 12 weeks to 12 September.

Zip continues to be the number one brand in Ireland showing growth year on year with all customers. This growth is driven by a number of factors including strong relationships with customers, NPD, and entering new categories such as winter fuel.

Q: What do Zip’s marketing plans for the coming year look like?

A: Throughout the year we invest significant resources behind the marketing of our Zip brand. This winter we have teamed up again with Guerillascope Ireland to bring you a brandnew TV campaign called #theresalwayszip, while the world changes around us there’s always Zip. Running alongside the TV campaign we will also be launching a new radio ad featuring Hector Ó hEochagáin as the voice over.

To keep up to date on the latest goings on at Zip, to get an early sneak peak of the TV and radio ad and for the Christmas competition and more follow us online at Facebook @zipfiresireland and Instagram @zip_fires_ireland.

Fuel CATEGORY FOCUS

NoLo Alcohol Fuel Irish Brands

As customers look set to divide their working lives between the office and home this winter, Flogas Superser heaters are the perfect solution to spot heat the homeworking space. Cosy, portable and convenient, Flogas Supersers remove the need to turn on the entire heating system while working from home.

Retailers are always seeking cost-effective solutions to help their customers to control their home heating bills and Flogas portable gas heaters are recognisable and proven bestsellers. The contemporary and stylish heaters are also fit with easy glide castors for trouble-free moving from room to room.

“Flogas Superser heaters are extremely useful as an instant, economic and portable way to ‘spot-heat’ a room quickly, as many customers find it far cheaper than turning on the central heating for an hour or two,” says Eoin O’Flynn of Flogas Ireland, the exclusive distributor for Superser in Ireland and the UK. Flogas retailers benefit from complete access to the company’s range of cylinders, from butane, propane and patio gas, to its exclusive Gaslight cylinders. Contact Flogas today on 041 214 9600 to speak to your local cylinder representative and arrange a no obligation meeting to discuss your needs. ■

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Perfect spot-heating solution

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Flogas Superser heaters are the perfect solution for cost-conscious customers looking to instantly spot heat a room while working from home; contact Flogas on 041 214 9600 for more information

Contact Flogas for all of your Bottled Gas needs

Speak to your local cylinder representative today about becoming a Flogas retailer T: 041 214 9600 www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

Irish Brands

Fuel NoLo Alcohol Cash & Carry

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CATEGORY FOCUS NoLo Alcohol

NoLo is all go!

The total ‘NoLo’ (no and low alcohol) category is in strong growth year-to-date (YTD) with spirits proving the biggest growth driver at +208%. That said, producers have stepped up to the mark across all drink sectors with sophisticated, flavoursome NoLo alternatives to classic alcohol options, writes Gillian Hamill

T

he no/low alcohol category is burgeoning as a direct response to many consumers’ healthier lifestyles.

“The alcohol reduction trend looks to be here to stay,” says Kiti Soininen, category director of UK Food & Drink Research at Mintel. “Encouraging moderation is on the government agenda, and cutting back on alcohol is also seen by consumers as offering various benefits, increasing its appeal. Crucially, the quality of the product is improving, meaning that switching to a low or no-alcohol drink should come to no longer be seen as such a sacrifice.

“We are seeing plenty of activity from craft brands and start-ups in this sector,” Soininen

Natureo is at the forefront of high-quality dealcoholized wines

New sparkling dealcoholized wine After several years of extensive research, Natureo was launched in 2008 - a pioneering brand meeting modern social needs. Following a classic winemaking process in which the grapes are harvested and then fermented in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature, an aromatic wine is obtained.

The wine is then dealcoholized using purely physical procedures, removing the alcohol content. As the grapes have been fermented, all Natureo products are real wine, but dealcoholized.

Natureo’s production process has placed the brand at the forefront of high-quality dealcoholized wines since its creation. Starting

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

adds, “and the commitment of many leading drinks conglomerates to supporting responsible drinking and driving growth of low-/no-alcohol drinks should add to the segment’s momentum.”

A 2021 global report on the future of wine and spirits by Mintel, also states that in the next two years, in a post-Covid environment, there will be a more challenging context and brands must work harder to keep drinkers engaged. “Drinkers will opt for less but better alcohol, and brands must prove their value by offering relaxation or quality cues,” Mintel reports. “The trend for simplicity will resurface as drinkers opt for minimalist flavours.”

with a polyvalent range made out of white, rosé and red wines, Natureo decided to add some pop to its ranks, and is now introducing Natureo Sparkling.

This is a 100% Muscat of Alexandria varietal with a smooth, flavourful, and fresh palate.

With its fruity aromas and delicate flavour profile, this is truly a sparkling option for every occasion.

Excellent as an aperitif; wonderful with all kinds of fish, seafood, and rice dishes, Natureo Sparkling is cheerful, bright and festive on the palate.

Ideal served at 8-10°C, this is a true sparkling wine, with no alcohol.

Juniper joy RTM Beverages is a Dublin-based drinks innovation company that is shaking up the fast-growing ‘NoLo’ categories. Early last year, the company launched the Noki & Co. 275ml range of pre-mixed alcohol-free Gin & Tonic flavoured drinks.

‘The reaction to our 275ml alcohol-free G&T range has been extremely exciting,” says Stephen Dillon, founder of RTM Beverages.

“There has been a real gap out there for authentic alcohol-free solutions when people are out socialising but not drinking alcohol for any number of reasons. Noki & Co. tastes like a real Gin & Tonic so designated drivers and non-drinkers can join in on a night out without the side effects of alcohol.”

“The latest innovation from the company

These trends are also reflected in Irish alcohol consumption. New Revenue Clearance figures show that alcohol consumption fell by 10.8% in the first half of 2021 (January-June), compared with the same period last year. Of course, as industry group Drinks Ireland points out, this fall is a result of the closure of the hospitality industry, but is also in line with the long-term trend of consumption declining in Ireland.

Across all drinks categories, consumers want to indulge in sophisticated, premium and flavourful choices, but are no longer content to accept an accompanying hangover or loss of productivity the next day. Here, we outline the brands ensuring their portfolio fully meets this growing lifestyle trend.

is Noki & Co Juniper Edition – a 50cl distilled non – alcoholic Irish spirit,” adds Dillon. “As the name suggests our Juniper Edition is distinctly Juniper forward but is also complimented by other classic gin botanicals. Some people prefer to mix their own drink and our 50cl range is ideal for this.”

Despite being just over a year old, Noki & Co. has enjoyed considerable success and is widely available in numerous shops, bars and restaurants throughout the country.

The Noki & Co 50cl Juniper Edition is available to the on and off-trade in Ireland now.

For sales enquiries contact: RTM Beverages Ltd (01 9618922), e-mail Hello@Nokidrinks.com or visit www.RTMBeverages.com.

The Noki & Co Juniper Edition is distinctly Juniper forward but is also complimented by other classic gin botanicals

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A

&

with Mark Livings,

Mark Livings

CEO, Lyre’s

Q: How is the Lyre’s range currently performing in sales terms within Ireland?

Which are the most popular SKUs and what are the factors behind this?

A: Lyre’s launched in Ireland in January of this year and in nine short months has become the brand with the strongest, demonstrated growth trajectory, taking share from all leading brands and moving to number two in the non-alcoholic spirits category*.

• The Lyre’s Classico ready to drink (RTD) 250ml can four-pack has proven to be the most popular Lyre’s SKU since launch in Tesco in August.

• Within the 70cl range, American Malt comes in at number one due to its unique flavour and high distribution.

• Dry London Spirit is second in terms of volume, due to the popularity and awareness of non-alcoholic gin.

• Italian Spritz performed in third position, driven by strong seasonality, particularly the summer occasion – the perfect non-alcoholic spritz.

Q: What are the consumer trends within low and no alcohol cocktails and spirits that have inspired Lyre’s innovation within your range and how are consumers responding to more adventurous taste profiles?

A: The total no/low category is in strong growth year-to-date (YTD). This growth is primarily being driven by the spirits category at +231% YTD*.

The Irish non-alcoholic sector has seen a 116% increase in the sale of spirits in 2021 compared to the same period in 2020**. Millennials are drinking 20% less than their parents were at the same age, and consumers overall are making healthier choices***. The total global alcohol beverage market is vast, now totalling more than $1 trillion US in yearly sales. The market for no/low alcoholic beverages gained 3% of this

market share, which is set to grow by over 31% by 2024****.

With consumer demand for mindful choices of food and beverage growing, Lyre’s was created to replicate the world’s most popular spirits in a non-alcoholic format, each as close to the original premium volume spirit as possible, and equally as delicious in taste.

A frictionless swap of a Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirit for the original alcoholic ingredient delivers the benefits of a premium sophisticated non-alcoholic drink without any compromise.

The expanding Lyre’s portfolio of 14 premium non-alcoholic spirits is capable of crafting 90% of the world’s best-selling cocktails.

A: The International Spirits Challenge is the most authoritative, respected, and influential spirits competition in the world, and Industry thought-leaders recognised Lyre’s products with a total of 13 medals across the No/Low category: awarding one gold, ten silver and two bronze medals.

To date, Lyre’s has won over 200 awards globally, as judged by the world’s leading palates and beverage authorities. These achievements set us apart from other brands in the market, proving to our customer that when you choose to opt out of alcohol, you don’t need to opt out of a sophisticated drink, or compromise on taste.

Q: What new NPD have you coming up in the pipeline and what makes these new products stand out from what’s currently on the market?

Q: How has the Covid-19 pandemic affected the business and in particular, your relationships with customers within the offtrade retail sector?

A: Lyre’s range of impossibly crafted non-alcoholic premium RTDs have been developed to meet growing demand for on-the-go options in no/low alcohol. We offer consumers sophisticated premixed drinks; on-the-go drinks for all occasions that look great and taste exquisite.

Following on from the huge success of Classico, four new RTDs have been launched and include: a classic G&T, an Amalfi Spritz, American Malt & Cola, and Dark ‘n Spicy.

Our range is the most comprehensive range of non-alcoholic drinks, covering many different categories (spirits, sparkling, RTD) vs any competitor – providing consumers with a choice for any occasion.

We have excellent product credentials with low calorie, vegan, gluten free products.

Q: On your website, you state that the Lyre’s range offers the most awarded non-alcoholic spirit beverages in the world. How important are these achievements within your overall growth strategy?

A: In 2020 Lyre’s was a nascent product and delivered sales of £4 million during the year (globally). Lyre’s witnessed 1,300% growth across the full 12 months, even in the face of the onset of the pandemic.

Just last year, the company completed a seedplus funding round, valuing the business at €115 million and crowning it as the most valuable independent brand to date in the rapidly expanding no/low alcohol spirits category. This milestone was achieved in under 24 months of trading, during which time Lyre’s has become the most widely distributed non-alcoholic spirits brand.

The launch of Lyre’s into the Irish market with Richmond Marketing was unique as it happened right in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Lyre’s gained rapid and ubiquitous distribution in the off-trade and is now going from strength to strength within the on-trade channel as venues reopen and embrance the category to meet rising demand from their patrons. >>

The expanding Lyre’s portfolio of 14 premium non-alcoholic spirits is capable of crafting 90% of the world’s best-selling cocktails

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

NEW

Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Ready To Drink Range

Impossibly crafted.

Refreshingly convenient.

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56 CATEGORY FOCUS NoLo Alcohol

>> Q: How do you plan to market the brand during 2021/2022 and what are your targets for expansion within the retail sector, in terms of increased listings and sales?

A: Lyre’s as a brand has experienced great success in Ireland over the last year with a fantastic response from both consumers and trade.

The continued focus will be driving distribution of the entire Lyre’s range across the country and increasing visibility in-store. Innovation will always be part of our strategy and we have seen great success with our NPD already this year with Classico, and have an exciting pipeline of new products launching in Q4 and into 2022.

Ireland is a key market; we’ve only just dipped our toes in the water, and we have huge expansion plans for next year. This includes new product launches, increasing on-trade distribution and visibility, and hosting consumer-facing festivals and events *(Source: Collated EPOS Data to week 28 2021) **(Source: Collated EPOS data c.50% of Total Market read to week 20 2021) ***(Source: Deloitte) ****(Source: No- and Low-Alcohol Strategic Study 2021 from IWSR Drinks Market Analysis).

Following the success of Lyre’s Classico RTD, four new RTDs have been launched, including a classic G&T, an Amalfi Spritz, American Malt & Cola, and Dark ‘n Spicy

Bulmers Cider great since 1935 but because Bulmers uses a non-alcohol producing yeast, it is a 0.0 drink.

That also means that the taste is not altered by having to remove the alcohol after production. It’s a natural process. It is a choice not a compromise. Just as many meat eaters like to go veggie sometimes, there are also times when we want all the refreshment but less alcohol. Bulmers 0.0 gives consumers that choice while remaining Bulmers to the core.

The Bulmers 0.0 four-pack is the number one selling zero percent cider SKU within the Irish off-trade.

Bulmers 0.0 is fermented using a non-alcohol producing yeast

A choice not a compromise The same 17 varieties of apples. The same care and dedication to the task. The same time. 18 months of fermentation to reach perfection.

Bulmers 0.0 is everything that has made

The Bulmers 0.0 four-pack is the number one selling zero percent cider SKU within Ireland’s off-trade sector

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

The One for the Road bar, as part of the ‘Now You Can’ campaign, offers those lucky enough to stumble across it a truly memorable and meaningful pint, without compromising on taste. The top secret picturesque locations have been kept a mystery, offering those who find them a very special surprise.

TV broadcaster, performance coach and Heineken 0.0 brand ambassador, Anna Geary launched the ‘One for the Road’ bar at a beautiful hillwalking location in Wicklow.

Now you can!

As the number one non-alcoholic beer on the market, Heineken 0.0 is challenging conventions around beer moments and alcohol moderation when it comes to how we socialise in Ireland. Those moments when you thought you couldn’t have a beer, now you can. As part of the ‘Now You Can campaign’, Heineken 0.0 recently launched the One for the Road bar, popping up in breathtaking locations across Ireland.

Research shows that 60% of people plan to maintain a more balanced lifestyle as society re-opens, with 66% of people claiming that health and fitness goals are more important to them now than ever before. This shift in attitudes surrounding lifestyle choices and alcohol consumption has led people to look for alcohol-free alternatives, with findings reporting that 75% of people feel more comfortable ordering alcohol-free options now than in previous years. As the front runner on the market, Heineken 0.0 offers the perfect alcohol-free alternative - guilt-free refreshment, only 69 calories per bottle and made from all natural ingredients.

Alcohol-free Heineken 0.0 offers guilt-free refreshment with only 69 calories per bottle and made from all natural ingredients.

NoLo Alcohol CATEGORY FOCUS

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Cash & Carry NoLo Alcohol Fuel Irish Brands

With 66% of people claiming that health and fitness goals are more important to them now than ever before, Heineken 0.0 is an ideal option

“Coming from a sporting background, living a healthy and active lifestyle has always been a priority for me,” Geary says. “I’m also an extremely social person, so I hate the idea of missing out on good times with friends in order to prioritise my sports and performance goals. Heineken 0.0 gives me the freedom to go out socialising with friends and enjoy a few beers in the lead up to sports events, without worrying that I am compromising my fitness.”

“At Heineken 0.0, gone are the days that ‘not drinking’ was viewed as boring and unsociable and we’re not surprised that Irish people are looking to maintain a more balanced lifestyle as society re-opens,” says Anna Walsh, brand manager for Heineken 0.0%.

“Heineken 0.0 gives me the freedom to go out socialising with friends and enjoy a few beers in the lead up to sports events,” says Heineken 0.0 brand ambassador Anna Geary

“This bar is another step in the right direction to challenge the status quo,” she adds. “If you’re lucky enough to stumble upon the bar while out and about, drop by and enjoy a freshly poured, complimentary pint of Heineken 0.0 in the most stunning surroundings.”

Super selection Noreast is an independent family business based in Dundalk which has been specialising in sourcing, importing and marketing an exclusive range of the finest nolo beers to the Irish drinks trade since its formation in 1995 such as Erdinger, Budvar and Krombacher.

Erdinger Alkoholfrei (ABV 0.5%) is produced exclusively in the Bavarian town of Erding. It is brewed to the highest standards according to the strict Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. Besides being pleasingly refreshing, it has reduced calories (107 kj/25 Kcal per 100ml). The monosaccharides, like glucose and fructose, contained in Erdinger Alkoholfrei provide energy quickly, while polysaccharides (carbohydrates) provide longer-lasting energy.

In the late 90s, Erdinger Alkoholfrei revolutionized the beer market as the first non-alcoholic beer to also be a true sports drink. With its isotonic properties, vitamin B12 and folic acid (B9), Erdinger Alkoholfrei is the ideal regeneration drink after sports. Despite numerous imitators of its positioning and colour code, it has never relinquished its market leadership.

Erdinger Alkoholfrei Grapefruit & Lemon (330ml NRB) offers a new taste for a new wheat beer generation; refreshing with the bittersweet taste of fruit Made with purely natural ingredients and without any artificial aromas or preservatives, it is isotonic and contains vitamins (B9, B12, C). This fruity variant of Erdinger Alkoholfrei is also particularly popular within the female target group. Overall, Erdinger Alkoholfrei Grapefruit and Lemon is a perfect product for the fast-growing, nonalcoholic mixed beer segment Noreast also distributes Budejovicky Budvar Non Alcoholic (330ml NRB). Its combination of traditional Budvar brewing methods and the use of only the highest quality natural ingredients, creates a beer with a delicate, full flavour but a minimum content of alcohol for those who enjoy a great beer flavour but don’t want an alcoholic

Keep your eyes peeled for the One for Road bar popping up on Instagram @HeinekenIreland.

Heineken 0.0 is a non-alcoholic lager brewed with a unique recipe that guarantees a distinct balanced taste, stocked nationwide across the Irish off-trade.

beverage. (ABV 0.5%) Another option is Krombacher Alkoholfrei 0.0% (330ml NRB) – this 0.0% pils is easy drinking and ultra-refreshing with a wellbalanced malt character and light hop aromas. Full flavoured with that famous Krombacher finish, it’s bright and golden in colour.

The malty sweetness means it pairs perfectly with garlic and olive forward pesto and pasta dishes; also harmonious with fish dishes.

MacIvors Alcohol Free Cider (330ml NRB) is a refreshing new product for health-conscious consumers from the multi-awardwinning cider producer, MacIvors.

The Co. Armagh-based company’s new alcohol-free cider is also gluten-free, low in calories and vegan-friendly. With only 76 calories per bottle, this novel drink has been created by experienced cider maker Greg MacNeice, who is also the company’s managing director, to offer a range of benefits for those concerned about health while still maintaining an authentic and delicious cider taste.

Distributed by Noreast, the alcohol-free cider will be available in 330ml bottles in the off-trade at RRP €1.79.

MacIvors has collected a host of industry awards including Blas na hEireann as well as UK Great Taste Awards. The ciders are made from 100% fresh pressed apples that have been grown on the family farm and have been developed to provide a richly flavoured, refreshing and aromatic craft beverage. For more information, visit www.macivors.com.

Estrella Free Damm from Spain is the non-alcoholic member of the Estrella family and is a clean, sparkling, transparent amber colour with shades of gold. It has a light head and lively fine bubbles. It has a clean, intense aroma, with hops taking centre stage and with hints of fresh white flowers. The taste is delicate, with suggestions of grains and toast. The mouthfeel is smooth but with personality. A beer that is fresh with just the right amount of bitterness, available in 330ml cans.

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

Irish Brands

Fuel NoLo Alcohol Cash & Carry

58 CATEGORY FOCUS NoLo Alcohol

Unrivalled taste, zero alcohol McGuigan Wines pledges to make great quality wine accessible to everyone around the world for every occasion. This pledge to excellence has led the company to be named IWSC International Winemaker of the Year a record-breaking four times and its commitment to alcohol free wines is no different. McGuigan Zero is a trailblazer in its category.

The range offers an unparalleled alcohol-free experience both on the nose and palate, launching with shiraz, chardonnay, rosé, sauvignon blanc and sparkling. McGuigan Zero is created using state-of-the-art spinning cone technology. By drawing the wine into super fine layers for efficient vaporisation, alcohol may be removed at lower temperatures than ever before, thus resulting in a truly beautiful tasting product. The fruit has been sourced and selected specially for McGuigan Zero from premium vineyards in South Eastern Australia. The quality of the fruit and its adaptability to the alcohol removal process ensures that customers are drinking the best possible alcohol-free wines. McGuigan Wines, Ireland’s number one Australian wine brand, is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

McGuigan Zero uses fruit sourced and selected specially from premium vineyards in South Eastern Australia

sparkling wine producer where green tea and dried tannin are added to create the mouthfeel of sparkling wine. CO2 is trickled in very gently. The bubbles of Belle & Co. achieve a streaming effect and elegant mousse. It is excellent value for money and proudly distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

Punked up flavour

Belle & Co. has only 22 calories per 100ml

Belle bubbles Belle & Co. is an innovative 0% alcohol-free sparkling wine with less than half the calories of a typical sparkling wine. This zero-alcohol option is also lower sugar, vegan and gluten free.

Available in a 75cl format Brut and Rosé, Belle & Co. comes in standard recognisable sparkling wine bottles with a mushroom cork.

It’s a carefully crafted alternative to traditional alcoholic sparkling wine, great as an aperitif, just right with party nibbles or just whenever your shoppers fancy a bit of fizz! The best part is it’s only 22 calories per 100ml - one of

the lowest available in the market for zero alcohol.

How is it made? Belle & Co. is a fermented grape juice produced by a specialist, stateof-the-art producer of fermented products.

This innovative new bacterial fermentation of grape juice reduces sugars by 30% and produces the same acid bi-products of a yeast fermentation without the production of alcohol or carbon dioxide. The reduction in sugars and the production of acid bi-products ensures Belle & Co. tastes like a wine and not like a soft drink. The fermented grape juice is transported to a specialist

No-alcohol just got punked up. BrewDog Punk AF lives up to its billing with all the flavour but none of the alcohol. Brewed with eight different hops from North America, New Zealand and Europe; juicy tropical fruit mixes it up with grassy and pine notes. All sitting on a solid malt bassline. The bitter finish belies its ABV, rolling in at 35 IBUs to provide the perfect retort to those who push alcohol-free beer devoid of character.

BrewDog is on a mission to prove that alcohol-free does not equate to taste-free.

And now it brings a new alternative to the mainstream. A beer for those seeking a point of difference at 0.5% ABV that brings all the attitude of the flagship, Punk IPA. Punk IPA was the beer that kick-started the craft beer revolution and Punk AF is the next step in the brewery’s desire to brew beer for every taste, for every occasion. Distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

BrewDog Punk AF is brewed with eight different hops from North America, New Zealand and Europe

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

NoLo Alcohol CATEGORY FOCUS 59

The icon of Weissbier Paulaner is the number one Weissbier in Germany and one of the world’s favourites.

The brand now has a non-alcoholic option, Paulaner Weissbier 0,0%. Strictly nonalcoholic, this Weissbier has great flavour.

Thanks to its balanced combination of fine malt aromas, refreshingly fruity Weissbier flavours and a pleasing hint of sweetness, the non-alcoholic Weissbier 0,0% can be enjoyed on any occasion. This isotonic thirstquencher is brewed using the traditional Paulaner Weissbier technique and the alcohol is carefully removed after a thorough maturing process. A complex procedure removes all the alcohol from the beer, without losing any of its refreshing flavour.

The popularity of Paulaner beer has always extended beyond the city limits of Munich. The special enjoyment of beer, the highly skilled brew masters and the famous Bavarian way of life are just a few factors contributing to Paulaner’s success – locally and internationally.

More than 2 million hectolitres leave the brewery each year – travelling from Munich Langwied to over 70 countries.

“Good, better, Paulaner” is the apt, wellknown slogan of Paulaner Brewery. The name Paulaner has stood for the highest quality and Munich beer culture since 1634.

Paulaner is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

Irish Brands

Paulaner Weissbier 0,0% is an isotonic thirst-quencher brewed using the traditional Paulaner Weissbier technique

Introducing Strykk, the distilled non-alcoholic spirits brand with all the spirit but none of the alcohol. The face of drinking is changing, so now consumers can enjoy a night on Strykk, the modern, flavour driven and stylish alternative to alcohol. Stryyk was launched in 2018 to satisfy the increasing demand for a quality, modern and stylish alternative to alcohol. Distilled and bottled in the UK, the Strykk range features non-alcoholic spirits which make switching out shoppers’ favourite spirit for an alcohol-free option easier than ever. Meticulously developed over two years in collaboration with top bartenders, the expert Strykk team carefully reconstructed flavours of spiced rum, London dry gin and traditional vodka and created Strykk Not R*m, Strykk Not G*n, Strykk Not V*dka, and Strykk Not Vanilla V*dka.

With more of us than ever choosing to reduce our alcohol consumption or cut it out altogether (up to 50% of 18-34s have opted for a no/low drink on a night out according to recent research), Strykk gives a real, unpretentious alternative.

Created by drinks industry entrepreneur and founder of Funkin Cocktails, Alex Carlton in recognition of the growing demand from Gen Xrs, Strykk is predominantly targeted at 25-45 year-olds and positioned as an inclusive brand for those who choose not to drink alcohol, are having a night off or mixing up their night, but still want to be part of the party.

Elegantly Spirited CEO, Alex Carlton says:

“Strykk is making sobriety acceptable, simple and not anti-social. With the new generation of party-goers choosing to drink less alcohol and sometimes none at all, Strykk offers nonalcoholic spirit which enables them to enjoy the drinks they love and stay in the moment, without compromising on taste, experience or calories. As we like to say, Strykk has all of the spirit, none of the alcohol.”

Strykk non-alcohol spirits are proudly distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam. The four lines currently available are: Strykk Not Gin: a distillation including hints of coriander, sage and basil and the classic juniper notes that mark this as a derivation of a London dry gin.

Strykk Not Vodka: a distillation combining the warming spice of capsicum and the cooling notes of cucumber and menthol to emulate the characteristics of a classic pure vodka. Build with lime juice and soda for a twist on a vodka, lime and soda.

Strykk Not Rum: a distillation that blends sweet sugar cane and raisin notes with the characteristic vanilla and oakwood tones that create a perfectly balanced spiced rum alternative.

Strykk Not Vanilla V*dka: infused with Madagascan vanilla beans. A sweet toffee and buttery aroma with a warming capsicum finish. Perfect for a non-alcoholic Pornstar Martini, Espresso Martini, or mixed over ice with cola. It’s 100% natural with no sugar, no fat and no artificial flavours.

Cash & Carry NoLo Alcohol Fuel

Stylish alternative to alcohol

The Strykk range is positioned as an inclusive brand for those who are choosing not to drink alcohol on a night out but still want to be part of the party

Please drink exceptionally Atopia is a 0.5% ABV ultra-low alcohol spirit crafted from natural distillates, extracts, and flavours to create a new breed of spirits.

Lesley Gracie, the award-winning master distiller of Hendrick’s Gin and the Cabinet of Curiosity, crafted this one-of-a kind liquid “to ensure no compromise on flavour is experienced when drinking the ultra-low alcohol spirit”. Gracie wanted to create an accessible yet special flavour profile to elevate the moderated drinking experience.

The total no/low category is in strong growth YTD and spirits is the biggest growth driver at +208%*. An Atopia and Fever-Tree Tonic contains 75 times less alcohol than a Gin & Tonic, allowing for a more thoughtful lifestyle.

Atopia’s liquid is a natural distillate of orange, juniper, coriander, angelica root and lemon, and forms the foundation of the spirit.

Atopia Citrus Spice is best enjoyed mixed with Fever-Tree tonic water, served with plenty of ice and an orange slice.

When customers choose to drink more mindfully, it shouldn’t mean a compromise on taste. Atopia is the ultimate premium no/low spirit of choice, available in specialised off-licenses. ■ *(Source: Collated EPOS Data c.60% of Total Market to Week 32 202)

Award-winning master distiller Lesley Gracie created Atopia to ensure no compromise on taste

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

60 CASH & CARRY

Supplying the masses

You can’t run a successful small retail or hospitality business without the support of a strong cash and carry close by. We take a look at Ireland’s top rated cash and carry businesses and the growing list of services they offer to their customers. Fionnuala Carolan reports

BWG’s Value Centre, Musgrave MarketPlace and Stonehouse Marketing Ltd are among the leading and most sophisticated logistics operations in the country. Between them, they service thousands of retail and hospitality businesses in every corner of Ireland and drive one another on with ever-increasing service levels and efficiencies. These cash and carry businesses offer customers access to competitively priced products and innovative offerings via the buying power of a group.

They have become ever more sophisticated in recent years with the likes of BWG’s ShopLink portal allowing customers to order in real time.

The e-commerce platform can connect to a retailer’s EPOS and is fully integrated and live

with the supply chain enabling them to do business more efficiently.

In order for the supply chain to run smoothly, the cash and carry business must work closely with suppliers to ensure a market-leading range for their retail, licensed and hospitality customers. They need to be able to offer a host of services such as emergency top up delivery, special offers tailored to local businesses and to be able to track market trends and meet demand in an ever-changing market.

Key trends strongly influence the products the cash and carry outlets offer and the main players have responded quickly to fulfil new health and wellbeing demands over the past five years.

Reducing the environmental impact of these huge operations has been a real focus too.

From the use of solar energy to employing the most energy efficient fuels and vehicles, lower carbon output has been the goal in all aspects of the business. These practices are mirrored across the supply chain but have been championed at cash and carry level.

Covid-19 and Brexit have placed greater demands than ever on the local cash and carry as retailers were under pressure for extra products as people panic bought during these times. Cash and carry businesses garnered great loyalty from their customers for helping them go above and beyond to service the country when we needed it most.

Value Centre goes the extra mile

With 22 locations all around Ireland, Value Centre is always close to its customer base

FACTFILE: Name: Value Centre, 4 Aces, Better Deal Number of branches nationwide: 22 Number of customers: Over 20,000 Number of lines in product listing: Over 10,000 Tagline: ‘Your Local Wholesaler’ Ordering options: Online, in-branch, telesales, dedicated sales developers Typical opening hours: 9am - 5.30pm Retail partners: XL Size-range of outlets: 12,000 sq ft – 60,000 sq ft

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Paul Bealin

Q&A with Paul Bealin, sales director, Wholesale Division at BWG Foods

Q: As your customers’ day-to-day business lives are extremely busy, how have you innovated to ensure your service makes it as easy and convenient as possible for them to secure orders when needed?

A: One of our greatest strengths is that, as Ireland’s largest national network of cash and carry branches with 22 locations all around

Ireland, we are always close to our customer base. Our business model is one based on meeting the needs of our customers allied with our expert team of buyers who closely monitor consumer behaviour and the latest trends to ensure we have the right product mix available at all times.

Our award-winning e-commerce platform ‘Shoplink’ can connect seamlessly to EPOS and is fully integrated and live with the supply chain. Customers can access ‘Shoplink’ 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling them to do business with us more efficiently and giving them back more of their time for other aspects of their business. With a free and flexible

CASH & CARRY

activity generally centred on seasonal opportunities offering customers incredible value all year round. We are working tirelessly to meet the needs of our customer base and part of this is ensuring each Value Centre branch has its own local deals for its specific customer base.

delivery service, if the customer can’t come to us, we will do our utmost to ensure next day delivery. We also offer an emergency top-up service for customers.

Q: How have you adjusted to consumer trends including a greater focus on health and wellbeing and more adventurous palates, to guarantee your customers are able to meet these needs?

A: What is becoming ever more evident is that consumers today are more health conscious, are eating less processed foods and are looking for more convenient ways to allow them to follow a healthier lifestyle and diet.

We have responded to this growing trend and are delivering to our retailers a topclass fresh offering to cater to the modern consumer who still seeks out the occasional treat and loves their coffee. The introduction of our BWG Training Academy, a new dedicated training and education centre, providing practical courses, has proven very successful in promoting higher standards within our fresh departments.

Q: Strong value is obviously critical – how are you working to ensure customers receive the best pricing and promotions?

A: We are confident that we have a strong offer for our customers. We are constantly analysing the market and adapting and

61

Q: Sustainability has become more important than ever – how are you improving sustainability across your operations?

BETTER DEAL

Your Local Wholesaler For Over 50 Years

C A S H & C A R RY

Value Centre says it constantly analyses the market to ensure customers have access to the best and most competitive offers out there

adjusting to ensure our customers have access to the best and most competitive offers out there. We run national promotions every three weeks, with further tactical

Value Centre’s “local knowledge is what sets us apart because we understand and care about what our customers need and want,” says Paul Bealin

A: As members of Origin Green, BWG Foods is committed to an ambitious sustainability strategy aimed at significantly reducing the environmental impact of our largescale nationwide supply chain. As part of the new strategy, BWG Foods is switching to cleaner energies and has committed to installing renewable energy solutions across its operations. A core component of the new strategy is to reduce the group’s energy output and to increase energy efficiency across our nationwide network of 22 Value Centre and cash and carry branches, as well as our 240,000sq ft national distribution centre. Overall, the group plans to reduce its energy usage by over ten percent across our entire operations by 2024.

Q: The past 18 months have shown the dedication and resilience of Ireland’s retail and wholesale sector. What are you proudest of in terms of how your group has navigated the challenges presented by the pandemic as well as Brexit’s impact on supply chains?

A: With 22 locations all around Ireland, our local knowledge is what sets us apart because we understand and care about what our customers need and want. We are flexible and are committed to helping our customers succeed and work alongside them to achieve that end goal.

The strength of our unique position in the Irish marketplace as part of a truly global organisation was truly evident at the height of the global pandemic and resultant Irish lockdown. While other Irish wholesalers struggled to meet demand in some lines, we were able to secure stocks of commodity lines such as pasta directly from Italy, at a best in market price, to ensure our customers were never left short.

Musgrave MarketPlace at a glance FACTFILE: Name: Musgrave MarketPlace Number of branches nationwide: 10 Major locations nationwide: Dublin (Ballymun, Robinhood, Sallynoggin), Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Belfast, Derry, Lurgan.

Number of lines in product listing: Over 14,000 Ordering options: Online, collect, delivered, click & collect, telesales, business development manager Typical opening hours: Monday to Friday - 8am – 6pm, Saturday: 8am – 4pm, Sunday: 10am – 4pm, Late opening Thursday Ballymun & Robinhood: 8am – 8pm Size-range of outlets: 35,000 – 75,000 sq. ft.

Musgrave MarketPlace has outlets in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Belfast, Derry and Lurgan

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

62 CASH & CARRY

Stonehouse Marketing Ltd delivers tailored approach Tom Shipsey

Q&A with Tom Shipsey, chief executive officer, Stonehouse Marketing Ltd

Q: How have you innovated to ensure your service makes it as easy and convenient as possible for customers to secure orders when needed?

A: We have always prided ourselves on our service and the quick turnaround in reply to and working with our customers’ needs. Each of our members ensure they have tailored their offering to the needs of their customers. It’s that flexibility and tailored approach that has seen us prosper over the past year.

Q: How have you adjusted to consumer trends including a greater focus on health and wellbeing and more adventurous palates, to guarantee your customers are able to meet these needs?

A: Since the pandemic, there certainly has been a renewed consumer focus on health and diet. We have in conjunction with our supplier base ensured that the right packs are being offered to our retailer base for sale to consumers. With more people at home our retailers have seen a large increase in all grocery products from breakfast cereals, ready meals and preserves. Many of these are now either low or no sugar items.

Our members have like many other proprietors adjusted our buildings to ensure customer comfort and safety. Furthermore, we have increased our telesales/online and delivery options to further ensure customer comfort and ease of shopping.

Q: Strong value is obviously critical – how are you working to ensure customers receive the best pricing and promotions?

A: The range, frequency and depth of promotion has increased across the Stonehouse Group within the last 18 months.

We have a larger range of SKUs identified as value propositions for our retailers and consumers. Larger packs, different formats etc have further enhanced our offering. Our Wow offerings have been extended again reflecting our value proposition to our customers.

Q: The past 18 months have shown the dedication and resilience of Ireland’s retail and wholesale sector. What are you proudest of in terms of how your group has navigated the challenges presented by the pandemic as well as Brexit’s impact on supply chains?

A: Despite lockdown, our owners took a pragmatic approach to delivery and customer interactions. Our primary focus was always on staff safety and the safety of those we encountered. We continued to call and deliver to our customers, ensuring supply for the consumers who “had moved home”. In many instances this resulted in large changes to our logistics and supply forecasting. I am delighted

FACTFILE: Name of group: Stonehouse Marketing Ltd Number of branches nationwide: 23 Number of customers: 6,000+ Tagline: Serving the Independent Retail and Hospitality Sector Ordering options: Web/telephone/direct calls Typical opening hours: 08:30 to 18:00 Size range of outlets: Convenience/foodstore/supermarket and vast array of hospitality customers Retail partners: Costcutter, Gala and Carry Out that together with our suppliers we performed exceptionally well in ensuring continuity of supply. Brexit has put further constraints on our logistics. Supply is certainly an issue. We continue to deliver as best we can, as soon as product arrives to our depots, thus minimising out of stock issues for our retailers and consumers. Our members pride themselves on their versatility, speed and agility to deliver.

This, they have done exceptionally well. n

The range, frequency and depth of promotion has increased across the Stonehouse Group within the last 18 months, according to Tom Shipsey

Homestead Brands Limited, 16 Priory Office Pack, Stillorgan, Co Dublin.

Tel: 01 2966000, Fax: 01 2966002, E-mail: info@homestead.ie.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

APPOINTMENTS 63

Myles O’Grady appointed chief financial officer of Musgrave

Myles O’Grady

Musgrave Group is appointing Myles O’Grady to the role of chief financial officer with effect from 4 April 2022.

O’Grady joins Musgrave from Bank of Ireland where he has been group chief financial officer since 2019.

In joining Musgrave, O’Grady brings with him a wealth of experience in delivering sustainable growth and in driving a culture that is customer focused and increasingly digital.

Commenting on his appointment, Noel Keeley, Musgrave CEO said: “I am pleased to welcome Myles to Musgrave as CFO following a comprehensive recruitment process. As one of Europe’s leading family-

Global Fresh Exotics Ltd appoints Richard Moore as managing director Global Fresh Exotics Ltd, the Meath-based importer, grower and distributor of premium fresh produce, has appointed Richard Moore as managing director.

Moore brings over 25 years of leadership experience in the international and domestic fresh produce industry to the role, including working for the last Richard Moore 10 years as commercial director at the Global Fruit Company, home of the Del Monte brand in Ireland.

Global Fresh Exotics has operated in the Irish market since 2000. According to the company, Moore will guide the group through “a period of enhancing its already highly respected position in the industry. Excellence and best practice in ethical sourcing and food safety standards are always high on the agenda.”

“We are delighted to welcome Richard to the team,” said the Mangat family, owners and directors of Global Fresh Exotics Ltd. “His local and international expertise and relationships, combined with his commitment to ethical and sustainable food sourcing aligns perfectly with our strategic goals to provide the highest quality produce and service at the best value to our growing customer base,” the family added.

Richard Moore said he is “hugely impressed with what the team at Global Fresh Exotics has achieved to date.

“I look forward to continuing to drive their innovative, holistic approach and leading the dynamic team to be responsive to our customers evolving needs in this fast-paced industry,” Moore added.

Eimear Fitzmaurice

Eimear Fitzmaurice appointed Folk’s head of planning

Eimear Fitzmaurice has been promoted to head of planning at Folk Wunderman Thompson, leading the agency’s strategic planning team.

Fitzmaurice joined Folk in 2019, and has driven the strategic direction of a number of the agency’s biggest clients including Vodafone, An Post and Brennans Bread as well as growing its strategic offering to reflect the changing needs of clients. Passionate about creative work that delivers impact, she played a key role in the team that brought An Post’s Address Point to life for which the agency was awarded its first Cannes Lions.

“Since joining Folk, Eimear has not only driven on the standard and efficacy of our creative work, but has been instrumental in diversifying our strategic offering to ensure we continue to unlock growth in new and innovative ways for our clients,” said Enda Kelly, managing director, Folk Wunderman Thompson.

“She brought the largest global study on modern women to Ireland for the first time through ‘Female Tribes’ and co-created and launched our innovation practice and process which we call ‘Collision’,” he added. “Most recently, she has been instrumental in developing ‘ADAPT’, our bespoke sustainability framework designed to help businesses and brands navigate the next frontier of sustainable growth.”

owned businesses we are committed to delivering long-term sustainable growth. Given Myles’ experience in senior financial and business leadership roles he will be a fantastic asset in helping us achieve our ambitions. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank Alan Cunningham for his significant and ongoing contribution as acting CFO.” O’Grady has been group CFO at Bank of Ireland Group since October 2019. Prior to that, he held senior roles at Citibank, Bord Gais and AIB Group. O’Grady is also a non-executive director of New Ireland Assurance Company and is a fellow of the Chartered Association of Certified Accountants.

Sarah Hayes appointed associate director at Sigmar Recruitment Sarah Hayes has been appointed associate director at Sigmar Recruitment in Galway. Hayes previously worked as regional manager for Sigmar in the West of Ireland. Since joining Sigmar in 2013, she has grown the regional life sciences Sarah Hayes recruitment team as well as the RPO side of the business.

Her new role will continue to focus on life sciences recruitment nationwide.

Hayes holds a BA Degree and completed the Postgraduate Diploma in Education. She holds a Black Belt in Internet Recruitment, is NRF certified, is a qualified occupational psychometric assessment test user and administrator and has completed the Leadership Excellence Programme with the University of Notre Dame/Mendoza College of Business and the Trinity Executive Education Programme on Leadership Excellence.

Unique Media’s Breda Brown appointed chairperson of board at Irish Writers Centre The Irish Writers Centre, Ireland’s flagship resource organisation for writers, has appointed Breda Brown as the new chairperson of its board of directors.

Breda Brown Brown is the co-founder and communications director of Unique Media, a strategic communications advisory firm, and she will engage in her new voluntary position with the Irish Writers Centre in conjunction with her professional role.

An absolute book lover, Brown’s work with Unique Media extends to clients such as the An Post Irish Book Awards, where, over the past 15 years, her strategic planning, PR, digital, and event management expertise has helped turn the initiative into one of the most significant events in the Irish literary calendar. Brown also presents and produces the Inside Books podcast in which she interviews Irish and international authors and she reviews crime novels for the Sunday Independent. She holds an MA in Journalism and BA in Communication Studies, both from Dublin City University. ■

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

64 NOFFLA NEWS

www.noffla.ie

2021 Irish Wine Show Star Award winners announced The National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) has awarded its annual Irish Wine Show Star Awards to 45 wines at its annual event. Now in its 21st year, the winning wines from the Irish Wine Show Star Awards will be available to consumers from NOffLA outlets across Ireland.

At the event which was livestreamed online on Monday, 4 October, NOffLA again called on the Government to reduce excise duty by 7.5% in Budget 2022, to begin to align Irish excise rates with EU levels and to protect the commercial viability of drinks sector businesses post-Covid.

This is in line with calls from the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI) as Irish excise on wine remains the highest in the EU; Irish consumers pay €3.19 in excise per standard bottle at 13% ABV.

Speaking at the Awards, Gary O’Donovan, chairman of NOffLA congratulated the 2021 winners, saying: “It is great to be able to celebrate some of the finest products sold by our highlytrained members around the country. As independent, specialist retailers, NOffLA members are at the heart of their communities and serve as responsible and highlyknowledgeable local retailers who are committed to excellence both in terms of personal service and the high-quality wines that we offer.

“However, this offering continues to be under serious threat as Irish excise levels impede the drinks sector in Ireland and remain the highest among our EU neighbours,” O’Donovan added. “A reduction in excise levels of 7.5% in Budget 2022 would help protect the

All the winners at the 2021-2022 Irish Wine Show Star Awards, held in the Radisson Blu Golden Lane

commercial models of businesses within the drinks sector and help provide an optimal trading environment.”

In excess of 600 wines were submitted to the Star Award adjudication panel of NOffLA judges and independent wine journalists. Points were awarded on the basis of appearance, smell, taste and value for money criteria, and the winning 15 were selected as the best wines from

key suppliers across a number of price categories.

Each of the winning wines will be sold in NOffLA member outlets across the country and will be recognisable by distinctive Award symbols on each bottle.

In the pre-Christmas period NOffLA members will promote the Irish Wine Show Star Awards 2021-2022 Collection as ideal Christmas gifts, in a variety of special gift packs.

The 2021 Gold Star Award Winners are as follows: CATEGORY

WINE

Old World White Under €10

Maximo Blanco

2020

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

Old World White Under €15

Trulli Vermentino IGP

2020

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

Old World White Under €20

Mâcon-Uchizy, Domaine Talmard

2020

Tindal Wine Merchants

New World White Under €10

Antares Sauvignon Blanc

2021

Ampersand Wines

New World White Under €15

Asymmetric Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

2020

Ampersand Wines

New World White Under €20

Tokara Premium Sauvignon Blanc

2020

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

Old World Red Under €10

Maximo Tinto

2019

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

Old World Red Under €15

Trulli Salice Salentino DOP

2019

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

Old World Red Under €20

Tuella Douro Red

2019

Tindal Wine Merchants

New World Red Under €10

Coral Reef Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon

2019

Ampersand Wines

New World Red Under €15

Fleur du Cap Pinotage

2018

Febvre Wines

New World Red Under €20

Catena Malbec

2019

Cassidy Wines

Rosé Under €15

Domaine La Colombette Rosé

2020

Cassidy Wines

Sparkling Wine Under €25

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva Cava

NV

Findlater & Co.

Sparkling/Champagne Under €60

Ferrari Brut

NV

Cassidy Wines

Old World White Under €20

Mâcon-Uchizy, Domaine Talmard WHITE WINE OF THE YEAR 2021-2022

2020

Tindal Wine Merchants

Old World White Under €15

Trulli Salice Salentino DOP WINE OF THE YEAR 2021-2022

2020

Mackenway Distributors Ltd.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

VINTAGE

COMPANY

NOFFLA NEWS 65

www.noffla.ie

NOffLA welcomes new associate member, Bevella The National Off-Licence Association is delighted to welcome Bevella as an associate member of the organisation.

Bevella is a strong, confident offspring of Ireland’s largest distributor, Primeline Sales & Marketing. The business champions new and existing brands in accessing the local market and developing on-trade and off-trade sales channels, where it can be difficult to achieve a national footprint, given the challenging route to market.

The vast independent network that Bevella has access to means the right range can be offered to Irish trade customers for their consumers.

Bevella focuses itself on key business areas such as industry knowledge and understanding of customers, trade and trends, partnering with industry associations, partnering and planning with brand owners; and nurturing reliable, supportive, revenue driving interdependent relationships with publicans, wholesalers and retailers. A full brand service is provided, with a dedicated sales team, personalised account management, merchandising, marketing activation and PR

and business reporting and intelligence.

Bevella’s partners to date include: • The Muff Liquor Company – Gin, Vodka and Whiskey • Blood Monkey Gin • Connacht Whiskey Company – Straw Boys Vodka and Poitín, Conncullin Gin, Ballyhoo Whiskey and Connacht Single Malt Irish Whiskey Batch 1 • Two Stacks Whiskey, Killowen Whiskey, Rum and Craft Gins • Maharani Gin • Xoriguer Mahon Gin • Brehon Brewhouse Bevella is adventurous and will lead brands along a successful beverage journey. It’s designed to bring diversity, energy and new consumer experiences to the sector; there are a substantial number of additional local and international propositions currently in discussion. This will ensure Ireland’s alcohol industry is developing with emerging trends and provides customers with exhilarating brands. Bevella is excited to bring service, choice and value to the off-licence trade.

“Bevella exudes Primeline’s 30 years of experience as well as an

enhanced determination to bring diversity and new experiences to the Irish alcohol industry. At Bevella, as the tag line suggests, the business is embarking on an adventure, Paul Mc Inerney, Bevella director adds. “Premium beverages are about choice, discovery, provenance, enjoyment and exciting options for the Irish consumer to enjoy good times responsibly. Our knowledge and precision see us study customer trends and analyse gaps in the market so that, with the brand principals, we can deliver brand awareness, consumer trial and trade profitability. Our experience, capability, imagination and resources are at your disposal, whether you have a brand to distribute, a bar to fill, or an offlicence shelf to stock,” he said.

For further details visit www.bevella.ie or call Ronan Brennan, business development manager on +353 87 332 6783, Taram Davis, business development representative on +353 87 3913729 or email Bevella at beverage.adventures@bevella.ie.

NOffLA would also like to take this opportunity to thank all associate members, outlined here, for their vital ongoing support. ■

ASSOCIATE MEMBERS Outlet Ampersand Wines Barry & Fitzwilliam Bevella, C/o Primeline Sales & Marketing Bibendum Ireland Bulmers Ireland Cassidy Wines Coca-Cola HBC Ireland Limited Diageo Ireland Edward Dillon & Co. Ltd. Febvre Wines Findlater & Co. Heineken Ireland Ltd. Hi-Spirits Ireland Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard John Player Liberty Wines Ltd. Mackenway Distributors Ltd. MCM Spirits Molson Coors Ireland Richmond Marketing The Dalcassian Wines & Spirits Co. Ltd. Tindal Wine Merchants United Wines

Entries now open for ShelfLife C-Store Awards 2021

Convenience stores can apply now by logging onto www.cstore.ie and completing the online entry form

Entries are now open for the 2021 Convenience Store Awards. the only comprehensive and independently judged business accolades for the convenience store sector in Ireland.

In association with Cuisine de France and The National Lottery, the prestigious awards ceremony will take place on the evening of Wednesday, 24 November 2021 at the Royal Marine Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

With convenience stores across the country going above and beyond to provide excellent service levels throughout the pandemic, this is an ideal opportunity to recognise store standards and teamwork.

Stores can enter by logging on to www.cstore.ie and completing the online entry form, or contact ian.mulvaney@mediateam.ie and/or mark.morgan@mediateam.ie.

The awards are easy to enter, simply indicate the chosen

categories – you can enter the main store awards, one or more of the specialist categories alone, or both – the overall winner will be selected by the judges. The ShelfLife C-Store awards have been designed to compare like with like so that all entrants have an equal chance of winning.

C-Store Awards Start-Up Award 2021 Within the ceremony, the C-Store Start-Up Award sponsored by Centra will be presented to a newcomer to Ireland’s thriving food and drink scene; one that has excelled in its field and captured the public’s imagination to become a “must-stock” brand for retailers nationwide.

If you are a start-up, please enter your company/brand at cstore.ie/food-drink-start-up-award/.

Best of luck to all those taking part from all the team at ShelfLife and we look forward to seeing you at the gala event in November.

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2021

66 MARKET MOVERS

Alpro

Lindt

Brew up a storm this autumn with Alpro’s Barista range Alpro has launched Alpro Barista; a 100% plant-based range specially made for hot drinks.

Your customers can now embrace their inner plant-based barista and brew their favourite blend at home with Alpro’s Barista range of Oat, Almond, Coconut and Soya drinks. Flat white fans and frothy cappuccino fanatics can now brew up a storm in a coffee cup with Alpro Barista – the perfect partner for coffee.

This tempting delight ticks all the boxes too; low in sugars, naturally low in saturated fat and dressed to impress in 100% recyclable packaging.

Perfect for foaming or pouring straight from the carton, Alpro Barista has got the goods to take hot drinks to the next level. Think warming pumpkin spice lattes, decadent hot chocolates or just recreating favourite coffees at home – it’s what winters are made for.

Feeling adventurous? Try Alpro’s Barista latte macchiato – gently heat Alpro Barista Almond Drink, then whisk until it forms a light and frothy foam, just like it was designed to do, and pour it over a strong espresso.

Alpro Barista is currently stocked in the ambient aisle at Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes, RRP €2.59.

Sicín Sásta

Full on flavour from Sicín Sásta is worth crossing the aisle for!

Sicín Sásta has been wowing Irish consumers since launch. While welfare is top of mind, shoppers stayed for the taste, as Sicín Sásta’s quality chicken raised with grá is full on flavour!

Sicín Sásta chickens are born and raised on the same family farm, looked after by farmers with generations of experience.

The surrounds of Sicín Sásta’s fields are planted with wildflowers and natural grasses to attract bees and enhance the chicken’s environment.

Championing sustainability, the secret Sicín Sásta feed recipe is made up of 70% wholegrains sourced from local farmers and is produced in its dedicated chicken-only feed mill. Sicín Sásta chickens are a slow growing breed, maturing at nature’s pace.

With regards to its unique smart packaging, Sicín Sásta has been conscious of reducing excess where possible. There are no leg-ties or clingfilm, and the chicken trays have been removed to create just one functional and effective whole bird bag. The diced chicken fillet is also packaged in an innovative resealable pouch, and it has 15% less packaging.

The whole fillets are in a tray that uses 60% less packaging and includes a lining to keep it clean and ready to recycle once removed.

With both product tiers, ‘Sicín Sásta Free Range’ and ‘Sicín Sásta Farmers’ Own’, Sicín Sásta is proud to have the Bord Bia quality assurance mark and is a Love Irish Food affiliated brand.

For tasty recipes, visit sicinsasta.ie/ tasty-recipes/ and for more information, head to sicinsasta.ie.

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Discover Excellence – a little taste of luxury with Lindt Accounting for 57% of the branded dark chocolate market, Lindt Excellence remains the number one in this segment and as market leader, continues to educate and communicate to Irish consumers the Lindt master chocolatiers’ craftsmanship and passion for chocolate through an extensive marketing support plan.

Flavour is, without question, what Irish shoppers are looking for when it comes to dark chocolate and Lindt is unmatched in this area through its breath of range available. The potency of chilli, the ‘bite’ of orange, the careful balance of caramel and sea salt; even on its own, cocoa requires real expertise to balance the bitter with the sweet, which is evident in classic recipes like Excellence 70% - a firm favourite in Irish households.

Lindt has continued to innovate with new recipes and in 2021 welcomed a new addition to the range, Lindt Excellence Cranberry, Almond & Hazelnut. The fascinating and lovely acidity from cranberries is masterfully balanced with the finest chocolate accompanied by the delicate crisp and crunch of hazelnut and almond.

Lindt is also proud to have achieved an important milestone in 2021 with its very own Farming Program for a transparent and sustainable cocoa bean supply chain. 100% of all cocoa beans used are now fully traceable back to the farmers and externally verified. *(Source: Nielsen Scantrack, ex. Discounters, MAT September 2021)

Caldesene

Tender care at every change with Caldesene Caldesene powder has been keeping babies’ bottoms happy by preventing and treating nappy rash for over 45 years. All parents or carers need to do is simply cleanse and dry the affected area, sprinkle on Caldesene after each nappy change or as directed by a doctor.

Caldesene is the only medicated powder available for nappy rash and is available in 20g, 55g and 100g formats. Available in pharmacies and supermarkets nationwide, for more information go to www.caldesene.ie.

68 MARKET MOVERS Moy Park

Ishka

Denis Sutton, director, and Mark Taylor, head of operations at Ishka Irish Spring Water

Ishka Irish Spring Water introduces tethered caps three years before EU deadline An Irish bottled water company is on course to dramatically reduce plastic pollution through the use of tethered caps.

Limerick-based Ishka Irish Spring Water is currently trialling the caps across its spring water range - three years before EU rules make it compulsory for plastic bottle tops to remain connected to bottles.

Bottle tops account for 10% of plastic litter found on European beaches and the EU’s Single-Use Plastic Directive includes a provision to ensure they are recycled together with the rest of the bottle.

The first bottled water company in Ireland to introduce tethered caps; later this year, all Ishka 500ml spring water bottles will have their caps fully attached to the bottle, making them extremely difficult to remove.

“Ishka is determined to do all we can as a business to drive the necessary change in consumer behaviour to help solve our global waste problem and protect marine life,” says Denis Sutton, director of Ishka Irish Spring Water.

During the summer, Ishka also invested substantially in tooling up machines and adapting production lines so that its 500ml bottles can be fully recycled from bottle through to the cap.

Ishka lays claim to being Ireland’s freshest spring water as it is bottled straight from five certified wells, untouched by human contact and not stored prior to bottling.

SuperValu

SuperValu welcomes eco-friendly brand GreenAware to stores SuperValu and GreenAware both believe small changes can have a big impact. GreenAware’s sustainable household products have now arrived on SuperValu shelves, in a move which will help customers around Ireland make more sustainable swaps to help the environment.

The sustainable household range which features 100% compostable, 100% natural and 100% plastic free products, is now available in SuperValu stores around Ireland. The GreenAware range includes everything from Compostable Gloves and Bamboo Dish Cloths to Natural Fibre Bottle Brushes and Compostable Nappy Bags.

The announcement is just one of SuperValu’s many environmentally friendly initiatives including reusable fruit, veg & bakery bags, fully compostable packaging on organic produce as well as soup and sandwich containers and the introduction of 100% recyclable and compostable trays in the meat, fish and bakery counters.

“SuperValu is committed to providing customers with more sustainable choices and recognises the importance of green alternatives to both our customers and the environment,” says Ian Allen, managing director of SuperValu. “The GreenAware sustainable household range is all made using natural and renewable materials so is a great choice we’re delighted to offer our customers around Ireland.”

ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

Guaranteed family mealtime crowd pleasers from Moy Park With Irish families settling into the school routine, Ireland’s number one poultry brand, Moy Park, has launched an ideal seasonal solution in its core primary and coated chicken ranges.

For a tasty mid-week meal without the hassle, Moy Park’s breaded mini fillets and signature garlic kiev, made with 100% chicken breast are crowd pleasers and guarantee smiles from big kids and little kids alike.

For a mouth-watering roast dinner on any day of the week, Moy Park’s ‘Extra Tasty Roast in the Bag’ should be first in the basket. The product uses innovative packaging technology; it self-vents and enables the chicken to self-baste throughout the cooking process. This results in a more succulent meat and an enhanced flavour.

This gives consumers a convenient shelf-to-oven roast in the bag chicken, making it ideal for those who don’t have time to prepare a raw chicken from scratch. Due to the innovative nature of the packaging, the chicken browns in the pack without having to open it during cooking.

The cooking juices are retained within the pack, allowing consumers to create flavoursome stocks and gravy.

For more information on Moy Park branded products and distribution, contact Colin Freeman on 07818058547 or email colin.freeman@moypark.com.

Aunt Bessie’s

Aunt Bessie’s expands range with more tasty mealtime additions 2021 was a year of massive achievements for the Aunt Bessie’s brand.

In addition to the group’s beloved Yorkshire Puddings, Aunt Bessie’s expanded its product portfolio to include Chips, French Fries, Wedges, and Roasties.

Now, just in time for the holiday season, Aunt Bessie’s is releasing two more products, perfect for any meal occasion. Aunt Bessie’s Mini Roasties and Stuffing Balls will hit shelves this autumn and make great additions to any shopping basket. Mini Roasties are as crispy as ever and their bite-sized format makes them perfect for any mid-week meal.

Stuffing Balls come in a convenient 310g pack which make these easy to prepare accompaniments, irresistible to any shopper. ■

SUPREME QUALITY ARTISAN BREAD

1A LENNOX STREET, PORTOBELLO, DUBLIN 8, D08 RK23

BRETZEL.IE

70 CLOSING NOTES: OPINION

The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) has received 101 specific complaints under the grounds of “Discrimination/ Equality/Equal Status” where the user included the phrase “face mask” or “face covering” in the details of their specific complaint.

Gillian Hamill investigates the consequences for retailers

Face off T

hroughout the pandemic, grocery retailers across the country have stringently adhered to safety and hygiene measures to keep their teams and customers safe. These continual efforts in the best interests of us all, make it all the more galling that a number of retailers, alongside hospitality outlets, have reportedly been targeted by so-called ‘anti-maskers’, simply for upholding the law regarding the mandatory wearing of face coverings.

The Convenience Stores and Newsagents Associations (CSNA) last month voiced concerns “that a number of complaints and suggestions of discrimination against our members have been lodged with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) as part of a coordinated campaign by anti-mask, anti-vaccination groups.

“It is alleged that a shop’s refusal to allow an unmasked person entry and/or service in the store was discrimination on the stated grounds that the person was suggesting that they had a disability and was entitled to enter the store and obtain service without needing to ‘maskup’.”

State resources According to the CSNA, the WRC “had the option of refusing to act, but instead, sought to engage with the store’s management, using State resources to interrogate the actions of stores that were carrying out their legal and societally responsible duties”. Mediation services were then offered between retailers and those alleging discrimination.

“This implies that there is a “case” worth hearing, a case that will use up many resources of the State, (administrative, facilities and personnel) as well as the time and loss of earnings of store management and the costs of arranging for staff and cover,” the CSNA said.

WRC response ShelfLife contacted the WRC with a number of questions concerning these cases. Firstly, we asked how the commission would respond to the claim that their response is unfair to law-abiding retailers? A spokesperson for ShelfLife October 2021 | www.shelflife.ie

the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment on behalf of the WRC said: “The Irish people have been hugely successful in driving down the incidence of Covid-19 in the community and complying with all public health measures. Ireland now has one of the highest vaccine uptakes in the world, with over 85% of the population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated.

“The Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) is an independent statutory body, tasked with investigating any claim of discrimination. All claims are investigated and given due process. These investigations are independent and impartial.”

While noting that “the WRC does not comment on specific cases that are before the commission,” the spokesperson elucidated further on the grounds of discrimination prohibited in law. “For information, the Equal Status Acts 2000-2015, prohibits discrimination in the provision of goods and services, the provision of accommodation and access to education, on any of the following 10 grounds - ‘the gender ground’, ‘the civil status ground’, ‘the family status ground’, ‘the sexual orientation ground’, ‘the religion ground’, ‘the age ground’, ‘the disability ground’, ‘the ground of race’, ‘the Traveller community ground’ and ‘the housing assistance’ ground.”

Mediation services He added that all parties are free to accept or refuse the offer of mediation services from the WRC. “While mediation is offered to parties in terms of settling a dispute, the parties may accept the offer or refuse it, the offer in itself or its acceptance does not imply that the parties have acted improperly in the context of the complaint submitted,” he said.

“Pre-adjudication mediation is a confidential service, and the WRC does not comment on any cases or on any parties that may or may not avail of that service. Furthermore, participation in mediation is voluntary for all parties. Under Section 39 (1)(b) of the Workplace Relations Act: ‘The director general shall not refer a complaint or dispute for resolution to a mediation officer if either

of the parties to the complaint or dispute objects to its being so referred’.”

We were also keen to hear how many instances of this type of complaint have been lodged. “While the WRC do not record cases specifically related to face masks or coverings since the pandemic began,” he said, “101 specific complaints have been received where the grounds of complaint “Discrimination/ Equality/Equal Status” and the user has used the phrase “face mask” or “face covering” for details of the specific complaint. For context we have received 2,089 specific complaints under the grounds “Discrimination/Equality/ Equal Status” in this period.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that “the maximum redress under the Equal Status Act, if a case is successful, is either or both of the following as appropriate, compensation of up to €15,000 or an order for a specified person to take a specified action.”

High expense Commenting on the potential expense of such cases, the CSNA’s CEO Vincent Jennings told ShelfLife: “Surely, the WRC should say that this is contrary to public policy for us to act on this and we’re not going to. That’s the simple solution rather than going through the motions and causing grief to retailers and premise holders and raking up a huge expense.

Who will pay for that?”

The CSNA has subsequently contacted a number of Ministers in relation to this issue, including Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and Minister for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English. The CSNA also previously said it “has constantly warned government that they needed to stop ignoring these agitators and prosecute them for the very many breaches of the law they perpetrate”.

When asked what advice he would give to retailers facing this type of predicament, Jennings is adamant that they should “resist it fully”. ShelfLife is in firm agreement that retailers who stand firm against discrimination should not have to pay out for simply upholding the law of the land. n

Environmentally-friendly Tethered Caps We are the first bottled water company in Ireland to introduce the caps - three years ahead of EU Directive.

#InspiredByNature www.irishspringwater.com