Seen and heard

Gala Getaways are go, with €40,000 of staycation gift vouchers to be won from Gala Retail

Gala Retail is set to give away €40,000 of staycation gift vouchers to lucky customers this summer with its Gala Getaways promotion, which is live in stores now.

Teaming up with IrelandHotels.com for the in-store promotion, the Gala Getaways giveaway will see each Gala shopper who spends over €10 in participating stores entered into a draw in-store to win a €250 ‘Go Anywhere’ gift card to put towards a staycation at one of the hundreds of Irish hotels and guesthouses partnered with IrelandHotels.com. A winner will be picked from every participating Gala store.

“The Gala Getaways promotion is back for

This summer, PRM reveals its new brand identity — winking at its heritage while reinventing itself for today’s modern world.

The Lisburn-based sales and distribution business was founded in 1988 by Philip and Lynne Morrow. Celebrating 35 years in business next year, the company now employs 250 people and has production facilities in Dromore and Derry.

PRM offers a complete range of services that enables the business to meet the diverse requirements of leading food brands, grocery retailers and their customers, thus making PRM the distribution partner of choice for many today.

“This brand refresh signifies the beginning of the next chapter for PRM as we accelerate plans to futureproof and further grow the business as we respond to the continued demand for route to market services,” said CEO and founder Philip Morrow.

“Part of our plans for growth include an expansion of our physical capacity and warehousing capabilities with the construction of a new purpose-built facility adjacent to our current premises in Lisburn,” he continued.

Despite the difficulties caused by Brexit, Morrow said it has presented PRM with new opportunities to offer solutions to the supply challenges many brands and retailers now face across GB and Ireland.

“I am immensely proud of what we have achieved over the last 35 years, none of which would have been possible without the excellent people who have contributed to the continued growth of the business,

Musgrave has announced a €25 million investment in SuperValu and Centra stores across the island of Ireland as part of a new sustainability fund aimed at empowering retailers to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

The fund, which is part of Musgrave’s all-island sustainability strategy, will result in an estimated 12% carbon reduction by the company over a two-year period.

The 12% carbon reduction is equivalent to removing over 10,000 tonnes of carbon, planting 380,000 trees across the island of Ireland or powering over 5,000 homes.

Musgrave’s new sustainability strategy aims to reduce its carbon emissions to reach net zero carbon by 2040, provide consumers with more sustainable shopping choices in-store and work with retailers to make every community in Ireland a sustainable one.

In the Republic of Ireland, Musgrave is committing €50,000 per SuperValu store and another year following a great reaction from Gala customers last summer,” said CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond.

“With a chance to win in every participating store, this is our way of thanking loyal Gala customers for their continued support and Gala retailers across the country look forward to giving their valued customers a chance to win,” Desmond added.

The Gala Getaways promotion will run in participating Gala Retail stores from 27 June until 31 July. Further information about the promotion can be found on the Gala Retail social media accounts and at www.gala.ie/competitions.

some of whom have been with us from day one and are still here today leading the company forward within their various departments.”

The brand’s logo, color palette and typeface have all been given a style evolution. “Our new identity conveys quality, freshness and the dynamic nature of our business — representing our continued commitment to providing solutions for our suppliers and customers alike,” said marketing manager Emma Morrow.

Over the summer months, the company will launch its new website, staff uniforms and unveil new livery across a fleet of 30 multitemperature-controlled vehicles.

€28,000 per Centra store. Retailers can select suitable initiatives based on each store’s needs and set-up, including upgrading freezers and refrigeration units, LED lighting retrofit, solar panels, and electronic shelf edge labels (eSEL).

CEO of Gala Retail Gary Desmond, radio and TV personality Lucy Kennedy and Denyse Campbell, president, Irish Hotels Federation (IHF)

A fresh new look for PRM

Musgrave invests €25 million in stores as part of net zero journey

Company director Lynne Morrow and managing director Philip Morrow, who founded PRM in 1988

Alex Kelly, age 10 from Portmarnock, Dublin and Olivia I Hekaire age 9 from Santry, Dublin, alongside Musgrave CEO Noel Keeley (Picture: Jason Clarke)

At a glance

As part of its strategy, Musgrave has committed to the following: • 100% of its own brand packaging will be eliminated, and where necessary will be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. • Currently over 90% of its own brand packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable. • 100% of fruit and veg packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. • 100% of in-store packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. • By 2025 all stores will have LED lighting. • By 2025 over 75% of stores will have doors on their refrigeration. • By 2025 100 stores will be fitted with solar panels. Further details on Musgrave’s sustainability strategy can be found at: www.musgravegroup. com/sustainability/. ■

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JTI Ireland announces new general manager

JTI Ireland, the country’s leading tobacco manufacturer, has announced a change in its senior leadership team with Gabriella Offeddu taking over as general manager from 1 July.

Gabriella Offeddu succeeds Andrew Shannon, who led the company to record success in his time in the role, as well as driving the development of the brandnew nicotine pouch category in Ireland through the Nordic Spirit brand. He retires following numerous international leadership roles during his 21-year JTI career.

An Italian national, Offeddu also brings extensive international leadership experience in the tobacco and fashion industries, most recently as marketing and sales portfolio strategy vice president in JTI’s Geneva headquarters.

Gabriella Offeddu

Kepak Group appoints human resources consultant Orla Coughlan to its board

Orla Coughlan The board of Kepak has announced the e d of pak Group appointment appointment of of human human capital capital consultantconsultant and and leadership coach Orla CoughlanCoughlan as a non-executive director.director. For over 25 years, Coughlan has worked at executiveexecutive levellevel in in Europe,Europe, US US and and Asia Asia with with businessbusiness leaders in multi-cultural and global global markets,markets, as as well as acquiring and growing businesses in both consumer and enterprise technology where she has focused on developing business strategy. Her previous roles include global vice president HR at Activision Blizzard in the US, and chief human resources director at Eir in Ireland

In 2017 Coughlan founded The Riasc Partnership which works with entrepreneurs and organisations on people development, leadership coaching and start-up business strategy.

A passionate advocate for the role of women in business, she is a member of the steering committee of The 30% Club Ireland and is committed to achieving better gender balance at leadership levels in Irish companies. She is also a non-executive board member of SOLAS and KerrySciTech.

Orla Coughlan is the granddaughter of Roger Coughlan, who ran a retail butcher business in Cork until the 1970s.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from University College Cork and a Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Irish Management Institute.

Jason Birks elected as national president of The Fed

County Durham retailer Jason Birks has been elected as the new national president of The Fed (Federation of Independent Retailers).

Jason Birks took over the chains of office from immediate past president Narinder Randhawa at the organisation’s annual conference, held in Birmingham, on Tuesday, 21 June.

Birks has lifelong experience in independent retail and has held a string of high-profile positions within The Fed, both at district and national level.

Having represented the Durham branch in several roles, eventually becoming district president in 2012, he later became a national councillor for the Northern district and a member of various national committees. He has also served as national deputy vice president and national vice president over the last three years.

After starting out running his current store with his wife Fiona on behalf of his parents at Mosci’s Convenience Store, in Horden, Co. Durham in 1993, he joined the NFRN in 2005 when he took over ownership of the store.

Today, Birks has a clear vision of the direction The Fed should go in.

“We have made some great progress over the last few years and my main aim is to keep this progress on track and make The Fed the absolute go-to resource for the independent retailer,” he said.

“By increasing the membership and understanding what the grass root members want, we can provide more special offers that they can’t get anywhere else. We are a paid for membership, and we must offer value for money to our members.”

Jason Birks with vice president Muntazir Dipoti and deputy vice president Shahid Razzaq

Joe Ryan Joe Ryan takes over leadership of Meat Industry Ireland

Joe Ryan will lead Meat Industry Ireland, business representative group Ibec has confirmed. He succeeds Cormac Healy, who joins Drinks Ireland as its new director.

Speaking on his appointment, Joe Ryan said: “I am extremely excited to lead MII in what is a period of huge opportunities for the industry, despite emerging economic challenges.

“The meat sector in Ireland, from farm through to processing and export, is one of the most important indigenous industries in the national economy, supporting in excess of 120,000 individual farmers and generating total sales of more than €4.5bn. Rurally located meat processing plants act as a key economic contributor by providing direct employment in many Irish towns with additional supplementary jobs generated in distribution, transport and services.

“Within the Irish meat sector, the potential exists to further scale up activity and capacity to grow export value delivering new revenues and jobs through value added processing in a sustainable manner.”

Joe Ryan joined Meat Industry Ireland in 2014, having previously held roles in the agrifood sector for SouthWestern, North Cork Co-Operative and Permanent TSB’s AgriFinance division. He holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from University College Dublin, as well as an MBA from UCD Smurfit Business School.

He currently represents MII on several national and European committees to progress market access and export opportunities for Irish meat.

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IAN MULVANEY | (01) 294 7766 | ian.mulvaney@mediateam.ie MARK MORGAN | (01) 294 7767 | mark.morgan@mediateam.ie

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