Retail News Magazine February 2024

FEBRUARY 2024

Don’t get left in the dark

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Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie|1

Contents News 2

Teething difficulties AS I write this, Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) has just celebrated its first week in action. Like any ambitious project of this nature, there have been teething problems, but I think the response of consumers, producers and, of course, retailers, has been wonderful to witness.

Shop owners and the groups who represent them are obviously concerned about the how the DRS works in practice and our Chief News Reporter, Pavel Barter, gauges the reaction to the scheme in the days after its implementation (Page 2), where he finds retailers hugely supportive of what will ultimately be a huge benefit to society as a whole.

Editor John Walshe sits down with Vincent Jennings, CEO of the CSNA, to discuss the main issues facing the retail grocery trade in Ireland today, including spiralling labour costs, as a raft of new legislation is introduced without any joined-up thinking on the part of Government (Page 16).

Colette Devey, EY Ireland, identifies five key trends that retailers need to be aware of for the year ahead (Page 26).

Ever wondered why certain on-pack claims translate into sales and others don’t? Seán Higgins from Future Proof Insights reveals the subtle yet significant impacts of product presentation and marketing, offering a unique perspective grounded in neuroscience (Page 32).

Kathleen Belton Editorial & Marketing Director

Deposit Return Scheme launches with teething problems.

3

Re-turn acknowledge challenges for retailers.

4

Inflation drops to 5.9% as sales slow; Minimum wage rise a payroll gut punch.

5

Kellanova Ireland offers paid leave to support co-parenting; Irish retail consultant wins prestigious award

6

ASAI appoints new member of its independent Complaints Committee; Aldi invested €1.1 billion with Irish suppliers in 2023.

8

FSAI research reveals high trust in food safety but concerns over costs.

Retail News Interview 16 Vincent

Jennings, CEO of the CSNA, discusses the high cost of doing business in Ireland, particularly for those in the service industry, including retailers, as a raft of new legislation ramps up labour costs to untenable levels. In a wide-ranging interview, Jennings also covers insurance, energy costs, the DRS and crime and antisocial behaviour against retailers.

16

Sustainability

22 GS1 Ireland and Enso have announced a new partnership to drive ESG action and innovation for Irish businesses and supply chains.

Vaping & E-cigarettes

24 Stronger enforcement to reduce vape

youth appeal is needed, not excessive policies to reduce adult consumer

Retail News

Retail Trends

26 Colette Devey,

Partner and Consumer Products and Retail lead at EY Ireland, reveals five key trends that all retailers should have front and centre for their strategic planning for 2024 and beyond.

26

Buying Behaviour 32 The store aisle is

one of the most competitive visual environments known to man, with a huge volume of products put before the consumer. So how do on-pack claims help to boost sales? Seán Higgins from Future Proof Insights investigates the science behind which claims work, and why.

32

Tesco Clubcard Unpacked

36 Tesco Ireland recently launched

Clubcard Unpacked, revealing their top-selling products of 2023.

On the Vine

38 Jean Smullen reviews some of the

must-stock wines for Easter, as well as highlighting new wines and special offers for spring.

Export Performance

44 The value of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture exports were almost €16.3 billion in 2023, according to Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects report 2023/24, a decline of 4% compared to the previous year, when exports grew by a record breaking 22%.

Regulars & Reports

Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine

facebook.com/RetailNews1

@RetailNews1

Managing Director: Patrick Aylward Editorial & Marketing Director: Kathleen Belton

choice, writes Garin Murphy, JTI Ireland’s Sales Director.

10

Industry News

28

Easter Treats

37

Retail Ireland: Monthly Update

kathleenbelton@retailnews.ie

Editor: John Walshe

johnwalshe@tarapublications.ie

Published by: Tara Publishing Ltd,

Sales: Brian Clark

brian@retailnews.ie

14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2.

Sales: Aaron Stewart

aaron.stewart@retailnews.ie

Tel: 00353 1 6785165

Chief News Reporter:

Pavel Barter

Web: www.retailnews.ie Email: info@retailnews.ie

Production: Ciara Conway

ciara@tarapublications.ie

Subscription to Retail News: e95 plus VAT

Wine Correspondent:

Jean Smullen

Email: milly@tarapublications.ie

Graphics: Catherine Doyle

Printed by: W&G Baird

Reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited.

42

Drinks News

46

Forecourt Focus: News

48

What’s New

2|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

News

Deposit Return Scheme launches with RETAIL representative groups have vowed to monitor the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), to ensure the scheme – which launched on February 1 – does not come at a price for retailers. “This scheme is supposed to be cost neutral for retailers,” Tara Buckley, Director General of RGDATA, told Retail News . “RGDATA and the other trade associations who represent small retailers will be very clearly focused on ensuring the scheme is cost neutral.”

There are already grumblings within the industry about the costs incurred for business from DRS. Libby Carton, who manages Donegal-based Kinnegar Brewing, believes that small producers were not consulted as part of the scheme’s implementation: “Our voices, the voices of small producers, were not represented in the design of the DRS scheme. We're not happy.”

The scheme is already eating into Kinnegar’s margins, explained Carton.

And some retailers too are experiencing additional costs, “particularly in terms of labour, cleaning, insurance and energy,” said Vincent Jennings, CEO of Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA). “Additional costs are levied upon the retailer over and above the acquisition cost - all of this without a scintilla of assistance from the state.”

Under DRS, customers pay a deposit on all beverages purchased in plastic bottles and aluminium or steel drinks cans with a capacity of up to three litres, which is returned to them when they return the bottles or cans either over the counter or via Reverse Vending Machines (RVM’s).

However, retailers with a shop size of 250 square metres or under can opt out of taking back bottles and cans.

According to retail groups, few retailers want to manually handle returned product.

“Nobody [in CSNA] to my knowledge is going the manual route because that's too problematic,” said Jennings. “It's fraught with difficulties. So they're either going with a Reverse Vending Machine or they're looking for an exemption.”

Retailers who are opting out still have to register with Re-turn, the operators of the scheme. “There will be point of sale material in shops with information about the locations of the nearest return shop,” said Buckley. “My understanding is they are going to make sure there is a return point within the vicinity of every town and village.

The big multiples have invested a lot in big

machines and I think they will be promoting those very heavily. So the expectation is that consumers will get used to their return location.”

Retailers with RVM’s will have their administration handled electronically via the machine. The RVM sends data to Return detailing the number of units returned, and calculating retailer handling fee and the amount of deposit due back to the retailer. “Anyone who invested in an RVM as an upfront cost will receive a handling fee for every can and bottle brought back

Tara Buckley, Director General, RGDATA.

to their shop,” explained Buckley. “If the product comes back to them and they hand the deposit back to the customer, they will receive that deposit back as well.”

Retail groups had petitioned government to fund RVM’s outright. While this will not take place, retailers who receive 250,000 or less units will be eligible for a €3,000 grant from Re-turn in year one. This grant will reduce to €2,000 in year two and €1,000 in the third year: a total €6,000, designed to offset the cost of investing in an RVM. Retail representatives are intending to monitor this grant carefully. “We’re keeping an eye on how consumers respond and where they bring their containers back,” Buckley noted. “If we find that our members aren't getting returns back into their RVM, we will seek for the retail or handling fee to be increased.” In a further benefit, retailers dealing in the scheme will not have to pay VAT on deposits that they handle.

Producers dealing with retailers under DRS describe it as business as usual.

“We just add an extra line item per SKU on every invoice: the 15c deposit and our payment terms for that 15c are the same as for the rest of the invoice,” said Libby Carton. However, the costs are weighing up for small producers like Kinnegar Brewing.

“It is a cost to be part of the scheme,” she noted. “There is a cost of registering products, which depending on your size is €500 or €1,000 a year. There is also onerous administration: the effort we've had to

Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie|3

News

teething problems put in to manage the stock and update all our labels.

“There is also an administration fee per unit to the producer,” she added. “We’re obliged to pay Re-turn on a monthly basis for the deposits, although we are not guaranteed to be paid by our customers in that timeframe.”

Producers and retailers alike foresee a problem with international barcodes. In the scheme’s transition period, some products will not have a Re-turn Vincent Jennings, CEO, CSNA. logo but will incur a deposit.

There is anecdotal information that some smaller shops, not aligned to any trade association, have yet to sign up. The transition period could get bumpy.

“We don't anticipate there to be any level of return in the short term,” said Jennings. “It will take a considerable amount of time before the normal-sized convenience store will have even 50% of its stock with a Re-turn logo.”

RGDATA said they will monitor customers: “Will they keep the cans and bottles in a bag and only go back to a big machine once every couple of weeks? Will they come back with cans and bottles in dribs and drabs to smaller machines? It's still unclear as to how consumers will adapt.”

The Deposit Return Scheme necessitates a new behavioural change in consumer shopping habits, but Ireland’s experience with the plastic bag levy proves this can be achieved painlessly. “Our experience with the plastic bag levy is that Irish consumers are very quick to adapt,” said Buckley.” Retailers are largely supportive of the reason behind the initiative: to reduce littering and increase Ireland’s recycling rates by 30%.

“A lot of our members understand that this has to be done, but in the short term their issues are all about how much it's costing them and getting it sorted out, and up and running… and waiting to see how the public are going to act,” said Buckley.

“This is something we know that society will benefit from,” added Jennings. “If it ends up with us having a better recycling facility on this island and a reduction in balance payments and a better overall environment, then it's something that we can all happily be part of.”

Libby Carton and the team at Kinnegar Brewing.

Re-turn acknowledges challenges for retailers RE-TURN has acknowledged the challenges presented to retailers with the launch of the new Deposit Re-Turn scheme and has issued updated retailer guidelines and a new staff handout to assist with dealing with the key issues, including dealing with containers that incur a deposit but do not have a logo.

Re-turn will update retailers every Monday and Friday evening on International Barcode List.

The Deposit Return Point map will be updated with new Retailer RVM and Manual Take Back location points.

The new Staff Handout details how to deal with a repayment of a deposit for a consumer who has a bottle or can rejected by the RVM, and how to deal with queries on payment of deposit if there is no Re-turn logo. Due to an agreement with producers, during the transition period, drinks containers may be subject to a deposit even if they do not feature the Re-turn logo and consumers are entitled to a refund of their deposit.

Starting February 1, 2024, retailers have a four-month transition period during which they can sell both new drinks containers with the Re-turn logo and older drinks containers that do not feature this logo. During this time, drinks containers can incur a deposit in two ways: • •

By having the Return logo with a registered barcode; By having a barcode that is registered as part of the scheme without the Re-turn logo.

During the transition period, there will be old drink containers without a logo and with barcode not registered with the scheme; these drinks containers will not incur a deposit charge. From June 1, all drinks containers included in the scheme will feature the Re-turn logo and barcode. If a consumer is in any doubt about whether their container is eligible for a refund on a deposit, they can visit re-turn.ie/ consumer/#barcodeChecker to verify.

According to Re-Turn, older multipacks without the logo or barcode will not have a deposit charge. All new multi-packs with the Re-turn logo will now feature barcodes on each container and will be subject to a deposit, which is fully refunded when each container is returned. If any of the international barcode list of products refer to multi-packs, retailers should contact Re-Turn.

If a customer has a bottle or can that they paid a deposit on that is rejected by the Reverse Vending Machine, Re-Turn advises retailers to “use your discretion as to repayment of the deposit. Re-Turn will pay retailers the refund of deposits up to the value of €1.50 given to any consumer. Anything over that amount will require consumers to provide evidence of a receipt of purchase and the consumer must contact Re-turn directly to query the deposit refund”.

Re-turn support is available at: 1800 852 752 or E-mail: retailers@re-turn.ie

4|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

News

Inflation drops to 5.9% as sales slow FOLLOWING a record-breaking festive period in December 2023, when grocery spend surpassed €1.4 billion, takehome grocery sales are starting to slow with a more moderate 2.2% increase in the four weeks to January 21, 2024, according to the latest data from Kantar.

In January, the average price per pack rose 3.7%.

Although sales have slowed compared to last month’s mammoth 7.8% increase, shoppers still spent an additional €21.4 million compared to the same time last year.

Grocery inflation stands at 5.9% in the 12 weeks to January 21, 2024, which is down 1.2 percentage point compared to 7.1% in December.

“Many Irish consumers are keeping a very close eye on their purse strings after indulging over the festive period and to help manage household budgets, many are trading down to supermarket’s own label products and looking for deals,” notes Emer Healy, Business Development Director at Kantar. “The amount of sales on promotion has grown by 9.9% year-on-year, with shoppers spending €92.6 million more than last year, meaning that 28.9% of all value sales this period were on promotion. Sales of own label lines are performing strongly and growing ahead of the total market at 8% year-onyear, holding value share of 44.9% and with shoppers spending an additional €117 million year-on-year.”

Premium own label ranges also performed well, with shoppers spending an additional €157 million on these lines, with growth of 10.3% when compared to this time last year. Brands also saw growth over the 12 weeks of 5.2%, but this is slightly behind the total market.

“Health always becomes a top priority after an indulgent festive season, with many Irish consumers kicking off 2024 with good intentions,” Emer adds. “Shoppers cut back in more ways than one this month. Across Ireland, consumers took on ‘Dry January’, with alcohol sales falling by 8.6% and shoppers spending €7.4 million less during January compared to last year. Sales of non-alcoholic beverages jumped 8.9%, with shoppers spending €125,000 more year-on-year. Almost 7% of Irish households purchased in the category over January, with a volume increase of 3.9%.”

However, Veganuary didn’t have the same impact this month.

Despite nearly 38% of Irish households purchasing chilled or frozen plant-based products, sales fell 2.6%, with shoppers spending €200,000 less compared to last year. With many shoppers returning to normality after the festive break, they opted for ease when adjusting to routines and, as a result, spent an additional €3.3 million on chilled convenience.

Online sales remained strong into 2024. In the 12 weeks ending January 21, 2024, sales were up 17.7% year-on-year, with shoppers

spending an additional €28.2 million. The main contributor was more frequent trips, which contributed an additional €12.7 million to its overall performance. Online continues to attract new shoppers, with 18.5% of Irish households purchasing groceries online and volume up 0.8% year-onyear.

Dunnes, Tesco and Lidl all grew ahead of the total market in terms of value this month.

Dunnes hit a new record share of 24.6%, with growth of 9.9% year-on-year. Dunnes’ growth stems from a boost in new shoppers, up 1.3% year-on-year, which is the highest growth in new shoppers among all the retailers, and alongside more frequent trips, contributed a combined additional €38.1 million to overall performance.

Tesco hold 23.8% of the market, also a new record for the retailer, with growth of 9.4% year-on-year. Tesco had the strongest frequency of trips growth amongst all the retailers again, up 11.8% year-on-year, which combined contributed an additional €88.4 million to overall performance.

SuperValu hold 20.6% of the market with growth of 4%. SuperValu shoppers make the most trips in-store when compared to all retailers, an average of 21.1 trips, contributing an additional €9.4 million to overall performance.

Lidl hold 12.5% share and growth of 8.2% year on year.

More frequent trips contributed an additional €30.9 million to their overall performance. Aldi hold 10.8% share, with more frequent trips and new shopper arrivals contributing an additional €5.9 million to their overall performance.

Minimum wage rise a payroll gut punch RETAIL groups have described the increase to the minimum wage as a “short, sharp, shock”. The national minimum wage increased in Ireland from January 1, 2024 to €12.70: a €1.40 increase on the previous wage of €11.70. Other cost increases in 2024 include new rules around extra sick pay leave and Pension Auto-Enrolment.

“The state is 100% responsible for this and they have walked

away from any level of meaningful assistance,” said Vincent Jennings of CSNA. “It is not tenable because it's not just the minimum wage. The ripple effect is a tsunami.”

Tara Buckley of RGDATA added: “It is a hugely challenging time for anybody running a small business. Our members are extremely concerned about the cumulative impact of all of these measures.”

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News

Kellanova Ireland offers paid leave to support co-parenting KELLANOVA Ireland, formerly Kellogg’s Ireland, have added to their suite of family friendly policies by offering 10 weeks paid leave to those who are expecting a child, but do not qualify for maternity, primary adopter or other primary parental leave policies.

Under the new policy, Kellanova employees in Ireland are entitled to take up to 10 weeks of paid leave, which must be taken within the first year of the baby’s birth date - pay is instead of the two weeks’ statutory paternity leave in Ireland and not in addition to it.

This policy applies to various parenting situations, including fathers or a same sex female relationship who are currently only entitled to two weeks’ statutory leave. Employees who have pregnant partners also have the option to take paid time off to attend antenatal classes and appointments.

“At Kellanova, we believe in creating a seat at the table for everyone,” explained Tammy Winnie, VP for HR, Kellanova Europe. “Recognising the importance of family and the shared

responsibilities of parenting, we are proud to introduce a new coparent policy that grants 10 weeks of paid leave to parents who do not qualify for other parental leave policies.

“It is important for us to foster a supportive work environment that extends beyond traditional boundaries and this policy is a reflection of our dedication to the wellbeing of our employees and their families,” Tammy continued. “As we continue to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of our workforce, we are proud to be at the forefront of workplace practices. I look forward to witnessing the positive impact of this policy on the lives of our employees and their growing families!”

Volodya Babushkin, a parent and employee at Kellanova, commented: “As a parent working at Kellanova, I am thrilled about the introduction of the co-parent policy and am excited to be one of the first to take an advantage of the new policy and spend a few weeks with my family this year. This initiative not only recognises the changing dynamics of modern families but also highlights the company's commitment to fostering a truly inclusive workplace.

It sends a powerful message that parenting responsibilities are shared, breaking down traditional gender norms. This policy ensures that all parents have the opportunity to actively participate in the crucial early stages of their child's life and I’m proud to work for a company that puts commitments into tangible actions.”

During this leave, all the terms and conditions of the employee’s contract will continue and any periods taken as ‘co-parent leave’ will be on full pay and benefits. Kellanova also offer other industry leading employee policies, including those focusing on domestic abuse, menopause, pregnancy loss and fertility treatment. In 2023, Kellanova Europe announced they reached their goal of having 50% male and female representation at manager level and above in Ireland. The achievement came three years ahead of schedule.

Irish retail consultant wins prestigious award A MAYO retail consultant has been announced as the winner of Rethink Retail’s prestigious global 2024 Top Retail Experts award. Melissa Moore, the founder of Mayo based business The Retail Advisor, is a multi-award-winning retail consultant, mentor and educator with over 24 years’ experience, working with national and international retail brands.

As founder of The Retail Advisor, she empowers retailers and creators to reach their potential through sales growth and excellence in customer experience.

“I am so passionate about retail and am delighted to accept this prestigious award,” revealed Melissa, who is host of Ireland’s biggest retail podcast, The Retail Tea Break, where she brings together industry experts, retailers and brands. Her aim is to decode myths, share knowledge and give her audience an insight into the industry. With over 60 episodes, guests have included Mayo based retailer, Portwest, Circle K, Kilkenny Design, Lidl, Brown Thomas, alongside global experts from Salesforce and many more.

In a training capacity, Melissa delivers retail workshops to an international audience, motivating customer facing teams to deliver sensational service through sales, standards

and customer experience. She currently lectures in Founder Selling at J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway. She delivers modules on both the Apprenticeship in Retail Supervision and the Apprenticeship in Melissa Moore, The Retail Advisor, Sales. winner of Rethink Retail’s Top Retail Chosen from Expert Award. an impressive roster of over 400 nominees, Melissa now joins an elite group of visionaries and leaders in the retail realm globally.

For more information, visit www.theretailadvisor.ie or listen to The Retail Tea Break podcast on your favourite podcast platform.

6|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

News

ASAI appoints new member of its independent Complaints Committee THE Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI), the independent self-regulatory body committed to promoting the highest standards of marketing communications in Ireland, has appointed Amy O’Shaughnessy to its Complaints Committee.

Amy is head of the brand team with Energia, leading on brand strategy and positioning, creative development, media, PR, sponsorship and internal communications for Energia and Power NI retail brands, Energia Renewables and Energia Group.

She has worked with Energia for over 10 years and has held a number of roles, including Acquisition Comms Manager and Marketing Acquisitions and Sponsorship Manager.

With over 20 years’ experience in a variety of marketing roles across advertising, telecoms, broadcast and the utilities industry, where she has delivered Amy O’Shaughnessy, head of the brand team with multiple high profile national Energia and the latest advertising campaigns, Amy member of the ASAI brings a wealth of invaluable knowledge and experience to the Complaints Committee.

ASAI independent Complaints Committee.

Amy has won several awards for advertising and sponsorship effectiveness, including the Gradam Margaíochta le Gaeilge category at the 2020 All Ireland Marketing Awards, and she was

also included in the Sport for Business 50 Women of Influence in Irish Sport 2023 list. Amy is a graduate of DCU with a BA in Communications, and also holds diplomas in digital marketing and event management.

“I am delighted to be working alongside the ASAI as a member of the Complaints Committee,” Amy noted. “The ASAI has an extremely important role in the Irish advertising industry, working with advertisers across a range of platforms and promoting the highest standards of marketing communications. I very much look forward to working with the ASAI to continue raising awareness of the organisation’s role and the importance of Irish advertising standards across all platforms.”

Welcoming Amy’s appointment to the ASAI, Orla Twomey, Chief Executive of the ASAI, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Amy to the ASAI Complaints Committee. Amy has extensive experience in the advertising and marketing landscape and her industry knowledge will be of significant value to the ASAI. We look forward to working with Amy as we continue to strengthen our role and relevance in the ever-changing media landscape.”

The Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland is committed, in the public interest, to promoting the highest standards of marketing communications that is advertising, promotional marketing and direct marketing. The objective is to ensure that all commercial marketing communications are “legal, decent, honest and truthful”.

Media are required to abide by the ASAI Code and not to publish an advertisement or conduct a promotion which contravenes Code rules. The ASAI Code covers commercial marketing communications and sales promotions in all media in Ireland including digital (online banners, websites and social platforms), print, outdoor, radio, TV, leaflets/brochures and direct marketing.

Aldi invested €1.1 billion with Irish suppliers in 2023 ALDI have announced that they spent €1.1 billion with Irish suppliers in 2023, a year which saw the opening of six new stores and Aldi being voted the most reputable supermarket in Ireland by Irish shoppers.

The supermarket has confirmed it plans to continue this annual €1.1 billion investment again throughout 2024, as they continue to support their Irish supplier network. Working with over 330 Irish food and drink producers nationwide, Aldi offer a diverse range of over 1,800 products across Ireland. Since 2018, the company has also dedicated over €10 million to its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme, providing new and upcoming Irish food and drink companies with an opportunity to secure a listing in their 161 stores.

Reaffirming their dedication to their Irish supply base, Aldi finalised significant new contract deals across various products in 2023. This included notable new

agreements involving Lakeland Dairies, Glenpatrick Spring Water, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, Donnelly Fresh Produce, and Velo Coffee Roasters, worth a total of more than €40 million.

Looking ahead to 2024, Colin Breslin, Managing Director of Buying & Services, Aldi Ireland, said: “We are committed to supporting our network of more than 330 valued Irish suppliers, with whom we are proud to have spent another €1.1 billion last year. At Aldi, we have a very strong track record over the last 25 years of supporting Irish producers. Our lasting supplier relationships are central to our success, and we are proud to work with so many Irish producers, opening opportunities for local companies to stock their produce on Aldi shelves. We look forward to continuing to support our supply base throughout 2024, while expanding our store network and bringing our unbeatable value to even more local Irish communities.”

Colin Breslin, Managing Director of Buying & Services, Aldi Ireland.

8|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

News FSAI research reveals high trust in food safety but concerns over costs NEW research shows that consumers believe that food safety in Ireland has improved in the past five years, with some nine in 10 people considering food in Ireland safe. Comprehensive industry and consumer research undertaken by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) revealed that overall food safety concerns by the food industry have also reduced, due to what the industry perceives as robust regulations, combined with their increased knowledge of food safety procedures and robust controls by food inspectors.

The FSAI national attitudinal research shows that the increased costs of doing business are cited by more than three in four (76%) food businesses as the top issue affecting the industry, followed by concerns over the availability of staff (46%).

The research also highlights that despite increased confidence in Irish food being safe to eat, numerous food safety issues remain for food businesses. Food allergens, food hygiene and handling, as well as food poisoning, rank as the greatest food safety concerns for Irish food businesses, with over a third of food businesses listing these in their top three concerns.

“It is a matter of pride that Ireland continues to be a leader in food safety matters,” noted Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State with Responsibility for Public Health, Well-being & the National Drugs Strategy at the Department of Health, at the launch of the report. “Our science and evidence-based approach to food safety maintains the integrity of, and trust in, our food chain. It is reassuring that this new research shows that consumers believe that food safety in Ireland has improved in the past five years. I applaud the FSAI for being proactive in undertaking this research - gauging industry and consumer priorities, and ensuring that our food safety systems are geared to meet our future needs.”

The FSAI undertook two comprehensive research surveys with both industry and consumers to seek attitudes on food safety, sustainable food and food safety regulation. Overall, there is strong confidence in food safety measures among industry and consumers, with the industry also acknowledging the importance of food safety regulations in Ireland.

Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI, stated the research indicates that there is a strong trust in food safety amongst both industry and consumers. She also acknowledged there is some debate about sustainable foodstuffs and a divergence in consumers believing in the need for more food sustainability yet this attitude not being reflected in their purchasing decisions.

“Our research shows that confidence is high in the safety of our food in Ireland, something which is felt both by consumers and businesses, and is a reflection of the high standards in place by all those in the wider food industry,” said Dr Byrne. “We also note that three in four businesses see the FSAI as having a role to play in supporting food businesses with food sustainability and in raising awareness of the need to move to more sustainable food production without compromising food safety. There is clear agreement too from consumers that the FSAI has a responsibility, with seven in 10 (69%) citing that the FSAI should assist them in making more sustainable food choices and raise awareness of the need to move to more sustainability produced food without compromising food safety (77%).”

The research findings also show that whilst sustainable packaging and recycling are areas where food businesses are making significant efforts, there are barriers to more widespread adaption of sustainability in food businesses, according to Dr

Pictured at the launch of the research are (l-r) Dr Pamela Byrne, CEO, FSAI; Hildegarde Naughton TD, Minister of State with Responsibility for Public Health, Well-being & the National Drugs Strategy at the Department of Health; and Ann Horan, Chair of FSAI. Byrne: “The barriers include cost and the fact the food industry perceives that sustainability is a low priority for consumers. This perception is then affirmed by our consumer research findings that even though over three-quarters of consumers cite the importance of food produced sustainably, just two in five consumers actually make decisions about food choices based on how sustainable a food product is.”

The research revealed that three in five food businesses claim that their company currently seeks to produce, source or supply food more sustainably. Almost eight in 10 (79%) believe that supplying food more sustainably will have no impact on adhering to food safety regulations, with the remaining 21% of businesses believing that sustainability initiatives make it harder to adhere to food safety regulations.

From a sustainability perspective, most consumers, three in four (76%) say it is important that food is produced in a sustainable way. 74% of consumers would like strict deadlines imposed on manufacturers to improve the use of plastic, but there was also a strong understanding of the importance of packaging in terms of food safety and authenticity (67%) and preserving shelf-life (63%).

Other key findings from the food businesses research reveal that overall, there are high levels of confidence in food safety measures for both the Irish food industry and those working in their specific sector, with 87% feeling confident in food safety standards. The industry cited carcinogenic or cancer-causing chemicals as a worry, with 36% citing them as a concern, with pesticides and antibiotic residues following close behind.

In terms of consumer trends, the research also found that 45% of people prepare meals at home from scratch using fresh ingredients daily and this rises to 71% doing so twice or three times per week. 35% order take away food at least weekly. 56% of people check and adhere to use-by dates, but 40% say that whilst they check them, they don’t always follow the product’s expiry dates.

“The FSAI is one of Europe’s first food safety regulatory agencies and over nine out of 10 consumers in Ireland are aware of our role in protecting them in relation to food safety and that is to be warmly welcomed,” concluded Dr Byrne. “Food businesses understand our role too and we will continue to be responsive to their concerns and available to them to advise them on compliance.

The FSAI continues to work in partnership with Environmental Health Officers, veterinary inspectors and sea-fisheries inspection officers to ensure that food safety regulations are complied with, and that food produced in Ireland continues to maintain its reputation as being amongst the safest in the world.”

10|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News Musgrave launch innovative podcast series MUSGRAVE have announced the launch of a first-of-its-kind podcast series, Growing Good Business, which takes listeners behind the scenes at the operations of Ireland’s largest food retail, wholesale and foodservice business. The series features unique and fascinating insights into Musgrave, from colleagues right across the business in retail, foodservice and wholesale, and goes behind the scenes in supply chain, HR, food safety and much more.

“We’re thrilled to be launching this unique podcast series, Growing Good Business, which captures the essence of a 147 year-old family business. Through this new platform we bring listeners on a journey into the heart of the business - with fascinating insights into who we are, what we’re about and the impact that we have on our communities from the people who make Musgrave what it is today,” noted Edel Clancy, Director of Corporate Affairs at Musgrave, pictured with Patrick Haughey, Founder and Managing Director of AudioBrand.

Glenisk win €86,000 advertising campaign from Love Irish Food GLENISK have been announced as the winner of Love Irish Food and Global’s inaugural Big Bus Brand Drive for 2024. The award will provide Glenisk with €86,000 in media space in a highly visible, national bus advertising campaign, enhancing their visibility among Irish consumers. The award continues Love Irish Food’s media partnership with Global, one of the country’s leading outdoor advertising companies. The prize consists of 150 bus SuperSides over a two-week period, as well as 10 MegaRears across a four-week period, delivering both impact and significant audience coverage for the yogurt brand. The campaign will appear in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford. “This award will give Glenisk increased visibility amongst its current customers and help them reach new consumers in 2024,” noted Kieran Rumley, Executive Director, Love Irish Food, who is pictured with Emma Walls, Commercial Director, Glenisk; and Antoinette O'Callaghan, Head of Marketing, Global.

Marks & Spencer raise €100,000 for the Irish Heart Foundation MARKS & Spencer have presented the Irish Heart Foundation with a cheque for €100,000 to support the charity’s vital services for people across Ireland.

The partnership, which began in 2022, has seen M&S provide promotional and fundraising support for the Irish charity, supporting campaigns to promote heart health in Ireland and raising funds to help the charity continue to deliver services across Ireland. “The partnership with the Irish Heart Foundation has been a huge opportunity for us to give back to the Irish communities in which we live and work,” noted Eddie Murphy, M&S Country Director Ireland and Northern Ireland, pictured with Judith Gilsenan, Irish Heart Foundation Commercial Director, at the presentation of the cheque at M&S Grafton Street, Dublin 2.

Aldi opens in Carrigaline

Oreo partners with Pac-Man

OREO is inviting fans to chase playfulness in new partnership with Pac-Man, including special edition cookies and custom Oreo Pac-Man arcades. To celebrate the coming together of these two icons, Oreo has released six Oreo Pac-Man Special Edition cookies, complete with special-edition packaging, inspired by the classic Pac-Man game. Cookie and gaming fans across Ireland can get involved and #chaseplayfulness at www.oreo.eu, to unlock exclusive games and the chance of winning amazing prizes. For ROI residents, purchase of a product is not required to participate in the promotion; however, fans with the limited-edition packs can scan each of the embossed Oreo cookies to unlock exclusive gaming experiences.

“We’re extremely proud of this new partnership with Pac-Man. Playfulness has always been part of the Oreo brand's DNA, so partnering with this pop culture legend is the perfect fit, and we’re excited to see this campaign launch in Ireland,” noted Seamus Harahan, Brand Manager, Biscuits & Baked Snacks – Ireland.

ALDI have opened a new store in Carrigaline, Co. Cork, creating 30 new permanent jobs.

Located on Old Pottery Road, the store becomes Aldi’s 27th store in County Cork and 161st store nationwide. The spacious new 1,315 square metre store features Aldi’s award winning Project Fresh layout and features wide aisles and hi-spec fixtures and fittings. “I’m delighted to open our 27th store in Cork today. This new €10 million store in Carrigaline is the latest step in Aldi’s expansion programme. The new store, and the 30 new jobs we have created, will support our ambition to deliver value to the people of Ireland at the locations most convenient to them,” said Jason Murphy, store manager, pictured with Aldi Play Rugby Ambassador, Paul O'Connell, and and Councillor Ben Dalton O’Sullivan.

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12|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News First KitKat using cocoa from the Nestlé Income Accelerator launches in Europe NESTLÉ have introduced the first KitKat made with cocoa mass from beans grown by farmer families engaged in the company’s income accelerator.

This KitKat aims to connect consumers with the farmers in Nestlé’s programme and raise awareness about the sustainability of the cocoa used in the iconic bars. “KitKat has consistently embraced innovation, centred around its iconic ‘Have a break, Have a KitKat’. Today, this innovation is brought to life through the ‘Breaks for Good’ initiative that puts cocoa farmers at the centre of our product through our income accelerator programme,” commented Corinne Gabler, Head of Confectionery and Ice Cream at Nestlé. “We couldn’t think of a better brand than KitKat to represent our efforts to create meaningful impact in cocoa communities.” The KitKat ‘Breaks for Good’ will be available on store shelves starting from January 2024 in 27 European countries, and from May 2024 in the UK and Ireland.

Flogas and Irish Men’s Sheds ‘caught on camera’ FLOGAS sponsored a 60-strong group of volunteers from its charity partner, the Irish Men’s Shed Association, who travelled to Killarney last November from all over Ireland to tackle the invasive rhododendron plant at Killarney National Park. Their efforts were ‘caught on camera’ by RTE Nationwide, who broadcast the story on January 19, 2024. The volunteers joined forces with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Killarney Men’s Shed and Killarney Meitheal Group for a concentrated attack on the rhodo, which is a serious threat to the native flora and fauna of Ireland. Flogas supplied hi-vis jackets and goodie bags to the Men’s Shed volunteers and sponsored a dinner on the last night for everyone involved. Flogas also organised for a special guest, Olympian rower Monika Dukarska, to take part in a very interesting and engaging post-dinner ‘fireside chat’ about her life and career to date with interviewer Jerry O’Sullivan of Radio Kerry.

Fyffes Fittest School search goes live BANANA importer Fyffes have revealed that their search to find ‘Ireland’s fittest school 2024’ has now gone live. Running until the end of March, the top four schools in Ireland, north and south, will progress to a live ‘grand final’ at which the prize package will include €8,000 worth of sports equipment.

Working with Fyffes, their aim is to find a school whose focus on fitness will replicate the success of previous ‘Ireland’s Fittest School’ winners – Scoil Na Croise Naofa, Dunfanaghy (2022) and Gilson National School, Oldcastle (2023). Schools can register at www.fyffesfitsquad.ie. Pictured at a recent Fit Squad live in-school fitness visit are Fyffes Head of Marketing, Emma Hunt-Duffy (centre) and Fyffes Marketing Executive, Áine McElroy (centre left), with Ronan McGinty, Rush National School assistant principal; fitness trainer Sharon Flanagan; and Olympian sprinter Phil Healy.

Naas service station sells €1 million Daily Million ticket A BUSY service station in Naas, Co. Kildare, was recently revealed as the selling location for the €1 million winning ticket from the Daily Million 2pm draw on January 28. The newest National Lottery millionaire purchased their winning Quick Pick ticket on the day of the draw at Monread Fare on the Monread Road in Naas, Co. Kildare. Store owner Liam Fitzpatrick was thrilled to hear that one of his customers now has a ticket worth a life-changing amount: “This is by far the biggest ticket that we have ever sold and we just hope that the winner makes contact with the National Lottery soon.” Pictured celebrating the win at Monread Fare are (l-r): Sarah Orr, National Lottery; Kamil Mlynarski, Jessica Turner, Liam Fitzpatrick, store owner, Penyo Shilev, Store Manager, and John Williams, National Lottery.

Good Food Ireland Awards launched for 2024 THE Good Food Ireland Awards 2024 were officially launched by Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, and will take place on Monday, November 11, at The K Club, Co. Kildare. These highly-regarded cross-sector awards, celebrate businesses at every layer of our island’s food and drink industry – from primary producers, to manufacturers, to chefs, shops and restaurants – who embody all that makes Ireland’s food offering so standout.

The core emphasis of the Good Food Ireland Awards is the use of local, fresh, seasonal, Irish ingredients, highlighting tourism-hospitality and retail businesses that prioritise local produce and encourage others. Pictured at the launch are Heather Humphreys TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development & Social Protection, with Margaret Jeffares, CEO, Good Food Ireland.

14|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News Gala Retail celebrate 25 years with huge giveaway CELEBRATING 25 years in business, Gala Retail are giving away 25 holidays to lucky customers with their Home or Away promotion, which went live in stores from February 5. Teaming up with Irish TV presenter, Anna Daly, following her recent appearance on RTE’s High Road Low Road, the Home or Away giveaway invites Gala customers who spend over €10 in participating stores to enter a draw where they can win one of 25 holidays. Participants have the chance to win one of 10 family holidays abroad or be one of the lucky 15 shoppers to win a staycation across Ireland. “We're thrilled to launch Home or Away to celebrate 25 years of Gala Retail. It’s an opportunity for Gala Retailers to reward their loyal customers for their support, gifting €80,000 of holidays to Gala shoppers, and helping them create unforgettable memories with their families,” said Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail, pictured with Anna Daly and kids Hailee (age 5) and Alexander (age 7).

Kish Fish expands with BIM support A NORTH Dublin seafood business is set for significant expansion and increased staffing levels following a €160,000 investment grant-aided under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. The award-winning Kish Fish, based in Howth, is planning to increase the variety and volume of its popular ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products with an upgraded and more energy efficient production facility thanks to the investment. The project cost over €160,000, of which almost €70,000 was grant aided under the Brexit Blue Economy Enterprise Development Scheme recommended by the Seafood Taskforce established by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, and implemented by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM). Directors of Kish Fish, brothers Tadgh and Damian O'Meara are pictured at their Howth shop.

GetPro named as official protein partner of Dublin GAA GETPRO, a new high protein range from Danone, are delighted to announce that they are the new Official Protein Partner of Dublin GAA. The partnership will see GetPro and Dublin GAA work together to champion a healthy lifestyle and raise awareness of the role of protein in supporting your fitness journey. The new GetPro range, which combines high-protein and great taste, has been developed for people who want to get more out of their workouts or can even be enjoyed as a healthy snack. GetPro are hosting a special pop-up on Grafton Street from February 15-18, where visitors have a chance to taste some of the delicious GetPro products and also take part in four exciting challenges, all tested out by Dublin GAA players; from hanging tough, to a cycling trial, a reaction challenge and a wall squat. Pictured at the announcement are Dublin players Martha Byrne, Donal Burke, Cormac Costello and Ciara Tierney.

Aldi and Too Good To Go celebrate 100,000th Surprise Bag ALDI Ireland and the world’s largest surplus food app, Too Good to Go, have announced a significant milestone in their partnership, approaching one-year since the rollout across all 161 of Aldi’s Irish stores. During 2023, the partnership saw customers pick up a remarkable 100,000 Surprise Bags. Building on this success, Aldi and Too Good To Go are dedicated to continuing the availability of these Surprise Bags nationwide. This partnership aims not only to tackle food waste, but also to offer even lower prices to customers on products from across Aldi’s range. Each Surprise Bag costs just €3.99 to purchase and contains products worth approximately €12. Pictured are (l-r): Patrick McKinney, Key Account Manager at Too Good To Go, and Rachel Nugent, National Sustainability Manager at Aldi Ireland.

Wexford syndicate scoop €1 million prize WALLACE Costcutter store in Wellingtonbridge, Co. Wexford, was celebrating recently, as it sold the winning ticket for the February 3 Lotto Plus Raffle draw, which saw a Wexford syndicate winning the life-changing €1,000,500 prize. “It’s certainly been a bank holiday to remember following Saturday’s Lotto draw. We were thrilled to get the call from the National Lottery and to be honest ever since then, there’s been a great buzz around the town. Everyone is just delighted for the winners and we wish them all the very best with their huge win,” noted Store Manager, Ger Cruise, pictured with Susan O' Brien, ticket seller, and Ruairi Harpur, Store Owner.

16|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Retail News Interview

Government must engage with retailers on costs It is time our Government “reprioritised” and “renegotiated” the crippling costs coming down the tracks for small businesses or watch our retailers begin to close their doors for good, warns Vincent Jennings, CEO, Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association.

THE overarching issue facing retailers, and indeed every other enterprise in Ireland in 2024, is quite simply the cost of doing business, according to Vincent Jennings, CEO of the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association (CSNA).

“Until such time as we as we as a society and the Government in particular take a realistic assessment and pause to review the costs that are affecting businesses and consumers, that will remain the key issue for retailers,” Jennings insists. “We need to look at the costs that the Government themselves, via their various Departments, the Quangos, the semi-state bodies, all of the entire regime, have placed on small industry, and the complexity of adhering to not only European legislation, but Irish legislation. Until we actually get a handle on that and see how necessary it is or consider how there may be alternative ways of doing things, we're going to have customers who are paying more for the products

that we offer in our stores and that's not a good recipe.”

One of the major problems is scattergun thinking at a macro or Government level, according to the CSNA CEO, who is frustrated at not having his members’ concerns taken into account.

“There is zero joined-up thinking,” he insists. “It is phenomenal that people get to high ranks in Government departments that haven't actually given thought to ‘what happens if’ or ‘what happens when’. You would really despair when not only do they not listen, but they're not prepared to countenance the very clear advice that’s coming to them from professionals in the field. Yes, we do have a stake in the game, but there there's no doubt whatsoever that both the employers’ representatives and employees’ representatives can tell them very clearly what happens when X, Y and Z are joined together and yet they chose to ignore us and to either sacrifice things on the altar of populism, or the feeling that somehow it is the

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Retail News Interview

The disproportionate effect on small retailers One of the main issues that the CSNA, and indeed other retail representative groups, have with these legislative changes is that, given the labour-dependent nature of the business, they disproportionately affect small retailers.

“How does somebody in the service industry manage without a member of staff?” Jennings wonders. “The truth is that they have to put somebody else in in their place. In an office, for example, if someone doesn’t turn in, it's not going to be the end of the world; the work will get done next week. That’s not the case for a service business; there’s no point telling Mrs Jones to come back to the shop when it is less busy at the weekend.”

Jennings stresses that Ireland’s convenience stores are “the pride of Europe, if not the world”, regularly beating off all comers to lift international prizes like the NACS Convenience Retailing Award.

He describes increased costs brought about by the raft of legislative changes as “soul-destroying for people who have put their entire savings, their livelihood, their pensions and everything into these businesses and are really proud of what they've got and the team around them.”

The increase in the National Minimum Wage doesn’t just affect the lowest paid workers, Jennings stresses, with any rates within €3 of that wage now “fair game” for increase: “If it was limited solely to those people who are at the earnings floor, that would be one thing, but we all know that increases in minimum wage and increases that are destined to go towards the Living Wage, whether that is in two or three

years' time, will all have a ripple effect or a tsunami effect for other wages. This was already evident to people when they were doing up their payrolls in the first couple of weeks in January when they compared it to the previous payroll and saw the phenomenally large increase.”

In order to cope with these increased costs, most small business owners will try to make savings elsewhere, Jennings warns, “but in doing so, you're either dropping your standards, or you are making less of an offering to your customers. And that's not what we want to do.”

This is even more frustrating when viewed against the “profligacy” within our state spending: “You would tear your hair out at the absolute waste. We have managed somehow or other to expend the bones of an additional billion euro on the National Children's Hospital and nobody's been called to account on that. All of these things, they are so frustrating when we have a public service who earn 24.7% more their the private sector.”

The CSNA repeatedly point out that the figure for the Living Wage is achieved by calculating 60% of the median wage, and argue that this figure should not include public service workers or those employed in multinational companies, as both are artificially high and in fact “skew the real median wage”.

“If there is to be acceptance that the Living Wage is the way to go and it is going to be there for all time, getting the calculations correct is really important,” according to Jennings.

Rising costs = store closures Ultimately, if business costs continue to rise exponentially, the end result will be store closures. “There's no doubt about it, whatsoever,” he says. “People are really at the end of their tether. Retailers are naturally optimistic and they're trying to put the best foot forward, but the amount of additional hours they are having to put in, because they can’t afford the additional staffing costs, are extraordinary. Many of them are talking about getting out. You will have a diminished number of outlets The bigger guys, the multiples, will benefit from this; society won't benefit from it.”

Jennings insists, however, that this is a problem that can be fixed. “There can be a reset. Fundamentally and structurally, our business models and the way that we bring product to market are working.

What is skewing the pitch is the continued interference by the State in our business.”

Playing devil's advocate, the Government would probably argue that they are merely

❝The Programme

for Government was set up before the Ukrainian war, before Covid…

When you have these unbelievably chaotic situations, you can't pretend that it is business as normal. It's not.

The Government surely have to reprioritise certain things.

❝

right thing to do to give away somebody else's money.”

Jennings is referring to the raft of legislation currently before small businesses, with a similar or greater burden coming into view on the road ahead over the next two years. This is particularly the case in relation to labour costs, where increases in the National Minimum Wage and the gradual implementation of a Living Wage combine with the new mandatory sick pay scheme and auto-enrolment into pension plans to ramp up employment costs exponentially. Then there are the costs of an additional statutory public holiday in the form of St Brigid’s Day, additional leave entitlements for parental leave, domestic violence leave etc., which are all worthy endeavours in their own right, but together they add up to a perfect storm for retailers.

delivering on what they promised in the Programme for Government, which was to protect and strengthen workers’ rights and rates of pay.

“The Programme for Government was set up before the Ukrainian war, before Covid, so you cannot be so hidebound in saying that ‘This is our programme and we're not moving from it’. There has to be some renegotiation,” he insists. “When you have these unbelievably chaotic situations, you can't pretend that it is business as normal. It's not. The Government surely have to reprioritise certain things.”

If small businesses begin to close, the knock-on effect for the communities in which they operate is massive. “It is really time that the State actually presses pause on this,” he stresses. “We need to consult with all parties, to join-up our thinking and come up with something that at least gives a fighting chance to small businesses because all they're doing otherwise is clearing the way for a clear-out.”

Retailers, he stresses, need “some level of cushion” against these cost increases: “In the service industry, our payroll costs are our single biggest cost.

There is nothing comes near. Insurance is high, rates are high but in our business, labour represents at least 54% and as much as 70% of our costs. So any changes

18|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Retail News Interview

Any changes to labour costs disproportionately affect small retailers.

to labour costs disproportionately affects our bottom line. Any reductions in other costs are welcome but the truth of the matter is that increasing labour costs is the quickest way to ensure that we're out of business.”

When the Low Pay Commission made their recommendation to Government to increase the National Minimum Wage by 12.4% to €12.70 per hour in mid-2023, Government Ministers and TDs insisted that business owners, particularly small business owners, would be helped, “that the cost would be mitigated”, Jennings states. Such help did not materialise. Politicians, he contends, were “talking out of the side of their mouth”.

“I challenged the Tánaiste, I challenged the Minister for State, I challenged the Minister of Enterprise to point to one single item in the Budget in which retailers and only retailers or service providers and only service providers are the beneficiary,” he says.

Jennings describes the “much-vaunted €250 million rates rebates” as “a drop in the ocean to our costs and a really unfair way of transferring a benefit, because not everybody is being treated in the same fashion. These are labour-based increases, so you should be getting any grants or allowances against your additional labour costs.”

The fluctuating VAT rate is another issue. “I think we would all benefit from bringing the VAT rate on food down from 13.5% to 9% and giving a saving to people, because deli is an important part of our business and I think we could guarantee that prices would drop accordingly.”

Energy costs While the record energy costs of 2022-23 have thankfully passed, the CSNA chief believes that “we may never see the rates that we had pre-Ukrainian war”. He accuses some of our energy providers of “gouging, having made windfalls on the backs of consumers and businesses in Ireland”.

Indeed, the CSNA Chief Executive believes that the Government should look at “redistributing profits that are earned unfairly, because if we are looking for funds to assist business and consumers, you couldn't expect the Government to do it; it would have to come from the energy companies.”

He insists that the precedent for such a move exists, as “we've had emergency taxes levied upon the insurance industry in the past”.

Deposit Return Scheme February 1 saw the introduction of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, which heralds a sea-change in the way plastic bottles and cans are treated in this country.

“From a societal and environmental point of view, you cannot argue against it,” Jennings notes. “Unlike other things that Ireland has done on its own and maybe done foolishly, this is replicating what is happening in 40 other jurisdictions around the world.”

He estimates that just over half of all CSNA members have installed a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM) on their premises.

For those who haven’t invested in an RVM, it’s mainly down to the fact that they are “horrendously expensive. When these machines

Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie|19

Retail News Interview were made available in Hungary, Scotland, Estonia etc, they were not the same cost as they are here.

“My concern will be that some people may think that the small shopkeeper wouldn’t accept returns but there are a myriad of reasons why they can't do it,” he adds, “including the financial one, the ongoing risk, and asking staff members to handle plastic and cans that could potentially be a source of Wiel’s Disease.

These are very valid reasons for a person not to want this product lying around in their stores.”

With any scheme of this nature, Jennings believes “there's the known, the unknown and the unthought of, but I think the structure of the DRS has been pretty well designed”.

There will be teething problems, though, as would be expected. He cites the example of retailers who provide a home delivery service to their customers and “the absence of a methodology by which those products can be taken back, particularly if the reason for home delivery isn't just convenience but because someone is bed-bound or house-bound.

“It has been accepted by the Department and by Re-turn that you cannot expect returned bottles to be put into a container or a vehicle while there is food inside that vehicle, like a delivery van,” he argues. “If you accept that principle, then there is no way in the wide world that you could expect that there should be a manual return system. If you can’t expect the delivery van driver to know whether or not a bottle or can is in or out of scope -

whether it come from Northern Ireland, for example - why should I expect my staff member in-store to do the same just because my store is greater than 250 square metres?”

He believes the organisers of the DRS should have listened to the CSNA’s suggestion that returned bottles and cans could be scanned in-store “to ensure you are weeding out any attempted fraudulent use”.

He also worries about the potential discrepancies between a shop’s manual returns and the amount they receive from Re-turn, potentially due to issues such as damaged bottles or a bar-code not reading properly, when the retailer has already paid out the money to their customers: “None of that would happen with a Reverse Vending Machine and very little would happen if we had a hand-held machine.”

Insurance The thorny issue of insurance is one that has been on the radar of shop owners for years now, with very little progress, despite the fact that the number of personal injury claims remains far lower than pre-pandemic, with the average value of an injury compensation award down by more than one third, according to the Injuries Resolution Board (IRB).

“There have been no new entrants so it’s just not a competitive market,” Jennings points out. “In fairness to the State and to Leo Varadkar, when he was Minister for Enterprise,

Irish convenience stores and supermarkets are the pride of Europe.

20|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Retail News Interview

Vincent Jennings: “If there is to be acceptance that the Living Wage is the way to go and it is going to be there for all time, getting the calculations correct is really important.”

Crime & antisocial behaviour Another topic which has remained to the forefront is the increasing levels of crime and antisocial behaviour against store owners and their employees. Jennings is sickened at the “level of racist and misogynistic abuse that is being levelled at staff members”.

He points to “significant societal changes post-pandemic, allied to the growth of social media and the anonymity that goes with it", noting how “the willingness of people to be abusive online is now morphing its way into everyday life: I am embarrassed that this is happening in my country.”

He feels that it is incumbent on everyone in Irish society to call out this abhorrent behaviour: “I would love customers to call out somebody who was abusing a shop worker and tell them it is not acceptable. And maybe when we as customers realise that someone

❝Increasing labour costs is

the quickest way to ensure that we're out of business.

❝

he prioritised insurance and they made legislative changes to improve the situation. Those things are now in place but it is almost like turning an oil tanker around because it is so slow. I think Simon Coveney now needs to actually ensure that the good work that was done by Leo Varadkar and the Cost of Insurance Group within the cabinet is dusted off and and given additional impetus because the cost of insurance remains far too high. It's up to the Irish insurance industry as well to step up and actually acknowledge that these real savings that we put in place are reflected in terms of people’s premia.”

serving us is from a different country, we can go out of our way to thank them, as some kind of balancing against this horrible abuse, to make them feel that not every Irish person is nasty.”

Retailers have consistently called for more Gardaí on the streets to combat this kind of anti-social behaviour, with the clarion calls getting louder following the rioting in the capital's streets in November 2023. There were more Gardaí on the beat in the wake of the rioting but recent weeks have seen reports that these numbers are being reduced.

“The €10 million earmarked to guard against violent crime in Dublin has been wiped out,” Jennings sighs. “The additional Gardaí on the street is not happening as of next week [at the time of writing].”

Increased numbers of recruits in Templemore will eventually help “as long as they're on the streets and not inside in public order vehicles or Garda cars. They have to be in the communities,

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Retail News Interview in the suburbs. They have to get known and be known and they have to let people know that they're never far away.”

Reporting of shoplifting Shoplifting is a constant thorn in retailers’ sides, and one which the CSNA chief had been confident would improve, thanks to an identification programme for repeat offenders similar to that which runs in Belfast. However, concerns around GDPR guidelines mean that such a scheme has been put very much on the back burner, much to Jennings’ chagrin.

“There are elements of what we were suggesting finding their way through the Oireachtas as part of the Justice Bill, relating to body cams for example. But in the main, GDPR should be used for the benefit of society, not as something that people can hide behind,” he sighs.

Lenient sentencing and lack of deterrents have made some shopkeepers reluctant to even report shoplifting, but the CSNA Chief believes that we must report every single incident.

“I know that it might seem frustrating and you might believe that you'd be better off doing something else, but until there are statistics that can actually show how much shoplifting is going on, people and politicians won’t realise how big an issue this is.

In some stores, they could have five or six incidents every day, along with other public order instances and abusive behaviour; it

is soul destroying. But every time something happens, you should make the 999 call because the only way of eventually getting a service is by ensuring that they're aware of the problem. If we're paying Gardaí to look after us, then we've got to ensure that we give them the tools to do their job.”

The future Looking forward, Jennings believes that if the Government can help beleaguered small retailers to cope with the additional costs of complying with the raft of new legislation, particularly that related to labour costs, then his members could continue to thrive and provide welcome employment throughout the country.

While contending that an economy at full employment brings certain challenges for employers (“Retaining staff is a problem, particularly for those in rural Ireland, where the pool is very small.”), it also means that most consumers have disposable income in their pockets and so retailers will continue to provide them with an ever-expanding range of products.

“I think it would be it would be a very different society if we had, God forbid, 18-20% unemployment and people worrying about their future,” he concludes. “But we have full employment and as retailers, we're great at being able to to give people what they want, when they want it, and I’m sure that each and every CSNA member will continue to do that in 2024.”

Ireland’s retailers are proud of their well-trained, hardworking staff but continued increases in labour costs will jeapordise jobs in the retail sector.

22|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Sustainability

GS1 Ireland and Enso sign new partnership on sustainability GS1 Ireland and Enso have announced a new partnership to drive ESG action and innovation for Irish businesses and supply chains.

ENSO and GS1 Ireland have announced a collaboration agreement that will see the two organisations working together to empower Irish SMEs with the knowledge and tools they need to incorporate sustainability into their business operations, communications and supply chains and to meet their Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) reporting obligations.

“In today's business landscape, the heightened focus on sustainability resonates more than ever across diverse sectors,” noted Mike Byrne, Chief Executive Officer of GS1 Ireland and member of the GS1 Global Board of Directors. “Companies of all sizes are wholeheartedly embracing Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance (ESG) principles, diligently exploring innovative avenues to enhance the transparency, flexibility, adaptability and humane aspects of their supply chains.

It is unequivocally clear that sustainability is an unattainable goal without the integral component of standards-based traceability.

This collective commitment to GS1

standards underscores the transformative shift toward responsible and ethical business practices.”

Understanding your ESG requirements Through GS1 Ireland’s Solution Provider Programme, Enso and GS1 Ireland will work together to assist Irish businesses to understand their ESG requirements, to define their sustainability goals, and crucially, to communicate their ESG commitments and progress.

“Sustainability is a significant area for businesses to tackle,” noted Donal Quinn, Founder of Enso. “Not only are consumers making purchasing decisions based on it, but the ability to win new tenders, renew key contracts or attract investment may depend on ESG commitments and performance. This can be a challenge, but also an opportunity for those businesses who do it right.”

Enso specialise in simplifying sustainability for businesses, Quinn explained: “We provide a framework which streamlines strategy creation, and which adds structure so businesses can prioritise actions.

The Enso platform enables businesses to transparently communicate their sustainability commitments, impacts and progress to customers and other key stakeholders.”

Maria Svejdar, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience at GS1, commented, “As part of the partnership, GS1 Ireland has subscribed to the Enso platform to assess Pictured are Donal Quinn, Founder of Enso, with Maria our business impacts, Svejdar, Head of Marketing and Customer Experience both environmentally at GS1.

and socially. Using the Enso platform has provided a central point around which all our staff can discuss sustainability priorities and jointly agree goals. Having everyone involved from the start gives us greater confidence in our commitment to the changes that we need to make, both as a company and as individuals. We have now identified a clear path forward for GS1 Ireland to address our sustainability impacts and to make clear and measurable commitments for the future.”

Donal Quinn added, “Enso is an impact business, and we want to partner with other organisations who are also making a positive impact. We are excited about joining the GS1 Ireland Partner Programme and look forward to building on the synergies between our two organisations.

Our joint mission is to create impactful and innovative solutions for sharing sustainability information with consumers and trading partners alike.”

ESG adding value Enso and GS1 will work with SMEs across key sectors including food and drink, consumer goods, cosmetics, clothing, homewares and DIY. The goal of the partnership is to drive innovation across supply chains so that ESG adds value and connects businesses and consumers, while also making a positive difference. The two companies will establish a pilot programme which, over the next 12 months, will leverage data sharing and standardised reporting frameworks to make businesses and supply chains more efficient, cost effective and sustainable.

GS1 Ireland research revealed that smaller businesses struggle to know what to do in terms of sustainability. Combining the Enso platform and GS1 standards will help to guide businesses through the actions in a step-by-step process.

For more information, visit www.ensoimpact.com and www.gs1ie.org.

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24|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Vaping & E-cigarettes

JTI calls for stronger enforcement of vaping laws Stronger enforcement to reduce vape youth appeal is needed, not excessive policies to reduce adult consumer choice, writes Garin Murphy, JTI Ireland’s Sales Director.

IN our recent submission to the Irish Government on future regulation of tobacco and e-vapour, JTI Ireland acknowledged areas of alignment while scrutinising points of divergence.

JTI is calling for the adoption of the Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) code on youth appeal into legislation to prevent youth appeal in the advertising, flavour descriptions, packaging and the context in which nicotine inhaling products appear.

This would enable enforcement authorities to take appropriate action to prosecute non-compliant manufacturers or sellers of such products and to tackle the products on the market that are clearly targeting young people in the packaging, flavour descriptions and marketing practices being used. This would be enforceable by the Health Service Executive (HSE) in a similar manner to the marketing regulations contained within EU and national legislation.

When it comes to packaging, point of sale and product descriptors, JTI fully supports the responsible retailing and marketing of nicotine inhaling products. We follow strict internal procedures to ensure that all our marketing communications comply fully with the (ASAI) E-Cigarette Code, a comprehensive list of marketing rules that includes measures to prevent youth appeal, as well as existing robust legislation (European Union (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale of Tobacco and Related Products) Regulations 2016) and our own internal standards on socially responsible marketing. It is our view that all manufacturers, distributors and retailers of nicotine inhaling products should adhere to all these regulatory

requirements.

There’s a plethora of unlawful e-vapour products that are currently in Ireland. Not only do they flout existing regulations, such as non-adherence to the required dual-language health warnings, but they also contain excessive amounts of nicotine, which poses a health risk to consumers.

Authorities have acted to remove noncompliant products but are currently limited in their capacity to do so. By incorporating the ASAI code into legislation and providing authorities with improved enforcement powers, regulators can better address deceptive practices by noncompliant operators in their advertising and promotional activities, thereby protecting consumers and ensuring fair and transparent business practices.

Flavours vs flavour descriptions Instead of banning or restricting the use of flavours in a product, Government should restrict the use of flavour descriptions and packaging that targets young people.

In the last two years, JTI has been alarmed by the prevalence of nicotine inhaling products available for sale in Ireland which clearly aim to target young people. We have seen products with confectionery and candy flavour descriptions, products which are shaped like toy guns and ‘fidget spinner’ toys, and a wide range of products using cartoons likely to appeal to children on their packaging.

JTI regards these practices as noncompliant with the ASAI E-Cigarette Code.

Such marketing practices are unacceptable and undermine the credibility of the vaping sector.

If regulatory authorities are ineffective in enforcing regulations, manufacturers and distributors may perceive little risk in flouting the rules. A lack of consistent enforcement encourages rogue operators to continue operating outside the boundaries of the law. Improved enforcement mechanisms would help create a more effective regulatory environment, ensuring that the existing regulations are not merely on paper but are actively enforced to protect public safety and interests.

Government must address the issue of extremely low levels of enforcement by the relevant authorities, before introducing excessive regulations on nicotine inhaling products.

Garin Murphy, Sales Director, JTI Ireland.

Responsible retailing JTI has strongly advocated for establishing a minimum legal age of 18 for purchasing nicotine inhaling products and supports a ban on proxy sales to prevent minors' access. We contribute to the ‘Show Me ID’ responsible retailing programme, offering free training to retail staff, which extends to enforcing the new minimum purchase age for nicotine inhaling products. JTI opposes laws prohibiting smoking in outdoor areas, asserting that venue owners should decide smoking policies for their premises.

Regarding raising the age for tobacco purchase, JTI argues against the change, emphasising the legal age of adulthood in Ireland as 18. The company urges consistency in age restrictions for various products and warns against introducing a higher age restriction for tobacco without aligning it with other categories to avoid confusion and challenges for retail staff.

Retail staff already face security threats in-store and introducing a new, higher age restriction for one category and not others will lead to staff being required to deal with confusion and irate customers regularly.

In JTI’s view, the adoption of the ASAI Code into law, in conjunction with the recently introduced age of sale restriction, would be the most effective way to prevent youth uptake of nicotine inhaling product flavours.

JTI’s submission to the public consultation reflects the complexities of modern policymaking. The interplay between corporate interests and societal welfare necessitates a thoughtful and inclusive approach from all stakeholders involved. As the public consultation process unfolds, finding a middle ground that aligns with the overarching goals of progress and responsibility will be paramount.

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26|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Retail Trends

The Top 5 Trends in Retail for 2024 Colette Devey, Partner and Consumer Products and Retail lead at EY Ireland, advises on five key trends that retailers need to be aware of for the year ahead.

THE retail sector is continuing through a period of dynamic change in 2024, driven by shifting consumer behaviours, advancements in technology and cost/ inflationary pressures for both businesses and consumers.

At EY, our Future Consumer Index tracks changing consumer sentiment and behaviours across global markets, regularly surveying more than 22,000 consumers across 28 countries to pinpoint emerging consumer trends and delivering actionable insights for retailers.

Combining this global research with insights from the Irish market, here are five key trends that all retailers should have front and centre for their strategic planning for 2024 and beyond.

1. Pricing for value perception With the increasing likelihood that interest rates may not fall back as quickly as previously forecast, the outlook for consumer spending remains uncertain.

This will result in continued pressure on both consumers’ discretionary and nondiscretionary spend. This climate calls for retailers to continuously refine their pricing strategies and product portfolios.

It is essential that retailers recognise that shoppers’ purchasing decisions are more influenced by their perception of value for money rather than the actual value. Recent analysis by EY underscores this, highlighting that there is greater correlation between actual value and

value for money perception amongst the discounters, as compared to other grocery retailers in the market.

In response to this challenge, it is projected that retailers will increasingly target price investment at specific customer cohorts. For example, the continued investment in the expansion of a quality own brand offering and targeting discounts at loyalty scheme members.

2. Rapid acceleration of Generative AI Recent EY analysis finds a continued increase in the numbers of consumers shopping online and a related decrease in those who shop in person only. Retailers must take this opportunity to meet their consumers where they are and technologies like Generative AI can support this.

Generative AI offers consumer-facing businesses the opportunity to help clients make purposeful purchasing decisions.

Whether that is hyper-personalisation of websites or using AI to offer clothing tryons or to preview furniture in their homes, there are a myriad of possibilities – and it is the businesses that seize the opportunity that will continue to delight the future consumer of tomorrow.

However, while AI offers incredible opportunities, retailers must be careful to deploy AI and other technologies in ways that their customers are comfortable with. Where products or services are recommended, alternatives must also be

Colette Devey, Partner and Consumer Products and Retail lead at EY Ireland. displayed to offer real choice. AI should make price and product quality comparison easier and more transparent, not the opposite. Creating a frictionless experience for consumers is key to retaining their trust in technology.

3. Sustainability EY research found that consumers are now increasingly willing to take sustainability actions which will either save them money or which do not cost them, and are more willing than ever to comply with government schemes which are designed to encourage sustainable behaviour. This is hugely encouraging as, from an Irish perspective, undoubtedly the biggest sustainability landmark in 2024 is the introduction of the Deposit Return Scheme on February 1.

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Retail Trends For retailers, there are both pros and cons to be considered. While it promises to enhance customer traffic, corporate reputation and provide more consumer intelligence data, it also presents challenges, including higher costs associated with collection infrastructure, additional staff training and potential cash flow issues, as customers are not required to return containers to their place of purchase and have the option of receiving a cash refund, leading to a potential delay in retailers' reimbursement through the system.

While the nationwide DRS scheme is an important step towards creating a circular economy and improving recycling rates, it will require a collaborative effort from all stakeholders to ensure the DRS becomes a successful, sustainable initiative for Ireland.

4. Reimagining supply chains to overcome disruption Since the 1980s, most supply chains have deployed lean “just-in-time” strategies.

The development of well honed, albeit long lead-time, supply chains, operating from east to west helped balance demand and supply globally, drove down costs for many goods and made previously exotic goods like avocados or mangos common on shelves across Ireland. Recent attacks on shipping in the Red Sea - one of the world’s most crucial shipping lanes, accounting for approximately 12-15% of total global trade - however, have once again highlighted the precariousness of these global-spanning supply chains. The incidents in the Red

Sea have already had significant impact on the Irish, European and global economies, resulting in delays and increased costs for goods in transit.

Similarly, events like the Covid-19 pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage in 2021 caused by Ever Given, a container ship that had run aground in the canal, have exposed the vulnerabilities in global supply chains. They have emphasised the importance of organisations diversifying their supply chains to mitigate risks and ensure continued operations, even amidst unexpected challenges.

Businesses increasingly acknowledge that they need to re-engineer decadeslong established supply chain structures.

To do this, they are focusing on three core strategies: near-shoring of supply capacity, inventory regionalisation strategies, and building a broader supplier base to mitigate risk and improve efficiency.

The transformation of a supply chain requires significant time, careful planning and strategic execution and it’s important that businesses begin this process now if it’s not already underway.

5. Retail as a component of the health eco-system Emerging from the pandemic, the healthcare sector is experiencing fundamental shifts, moving from the traditional scope of clinical care with the development of new digital-first models of care to include mental wellbeing, nutrition, fitness, sleep, personal care and aesthetics.

To entice a health-conscious consumer,

Retailers need to recognise that shoppers’ purchasing decisions are more influenced by their perception of value for money rather than the actual value.

About the author: Colette Devey is Consulting Partner and Consumer Sector Lead at EY Ireland, helping businesses navigate uncertainty and build trust. Colette has recently returned to EY Ireland after 15 years in EY’s UK Consulting business, where she was a thought leader in Risk Management and Internal Audit and recognised for bringing fresh perspectives on the risk and internal audit functions of the future. Colette has worked extensively with local and international retailers and consumer products businesses: “In these complex and uncertain times, I help my clients to build greater trust with their stakeholders, by leveraging data and technology to better anticipate and manage risks proactively and to design, build and operate effective and efficient internal controls.” retailers are increasingly focusing on health and wellbeing as a product category.

Retailers are already expanding their food product ranges to include more ‘healthy eating’ and performance nutrition products, while also assessing the provision of health services like health screenings, over-the-counter sales and vaccinations.

In 2024, it is predicted that retailers will take decisive moves to define their role and offering within the wider health eco-system.

This may include embracing and endorsing the growing trend towards no and low alcohol products and taking a stance on the sale of tobacco and non-tobacco products beyond recent legislative changes and ahead of future regulatory advancements.

In the medium term, retailers here may also follow their counterparts in Europe and the United States in expanding their footprint in pharmacy, diagnostics and telehealth.

Conclusion As the retail landscape continues to evolve throughout 2024 and beyond, it is essential that retailers keep these five trends front of mind. Pricing for value perception, the integration of rapidly accelerating Generative AI, the emerging purposeful and sustainable consumer, supply chain disruption, and the expanding role of retail in the healthcare’s ecosystem will define the year in retail. By keeping a pulse on these developments, retailers can stay ahead of the curve, continually reinventing their offerings to align with the transforming consumer landscape.

28|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Easter Treats

A cracking good performance…

Irish consumers have already begun stocking up on egg-citing treats ahead of Easter Sunday, which this year falls on March 31.

EASTER is early this year, with Easter Sunday falling on March 31, and consumers across the country are already purchasing their favourite chocolate eggs and treats for the big day.

Easter is a huge opportunity for retailers to take advantage of our national sweet tooth and ensure tills are ringing to the sound of confectionery sales.

According to figures from Kantar, last year saw Irish shoppers really indulge, as sales of Easter chocolate confectionery soared 13%, with shoppers spending an additional €3.7 million year-on-year compared to 2022. Sales of own label Easter eggs rose by 28.1%, with branded eggs seeing slower growth at 13.9% year-on-year. However, 93% of all Easter eggs sold were still branded products and 37.7% were bought on promotion, up 15.4% compared to the previous year.

Meanwhile, SuperValu’s Easter customer survey from 2023 revealed that a whopping 85% of customers bought Easter eggs last year. Just under half (49%) ate 1-2 eggs, while 14% indulged a little more and had 3-4 eggs. The survey also found that 18% of shoppers bought

more Easter eggs and treats in 2023 than the previous year. White chocolate eggs performed particularly well, but the overall top selling Easter egg was the Cadbury Buttons small egg, which sold almost 300,000 units.

Repak also carried out research amongst 1,000 Irish adults in 2023 to examine their Easter spending habits, as well as awareness of what packaging can be recycled, as Irish residents were expected to recycle over 60,900 tonnes of packaging waste over Easter, as 94% of consumers planned to recycle Easter packaging.

Easter eggs remained the gift of choice for 62% of people in the Repak survey. 32% of these planned to buy five

Irish consumers are expected to shell out on Easter eggs in 2024.

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Easter Treats or more eggs. 30% of people planned to buy between 1-3, while almost a quarter (24%) planned to buy 3-5 eggs.

88% of consumers admitted that recyclable packaging was not the most important factor when it comes to deciding what Easter egg to buy. What’s most important is the type of chocolate (51%), followed by the size of the egg (19%) and whether it comes with a gift like a branded mug or additional bars (17%).

Milk chocolate was the most popular Easter egg people hoped to receive last year (78%), followed by white chocolate (18%), dark chocolate (17%) and plantbased or vegan (4%). Almost a third (29%) expected to receive two eggs, while one in five (22%) expected to receive one. 10% expected to receive four eggs, and 5% expected to receive eight or more eggs.

More than a third (36%) of respondents in the Repak survey admitted to having forgotten to buy an Easter egg for a loved one in the past. To make it up to them, 44% spent a little more than they normally would, and 28% spent a lot more. When it came to the weekend itself, 44% had to buy alternative gifts because chocolate eggs had sold out in the shops, while 23% opted for alternative cards, and 24% said they had to buy their gifts at a later date.

So the advice is clear. Stock up on Easter eggs and confectionery and watch your sales soar between now and the end of March.

Cadbury Cadbury Ireland have revealed their collection of Easter treats for 2024, with egg-citing new chocolate developments, including some never-before-seen delicious treats and upgrades to some beloved Easter classics. Cadbury are sure to get the nation’s taste buds salivating ahead of Easter with their delectable range of chocolates.

The Cadbury Easter range offers

these brand-new Mini Eggs contain an orange-flavoured chocolate centre, putting a tangy twist on the classic Cadbury Mini Eggs, one of Ireland’s favourite Easter treats.

Continuing in the Mini Egg family is an egg-stra egg-citing 1kg Mini Eggs bag, perfect for Easter themed baking.

Whether it’s for gifting or sharing, no Easter would be complete without some new chocolate eggs, and Cadbury have truly delivered with some egg-quisite options, including the egg-ceptional Cadbury Caramilk Traditional Egg. Up next is the aptly named Cadbury

Cadbury Caramilk Traditional Egg is sure to prove popular this Easter. everything from indulgent treats to share with the family and thoughtful gifts for loved ones, to delectable daytime snacks, and the return of Cadbury Oreo White Filled Eggs, perfect for savouring throughout the holiday period. Cadbury has got you covered this Easter - there’s something scrumptiously special for everyone!

Following last year’s yolk-tastic launch of Cadbury Creme Egg White, eggy aficionados have another eggs-hilarating taste sensation to look forward to this year: the Cadbury Creme Egg Bar. Perfect for sharing with friends and family, this gooey delight is the next Easter sensation!

Also hatching onto the scene this Easter are the Cadbury Mini Eggs Orange, the first Mini Eggs flavour development in over 50 years. With the same crunchy outer shell,

New Cadbury Creme Egg Bar: the next Easter sensation.

New for 2024: Cadbury Dairy Milk & White Marble Egg and Cadbury Dairy Milk & White Half & Half Egg.

30|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Easter Treats Ultimate Eggs which make for an impressive gift, bound to impress loved ones. The egg-stra special range contains seven different eggs, meaning that there’s something for everybody. Each of these indulgent eggs has a unique flavour derived from the nation's favourite Cadbury brands, and also includes a portionable treat to either enjoy in the moment or save for later.

This Easter, egg-fanatics will be able to indulge in the all new Cadbury Dairy Milk & White Marble Egg, a creamy marbled Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury White Chocolate Easter Egg with individually wrapped chunks, and the Cadbury Dairy Milk & White Half & Half Egg, the perfect treat for those that can’t choose between delicious Cadbury Dairy Milk and Cadbury White chocolate.

Finally, the fan-favourite Cadbury Oreo White Filled Eggs are also making a reappearance this year, as well as a new on the scene, Cadbury White Creme Egg. Cadbury Oreo White Filled Eggs are making a reappearance this year.

Cadbury White Creme Egg is new for 2024.

Lindt Make your customers smile from ear to ear this Easter with the delightful new Lindt Gold Bunny Salted Caramel, now available in a 100g size. Seamlessly aligning with current market trends, this new flavour is a fresh addition to the iconic Lindt Gold Bunny range.

Widely accessible in stores nationwide, the Lindt Gold Bunny range not only offers a captivating variety of sizes, formats and flavours, but also continues to expand, firmly establishing itself as the undisputed

market leader in Easter novelties (Source: Nielsen Total Scantrack Excluding Discounter and Dunnes, Total Easter Chocolate, 15 weeks ending 09/04/23 vs 17 weeks ending 17/04/22).

In Lindt’s continuous pursuit of elevating your chocolate experience, they are delighted to unveil a new and indulgent addition to their Easter portfolio. The iconic Lindt Gold Bunny now takes on a delightful transformation, presenting itself in an irresistible 120g tablet of velvety, creamy and exceptionally smooth milk chocolate.

Every bite of the Gold Bunny 120g tablet is a celebration of precision, passion and the artistry that defines Lindt's expertise.

This premium choice not only expands the options for Easter treats but also embodies the unique Lindt quality crafted by the Lindt Master Chocolatiers.

The Lindt Gold Bunny is the perfect Easter gift that brings joy to both kids and adults, becoming a beloved seasonal favourite in Ireland. Supported by a robust marketing campaign, including a heavyweight presence on TV, OLV and OOH

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Easter Treats

The new Lindt Gold Bunny Salted Caramel is now available in a 100g size.

The iconic Lindt Gold Bunny, a real favourite with Irish shoppers.

across prime sites in Ireland, as well as captivating in-store displays throughout the Easter season, Lindt ensure that the Gold Bunny remains at the forefront of everyone's festive celebrations.

No Easter season would be complete without indulging in the tradition of Lindt Lindor shell eggs, a range that is surpassing market growth in Easter Egg offerings (Source: Nielsen Total Scantrack Excluding Discounter and Dunnes, Total Easter Chocolate, 15 weeks ending 09/04/23 vs 17 weeks ending 17/04/22).

Lindt’s extensive collection of Lindt Lindor Shell Eggs, available in various sizes and flavours, now includes nine options to ensure there is a taste for everyone. Innovation is hugely important to the team at Lindt, and they are “thrilled” to introduce their latest NPD, the irresistible Raspberry and Cream flavour in a 260g format. “This new flavour promises to elevate your Easter festivities to new heights of indulgence,” promises a company spokesperson.

“Make this Easter an unforgettable one with Lindt, where every bite is a moment of indulgence and delight.”

New for 2024, the Lindt Gold Bunny tablet sees the iconic Easter treat expand to include an irresistible 120g tablet of velvety, creamy and exceptionally smooth milk chocolate.

Lindt’s extensive collection of Lindt Lindor Shell Eggs, available in various sizes and flavours, includes the irresistible new Raspberry and Cream flavour in a 260g format.

32|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Buying Behaviour

Which on-pack claims work and why?

The amount of options available and how they are presented will significantly impact the decision to purchase or not, from the restaurant menu to the supermarket aisle. Seán Higgins from leading consumer neuroscience firm Future Proof Insights uncovers the subtle yet significant impacts of product presentation and marketing, offering a unique perspective grounded in neuroscience.

WE’VE all been there; you arrive to a restaurant, early signs are promising.

Dimly lit room, atmosphere seems good, you land the window seat with the nice view. Then you pick up the menu, and there’s four pages’ worth of reading, with countless options. The wine menu isn’t much better. Choice is great, but it’s all a little overwhelming, right?

You take a moment to scan the menu but find yourself in conversation immediately.

The waiter comes to take the order, you need five more minutes. You haven’t even looked at the menu, which you do right away. All of a sudden, you’re back in conversation; waiter comes again five minutes later, and you still haven’t read the menu.

Out of guilt, you devote your attention and effort to selecting your order, but you’re struggling. There are too many options; you actually don’t take any of it in – ‘paralysis by analysis’. You suddenly feel the pressure

and default back to the safe option – for me, the steak; “But I told myself I wouldn’t have steak again?”

What happened? In simple terms, my brain didn’t quite fancy the additional

Seán Higgins, Future Proof Insights.

workload involved to work through the entire menu, so my subconscious took over and picked the steak. It’s never served me wrong, right? This ‘paralysis by analysis’ happens to me quite often; I’m human.

But every time it does, it reminds me. Our brains work hard enough; they don’t want to be worked any harder.

I see a lot of similarities in the way that manufacturers treat product packaging with this cluttered menu design. The ‘white space’ of both the menu and product packaging are finite resources, and the unfortunate reality about humans and finite resources is we use them all up, despite all evidence indicating to do the opposite.

On-Pack claims in action As is the trend now, I asked ChatGPT to tell me the purpose of on-pack claims, which it returned “typically used to promote functional benefits, trigger emotional responses and provide opportunities

Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie|33

Buying Behaviour for associations, build trust, or make comparisons with competitive offerings.”

Not bad, but it conveniently avoids any responsibility for moving the needle on buying behaviour.

The store aisle is one of the most competitive visual environments known to man, and this is where on-pack claims come into action. The aisle itself naturally creates Cognitive Load by the volume of products put before the consumer, forcing them to ‘bob and weave’ with their eyes, to find what they’re looking for. Granted, we have developed mechanisms to do this efficiently, but as a supplier or even retailer, the objective should be to minimise the load.

Facilitate decisions, don’t motivate them.

The weight of Cognitive Load?

At Future Proof, when we think of onpack claims, aside from the regulatory obligations, the fundamental purpose is to compete within the aisle, differentiate and make consumers buy. After a first of its kind neuroscience study here in Ireland, testing over 100 products with diverse claims, the one thing that has consistently shown up across category, demographic and claim types was that Cognitive Load, or how hard we make shoppers work to process these messages, is a key factor in influencing

buying behaviour.

When we scoped out this research originally, we wanted to focus on packaging in a broad and general sense. We initially selected 142 products, from both physical retail and eComm, across 12 diverse categories. Surprisingly, we found that 78% of all products we selected had at least one on-pack claim related to sustainability in some shape or form. With this level of prevalence, we then decided to focus in on sustainable claims to understand three things; their impact on buying, how they perform against other types of claim types (Quality, Sourcing & Health Benefits) and finally within sustainability, what are the most and least effective claim types. We excluded price and promotional claims from the research, as previous research established that these factors would have been major driving factors. Additionally, we are approaching this from an exclusion perspective, to identify poor performers.

1. Keep it simple One of the key trends that emerged from testing was that regardless of category, Cognitive Load, or how hard people needed to work to process the message, was a key factor in how the message affected purchasing. For every one unit increase

in complexity, purchase intent, measured through a combination of neural data and stated responses, decreased by almost 9%.

What do I mean when I say Cognitive Load? In this context, it has two key drivers; the complexity of the message or the complexity of the way it is presented visually. For example, claims like ‘No Palm Oil’ spiked Cognitive Load, because many weren’t familiar with what it implied and why it was a differentiator. Additionally, this high Cognitive Load is engaging, but too engaging because people were spending more time on Palm Oil and not thinking about the product or purchase decision. In comparison, claims like ‘Net Zero’ or a Bord Bia Quality Mark, for example, were much simpler to process.

The guidance here is that, in general terms, simpler claims work best. Aim for clear, straightforward messaging to enhance understanding, memorisation and engagement, which will ultimately increase the likelihood of affecting a purchase decision. Additionally, we found that higher Cognitive Loads are less effective at being encoded in our long-term memory, with a one unit increase in Cognitive Load negatively impacting memorisation by up to 13x, basically resulting in weaker or even no association being formed between the message and the brand.

The store aisle is one of the most competitive visual environments known to man, naturally creating Cognitive Load by the volume of products put before the consumer.

34|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Buying Behaviour 2. Engagement is good; over-engagement is not so good Engagement is a good thing, but manufacturers need to be careful that they do not create claims that are hyper-engaging as it comes at the cost of purchasing. The underlying logic here is that for high engagement claims, there was a negative correlation with buying decisions. While it is important that package claims are engaging, this should not come at the cost of the product or brand. The advice here is to always include a mechanism of guiding towards a purchase decision or brand impact. Sustainability can often fall into this trap, being highly engaging in its general sense, meaning people get very interested in the purpose dimension, but not in the product.

3. Make your claims emotionally relevant Claims that trigger emotional responses are, generally speaking, more effective at encoding memories, whilst also generating increased desire and purchase intent within consumers. The data showed that emotion is positively correlated with desire and influenced by Cognitive Load. Emotional resonance to the different product presentations not only aids in memory encoding but also amplifies desire and could influence buying decisions.

To summarise, the topline guidance here is to consider the balancing act between the brand, product and the on-package claim or message. The crucial element is to understand how these interact, while keeping it simple, engaging and emotionally stimulating, all while remaining relevant to the product and brand.

How does sustainability on-pack measure up?

As mentioned, sustainability claims are littered across almost all packages at the moment, and with good reason due to its obvious importance. But we set out to understand and quantify how effective these sustainability claims were at affecting buying behaviours. And so, we compared them to different claim types like quality, health and sourcing claims. What did we find?

• On-pack claims related to product sourcing were generally 8-9% more effective than all other categories – sustainability, quality or health benefit claims; • Generally speaking, claims about product quality and health benefits were largely in-line with the results of Sustainability without any significant differences; • Interestingly though, we found that there was a much higher degree of variability in the other three categories compared to sustainability, which suggests people process sustainability in a more uniform way, compared to the other claim types.

Cognitive Load, or how hard we make shoppers work to process on-pack messages, is a key factor in influencing buying behaviour.

Considering this variability, we needed to dig a little deeper. We had already established that Cognitive Load played a significant role in buying behaviours; as a result, we decided to split out the packaging claims in each category into those that generated a high and low Cognitive Load.

When making claims about sustainability and product quality, we see a notable uplift in performance for claims that generate lower Cognitive Loads. The guidance from this is to always aim for clear and direct messaging to enhance audience understanding and engagement. Additionally, it was shown that simplicity drove higher memorisation. When memorability is important, make sure to keep it simple.

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Buying Behaviour One of the more interesting findings, which contradicts what we are saying about Cognitive Load was in the health claims space.

Higher Cognitive Loads and evaluations typically evoke stronger emotional responses when it comes to health. Messages that are thought-provoking to process, without being overly complex, seem to maintain emotional resonance. In this context, balance complexity as there is a higher degree of consideration for personal health.

Sourcing, as seen in the chart, was the best performing category, regardless of complexity or Cognitive Load. However, given the association of Cognitive Load with purchase intent, aim to strike a balance in presenting sourcing information. It works best when it carries an intrinsic message or a broader meaning, but is simple enough to be processed instantly.

The most effective types of claims within sustainability We set out to evaluate the impact of different groups of sustainability claims and find out what some of the most optimal claim types are.

We grouped them into five categories: 1. Consumer owned actions, where products are sustainable and consumers have the ability to recycle / upcycle the product (“100% Recyclable”); 2. Manufacturer owned actions, where sustainability has been baked into the supply chain (“Made from 100% Recycled Plastic”); 3. Packaging claims, where the claim is specific, related to the packaging in which the product resides; 4. Net zero claims, where claims fall under the Net Zero umbrella; 5. Exclusions, where the claim suggests by omitting a certain ingredient or material, the product is aligning with the sustainability agenda.

Processing sustainability claims In general, all sustainability claims work very similarly, but this isn’t the way we process them.

Unfortunately, when we look at sustainability as a whole, we didn’t really find any significant differences. In general terms, and it could be argued that there are no real standout claims under the sustainability umbrella, when we split data out by gender, demographic or categories, we still saw the same trend, which was particularly interesting.

This actually raises more questions than it answers. But it was important to do a little more digging because looking at these claims in a general sense doesn’t actually reflect the way we process these messages, and when we go another level deeper into the mechanics behind how we process the messages, we start to find some interesting insights.

So we turned back to Cognitive Load, which we knew already was an important factor. After splitting out each of the claim categories by high and low Cognitive Load, we can see significant differences in performance:

Simpler sustainability claims facilitate purchasing in the brain.

Across all message types, we see that the more simple claims that do not create Cognitive Load for the buyer outperform complexity across all claim types.

Claiming a product was produced from recycled materials doesn’t motivate like telling people they can recycle.

We can see that consumer owned actions with a low Cognitive Load like ‘100% Recyclable’ outperform Manufacturer Owned Claims like ‘Made from 100% Recycled Plastics’.

This actually contradicts our entry hypothesis, where we thought claims that were baked into the supply chain and do not require any action from the consumer would be more effective. But this does suggest that despite what people state consciously, subconsciously there is a slightly aversive nature to recycled products, potentially because of negative associations of things perceived to be ‘second hand’. This aspect of the sustainability challenge, creates huge challenges in closing the Say/Do gap.

On the flip-side of this dynamic, it appears as though providing the opportunity for consumers to be virtuous and do their bit for the environment seems to be a stronger approach, provided the message is delivered efficiently. Our current thoughts are that this facilitates buying, but there is no evidence to suggest this would motivate the subsequent recycling action.

Carbon Net Zero claims are the strongest performer within sustainability As with all categories, there is a rise in performance when it was easier to process and comprehend. However, the difference is most pronounced in the area of Net Zero claims. It appears that Net Zero claims work similarly. The logic behind this is similar to the sourcing point above; Net Zero claims are simple at a surface level but carry a lot of implied messaging without taxing the brain.

Exclusions, particularly complex ones, are very poor performers.

Claims like ‘No Palm Oil’ need people to work to process, as Palm Oil claims are not as mainstream as things like Net Zero.

However, if a brand does decide to go down the exclusion route, the recommendation here again is to make sure that the message or information is easy to process, and where possible, aim to build in a broader message.

To learn more, visit www.futureproofinsights.ie or scan the QR code.

36|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Tesco Clubcard Unpack

Tesco unpack Clubcard statistics

Tesco Ireland recently launched Clubcard Unpacked, revealing their top-selling products of 2023.

TESCO Ireland have revealed their topshopped items of 2023, thanks to the their Clubcard Unpacked 2023 results, which also allow individual Clubcard members to get a personalised look at their shopping habits.

In 2023, Tesco Ireland customers sipped their way through over 2.3 million boxes of tea bags. Although the perfect ‘cuppa’ traditionally brings families and friends together and solves all of life’s problems, heated discussions can ensue when the question is posed – Barry’s or Lyons?

Tesco can now reveal that Barry’s came out on top as the nation’s favourite tea last year, with over half of the country (56%) purchasing Barry’s tea bags during their shop, compared to 44% reaching for Lyons.

Only three counties had a slight preference for Lyons (Donegal, Louth and Monaghan), while Cork has been revealed as Barry’s biggest fan, with 80% of the county choosing it over Lyons (20%) as their brew of choice.

Top of the shops Milk was top of the shops last year, ranking #1, #2, #3 and #5 in the top five list of most purchased items in 2023. However, milk’s clean sweep was ripe for the taking, with Tesco’s Ripe & Ready Avocado stealing

the fourth top spot – a surprise item that knocked Irish favourites such as Brennan’s Sliced Pan and Coca Cola Zero Sugar off the top five list.

Most purchased items in 2023: 1. Tesco Fresh Milk (2 Litre) 2. Tesco Full Fat Milk (3 Litre) 3. Tesco Fresh Milk (1 Litre) 4. Tesco Ripe & Ready Avocado 5. Tesco Low Fat Milk (2 Litre) Chips and dips It won’t come as a shock that the Irish public overwhelmingly chose to add Tayto to their baskets over King (96% vs 4%), but we are firmly a crisp-lovingly nation, having chomped our way through over 11.7 million bags of Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar Crisps in 2023! However, Cheese & Onion wins overall, with two thirds (67%) choosing the classic flavour compared to one third (33%) going for the tangy Salt & Vinegar. For saucy accompaniments, which can be quite the bone of contention in many households, almost three quarters of the nation (70%) purchased Heinz Tomato Ketchup versus Chef Tomato Ketchup (30%). Wicklow seems to have the biggest affinity for Heinz, with 76% of the county choosing it over Chef (24%) to sauce up

their meals.

The new Clubcard Unpacked video will be available to all Clubcard members through the Clubcard section of the Tesco Ireland app and will include a look at people’s top three most shopped items, favourite aisle, most-visited store and most-loved Reward Partners. Fans of the Tesco Meal Deal will also find their top shopped combination and compare it to the nation’s favourite, which was revealed as the Tesco Chicken Tikka Wrap 186G, Walkers Cheese & Onion Crisps 32.5G and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar 330ml.

What’s more, Clubcard Unpacked reveals the number of Clubcard points each individual shopper earned and how, whether it was through shopping products with lowered prices thanks to Clubcard Prices, filling up with fuel at Certa service stations, or chatting on their Tesco Mobile.

Shoppers who haven’t spent the points they earned in the past year are also shown how they can get the most value from them. This includes exchanging points into vouchers for money off their groceries or using them on Clubcard Reward Partners experiences for three times their value, which could cover a meal at Milano or a trip to Dublin Zoo.

Clubcard members who are keen to dive into their results to see how much they’ve saved and find out how their shopping habits stack up against the nation’s can view their Clubcard Unpacked through the Tesco Ireland app or online through their Clubcard account in Tesco.ie, along with being able to share their top shopped items with friends, families and followers on socials.

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Retail Ireland: Monthly Update

Employment cost hikes putting jobs at risk THE coming year is set to be one of very significant challenges for the retail sector. There is widespread concern at the pace and scale of employment cost increases, which are currently in train, and their direct impact on business viability and jobs. While the economy more broadly is in good shape, costs are rising rapidly, and many retail businesses are struggling to maintain margins.

At the beginning of the year, the cost of doing business increased dramatically due to Government-imposed labour hikes. Double digit increases in the minimum wage, effective from January 1, along with a series of additional changes in quick succession - including increases to employer PRSI, modifications to statutory sick pay, the introduction of pension auto-enrolment, substantial increases in the salary thresholds for work permits, and enhanced protective leave entitlements - are imposing an unrealistic burden on businesses.

While many of the changes have merit, they are being introduced too fast and in an uncoordinated manner. The costs are all coming at once.

Immediate response needed As the single biggest private sector employer in the country, the retail sector is disproportionately hit by these changes. Many companies are expecting increases in their wage bills in the order of 25% over the next 24 months as a direct result of Government policy measures. There is a need for an immediate Government response.

Firstly, there needs to be a pause on all further labour market policy measures which involve a direct or indirect cost to employers. Employers need an immediate signal from Government that the current trajectory of increasing labour cost measures will not continue until impact assessment and coordination is agreed upon. In the absence of this, we fear that many more viable businesses will be lost as more business owners and managers struggle to see viable business prospects in an ever-increasing cost environment.

Secondly, the Government needs to publish a full impact assessment of increased labour costs on business arising from the

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range of recent labour market policy measures. Most of the recent labour market policy measures have been introduced without sufficient regulatory impact assessment. In particular, there has been no consideration given to the cumulative impact of the scattergun approach of labour market measures introduced by a range of different Government departments and agencies.

Annual ceiling on additional costs Finally, Government should commit to an annual ceiling on the total amount of additional labour market costs which will be imposed on business in any single year. The uncoordinated approach across Government departments is resulting in exceptionally large cumulative cost increases for many employers, which are simply not sustainable. A more effective and consultative coordination mechanism is needed.

It is important not to forget the lessons of the financial crisis, where a devastating cost adjustment was required to put the economy and businesses on a sustainable footing. Retail businesses were at the coalface of this, and many jobs and businesses were lost in the process.

Retail businesses are fully committed to improving the condition of their employees and have invested many millions in training and development, improving career retail paths and making the sector a more attractive place to work, and this will continue. However, costs need to be sustainably managed if businesses are to survive and thrive.

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For more information about Retail Ireland and details of how your retail business can benefit from our unique services and supports, please visit us at www.retailireland.ie.

38|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

On the Vine

On the Vine Jean Smullen reviews some of the must-stock wines for Easter, as well as highlighting new wines and special offers for spring.

EASTER is very early his year, with Easter Sunday falling exactly two weeks after St Patrick Day, so expect March to be a busy time for the retail trade. Easter Sunday takes place on March 31, and this year St Patrick’s Day is on a Sunday, which means Monday, March 18, is a bank holiday. With two long weekends in close proximity, expect good demand for food and drinks as families get together to celebrate.

Time now, to review some of the offers and new wines for spring 2024.

Barry & Fitzwilliam Kevin O’Mahony of Barry & Fitzwilliam told Retail News that the Villa Maria Private Bin Range will be on offer this Easter with an RRP of €12-13, down from €16.99. Villa Maria Estate was founded by Sir George Fistonich in 1961. In 2021, he sold it to Indevin New Zealand and the purchase included Villa Maria's Marlborough, Hawkes Bay and Auckland wineries and vineyards. A leader in sustainability, innovation

Villa Maria is recognised as an icon in the New Zealand wine industry.

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On the Vine and quality, Villa Maria is recognised as an icon in the NZ wine industry. Villa Maria has created approachable food and friendly wines of premium quality from many of New Zealand’s key winegrowing regions.

The McGuigan Black Label varietal range includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Rosé, Malbec and McGuigan Frizzante.

McGuigan also sell a range of dealcoholised wine called Delight, with a 0.5% ABV, and the range also has a Rosé and a white made from the Moscato grape. Barry & Fitzwilliam, who distribute the McGuigan The McGuigan Black range in Ireland, Label range will be have the on offer this Easter McGuigan Black in most major retail Label Range on outlets. offer at €9.75 this Easter in most of the major retail outlets.

Looking for a wine with an Irish heritage for St Patrick’s Day celebrations? Then look no further; Wine Geese is the name for emigrant Irish families who in the 17th century were involved in wine production in France. Thomas Lynch Fitz-Ambrose was Mayor of Galway in 1654; his son Thomas emigrated to Bordeaux and became the owner of Château Lynch Bages. Today owned by the Cazes family, who produce this wine, named to honour the Lynch family, the Michel Lynch range from Bordeaux includes a red, white, and Rosé and will be on offer for €12.95 in all the main retailers.

Another Wine Geese wine, this one more

contemporary, is the range from Cork native and BBC superstar, Graham Norton.

Graham joined the illustrious ranks of the global Irish wine diaspora 10 years ago in 2014, with the release of the first vintage of Graham Norton’s Own Sauvignon Blanc. His best-selling (and awarded) NZ SauviGNon Blanc has been joined by a wildly popular South Australian Shiraz, New Zealand Rosé, Italian Prosecco, Rosé Prosecco and Argentine Malbec. They are all on offer for €12.50 this Easter.

Another famous face, Sarah Jessica Parker won Gold Medals and a Trophy for her wine at the New York International Wine Competition. Look out for her awardwinning Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc and Southern French Rosé, on offer this Easter for €15.

Kylie Minogue’s wine portfolio launched in 2020. Since then, the nine wines in her range have sold over nine million bottles. Each wine in the range will be on

Kylie Minogue’s wine range has sold over nine million bottles worldwide. offer for €10 this Easter, including her very popular Prosecco, Southern French Rosé and Sauvignon Blanc, and the brand new Pinot Noir produced in Yarra Valley in Australia.

Nothing says celebration like a glass of sherry and the popular Harvey’s Tio Pepe will be on offer at €14. These offers will be available to all retailers and independent off licences this Easter.

Graham Norton’s wine range continues to grow from strength to strength.

Findlater & Co 19 Crimes has emerged as a captivating force in the world of wine, defying conventions and capturing the hearts and palates of Millennials. With a core target audience of Millennial males, 19 Crimes appeals to those new to the wine category or seeking low to medium involvement. The brand's unique blend of history,

19 Crimes has been a breakout star of the Irish wine sector in recent years.

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On the Vine storytelling and exceptional quality has positioned it as a true disruptor in the market.

The Living Wine Labels app by 19 Crimes brings elements on its labels to life through animation.

On Valentine’s Day, Findlater & Co. will launch 19 Crimes' first-ever OOH (Out-ofHome) campaign in Ireland, ‘Celebrating Relationships that Break Convention’, across major cities including Dublin, Cork and Galway. The 19 Crimes Red Blend will feature a limited-edition Heart label during this period, showcasing each of the 12

to an integrated vineyard management system, free from artificial herbicides and pesticides, ensuring the highest standards of quality, while minimising their ecological impact.

Last year, Cono Sur Organic launched a new label to highlight its organic attribute with a more elegant modern design. This year, Findlater & Co. will run a ‘Why Organic?’ campaign with the brand, highlighting soil, quality, health and community.

Familia Torres have been at the heart of sustainability and climate action for

Cono Sur: a global leader in organic wine. relationship types etched into barbed wire.

Cono Sur, founded in 1993, has quickly become a global leader in environmental commitment and accountability. With a focus on quality, innovation and sustainability, the company has revolutionised the wine industry. In 1998, Cono Sur made the switch

New Vina Sol Summer Edition will strengthen the brand’s presence in the Irish white wine market in 2024.

over 30 years. Spearheaded by Miguel Torres Senior, the Torres family have consistently led the way in groundbreaking initiatives, making them pioneers in the field. Findlater will launch the brand-new label for the iconic Vina Sol, which began in 1962 when Miguel Torres produced a white wine made from the Parellada grapes, the traditional white variety of Alt Penedès.

In 2022, Vina Sol decided to redesign their bottles, with the new label highlighting their most important symbol, the sun! In 2023, Findlater launched the Vina Sol Sauvignon Blanc varietal on the Irish market, to strengthen the brand’s presence in the white wine category. This year, they will be launching the Vina Sol Summer Edition to highlight the brand’s concept ‘from the vineyard to the glass through the essence of the sun’.

Bibendum Ireland Ireland’s number one wine brand, Santa Rita has a brand-new wine launching in March 2024.

Consumers can complement their lamb this Easter with the Santa Rita 120 ‘Deep Red’ (RRP €10-13), a blend of 65% Cabernet Franc, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Carménère.

Made by Oscar Salas, this wine is a deep, dark ruby red with notes of blueberry, plum and cassis fruit on the palate, along with spices, coffee

Santa Rita 120, hugely popular with Irish wine drinkers for its combination of excellent value and outstanding quality.

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On the Vine and tobacco on the finish.

Santa Rita 120 consistently delivers excellent value for money and outstanding quality. The crisp and zesty Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc or the Santa Rita 120 Pinot Grigio are always in great demand for family entertaining. Don’t forget that for those watching the calories or alcohol units, the Santa Rita 120 De Alcoholised range, which includes both white and red wines, has a very approachable Sauvignon Blanc and a fruity Cabernet Sauvignon.

tried all three of the new vintages and they were outstanding. The Chardonnay especially stands out; I would choose 2021 Cloudy Bay Chardonnay ahead of the 2023 Cloudy Sauvignon Blanc in terms of my own personal preference. However, the 2023 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is such a crowd pleaser, inevitably this is the wine the consumer will go for! This year was a relatively good year in terms of the growing season; a mild, humid spring gave way to a warm summer with cool nights, which was ideal for the ripening fruit. The acidity in this wine is very subtle and balances beautifully with the elegant layer of tropical fruit. This is a wine with enormous ageing potential, but it still drinks beautifully while young, RRP €38.50; this is one for the Savvy fans.

Edward Dillon & Co Sauvignon Blanc is New Zealand’s most widely planted grape variety. The Marlborough region was first planted 142 years ago. It is nearly 40 years since Cloudy Bay put New Zealand on the global wine map in 1986. By Ampersand the early 1990s, Sauvignon Ampersand are very strong Blanc was firmly established in the independent off licence as New Zealand’s flagship sector and many of their wines grape, with international feature in the annual NOffLA demand increasing every year.

Star Awards. Their new wine Today it accounts for 66% of manager Paul Raferty has New Zealand’s total wine been hard at work in the last production.

12 months since he took over In 1973, as Marlborough’s from the legendary Willie first Sauvignon Blanc Dardis. Their wine range vines were being really hits the spot in planted, no one could terms of current wine have imagined the trends and styles. superstar status This Easter, it would achieve. introduce your Pungently aromatic, customers to the New Zealand inaugural Lolo Sauvignon Blanc Loureiro-Alvarinho assails the senses Vinho Verde from with red capsicum the acclaimed Paco (bell peppers) & Lola winery, and gooseberry producers of characters, lush Ireland's White passion fruit and Wine of the Year tropical fruit notes.

22/23 with their Fresh cut grass, Spanish counterpart tomato stalk and Lolo Albarino. lime flavours added Originating from to the mix give the Entre-Dourothis wine style its e-Minho region in enormous appeal.

Portugal, this Vinho Cloudy Bay is Verde embodies the still one of New coastal influence, Zealand’s most altitude, and recognised wineries distinctive slate and and is best known granite soils of the for Sauvignon area.

Lolo Loureiro The 2023 Cloudy Bay Blanc. Cloudy Bay also is a fresh and balsamic Sauvignon Blanc is a crowd produces Chardonnay, white blend of Loureiro and pleaser.

Pinot Noir and I recently Albariño. Perfect for Easter

entertainment, the current retail RRP is €18.

Experience the exceptional Tourelle de Terrebonne this Easter, a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Syrah, hailing from the Gard region in the South of France. Priced affordably at €12.99, this wine offers topquality packaging and a delightful taste that will pair exceptionally well with lamb dishes. Packed in eye-catching full-colour cases that will enhance floor displays, Tourelle de Terrebonne is an attractive choice for both retailers and consumers alike.

Melea Bush Vine Monastrell is a new addition to Ampersand’s Melea range.

Named after the rare bee Anthophora Melea, Melea wines hail from Spain where their wineries dry-farm and manage the vineyards without the use of toxic chemicals that can harm local wildlife, bees and other insects. This organic, vegan wine, handpicked in the Southeast of Spain near Alicante, maintains the high standards of the existing Melea range and retails at a keen price point of €12.

From the picturesque LanguedocRoussillon region of France comes Désir De Rose, made from a selection of native grape varieties. This wine style is always in demand and will be the perfect recommendation for Easter gatherings, especially if the weather turns good. Priced at €15, look out for the fun packaging and bottle design.

JC Kenny This family company, well-known in the west of Ireland and run by two generations of the Kenny family, have just announced a brand new exclusive Australian agency, Elderton Wines.

This family-owned and operated winery based in the Barossa Valley is run by the second generation of the Elderton family, Cameron and Alistair, who manage the business with their wives, Julie and Rebecca. So, the family ties within the winery and their Irish importing company are strong.

The entry level from the range includes the E Series Shiraz and the E Series Chardonnay (RRP €14.99-15.50). Orla Kenny tells me that they will also be selling the more premium Elderton Estate Eden Valley Chardonnay and Elderton Estate Riesling (RRP €23-24) The reds in the range include the Elderton Estate Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and Elderton Estate Shiraz (RRP €29), while the premium wine from the range is the Neil Ashmed Grand Tourer Shiraz, Barossa Valley (RRP €46).

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Drinks News Ahascragh Distillery awarded Origin Green membership AHASCRAGH Distillery have been recognised as a verified member of Bord Bia’s Origin Green, Ireland's national food and drink sustainability programme. From its inception, Ahascragh Distillery has been driven by an ambition to decarbonise the energy source for the distilling industry and has prioritised sustainable practices, including energy efficiency and reducing waste. The distillery aims to maintain zero energy emissions through a novel means of thermal storage, combined with optimal heat recovery, recycling energy that would normally go unused. The innovative system reaches temperatures above 115°, a first in Ireland and the UK, allowing the distillery to achieve a saving of 706 tonnes of CO2 per year with a 40% reduction in cost over an expected lifetime of 20 years. Pictured are Gareth & Michelle McAllister, founders of Ahascragh Distillery.

O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey sponsor The Leopardstown Chase WEXFORD brand O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey were sponsors of the renowned Leopardstown Chase at the 2024 Dublin Racing Festival on Sunday, February 4.

This new sponsorship saw O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey partner with Leopardstown Racecourse both on and off the racetrack. “We are thrilled to come on board as the sponsor of this very special race in the Irish racing calendar which has introduced us to so many great racehorses, from Arkle to Minella Times,” noted Shane Davey, O’Driscolls Irish Market Manager (left), pictured with Tim Husbands, CEO of Leopardstown Racecourse, with ‘Watch House Cross’ at Henry De Bromhead’s yard for the announcement of O’Driscolls Irish Whiskey sponsorship of the Leopardstown Chase.

Guinness and Ronan O’Gara team up for Six Nations GUINNESS, the official sponsors of the Guinness Six Nations, recently enlisted Irish Rugby legend and La Rochelle Head Coach Ronan O’Gara to deliver a rousing team talk ahead of Ireland men’s opening fixture against France in Marseille on February 2. Not your typical pep talk for the players and delivered in Ronan’s unique French/Cork English dialect, he gives a playful yet passionate call to the people of Ireland to seize ‘l’opportunité’ and get together with friends at home, in the pub or in the stadium, for 13 weeks of rugby across the Guinness Men’s Six Nations and Guinness Women’s Six Nations Championships. Guinness are providing fans with the ‘l’opportunité’ to win exclusive, money-can’t-buy prizes, including match tickets and unique match-day experiences, at www.guinness.com/en-ie/guinness-give-away.

Powerscourt Distillery celebrate St Brigid's Day THE Powerscourt Distillery recently honoured Ireland's patroness of brewing, healing, poetry and fire with an immersive St Brigid's Day event on Sunday, February 4, their third annual celebration of the feast.

Taking place in the distillery visitor experience, the event included cultural enrichment, from poetry readings to sessions with wellness experts and the spark of innovation from leading business and community figures. A series of tastings featuring Fercullen whiskey, mead, wine and beer, along with expert led whiskey masterclasses, ensured that the spirit of conviviality flowed as freely as the spirit of Brigid on the day. The Powerscourt Distillery, in partnership with County Kildare’s The K Club, also created an exclusive dinner on February 2 in the resort’s acclaimed Barton Restaurant, hosting just 70 people.

Drinks Ireland welcomes Bord Bia report

DRINKS Ireland have welcomed the publication of the Bord Bia’s Future Focused Export Performance and Prospects report, which revealed that Irish drinks exports were valued at €1.8 billion in 2023. Last year’s export value was down by 8% on the record 2022 performance due to challenging economic headwinds globally, in particular inflation, cost of living pressures and more restrained consumer spending. Nevertheless, export value remained 12% ahead of 2021 levels and Drinks Ireland expect improved market conditions as we progress through 2024.

“Exports are a huge part of our business and will continue to deliver towards the overall economy and very much so to regional economic activity,” noted Cormac Healy, Director, Drinks Ireland (pictured). “Alcohol consumption in Ireland has fallen by 30% in the last 20 years and the importance of exports for our sector cannot be overstated. We believe that adopting practical and balanced policies for both the home and export markets will safeguard this critical Irish industry into the future.”

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44|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Export Performance

Irish food and drink exports decline in 2023 2023 saw Irish food and drink exports exceed €16 billion for second consecutive year, but showed a decline of 4% year-on-year in challenging market conditions.

THE value of Ireland’s food, drink and horticulture exports were almost €16.3 billion in 2023, according to Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects report 2023/24, a decline of 4% compared to the previous year, when exports grew by a record breaking 22%.

Exports were impacted by inflation and a cost-of-living crisis which continued to affect consumer spending last year, in addition to significant downward pressure on trade prices. The value of exports remains 24% higher than 2019, and the industry’s ability to retain much of the growth from 2022 represented a solid performance in a challenging global marketplace.

Export Performance 2023 The dairy sector, which accounts for almost 40% of overall Irish food and drink exports, saw export values decline by 8% to €6.3 billion last year. The decline in the value of butter and casein exports was partly offset by increases in the value of cheese, specialist nutritional powders, yogurt and whole milk powder.

The value of meat and livestock exports was largely stable at €4.2 billion, as increases in the value of beef, poultry and live exports were offset by lower sheepmeat and pigmeat exports.

The prepared consumer foods (PCF) sector had a strong year in value terms, with sales increasing by 7% to €3.1 billion, thanks to increased exports of meal solutions, bakery products and soft drinks and juices. However, volume growth was muted, particularly to the UK market.

The value of drink exports declined by 8% to €1.8 billion, due largely to short-

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD is pictured with Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole at the launch of Bord Bia’s 2023 Export Performance and Prospects report. term market factors in the North American spirits sector. Beer and cider exports increased by 11%.

Seafood sales declined by 14% to €550 million, due largely to a reduction in the volume of pelagic fish and salmon exports, while exports of Irish horticulture and cereals were valued at €295 million in 2023, a 6% decline on the previous year.

Speaking at the launch of the report, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, said the Irish food, drink and horticulture sector had performed well despite ongoing challenges in the global marketplace: “I am delighted to see that the value of Irish food and drink exports surpassed the €16 billion mark for the second year in a row and that the sector’s overall exports when non-food products are included was €18.5 billion.

This is a significant achievement given that we are living through a period of huge flux, with climate change, inflation, geopolitical instability and cost of living challenges all affecting the global economy and export performance.”

The Minister went on to stress that despite this incredibly challenging

environment, Ireland has continued to build on its reputation as a sustainable producer and supplier of high-quality food: “There would be no exports of Irish food and drink without the quality output of our farmers and fishers, or the innovation of our food processors, who collectively make up this vital sector of the Irish economy.”

The Minister promised that working with a dedicated team in Bord Bia, “we will continue to strive for increased opportunities and value for the sector in 2024”, including dedicated trade missions to key overseas markets this year.

Exporter sentiment Bord Bia Chief Executive Jim O’Toole also commended the performance and how the industry had shown resilience in the face of multi-faceted challenges. “The Irish food, drink, and horticulture industry had a very solid performance last year, given the very challenging market conditions.

Notwithstanding these challenges, based on our recent Exporter Sentiment study, the majority (73%) of Irish food and drink exporters remain optimistic about expected market growth in 2024. Companies were

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Export Performance

The total value of primary beef exports is estimated to have increased by 2% to €2.7 billion. most positive about the potential for export growth to Europe and the US (68%), followed by the UK (63%).

Given the market volatilities, Bord Bia surveyed the leadership of major food, drink, and horticulture exporters for their Bord Bia Exporter Sentiment Study. Representatives from more than 50 exporting companies responded.

Collectively, these firms export about €11.7 billion in products, equivalent to 72% of total Irish food and drink exports.

“Despite the positive outlook, more than half (53%) of Irish food and drink companies believe their competitiveness has been eroded over the past 12 months, with energy prices, inflation and labour costs having the biggest impact,” Jim O’Toole warned. “Looking ahead, market volatility and inflation, although slowly easing, will continue to be two key factors for this year, while input and labour costs remain a risk to competitiveness. As such, the market for Irish food, drink and horticulture exports will remain challenged this year.”

Export destinations Exports to the EU saw a slight decline in 2023 of 2% and were worth €5.8 billion last year. The share of total exports destined for the EU remained at around 36% for the second consecutive year.

France, Germany, and the Netherlands accounted for 60% of sales to the EU, and the combined value of sales to these markets declined by 7% last year, due to lower dairy exports.

The UK is still the largest single destination for Irish food and drink exports, valued at an estimated €5.6 billion last year. The share of total exports destined for the UK in 2023 is estimated at 34%, up two percentage points on 2022, but still lower than trading levels before the Brexit referendum. The increase in trade during 2023 largely reflected higher exports of meat and livestock, drink and PCF products, which grew by a combined €250 million.

The value of trade to international markets fell by 10% in 2023 to €4.9 billion. This decline reflected reduced trade to North America, particularly drink exports. Exports to Asia were down across almost all categories, most notably dairy and pigmeat, decreasing by 3% and 24% respectively. In 2023, 30% of Irish food and drink exports, in value terms, were destined for international markets, down from a 32% share in 2022.

Bord Bia’s Export Performance and Prospects 2023/24 Report is available to download at www.bordbia.ie/industry/ insights/performance-and-prospects/ performance-prospects-2024.

The value of butter exports declined by 12% to €1.3 billion.

Sectoral Highlights IRISH dairy exports were valued at €6.3 billion; a year-on-year decrease of 8%. Butter and cheese were the top two export categories in this sector - each accounting for 21% of dairy exports. The value of butter exports (€1.3 billion) declined by 12% during the year, while the value of cheese exports (€1.3 billion) increased by 4%. The global dairy market showed more positive sentiment in the final quarter of 2023, which indicates some positivity heading into this year.

Meat and livestock exports were valued at €4.2 billion in 2023, a 1% decline year-on-year. The total value of primary beef exports – which represent 65% of all exports in this sector - is estimated to have increased by 2% to €2.7 billion. Beef offals were valued at €140 million, up 3%.

Value-added beef exports, which are accounted for within the Prepared Consumer Food (PCF) sector, increased by 7% to €255 million.

The value of exports of Irish beef to the UK increased by 10% to reach an estimated €1.3 billion. As a result, the UK market accounted for 47% of Irish beef exports in value terms, up from 44% in 2022. Irish beef exports to continental European markets were slightly lower than the previous year at an estimated €1.3 billion in 2023, comprising 48% of the overall value of this trade.

The value of Prepared Consumer Food (PCF) increased by 7% in 2023 to €3.1 billion, with sales to 139 markets globally. Increases in export values were seen across the core categories of meal solutions (+11%), bakery (+10%), soft drinks (+10%), chocolate and confectionery (+12%) and value-added meats (+3%). Market conditions and the cost-of-living crisis experienced in priority markets, especially the UK, showed muted volume growth.

Irish drink exports were valued at €1.8 billion in 2023, representing an 8% decline year-on-year. Irish whiskey, which represents almost half of all exports, saw sales decline by 14% to €875 million. Irish cream liqueur sales were down 9% to €370 million. Beer exports increased by 11% to €330 million, with the value of Irish cider exports also up 11% to €80 million.

46|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

Forecourt Focus: News Circle K and Ionity announce expansion of highpower EV chargers CIRCLE K and Ionity, one of Europe’s leading high-power charging networks open to all brands, have announced the latest expansion of high-power EV chargers across the Circle K network in Ireland.

Ionity will be increasing the number of high-power charging stations at six Circle K sites across the country, including Athlone, Co. Westmeath; Gorey, Co. Wexford; City North, Co. Meath; Cashel, Co. Tipperary; and Kill North and Kill South, Co. Kildare.

At least two additional high-power chargers will be added at each site (four at City North), increasing the number of chargers available to customers at each location to six. This expansion will bring the total number of Ionity rapid EV chargers at Circle K forecourts to 36. Ionity chargers have a charging capacity of up to 350kW and provide 100% green energy, so travelling with Ionity is emission-free and truly carbon neutral.

As well as continuing their strategic partnerships with Ionity, ESB and Tesla, Circle K are committed to the enhancing of their own EV charging network and growing their own EV charging

infrastructure nationwide. In the coming 18 months, Circle K will be expanding the rollout of their own branded EV chargers across 30 new sites. This represents an investment of €7 million, which will add to their existing EV charging network across 44 service stations.

Circle K are committed to offering quick and easy charging solutions to support Irish customers as they make the transition to EVs but a significant challenge facing both the company and the wider industry in supporting this transition is the high cost and extremely slow pace of delivery in securing grid connection.

“Our partnership with Ionity and the latest expansion announced today emphasise Circle K's commitment to strengthening our EV charging offering to our customers,” explained Jonathan Diver, Fuels Director with Circle K Ireland. “With the growing preference for EVs among Irish motorists, Circle K is actively adapting to meet this changing landscape, preparing for the future now and beyond.

“Despite the challenges posed by the high costs and lengthy lead times in securing a grid connection, our team is working hard to provide more high-power

charging points for customers throughout the country. We will continue to engage with the relevant stakeholders to try and bring these important services to the market quicker to meet the needs of our current and future EV customers, and call for the introduction of grant support for EV infrastructure developments, especially considering extremely high costs in securing a grid connection.”

Ionity’s Country Manager for the UK and Ireland, Andreas Atkins, commented: “Seeing our partnership with Circle K go from strength to strength shows our continued commitment to building a compressive charging infrastructure across Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe. We are proud to provide high-power charging that is 100% green to our customers across Ireland, at speed and with reliability.

“The expansion of our charging hubs supports the Irish Government’s decarbonisation plans, but it also means that EV drivers across Ireland can travel at ease, without concern for long waiting times, and providing the ability to charge at speed, whilst taking advantage of the Circle K facilities.”

Pictured are Jonathan Diver, Fuels Director, Circle K Ireland; Sarah Bradshaw, Senior Manager E-Mobility & EV Products, Circle K Ireland; and Andreas Atkins, Ionity’s Country Manager for the UK and Ireland.

Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie|47

Forecourt Focus: News New Inver station opens in Castlecomer INVER Energy announced the latest addition to their network of retail forecourts with the opening of Inver Castlecomer Road, strategically located just off the Castlecomer roundabout in Kilkenny. This stateof-the-art station has been built from the ground up and supplies fuel and a wide range of food and beverages to motorists and the local community.

“We are proud to unveil our most recent company-owned and operated service station that is assured to be the destination of choice for locals and road users,” revealed Ben Lenihan, Retail Director at Inver Energy.

With an investment of €2.3 million, Inver Castlecomer Road features a spacious 168m2 Spar store, designed to provide a comprehensive variety of products and an excellent customer experience. In addition to the barista-style Insomnia coffee, the shop offers a selection of hot and cold meals freshly made at their class-leading deli.

Employing 21 people, Inver Castlecomer Road provides increased convenience and economic growth in the region. As part of the Inver network, the new station will nominate a local charity every year as part of the Inver’s Leading Lights initiative, supporting local organisations that make a difference in the community.

Aligned with Inver's commitment to decarbonisation, Inver Castlecomer Road has HVO on the pumps, an alternative to diesel capable of achieving up to 90% reduction in carbon emissions.

“Inver Castlecomer Road exemplifies how we see forecourts continuing to evolve in the coming years,” notes John O’Leary, Managing Director at Inver Energy. “This includes providing expanded biofuels offerings and bringing lower carbon solutions to the Irish forecourt.”

Inver Energy have been operating in the Irish market for 40 years and are a national importer of fuel products, supplying a wide range of customers from local forecourts to large industrial businesses.

Leveraging their existing infrastructure, Inver are extending their existing offering of low carbon fuels to help reduce transport emissions.

Inver Energy are part of the Greenergy Group, Europe’s largest manufacturer of waste-based biodiesel, and an established supplier and distributor of transportation fuels with a proven track record as a lowcost supplier delivering highly reliable customer service.

Inver Castlecomer Road was built from the ground up and supplies fuel and a wide range of food and beverages to motorists and the local community.

Inver Castlecomer Road features a spacious Spar store, offering customers barista-style Insomnia coffee, as well as hot and cold meals freshly made at their class-leading deli.

Lusk Applegreen sells €1 million winning Lotto ticket A LOTTO player from North County Dublin scooped a cheque worth €1,000,500 in the special Lotto Plus Raffle event held on December 23, after purchasing their winning ticket at the Applegreen Roundtower service station in Lusk, Co. Dublin.

The winner admitted that even though they checked their ticket on Christmas Day, they had no idea just how much their ticket was worth until January, when they went to claim their prize: “You never think you’ll win a prize like that so it just went over my head. It really is like a layer upon layer of luck with this one, though, which is the mad thing. I know that the day I won was a special Raffle event and the only reason there was €1 million even in that draw was because a Monaghan player never claimed their prize. It took that winner not coming forward to me having the winning Raffle number and then to have my exact Raffle ticket picked out again for the extra prize.”

Pictured celebrating selling the €1 million winning ticket at Applegreen Roundtower in Lusk are (l-r): Stephen McQuillen, Station Manager, staff member Linda Gedminaite, Fiona O’Connor, Applegreen, and Sarah Orr, National Lottery.

48|Retail News|February 2024|www.retailnews.ie

What’s New TAYTO LENTIL CHIPS LAUNCH CREAMY PAPRIKA FLAVOUR TATYTO have hit the ground running in 2024 with the launch of a brandnew flavour in the Lentil Chips range: Creamy Paprika. Tayto Lentil Chips rapidly rose to popularity following the launch of the range in 2022, now sitting as the number one lentil chips brand on the market (Source: Nielsen Value Sales MAT December 23). The new flavour is the third addition to the range, joining Cheese & Onion and Sour Cream & Onion, and is expected to become a fan-favourite. This lighter snacking option is the perfect snack for those who want to make healthier choices this year. Lentil Chips contain all of the delicious flavour that Tayto is known and loved for, with an incredible 40% less fat and lots of fibre in each pack. Creamy Paprika is available in a 110g sharing bag and is available nationwide.

THINK AFFORDABLE; THINK QUALITY, THINK MAYFAIR WHEN existing adult smokers want value and quality combined, they know they can rely on Ireland’s number one value cigarette brand to deliver(Source: NielsenIQ ROI Extended Scantrack, RMC SOS, MAT December 31, 2023). Help your consumers to find even better value this year, with Mayfair’s extensive portfolio offering variation for all types of existing adult smokers, with a range of top-quality blends available across an array of pack sizes and formats. Mayfair Original, the timeless ‘classic’ blend, continues to offer uncompromised quality across an abundance of pack sizes, from King Size and Superkings to the innovative Big Box and ‘GigaBox’ formats. Mayfair Sea Green products offer a unique, fresh blend to the ‘Original’ variety, while Mayfair’s Sky Blue range is a smooth-tasting alternative, both available in King Size & Superking formats.

KELLOGG’S LAUNCH CHOCOLATE FLAVOUR CORN FLAKES KELLOGG’S have unveiled their latest addition to the breakfast table: Chocolate Flavour Corn Flakes. Crispy and golden, the original Kellogg’s Corn Flakes have been delighting families for over 100 years and this latest innovation is poised to tantalise taste buds, with the irresistible marriage of rich, velvety cocoa and the signature crunch of Kellogg’s classic Corn Flakes. High in fibre and vitamin D, the base of the Corn Flake is the same heritage product the nation loves. The traditional flakes are tumbled and coated with cocoa to create the unique crunchy texture with a new chocolatey twist. “It’s great to be bringing Chocolate Flavour Corn Flakes to breakfast tables,” revealed Ann Rose Eng, Brand Activation Manager at Kellogg’s Ireland.

“From a tasty morning option to an enjoyable snack, they can be eaten alone for an extra crunch or with milk, where the coating washes off to make the milk delectably chocolatey, whilst the Corn Flakes stay crispy. They’re sure to be loved by the whole family.”

THANK YOU FOR CELEBRATING BENSON & HEDGES’ 150TH ANNIVERSARY AS the curtains close on an extraordinary year, Benson & Hedges extend a heartfelt gratitude to all trade partners who played an integral role in making the brand’s 150th anniversary a resounding success. There’s more to come this year, so ensure you stay stocked up on Benson & Hedges’ products to continue offering your consumers the highest-quality, premium tobacco that not only meets, but exceeds, the needs and expectations of existing Irish adult smokers. Remember, B&H offer uncompromising quality across the full portfolio – from B&H Select to Gold; Ireland’s No.1 SKU (Source: NielsenIQ ROI Extended Scantrack, 15.4% RMC SOM, MAT December 31, 2023).

AERO AND HAZELNUT: A MATCH MADE IN CHOCOLATE HEAVEN NESTLÉ Confectionery are delighted to introduce the new Aero choco-hazelnut flavour sharing bar, bringing together the brand’s signature melt-in-your-mouth bubbles and the smooth, nutty flavour of hazelnut, to create a deliciously bubbly treat. The popular hazelnut flavour was a frequent request from followers of Aero’s social media channels and will now hit the shelves in stores nationwide.

“Aero’s iconic light and airy chocolate bubbles have been loved in Ireland and around the world for decades, and this new hazelnut flavour takes it to a whole new level,” noted Maria McKenna, Confectionery Marketing Manager, Nestlé Ireland. “We hope our Aero fans will enjoy the indulgent taste experience of the rich hazelnut flavour whilst feeling the bubbles melt.”