Retail News Ocotober 2018

OCTOBER 2018

Retail News Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine

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Retail News| October 2018 |www.retailnews.ie|1

Contents News

Budgeting for 2019 AT the time of going to press, the dust is settling on Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe’s Budget 2019, and it’s fair to say that the reaction to the Government’s financial plans for the coming 12 months have been mixed (Page 3).

Many retailers are disappointed with the 50c price hike on a pack of 20 cigarettes, despite the Tax Strategy Group clearly stating in July that an increase in excise on tobacco would not generate any additional revenue, given the resultant levels of smuggling and money lost to the Exchequer.

The increase in the National Minimum Wage is another bugbear for retailers, who are disappointed with the fact that there has been a cumulative increase of more than 13% in this rate since 2015.

The retention of the 9% VAT rate for newspapers and magazines, however, has been welcomed, as has the fact that electronic publications now enjoy the same VAT rate as their printed counterparts, down from 23%. In general terms, retail groups have welcomed the modest tax cuts which will hopefully put more money in consumers’ pockets and help to stimulate spending, particularly as Brexit becomes a reality from March 2019.

Elsewhere this issue, we report on the CCPC’s plans to inspect grocery outlets (Page 2); we talk to former Insomnia CEO, Bobby Kerr, about his role in a new Repak initiative to get people recycling at work (Page 20); we report from the Gala Annual Conference (Page 24), the Barry Group Awards (Page 32) and delve into a new report on the Irish grocery sector by HIM research and consulting (Page 28).

Kathleen Belton, Editorial & Marketing Director.

New Research

2

CCPC to begin inspecting grocery outlets.

3

Budget 2019: a mixed bag for grocery sector.

4

Major expansion plans at BWG; Alliance welcomes progress of Insurance Fraud Bill.

5

Musgrave to acquire Donnybrook Fair; Barry Group pave the way with augmented reality; Kantar Media appoints new client director.

6

31

SuperValu launches heavyweight new campaign; Irish food businesses not providing allergen information.

8

Grocery growth continues in Ireland; New country director at Subway.

9

Lidl to remove unrecyclable black plastic packaging; Nestlé Ireland is first food supplier to pay for FoodCloud Hubs service; Pilot scheme launched for retailers to apply for online support.

RETAIL NEWS travels to Dublin City University to visit Ireland’s newest Londis store and find out how and why this shop is so unique, from intention to execution. ion.

Bobby Kerr is one of the leading lights promoting Team Green, a Repak pak initiative to help increase plastic recycling in the workplace.

20

24

@RetailNews1

Editorial & Sales Director:

Published by: Tara Publishing Ltd,

Kathleen Belton

kathleenbelton@retailnews.ie

14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2.

Editor: John Walshe

johnwalshe@tarapublications.ie

Tel: 00353 1 6785165 Fax: 00353 1 6477127

Sales: Brian Clark

brian@tarapublications.ie

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

Sales: Aaron Stewart

aaron.stewart@tarapublications.ie

Subscription to Retail News: €95 plus VAT

Printed by: W&G Baird

The Barry Group Annual Awards saw the country’s finest Costcutter and Carry Out stores rewarded for excellence, along with the top performing suppliers.

Over 2,000 key decision makers attended the recent Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, including some fascinating speakers. Andrew Irvine reports.

Elevate 46 4

44

Elevate’s inaugural event in Cork was deemed an overwhelming success, as successful business women celebrated their achievements at a charity networking event that raised funds for the IGBF.

FFocus on HR 48

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 will be passed into law before the end of the year, bringing a raft of new laws governing the employment of part-time workers, including the prohibition of zero hours contracts in most instances.

Regulars & Reports

Managing Director: Patrick Aylward

Wine Correspondent: Jean Smullen

44

Gala Retail celebrated its milestone 20th year at its recent annual conference, which also saw the Gala B.E.S.T Awards presented, recognising Gala convenience stores across Ireland for excellence in retail.

facebook.com/RetailNews1

Graphics: Catherine Doyle

31

Food and Drink Business Conference & Exhibition

Gala Annual Conference

Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine

Production: Ciara Conway

32

The Retail News Interview 20

Fyffes celebrates its 130th anniversary this month, highlighting sustainability through partnership and innovation.

Barry Group Annual Awards

Shop Profile 16

The HIM Irish Grocery Shopper Report 2018 highlights the opportunities that exist for retailers and suppliers in the Irish market.

Fyffes

Retail News Chief News Reporter: Pavel Barter

28

Email: ciara@tarapublications.ie Reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited.

10

Industry News

18

Retail Ireland: Monthly Update

36

Drinks News

40

OTC Medicines & Healthcare

50

Forecourt Focus: News

51

What’s New

52

Shelf Life

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News

CCPC To Begin Inspecting Grocery Sector CONTRACTS between retailers and suppliers are coming under scrutiny, as the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) begins inspections of grocery outlets to ensure traders are complying with regulations. The investigation is limited to large food and drink retailers and wholesalers with a turnover of €50m or more. However, some retailers believe the inspections and regulations fail to deal with alleged supplier abuses of power.

Doireann Sweeney, Head of Corporate & Stakeholder Communications at CCPC, declined to reveal the nature of these inspections to RETAIL NEWS. Some retail representatives we spoke to presume it will entail spot-checks of grocery businesses.

“I imagine they will rely on tip-offs or reports from suppliers and carry out a series of random spot-checks,” said Thomas Burke, Director of Retail Ireland. “The message to our members is be prepared, be ready, and make sure you have all the supporting documentation required. I’m sure over time we will get a better feel for how the CCPC do this. I’m sure they are on a learning curve as well. This is groundbreaking legislation - it hasn’t been tried or tested in the past. There’s a ‘test it and see’ approach being adopted.”

The Grocery Goods Regulations, otherwise known as the Consumer Protection Act 2007 (Grocery Goods Undertakings) Regulations, were introduced in 2016 with the aim of producing trading transparency between retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Ireland. The regulations were intended to outlaw “unfair” practices such as retroactive changes to contracts, last minute order cancellations, and so-called ‘Hello Money’.

Initially, the legislation was expected to affect all retailers, recalls Tara Buckley, RGDATA Director General: “We felt they wanted to impose the legislation on businesses that were too small. We had some success in changing this, although a number of our members may still be impacted. The CCPC should be going after the biggest players to ensure they are complying. Chasing after small players isn’t the issue here.”

Since the legislation was introduced, the CCPC has briefed suppliers and retailers about their legal obligations.

“The CCPC has been engaged with Retail Ireland and our Thomas Burke, Director, member companies over the Retail Ireland. last two years. It’s been a process of familiarisation,” said Burke.

As part of this process, companies are required to submit annual compliance reports, which “requires significant changes as to how retailers record contracts,” continued the Retail Ireland chief. “Retailers have to make sure their administrative cost [in meeting the regulatory requirements] is minimised and there’s no necessity for us to pass it on to the consumer. It’s about trying to streamline the process.”

According to Doireann Sweeney, the CCPC is now “moving from information awareness to enforcement”. Under the regulations, retail businesses must retain signed copies of their contracts for six years. “The inspections will be about checking documents rather than dealing directly with issues or complaints. It’s more about verifying information. Our role is to check that businesses are complying with the regulation.”

The inspections are welcome news to supplier groups such as Food Drink Ireland (FDI). “The regulations present a unique opportunity to create a fair trading environment in the Irish grocery sector,” argued Paul Kelly, FDI Director. “It is now up to the CCPC to effectively and efficiently enforce the rules.

FDI sees the commencement of inspections as a key part of effective and efficient enforcement and we welcome that the focus of the inspections is RGGUs - retailers and wholesalers which fall within the remit of the regulations.”

However, small retailers often claim unfair practices with suppliers, in cases such as mobile phone operators or newspaper distributors changing terms and conditions.

“Within the global context, the world in which the Irish retail market operates from a supply perspective, you’re dealing with companies that are multinational conglomerates,” said Burke. “These are all-encompassing, all-powerful groups.

Even our largest retailer in the Irish market is a fraction of the size of some of these organisations. Those big companies leverage their size in terms of negotiations at a local level.

There has been an overplay [in the regulations] of the scale of the retail side of the relationship being more powerful than suppliers.”

Tara Buckley added: “We would welcome inspections of suppliers. A lot of our members are small players dealing with large suppliers, who are sometimes the only provider of a certain service. These providers often act in ways we believe is unfair: increasing fees or reducing margins without consultation.”

According to the CCPC, “The onus is on wholesalers and retailers of grocery goods to assess whether the regulations apply to their businesses.”

The Commission is currently seeking to increase its powers of enforcement. “We don’t have the ability to fine. Practically every country in Europe has that ability now,” said Sweeney.

Some retailers are concerned about a blurring in the lines between where competition and market forces end, and where unfair practices begin.

“There has to be a certain level of fair commercial interaction in order to get the best deal for the consumer,” said Burke. “The retailer’s priority is to get these products at a price they can pass on to the consumer. The fear is that if we continue to introduce new layers of bureaucracy into that relationship, it will add cost into the system that the consumer will have to pick up. That’s a worrying element of this legislation.”

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News

Budget 2019: A Mixed Bag for Grocery Sector REACTION to Budget 2019 has been mixed from the retail sector, as various groups come to terms with measures outlined by Finance Minister, Paschal Donohoe TD. The decision to retain the VAT rate on newspapers and magazines at 9% has been broadly welcomed. Minister Donohue increased the VAT rate for the hospitality sector to 13.5% from January 1, 2019, but announced that the 9% rate will remain for publications, with the newspaper and magazine industry effectively de-coupling from the hospitality sector.

Magazines had previously been considered part of the hospitality sector for VAT purposes. “We had addressed this issue with the Minister in our pre-budget submission and asked to be ‘de-coupled’ from them,” explained Grace Aungier, CEO, Magazines Ireland, who also welcomed the fact that VAT on e-publications has been reduced from 23% to 9%, following the outcome of the recent Economic and Financial Affairs Council (Ecofin), which saw the adoption of the proposal to amend the existing EU VAT directive to allow Member States to align their digital VAT rates to their print rates.

RGDATA too welcomed the retention of the 9% VAT rate for newspapers. “These are challenging times for newspaper publishers and newsagents so it is welcome that the Minister

has retained the VAT rate at 9%. We did argue for a 0% VAT rate for newspapers and magazines but we welcome that the Minister has not increased the rate,” said RGDATA Director General, Tara Buckley.

Shop owners have also noted the 50 cent increase on a packet of cigarettes, bringing the average price up to €12.70.

The move comes despite the Tax Strategy Group clearly stating in July that an increase in excise on tobacco would not generate any additional revenue, given the resultant levels of smuggling and money lost to the Exchequer. Revenue’s 2017 Tobacco Survey showed that the total amount of illegal cigarettes smoked in Ireland rose to 13%.

Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) spokesperson Benny Gilsenan described the cigarette price hike as “another slap in the face to retailers that have been compliant with every decision made by this Government. We want more resources to

be given to Revenue to protect businesses from illicit trade in tobacco, alcohol and solid fuel.”

Gilsenan argued that “the increase further widens the gap between legitimate shop-owners that are earning an honest living, and gangs peddling €5 cigarette packets in our communities”.

The National OffLicence Association (NOffLA) criticised the Government’s decision not to decrease excise duty on alcohol in Budget 2019. “Ireland’s RGDATA Director General, punitive excise rates Tara Buckley. mean that NOffLA members are being locked out of the economic recovery by the Government, given as much as 50% of the cost of a bottle of wine is Excise & VAT,” noted Evelyn Jones, Government Affairs Director of NOffLA. “81% of surveyed off-licence retailers in Ireland believe that a 15% reduction in excise on alcohol would mitigate against the likely impacts of Brexit, and boost employment and salaries in our trade.”

RGDATA welcomed the increased investment in our Ports in the face of the threat from Brexit. “In the face of the deep uncertainty about Brexit, it is welcome to see investment in ports. It has already been predicted that Brexit will increase consumer prices by 6% so everything that can be done to streamline imports into Ireland and keep the process as cost effective as possible will assist the grocery/convenience sector,” said Buckley, who also commended the investment in 800 new Gardaí. “Crime remains a major issue for Ireland’s independent shopkeepers so we hope to see these additional Gardaí as a very visible presence on our streets and in our communities as a matter of urgency.”

Retail Ireland said that while investment in in-work training programmes and further easing of the consumer tax burden is to be welcomed, Budget 2019 will do little to protect the competitive position of the Irish retail sector. Director of Retail Ireland, Thomas Burke described it as a missed opportunity: “The decision to increase the National Minimum Wage (NMW) to €9.80 in 2019, a cumulative increase of over 13% since 2015, is most disappointing. This increase significantly outstrips the growth in the cost of living, which stands at roughly 1% per annum.”

Ahead of the launch of the Retail Ireland Apprenticeship in Retail Supervision in 2019, the Ibec group fully supported the further provision of funding for new and existing apprenticeship programmes and additional investment for Skillnet Ireland.

“However, retailers had hoped that the Government would have addressed the need for ring-fenced funding and greater support for the development of modern emerging apprenticeships,” Burke argued.

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News

Major Expansion Plans at BWG SPAR and EuroSpar have announced plans to add 45 new stores to their combined network by 2020, leading to the creation of up to 1,000 new full and part-time jobs over the next two years. The announcement was made at the Spar and EuroSpar Retailer Convention in Killarney, which was attended by more than 400 retailers from around the country.

BWG Group, along with retailers across the Spar and EuroSpar networks, are to invest up to €25m in store development, including high-spec refurbishments, across their combined store network, over the next two years, with this figure to increase further following 2020.

The announcement comes as BWG Group launch a major new strategy and new store design, which is aimed at growing the Spar and EuroSpar footprint and market share across Ireland. Through the implementation of the new strategy, the retail brands will look to radically transform the customer experience through new pioneering retail practice innovations that place a greater emphasis on convenience, such as tailoring store offerings in real-time to different periods of the day, delivering consumer facing technology solutions to cater for customers’ fast paced on-the-go needs, and providing a heightened focus in foodservice in line with growth within this market segment.

Examples of consumer facing technologies being rolled out as part of the strategy include electronic shelf-edge labels, digital-only signage throughout stores, digital menu boards and high-speed WiFi connectivity.

In expanding the Spar and EuroSpar store network, BWG Group has already identified a number of sites for development in high transit locations such as town centres and transport hubs which attract a higher volume of convenience customers, and opened its newest addition to the Spar network at a greenfield site in Tralee in mid-October.

A second greenfield site in Tullamore is nearing completion while further existing Spar stores in Listowel, Carpenterstown, Merrion Row and Santry are currently undergoing significant redevelopment works.

The new store design is being pioneered at Spar’s Millennium Walkway store in Dublin City Centre, adjacent to Jervis Shopping Centre. Complementing the wide variety of instore departments, the newly expanded and redeveloped store utilises striking design features, impact lighting, and digital signage and projectors to create a truly novel retail experience.

The new Spar store design was created in conjunction with Spar International, who will now showcase the concept internationally with a view to rolling it out across its global

Pictured are (l-r): Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods; Colin Donnelly, Sales Director, Spar Ireland; Lorraine Rabbitte, Spar retailer; Leo Crawford, Group CEO, BWG Group; John O’Neill, Spar retailer; and Declan Ralph, Retail Development Director, BWG Foods, inside the relaunched Spar Millennium Walkway store in Dublin City Centre. network of over 12,000 stores in countries such as The Netherlands, Austria, Germany, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and China.

“Over the past 12 months we have been focused on developing a strategy that will strongly differentiate our Spar and EuroSpar brands here in Ireland and internationally,” explained Leo Crawford, BWG Group CEO. “We believe this strategy is a game-changer that will transform our sector and will be the underpinning factor that supports our ambitious growth plans over the coming years, both in terms of an expanded brand network and increased store revenues. Our growth projections follow rigorous research, which shows that consumers increasingly value and expect convenient retail solutions that our retailers are now pioneering.”

The biennial Spar and EuroSpar Convention included business strategy briefings from the group’s management, an update from Spar International’s Managing Director Tobias Wasmuht, as well as high profile speakers, Dublin GAA manager, Jim Gavin, and Professor Jamie Anderson.

Alliance Welcomes Progress of Insurance Fraud Bill THE Alliance for Insurance Reform has welcomed the passing through Second Stage in the Dáil of the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2018, sponsored by Billy Kelleher TD. The bill was unopposed by the Government and received widespread support from other parties and independents.

The Bill seeks to automatically refer fraudulent and exaggerated personal injury clamisters for potential prosecution, rather than the current situation, where cases may be dismissed but they walk away sanction-free.

“We welcome the rapid progress this Bill is making,” said Eoin McCambridge, Director of the Alliance. “This

amendment is a central measure among our 10 Asks to help reduce insurance costs and there is no reason why this short, practical Bill cannot be enacted quickly. We call on the Government and the Oireachtas Justice Committee to ensure this happens.”

The Alliance has also argued that some vested interests in legal circles are attempting to undermine the recent Personal Injuries Commission final report. “Too often we get what looks like a positive report that is then undermined by vested interests,” McCambridge noted. “The Law Society signed up to the PIC and efforts to backslide must be resisted.”

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News

Musgrave to Acquire Donnybrook Fair

Pictured are (l-r): Joe Doyle, owner, Donnybrook Fair, and Chris Martin, CEO, Musgrave, at Donnybrook Fair’s original store in Donnybrook, Dublin 4.

MUSGRAVE has agreed to acquire Donnybrook Fair for an undisclosed sum, subject to approval by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

The acquisition includes Donnybrook Fair’s five premium food stores (Donnybrook, Stillorgan, Malahide, Greystones and Baggot Street) situated in Dublin, as well as a gourmet food production facility.

Donnybrook Fair is a family business that is owned by Joe and Mary Doyle and employs 250 people. The Donnybrook Fair

brand is greatly admired by food lovers and it will be retained and invested in post-acquisition, with Joe Doyle remaining in the business.

Donnybrook Fair will strengthen Musgrave’s presence in the growing Dublin food market and will complement Musgrave’s existing brands.

“Donnybrook Fair represents a fantastic addition to Musgrave,” noted Chris Martin, Musgrave CEO. “With its focus on creating a destination retail experience, as well as a premium food offering, it aligns with our Growing Good Business strategy. We are focused on developing opportunities around every food occasion in a growing market. This included the purchase of La Rousse Foods earlier this year, broadening our offer into the premium foodservice sector. Donnybrook Fair increases our penetration of the Dublin food market and our intention is to maintain and grow the brand for the long term. We are looking forward to taking it to the next stage of development.”

Joe Doyle, owner of Donnybrook Fair, added: “We established Donnybrook Fair as a brand devoted to bringing great food experiences to people. Musgrave is as passionate as we are about the heritage and future of Irish food. I was attracted by Musgrave’s values and its approach to investing in its brands and team for the long-term. We share Musgrave’s vision to give people access to high-quality and innovative food experiences at home, on-the-go or in-store. I look forward to working in partnership with the Musgrave team to grow the Donnybrook Fair brand.”

Barry Group pave the way with Augmented Reality IN a bid to respond to the ever-evolving needs of consumers in the convenience sector, Barry Group have added an innovative feature to their marketing activity.

After identifying the aging demographic of consumers interacting with promotional leaflets in their traditional form, they tasked themselves with identifying a way to further attract Millennials and Gen Y to make sure that they were offering an engaging customer experience, without alienating the usership of their traditional customer. Throughout both of their Costcutter and Carry Out brands, their promotional leaflets now come to life through the use of augmented reality. This affords Barry Group the opportunity to integrate digital information with the user’s environment in real time.

Through the medium of an app called Layar, customers hover their phone over the promotional leaflet and hidden content appears on their phone screen, in the form of imagery, videos, digital links to further advertising brands and their retail offering. To activate this content, there will also be

vouchers and competitions which will only be visible to the consumer by implementing the augmented reality function.

“We are delighted to be pioneering the use of augmented reality on our promotional leaflets in the convenience sector,” noted Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group. “We believe that it is so important to integrate technology into a modern day offering in order to make sure our brands are relevant in the consumer's eyes. We are excited to see this take our Costcutter and Carry Out brands to new levels.”

Kantar Media Appoints New Client Director

Grainne Mackey, Client Director, Kantar Media.

KANTAR Media has announced the appointment of Grainne Mackey as a Client Director. As part of her new role, Grainne will lead the client service team, with particular responsibility for clients of Kantar Media’s TGI consumer studies of consumer behaviour. The management and delivery of the TGI consumer studies is key for the company as it is used as a planning currency between the buy and sell side in the Irish media marketplace. Grainne brings over 14 years’ media industry experience to this new role, having worked with one of Ireland’s most prominent media companies, Communicorp One.

6|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

News

SuperValu Launches Heavyweight New Campaign SUPERVALU has launched a new ‘All Things Considered, it’s SuperValu’ campaign, which tells shoppers why ‘All Things Considered’, SuperValu is the only place they need to shop. Through this campaign, the retailer gets under the skin of the Irish shopper and unifies everything SuperValu, and more importantly, its customers care about: a great own brand product range at affordable prices, fresh healthy food, good customer service, supporting local communities and over 1,800 local and Irish food producers, online shopping and an outstanding Real Rewards programme. The new campaign highlights all the great value that SuperValu offers in-store and beyond the till.

“Our new campaign, All Things Considered is about highlighting how we make our shoppers’ lives better by offering great value and service that goes way beyond the till, through a quality award winning own brand range, locally sourced fresh food, supporting local producers, staff that go that extra mile to deliver great customer service, along with supporting Tidy Towns, GAA and autism friendly shopping,” explained Tara Clifford, SuperValu Marketing Manager. “We believe that with All Things Considered, shoppers need not look any further than SuperValu as we offer it all.

Pictured at the launch of SuperValu’s new All Things Considered “To activate our new campaign, we are asking campaign are The Happy Pear twins Kevin and Stephen Flynn, the public to consider what makes a great shopping Jennifer Zamparelli and Kevin Dundon. experience and try something new, which is about fruit and veg to shopping online to save time, buying only Irish inspiring shoppers to take on a new challenge to make life products, shopping own brand or learning how to make a new that bit easier,” she continued. “It’s about doing the things that dish. you’ve put on the long finger.”

SuperValu will be offering the public the chance to win To celebrate the new campaign, Kevin Dundon, The SuperValu vouchers across its social media channels for those Happy Pear, Bernard Brogan and Jennifer Zamparelli will be that share their stories of their challenges throughout the challenging the public to consider their shopping trip and take campaign. time for what matters. This can be anything from eating more

Irish Food Businesses Not Providing Allergen Information DO Irish food service businesses, including forecourts and deli counters, meet their legal obligations in providing allergen information on packed and pre-packed food?

It doesn’t look like it, according to a new survey from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI). The survey revealed that one in five consumers believe food businesses are not providing sufficient information about allergens in their food.

“Getting this wrong could lead to closure or prosecution, or even worse, you could kill somebody,” the FSAI’s Jane Ryder told RETAIL

NEWS. “This is a life or death situation for people who have severe allergies.”

The survey comes on foot of a case in England in which a teenager died after having an allergic reaction to a Pret a Manger baguette, due to an absence of allergen advice.

“That case, which is horrendous, highlights the risks involved for somebody who has an allergy. They can die. It’s not something to be taken lightly. It’s the law,” Ryder insists.

In 2017, the FSAI undertook an audit of food business compliance with the labelling law. “32% of businesses did not provide any written allergen information. Of those that did, only 24% were accurate. Incorrect allergen information is almost more dangerous than none at all,” Ryder reveals.

The Authority are actively encouraging food service providers to visit www.fsai.ie/allergens, or call the FSAI advice line (1890 33 66 77) for information about allergen information compliancy.

CELEBRATING 130 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP AND INNOVATION [1888 - 2018] From the moment that those first two stems arrived from the Canary Islands on 20th September 1888, we’ve been passionate about bananas and we have expanded our presence across the globe.

Over these past 130 years we’ve worked with growers, shippers and retailers to develop industry leading techniques that improve efficiency, support sustainability and deliver consistent quality.

Thank you for your support.

Here’s to the next 130 years!

To discover more, visit Fyffes.com

8|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

News

Grocery Growth Continues in Ireland THE latest grocery market share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, for the 12 weeks Total Take Home Grocery - Ireland Consumer Spend ending September 9, 2018, show growth of 2.6% among 12 Weeks to 10 Sep 2017 12 Weeks to 09 Sep 2018 %Change in value sales Irish supermarkets. This is the %* %* % seventh consecutive period that Total Outlets 100.0% 100.0% 2.6 all five of Ireland’s major grocers Total Multiples 88.5% 88.7% 2.8 have recorded increased sales, SuperValu 21.9% 21.7% 1.7 the longest run since December Tesco 21.9% 22.1% 3.4 2017.

Dunnes 21.5% 21.6% 3.2 The summer heatwave Lidl 11.7% 11.8% 3.0 continued to provide a boost Aldi 11.5% 11.6% 2.9 for the market, particularly for Other Outlets** 11.5% 11.3% 1.0 branded products, which saw sales increase by 3.9% in the *= Percentage Share of Total Grocers most recent period, while own **= Includes stores such as M&S, Boots, Spar, Centra, Greengrocers, Butchers And Cross Border shops brand products grew by 1.7%. meaning average customer spend has jumped by €10 to €401 Branded sales of alcohol, soft drinks and frozen desserts, all in the past 12 weeks. summer favourites, combined to produce an extra €29m of SuperValu sits in second position, recording 21.7% market sales compared with last year. share. Although this is down slightly compared with last year, “Competition in the grocery market has rarely been sales have grown by 1.7% in that time. “SuperValu cashed in on fiercer,” revealed David Berry, Director at Kantar Worldpanel. summer alcohol sales, overtaking Tesco as the leading alcohol “All the major retailers are in growth once again this period, retailer and capturing 26% of shopper spend in the category,” and it’s almost neck-and-neck in the race for market share. according to Berry.

Just half a percentage point separates the leading three Dunnes Stores registered sales growth of 3.2% in the retailers. Tesco leads the way, registering 22.1% of grocery most recent figures, an improvement on the rate of 1.9% sales, followed by SuperValu at 21.7% and Dunnes Stores at achieved last month. ‘Round euro’ offers, which see stores 21.6%. This healthy competition is good news for shoppers, offer fixed, round number prices, have contributed to the leading to a fall in the price of food and drink across Ireland.” retailer’s improved performance. “More than 20% of sales Back to school has been a major theme on the at Dunnes Stores are at round euro price points and this has supermarket shelves in recent weeks and the impact of this encouraged shoppers to add an extra item to their baskets can be seen in category sales. “Staples of the school day like each time they visit, worth a total of €18.5m over the past 12 sandwich fillings, yogurts and cereal have seen an increase in weeks,” Berry stated. popularity as the academic year kicks off,” Berry explained.

Lidl and Aldi recorded comparable performances, with “Cereals, cereal bars, chocolate and cheese have all had double Lidl’s sales growing by 3%, compared with 2.9% for Aldi. Each digit uplifts in growth in the past month, to the tune of an saw an improvement in market share, with Lidl capturing 11.8% additional €7m being spent in the month to August compared with July.” and Aldi standing at 11.6%, an increase of 0.1 of a percentage Among the retailers, Tesco has held on to the top spot for point in both cases. the sixth consecutive period, capturing 22.1% of grocery spend, Grocery market inflation stands at -0.2% for the up from the 21.9% it achieved in the same period last year. same period.

Shoppers are heading to Tesco more frequently than a year ago, For more information, see www.kantarworldpanel.com.

New Country Director at Subway

Colin Hughes, Country Director for Ireland and the UK, Subway.

SUBWAY has announced Colin Hughes as its new Country Director for Ireland and the UK. Hughes, who is originally from Lurgan, Co. Armagh, and formerly worked with Wyevale Garden Centres, Marks & Spencer UK & Ireland, Pret A Manger and EAT, has been brought on-board to drive business growth within Ireland and the UK. With several newly designed Fresh Forward locations already operating in the two countries and more in the pipeline, Hughes will lead the ongoing activation of the brand’s global brand revitalisation and growth plans to increase the number of locally owned and operated Subway stores in Ireland and the UK to 3,000 by 2020.

“I am absolutely thrilled to be joining the business at such an important time,” said Hughes. “Subway is a terrific brand with a great legacy and exciting future. I really look forward to meeting new colleagues and working together to support and deliver for our franchise owners and guests.”

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News

Lidl to Remove Unrecyclable Black Plastic Packaging LIDL is removing black plastic packaging from its entire fruit and vegetable range across all 195 Ireland and Northern Ireland stores before Christmas. The packaging, which cannot

be recycled, will be scrapped from fresh fish products by February 2019, followed by fresh meat, poultry and cured meat ranges before August.

Black plastic packaging is not recycled in Ireland or the UK because recycling sorting systems cannot detect the carbon black pigment.

As a result of this move by Lidl, over 65 tonnes of black plastic waste will be avoided annually from fruit and vegetables alone.

Lidl has also scrapped the sale of single-use plastic items, including drinking straws, disposable plates, cups and cutlery, with plastic-stemmed cotton buds next on the list in the coming months. The single-use plastic items are being replaced with biodegradable alternatives.

“These are significant steps,” insisted JP Scally, Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland Managing Director. “Sustainability is core to our business and we are proud to continue leading the retail sector in implementing ambitious measures which will deliver real and lasting benefits for everyone.”

Nestlé Ireland is First Food Supplier to Pay for FoodCloud Hubs Service FOODCLOUD Hubs and Nestlé Ireland have announced a new partnership where Nestlé will provide all its surplus food and will become the first food supplier to make a financial contribution to FoodCloud Hubs for its surplus food redistribution.

Nestlé Ireland has committed to dedicate all of its surplus stock across its comprehensive category range to benefit FoodCloud Hubs' charity partners. The company will provide a per pallet financial contribution to cover the costs to manage, store and redistribute any unforeseen food surplus, ensuring that it feeds people first and no food goes to landfill.

The move, a first for an Irish food supplier, creates a new sustainable income stream for the social enterprise, paving the way for other food industry partners to follow suit.

Aoibheann O’Brien, CEO at FoodCloud Hubs, revealed that Nestlé’s financial contribution is a crucial milestone for FoodCloud Hubs: “Nestlé’s commitment to making a per pallet contribution is a monumental step towards FoodCloud Hubs creating a sustainable income stream to cover our dayto-day administration and operating costs. We are delighted that our partner, Nestlé Ireland, is paving the way for us to enlist other food businesses towards a contribution model in the future. This will help us to expand our impact, rescue more surplus food and work with more charities across the country.”

Andrew Shaw, Country Manager, Nestlé Ireland, said Nestlé is proud to support FoodCloud: “We operate a robust

Aoibheann O’Brien, CEO of FoodCloud, and James Marshall, Supply Chain Manager, Nestlé Ireland. and rigorous supply chain system that is designed to reduce surplus stock; however, surplus stock does occur from time to time. Rather than having perfectly good food go to landfill, our products will go to people who will benefit from it. It is also in keeping with our global ambition of achieving zero waste for disposal by 2020, and our commitment to halving food waste by 2030.”

Shaw added that Nestlé’s financial support “helps ensure that FoodCloud Hubs exists into the future to continue growing its impact in reducing food waste and supporting local communities.”

Pilot Scheme Launched for Retailers to Apply for Online Support THE Retail Consultation Forum has negotiated a new pilot scheme to provide funding for retail SMEs that want to develop a more competitive online presence. The grant will enable retailers to increase their customer base and build a more

resilient business in the domestic and global marketplace, both online and offline. The €625,000 scheme consists of a financial support of up to €25k to enable retailers to enhance their online presence, supporting up to 50% of costs.

10|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News Lyons Tea’s Digital OOH Campaign LYONS is running a nationwide campaign that solves the question ‘How do you make yours?’. Limited edition packs of Lyons tea are now available, offering consumers the chance to win a personalised mug with not just their name but how they make their tea.

Working closely with Kinetic, media agency Mindshare and creative agency Marketing Network, the campaign encourages consumers to follow instructions on promotional packs to win a personalised Lyons Tea mug. Two interactive digital Out of Home specials are running in St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and Jervis Shopping Centre, whereby consumers interact with the screens and create their own personalised mug on-screen: by sharing it on #lyonsmymug.ie, they’ll be in with a chance to win a €100 gift voucher, along with their personalised mug. Pictured are (l-r): Ann Marie Finucane, Brand Manager, Unilever; Rachel Murtagh, Account Manager, Kinetic; Rory Sweeney, Senior Account Manager, Mindshare; and Jane Butler, Specialist Account Executive, JCDecaux.

Mace Signs Johnny Sexton MACE has teamed up with Ireland and Lions superstar out-half, Johnny Sexton, as their Brand Ambassador for two years, and to launch the partnership, they’re offering a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of a coaching masterclass to one lucky school or club around Ireland. “We are very excited to have Johnny signed up to be the face of Mace for the next two years,” noted Daniel O’Connell, Mace Sales Director.

“It is a major coup for the Mace brand and we are thrilled that our first initiative with him is a community one, whereby we are encouraging local children to engage in some acts of kindness in their communities to be in with a chance to win a training master camp for their school or club with Johnny.”

Johnny Sexton is pictured with Matthew McKenna, Ben McDonnell and Tara Coffey at the launch of the initiative.

Spar Retailers Support Cystic Fibrosis Ireland SPAR retailers stepped out in numbers recently to support Cystic Fibrosis Ireland’s Head2Head Walk through some of Dublin’s most picturesque landmarks, as the 24-mile route took in the beautiful surrounds of Dublin Bay, starting at Howth Head and finishing at Bray Head. Spar Ireland’s association with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland goes back to 2017 when it was unveiled as Spar’s national charity partner for a two-year period, with Spar retailers pledging to raise €300,000.

This a figure has already been surpassed, with Spar Sales Director Colin Donnelly presenting the charity with a cheque for more than €380,000. Pictured are (l-r): Colin Donnelly, Spar Sales Director; Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods; Helen Somerville, Spar Marketing Manager; Leo Crawford, Group Chief Executive, BWG Group; Philip Watt, CEO, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland; and Fergal Smyth, Fundraising Manager, Cystic Fibrosis Ireland.

Listowel Named Ireland’s Tidiest Town LISTOWEL, Co. Kerry has been named as Ireland’s Tidiest Town for 2018. In this, the 60th Anniversary year of the TidyTowns competition, Listowel was best of a record number of 883 entries from towns and villages throughout the country in the SuperValu National TidyTowns competition. “SuperValu is committed to building thriving, sustainable communities across the country and SuperValu TidyTowns is one of the best ways for us to achieve this. We are delighted to have been involved in the TidyTowns competition for the past 27 years and look forward to continuing to work with communities in the coming years,” noted Martin Kelleher, Managing Director, SuperValu, pictured (centre) with Julie Gleeson, Chairperson, Listowel Tidy Towns, Michael Ring TD, Minister for Rural and Community Development, and the Listowel TidyTowns Committee.

Work Begins on Lidl’s €100m Distribution Centre

WORK has commenced on a new €100m distribution centre and regional headquarters for Lidl in Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

The new facility, a key part of Lidl Ireland’s €200m investment programme for 2018, is expected to be completed by November 2019. Once completed, the 54,000m² distribution centre will be equivalent in size to three Aviva stadia and will create 100 new full-time positions, adding to the 250 staff already employed in the existing Newbridge distribution centre. The new distribution centre will serve Lidl’s network of stores in the Leinster area. Pictured are Eamon Booth, Managing Director, John Paul Construction; Alan Barry, Director of Property and Central Services, Lidl; Maureen Bergin, President of the County Kildare Chamber; and Peter Carey, CEO, Kildare County Council.

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12|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News

Centra Making Living Well Easy LESS than half of Irish people eat five or more portions of fruit and veg a day and 18% don’t eat any fruit and veg on a daily basis, according to the Healthy Ireland Survey 2017. Centra’s Live Well takes the complexity out of healthy living and makes it easy to incorporate healthy eating into the daily routine. Rugby legend Donncha O’Callaghan, the ambassador for Centra Live Well, said, “I know as well as anyone that eating healthily isn’t always easy but Centra have made it as easy as possible to make sure you stay on track with living well on the go and at home. Live Well on Centra.ie has hundreds of easy recipes for everything from smoothies to stir fries, so there’s no excuse to not have a new healthy meal every day. And for those that don’t always have time for meal prep, there are loads of healthy options in store from Super Green Veggie boxes to Spinach Protein Pots.”

Aldi Announces €9m Mushroom Deal ALDI has announced a new €9m contract with Codd Mushrooms, which will see the Carlow-based mushroom business supply Aldi stores with 13.3m packs of mushrooms over two years, representing a volume growth of 600% between Aldi and the family-run business, who first began supplying Aldi in April 2007.

Pictured announcing the new deal at the 2018 National Ploughing Championships are Paul Scally, Buying Director, Aldi Ireland; Leslie Codd, Managing Director of Codd Mushrooms, and Andrew Doyle TD, Minister of State for Food, Forestry and Horticulture.

Rustlers Kick Off Third Level Football Season RUSTLERS are once again the sponsor of Third Level Football for the 2018/19 season. Over 110 teams are set to put down their books and lace up their boots in the upcoming season of the Colleges and Universities Football League, which kicked off on October 9. “We are very excited to mark the launch of the second year of the Rustlers partnership with this series,” said Adrian Lawlor, Marketing and Business Development Director, Kepak. “Last year was a real success and in conjunction with the FAI and the third level governing bodies, we really raised the profile of and excitement around third level football in Ireland.” Pictured are Conor Kane of Maynooth University, Daire O’Connor of UCD, Niamh Farrelly of DCU and Megan Smyth-Lynch of IT Carlow, during the Rustlers Third Level Season Launch at FAI HQ, Dublin.

Fyffes Support Irish Amputee Footballers FYFFES has signedup to support the Irish Amputee Football Association with the launch of ‘The Fyffes Cup’, a three-way cup competition which was played at Oriel Park, Dundalk, on September 22.

Irish international amputee footballer Garry Hoey is pictured with Irish professional football coach and former player Damien Duff and Emma HuntDuffy from Fyffes at the launch of ‘The Fyffes Cup’.

FoodCentral Welcomes Oakland International FoodCentral, an Irish company wholly owned by the Keeling family, recently welcomed Oakland International, a supply chain specialist company, to the international food park in a €4.5m investment. William Keeling (left), CEO, FoodCentral, welcomes Dean Attwell, CEO, Oakland International, to his new premises at the international food park, located beside Dublin Airport.

Table for one.

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14|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News Tesco Offers Free Deliveries to Over-65s TESCO Ireland has launched a new initiative offering free deliveries for over-65s when they shop online. It was launched to coincide with the International Day of Older Persons, which seeks to support full and effective participation of older persons in the community. The new initiative was supported by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation and Age Action Ireland.

The free Tesco deliveries will operate across Ireland from 3pm7pm, Monday-Saturday, subject to a minimum spend of €50.

Pictured at the launch of the new initiative are Tesco delivery driver William McDonnell and Interim CEO of Age Action Ireland, Anna McCabe; with Ringsend natives Florence Keating (aged 84) and Kathleen Delamare (aged 90).

One4all Launches Design a Gift Card Competition THE One4all Design a Gift Card competition has returned, and the 2018 judging panel is on the lookout for Ireland’s up and coming creatives, hoping to give them a head start with their career. Now entering its sixth year, the annual competition gives artists and designers across the country the incredible opportunity to gain national exposure for their work, with the winning design being turned into a gift card and sold in An Post outlets nationwide and online at One4all.ie in 2019. Pictured is popular photographer Damien Broderick, one of the judges for the competition. For more information, see One4all.ie/design.

BWG Foodservice Launches Christmas Brochure BWG Foodservice has launched its exclusive new look and feel Christmas Brochure 2018 to showcase its sumptuous seasonal range at an industry event at the Red Cow Moran Hotel, which saw BWG bring customers through a sampling session across all major seasonal categories, while introducing them to exciting new offerings, all back-dropped against their vibrant Christmas Brochure. Exclusive to the BWG Foodservice Christmas Brochure is an industry-first calorie tracker, allowing customers to look up the calories of foods included in the brochure quickly and simply. Pictured are (l-r): Ricky O’Brien, Head of BWG Foodservice; Karla Murray, Head of BWG Foodservice Trading; Jody Condon, Territory Manager, Excellence; Louise O’Donohue, Sales Manager, O’Donohue’s Bakery and The Penny Loaf Company; Brian Howard, Sales Manager, Coolhull Farm (Paganini).

Crossreagh National School Wins €10k in Keelings Competition KEELINGS was delighted to award its €10,000 Berry Breakfast Week prize to Crossreagh National School in Cavan this year.

Leon, a third class pupil, sent the winning 250-word essay into the Ian Dempsey Breakfast Show on Today FM when his teacher,

Sinead Mulreany, also principal at the school, set the task for the 26 children in third class during Berry Breakfast Week in September. School pupils are pictured with Sinead Mulreany (left), Crossreagh NS Principal and teacher of third class; Cathy Fox, Cavan native and Keelings Brand Manager; and Today FM’s Ian Dempsey, who broadcast his breakfast show from the school.

Candarel Research into Women's Work/Life Balance A THIRD of Irish women are unsatisfied with their work/life balance, according to new research conducted by Canderel, Ireland’s leading low-calorie sweetener. Of those who participated in the research, just under a half worked both inside and outside the home, leading busy lives as a result.

Despite this, 48% feel that they could take on anything with the right work/life balance and a further 49% said that they get that balance through ensuring they have some ‘me time’. According to the research findings however, we’re busier than ever as a nation and are finding different ways to practise ‘self-care’ or take time for ourselves.

The research coincides with the launch of a new campaign from Canderel, designed to help Irish women find the ‘can’ in their day. Pictured are broadcaster Anna Daly, along with social media influencers Courtney Smith, Triona McCarthy and Laura Cunningham, at an exclusive panel event by Canderel.

THE CHOICE FOR PRICE AND QUALITY

Blue 20’s Price €10.20* Red 20’s Price €10.20*

*RRP June 2018 Recommended Retail Price as declared for Tobacco Products Tax purposes only. This communication is for the information of tobacco traders only and should not be left on display or distributed further. Pack images are for illustration purposes only and do not represent actual packs produced by Philip Morris for retail sale.

SMOKING KILLS Irish Government Warning

16|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Shop Profile

The Future of Retailing Hits DCU RETAIL NEWS travels to Dublin City University to visit Ireland’s newest Londis store and find out how and why this shop is so unique, from intention to execution.

ACCORDING to Dublin City University’s own figures, it is the fastest growing university in Ireland, with over 50,000 graduates to date from five different faculties, having developed a reputation for expertise in business, science and technology. The ambitious nature of the college is reflected in the cutting edge technology and high level of investment that DCU has made in its new campus shop.

“We have always had a shop on campus,” Donnie Christian, Retail Manager for Campus Property, tells RETAIL NEWS. “However, a couple of years ago, the University decided to make an investment in campus retail. We wanted to create a facility that reflected the

values of the college, faculty and students.

The plan was to create a cutting-edge shop that perfectly served the needs of its customers and enriched the lives of the people using it.”

DCU subsequently contacted all the country’s major symbol groups about the project, Donnie reveals, and “it was Londis in particular that stood out for us.

They wanted to make this project the most technologically advanced shop for the brand in the country and that was the type of ambition we had ourselves.”

DCU is looking to position itself as a global leader, as the college seeks to unearth discoveries that resonate around the world. The idea behind the campus

Pictured at the launch of Londis DCU, Ireland’s most sustainable convenience store, are (l-r): Terry O'Brien, Londis Regional Manager; Donnie Christian, DCU Retail Manager; President of DCU, Brian MacCraith; Dave Walsh, Londis DCU; Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director; and Sean Lavin, Londis Head of Sales.

The Bia Blás deli is proving extremely popular with shoppers at Londis DCU. Londis is that a university that is to the fore of its field should have a campus shop that is at the forefront of retailing.

A Cut Above the Rest From the moment you enter the shop, it is obvious to customers that this shop is a cut above the rest. However, a huge amount of the innovation in the shop is almost invisible to the eye, as it lies in the vast array of technology that has been expertly integrated to allow the store to function perfectly.

There is no paper present in any of the shelftalkers or on shelf pricing. Every product has an individual eSEL, which makes price changes faster and more accurate. A product can simply have its price changed on the back-end and the system will update the till and change the price on the shelf to match, making it virtually impossible for any customer to be charged incorrectly.

At the moment, Donnie is also using the system to offer extra value and create excitement. He can take a single product line, drop the price for one hour, and the system automatically updates the price on the shelf and subsequently illuminates LEDs around the shelf talker to draw further attention to the offer. At the second the promotion ends, the system

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie | 17

Shop Profile own pizza offering at the rear of the shop, which creates fresh pizzas in five minutes.

Strong Ambient Grocery Offering As well as offering this large array of food-to-go elements, the shop has a strong ambient grocery offering. “As well as students living on campus and present during the day, we also have

The 3,500 square feet store boasts a strong ambient grocery offering. in Ireland to offer them and it is the first self-serve till that Retail Solutions has created. “Everyone we have worked with on this project has ended up developing their business and their technology,” High Tech Enhancements Donnie reveals. “This is a state-owned Technology permeates the interior of facility and, as well as creating the best the shop. The shelves are constantly shop for our campus, we wanted to create filmed and scrutinised by Panasonic a shop that would drive standards in The shop features an extremely technology, meaning that not only can retail in Ireland; we wanted to create an impressive Bewley’s Coffee Dock, Donnie check on how sales of every example of how much you can achieve offering Fair Trade coffee, Ireland’s product are doing, the system will today.” only 20oz cup and all cups in the line A very obvious are compostable. technological improvement is the fitted doors on the chill 5,000 faculty members that can use the freezer. The entire length is shop and a lot of people living in the local covered, which is still quite area who need to pop to the shops as unusual in Ireland. Donnie well,” Donnie explains. “We know exactly explains that the doors are what sells, and how often, and we can partly experimental: “I was use technology to make sure we offer as told initially that fully covering many of the products that our customer the chill areas with doors needs as we can. This is more than just a was not needed. Heating and campus shop; this is part of a project to cooling systems have become enrich the lives of DCU students - that is very efficient, but we have at the forefront of our minds at all times, been greedy for more on this and that is the measure of our success.” project, more of the best, and The DCU Campus Londis is a we wanted to see just how stunning example of just how high Londis DCU has its own pizza offering at the rear of much could be saved by adding standards have reached in Irish grocery the shop, which creates fresh pizzas in five minutes. doors. The numbers currently retail. The integration of technology and suggest that the doors will ambition has created a shop that stands also send alerts whenever a product is have fully paid for themselves in four out from its peers and sets an example running low on shelf stock. years due to reduced heating costs.” for others to follow.

According to Donnie, “the shelf The shop features monitoring cameras are something the an extremely impressive FACT FILE: customers are not aware of, but the Bewley’s Coffee Dock, Owner: DCU Campus Property purpose they serve is to remove outoffering Fair Trade coffee, of-stock issues from the shop. We are Ireland’s only 20oz cup Location: Dublin City University here to make sure our customers can and all cups in the line Size: 3,500 square feet quickly and easily get what they need and are compostable. The Bia No. of Staff: 35 full time & part time technology is at the heart of our ability to Blás deli will complement Opening Hours: 08:00-22:00, Monday-Saturday; do that.” the soon to arrive Subway Another first for the shop is the concession and the 14:00-22:00, Sunday. self-serve tills. This is the first Londis university also has its automatically corrects the shelf and till price, making the timed offer fool-proof, and very appealing to cash conscious students.

18|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Retail Ireland: Monthly Update RETAIL IRELAND RESPONDS TO GIFT VOUCHER CONSULTATION IN August, Retail Ireland made a submission to the public consultation on gift voucher fees and expiry dates.

The purpose of the public consultation was to gather information and views on gift voucher fees, in order to assist the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys TD, in deciding on the level of fees, if any, that should apply going forward. The consultation also seeks views on the proposal to implement a minimum fiveyear voucher life. In July, the Minister announced that the Government had approved the General Scheme of the Unfair Contract Terms (Gift Vouchers) Bill 2018.

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Retail Ireland’s submission made the following recommendations: • Retail Ireland has no opposition to the proposed

minimum five-year term for gift vouchers; Retail Ireland would ask that fees or charges reflect the economic reality of managing a gift voucher system and that industry is consulted on the appropriate rate of such fees or charges; Retail Ireland believes that gift vouchers should not be included within the scope of application of the Bill, where the stored monetary value constitutes e-money and the issuer is subject to regulation under the E-Money Directive; The Bill should only apply to gift vouchers issued by non-regulated entities where the stored monetary value does not constitute e-money.

Momentum on Insurance Reform Building but More Still to be Done IN September, the Personal Injuries Commission released the second in a series of reports into various aspects of the personal injury awards system in Ireland. Following an extensive benchmarking process, the report has found that Irish whiplash/ soft tissue injury awards are 4.4 times greater than UK awards.

The Personal Injuries Commission was established under the Cost of Insurance Working Group and was mandated to investigate and make recommendations on processes in other jurisdictions which could enhance the claims process in Ireland.

It was further tasked with benchmarking international personal injury awards against those in Ireland and reporting on potential alternative compensation and resolution models.

In relation to the benchmarking of awards, the Commission compares whiplash awards in the UK (specifically England and Wales) with Irish awards. The conclusion that Irish awards are 4.4 times higher than UK awards is based on an analysis of awards, capped at €50,000. At this level, the average Irish payment is €17,338, compared to a UK average of €3,798. Capped at €100,000, the average Irish award is €19,862 or 4.9 times higher than the UK awards. Capped at €25,000, the average Irish award is €13,336 or 3.35 times higher than the average UK award.

As part of their work, the Commission met with a delegation from Retail Ireland earlier this year to hear the concerns of the retail sector in this regard.

The report makes a number of recommendations: • A Judicial Council should be established to compile guidelines for appropriate general damages for various types of personal injury; • That the Bill to establish the Judicial Council be progressed through the Oireachtas as quickly as possible; • Noting that the Law Reform Commission has been requested to analyse the possibility of developing constitutionally sound legislation to cap awards, the Commission recommended that this analysis be informed by the Commission’s findings; • The Commission rejected the proposal for a ‘care not cash’ system, on the grounds that it is incompatible with EU law;

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That where insurers deal directly with claimants, no offer of settlement should be made until a medical report has been obtained; Claimants must give prompt notification of claims; The Commission recommends the establishment of an Irish Garda Fraud Investigation Bureau; Insurers should step-up their anti-fraud capacity through the recruitment of trained personnel and the use of technology; That insurers adopt the World Health Organisation’s ICD-10 system; That the insurance industry establishes a national medical research study on the prevention and management of soft tissue/whiplash injuries.

This report follows the recently published Personal Injuries Assessment Board (Amendment) (No.2) Bill 2018, which addresses cases of non-co-operation, such as non–attendance at medicals and refusal to provide details of special damages.

Retail Ireland, in our paper ‘Tackling rising insurance costs’, seeks an overhaul of Ireland’s personal injury regime.

We, therefore, welcome the publication of the Injuries Commission report and the publishing of the PIAB Reform Bill.

Nevertheless, our current personal injury awards regime continues to add an unnecessary cost burden to Irish retailers and is limiting our sector’s ability to grow, create jobs and deliver value and choice to Irish consumers. Change must come quickly. Therefore, we will continue to urge Government to implement the recommendations of the various reports published on this subject in recent months and to progress the necessary legislative change without delay.

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The Retail News Interview

Bobby Dazzler!

Bobby Kerr is one of the leading lights promoting Team Green, a Repak initiative to help increase plastic recycling in the workplace.

BOBBY Kerr is one of the most recognisable business-people in Ireland.

The former CEO and Chairman of Insomnia Coffee was a former dragon on RTE’s Dragon’s Den and continues to be a regular on TV screens across the country, while his voice is instantly recognisable as the host of Newstalk’s weekly Down To Business and Bobby’s Late Breakfast radio shows.

He retired from Insomnia after two decades at the coal-face at the beginning of this year (“I had 20 good years and enjoyed every day”), but he’s now taken on a new challenge, as one of the faces of Repak’s Team Green initiative, along with Olympic medallists Paul and Gary O’Donovan, and Annalise Murphy; Republic of Ireland football legend, Paul McGrath; and bestselling cookery author and entrepreneur Roz Purcell.

Team Green is designed to educate the Irish public on the importance

of recycling more. By joining Team Green, Irish residents are showing a commitment to increasing the nation’s recycling levels and support for Ireland to achieve its future recycling targets, particularly regarding plastics.

Improving Recycling Rates at Work According to the findings of a new research study commissioned by Repak, 38% admit that they are a better recycler at home than at work. Of those, 14% cite that their recycling personality is different in the workplace and ultimately, not as good, because they don’t have to worry about getting rid of the waste in work. Yet 65% said that they would be more inclined to work for an environmentally friendly organisation.

So has Irish business has grasped the importance of recycling and sustainability, rather than merely paying lip service to the concept?

“I don’t think we have really grasped it,” Bobby muses. “I was looking at some research recently which said that 95% of people wanted to recycle in the workplace but only 25% have access to recycling. So I really don’t think employers have done enough to put things in situ to make it easy to recycle.

It’s amazing that people could be great at recycling at home but when it comes to work, because the facilities aren’t there or possibly because somebody else is looking after the rubbish, they just don’t have the same commitment.

All it would take is one piece of plastic a week from each member of the Irish workforce to be recycled to see an additional 250m pieces of plastic recycled over the course of a year, so it would make a big difference.”

Simplicity is the key to improved recycling rates at work, according to Bobby. “The employer needs to make it

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie|21

The Retail News Interview easy for people to recycle. If it becomes complicated, it just won’t happen,” he argues “So maybe start with two bins and see how you go from there, until you have a culture built up around recycling.

But to overwhelm people with too many options on the first day wouldn’t be a good idea either.”

Plastic Not So Fantastic Over the last 20 years, Ireland has been one of the most successful countries in Europe for recycling plastics, recycling 35% of plastic and surpassing every target set by the EU. However, by 2025 plastic recycling rates will increase to 50% and then 55% by 2030.

“When you look at the momentum that has grown up around plastic, it’s been driven by these horrific scenes in the Pacific Ocean of all this discarded plastic and the damage it is causing,” Bobby notes.

“I don’t think that people were aware of that, even though it’s been going on for years, but everyone knows about it now. I think social media has played its part there, in a positive way, in making people aware. I also think that when people see that kind of destruction, it helps them to decide to put their plastic into the right bin because I don’t think anyone wants to

have even an indirect responsibility for something like that.”

Single use plastics, in particular, have come under fire over the course of the last year as media coverage continued to highlight the tonnes of plastic clogging up our oceans, with some high profile examples like David Attenborough’s Planet Earth II TV show really illustrating the environmental impact of plastic on our seas. Given his history as CEO and Chairman of Insomnia, this is a subject close to Bobby’s heart.

“I’m only out of Insomnia just over six months, and during the end of my tenure I was desperately trying to find a solution, to find a compostable cup and there wasn’t a decent one on the market,” he reveals. “There is now. It was an example of where the consumer passed out the manufacturer in terms of a ‘want’ and everybody was looking for high quality compostable cups, which weren’t to be had. Pressure from the consumer has made great strides there.”

But surely these compostable cups which are hitting the market now weren’t invented in the last six weeks…

“No but they were pretty much invented in the last 12 months or less,” he argues.

Finding a compostable lid for takeaway coffee cups proved even more difficult than the cup itself, according to Kerr: “A lot of coffee companies now have compostable cups but ask them about the lids and they become silent.

The Insomnia lid is compostable, at considerable cost, but it is there now.”

The Compostable Challenges However, even the advent of the compostable cup brings its own challenge, according to the former Insomnia boss: “If you buy a cup of coffee from Insomnia, you’re going somewhere with it: you’re taking a paper cup and leaving the premises. Wherever you go is where the recycling needs to happen. Nobody is going to drink a takeout coffee and carry the cup around for hours before recycling it, so for many of us, the place for that coffee cup to be recycled is back in the workplace.”

Another potential concern is over the contamination of recycled waste, with Kerr arguing that “recycling depots need to invest in technology to deal with the materials on the market”.

The move towards re-usable cups brings another challenge that needs to be looked at, according to Kerr. “In America, most of the coffee bought is filter coffee, which they then drink

Picture shows from left World Rowing Champions Gary and Paul O’Donovan; Roz Purcell; Annalise Murphy; Paul McGrath; and Bobby Kerr officially launching Team Green.

22|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

The Retail News Interview black. Over here, milk-based coffee is the most prevalent, whether it’s a flat white, a latte or a cappuccino, so if you leave a cup in your car, with milk in it, it’s going to smell bad after 24 hours. So when a customer arrives into a coffee shop with a reusable cup, is the customer meant to have washed it or do they hand the person behind the counter a dirty cup? Those kind of things haven’t been entirely worked out. You certainly don’t want to poison somebody on the basis of being a good recycler.”

These challenges will be overcome, however, as the move towards compostable cups has gathered huge momentum and is driving the market.

“Anybody who isn’t at that party is well behind the 8-ball now,” Bobby avows. “All the major players, Costa, Starbucks, Insomnia, are all there now.”

Doing Their Civic Duty So what does Bobby hope that Team Green will achieve in terms of recycling in Ireland?

“For businesses, we want to make people more aware of recycling,” he avows. “We want employers to provide bins and make a bit of an effort. I think if that were to happen, the employees would follow suit: employers just need to make it a bit easier for people to do their civic duty and recycle.”

For commercial business employers and employees to join Team Green, simply go to www.repak.ie/teamgreen, click the ‘Team Green at Work’ bar and sign the Team Green at work pledge.

Every month from October 1, 2018, Repak will be giving away €500 to a lucky Team Green environmental champion to spend with a Repak member of their choice.

Recycling Facts • If every person in Ireland recycled just one more water bottle per week, we’d recycle an extra 7,000 tonnes of plastic per year; • If the Irish public washed and dried their recyclable items and put them loosely in the recycling bin, we can reduce recycling bin contamination by 40% and prevent 2,000 tonnes of waste from landfill; • Recycling an extra 2L milk carton a week per person would increase recycling levels by 9,492 tonnes; • Even recycling one extra yogurt carton per week would increase plastic recycling tonnage by 799 tonnes.

Bobby Kerr: “I really don’t think employers have done enough to put things in situ to make it easy to recycle.”

“

When you look at the momentum that has grown up around plastic, it’s been driven by these horrific scenes in the Pacific Ocean of all this discarded plastic and the damage it is causing, I don’t think that people were aware of that, even though it’s been going on for years, but everyone knows about it now. I think social media has played its part there, in a positive way, in making people aware. I also think that when people see that kind of destruction, it helps them to decide to put their plastic into the right bin because I don’t think anyone wants to have even an indirect responsibility for something like that.

”

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24|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Gala Annual Conference

Gala Celebrates 20 Years of Success Gala Retail celebrated its milestone 20th year at its recent annual conference, which also saw the Gala B.E.S.T Awards presented, recognising Gala convenience stores across Ireland for excellence in retail.

CONTINUING the celebrations of its milestone 20th year in business, Irish convenience group, Gala Retail held its 2018 conference at the Killashee Hotel in Naas recently. The focus of the conference centred around the group’s continued success in community retailing, the growth of the Gala brand and the future vision for Gala.

Attended by the majority of Gala retailers, the annual Gala Retail conference was hosted by actress and TV personality, Aoibhín Garrihy, with featured entertainment from renowned Irish actor and comedian, Risteárd Cooper.

A look back at the growth and milestones of the Group since it was founded in 1998 highlighted how Gala Retail’s focus on ‘local’ and ‘community’ values, combined with ongoing innovation, continues to deliver success for the Group and its 200 retailers throughout Ireland.

CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond addresses retailers and guests at the annual Gala Group Conference 2018.

The Gala B.E.S.T Awards were hosted by TV presenter and actress, Aoibhín Garrihy.

Commenting on Gala’s 20th year, CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond, said, “It is incredible to be celebrating the successes of the Gala Group in its 20th year in business. Gala was created by a group of Irish wholesalers in 1998, who collectively had the vision to launch an Irish convenience group that put ‘community retailing’ front and centre for shoppers. To look back at the group’s achievements over the years reinforces the success that this vision has cultivated, and how the group has grown in an extremely competitive sector.

“20 years on and our ‘local’ and ‘community’ values are still central for the Gala Group today,” Gary continued.

“Our ‘Gala Gifts’ marketing campaign for our 20th year has already thanked thousands of shoppers for their custom with holidays, car giveaways and consumer incentives. We’ve given €20,000 to schools and in November, we’ll be launching our biggest ever consumer promotion.”

#GalaGifts A key focus of the conference was on the success of the group’s 20th year marketing activity. Under the umbrella of #GalaGifts, the group has committed €1m to promotions and initiatives that reward Gala customers and the communities they live in for their valued custom over the years, with Gala staying true to its tagline - ‘the national brand with local focus’.

Kicking off the celebrations, the group ran its biggest ever social media giveaway in December, giving away the prize of a brand new car, following a massive social media campaign that generated huge levels of engagement and interaction and growing its Facebook audience even further through the activity.

Following on from this, the symbol group rewarded three primary schools in Ireland with sums totalling €20,000 as part of the ‘Gala Gifts for Schools’ initiative. Hundreds of schools from

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Gala Annual Conference has run since it first partnered with Special Olympics Ireland at the 2015 Special Olympics World Summer Games, the brand activation at the event included a Gala Zone for supporters, while actress and TV personality, Aoibhín Garrihy acted as roving reporter, gathering #GalaSpecialMoments from athletes, volunteers and family and friends.

The Group continues its Gala presented its ‘New Street Deli’ concept, a new partnership with Special concept which introduces an innovative street food Olympics Team Ireland inspired menu to its deli offering, using compostable as the team prepare for and versatile recyclable food packaging and cutlery. the upcoming Special Olympics World Summer across Ireland entered the competition Games, which will take place in Abu to secure funds for their school Dhabi in March 2019. improvement projects and based on the success of ‘Gala Gifts for Schools’, Gala Looking to the Future plan to continue this activity next year.

Innovation in retailing has been As the halfway point in 2018 particularly important for Gala, especially approached, Gala continued with its in recent years, as shopper behaviour #GalaGifts, launching a huge in-store changes and the retail climate continues giveaway, giving customers the chance to evolve. Keeping ahead of the curve over to win a trip to a variety of European the years, the Group introduced chilled destinations, including Paris, Rome, distribution, Gala own-brand products Lisbon, Barcelona, and Vienna, which and fresh in-store concepts, and this year saw five lucky winners winning holidays worth €1500 each.

Gala continue to introduce a vibrant and modern brand refresh that reflects the innovative and progressive nature of the Gala offering.

In addition to building on the success of recent key concepts such as Baker’s Corner and Coffee Junction, Gala Retail introduced two new concepts to retailers at its annual trade fair.

New Street Deli is a new deli offering from Gala, created to complement and reflect the updated modern look of the rebranded deli areas in-store. New Street Deli introduces an innovative street food inspired menu, with offerings ranging from New Street Spice Boxes and Messy Taco Fries to ontrend Healthy Protein Salad Boxes and New Fusion Wraps.

The new ‘Street Box’ features compostable and versatile packaging for food in which consumers can enjoy their menu choices on the go, complete with a compostable knife and fork, which can simply be disposed of in the recycling bin once finished.

The second new concept sees Gala introduce its own fresh whipped ice cream and dessert station, Galato. The Galato offering will comprise of a range of chilled dessert options, including icecream, milkshakes and desserts, with a twist.

Grace O’Brien from the Team Connaught Basketball Team, pictured at the Special Olympics Ireland Games 2018, where she was presented with the Gala Fair Play Award by Tony Cluskey, Marketing & Ambient Trading Manager at Gala Retail.

Sponsorships The Gala Group continued its partnership with Special Olympics Ireland as the Ireland Games 2018 took place in Dublin in June, with the group donating 66,000 bottles of water to athletes and volunteers, as well as presenting a daily ‘Gala Fair Play Award’ for athletes during the four-day event.

Building on its successful #GalaSpecialMoments campaign, which

Pictured at the prize presentation for the winner of the Gala Gifts for Schools competition, Caherline National School, are (back row, l-r): Paul Cluskey, Gala Retail Executive; Andy Chen, Gala, Ashtown Centre, Courtbrack; Billy Massey, Retail Operations Manager; and Tony Cluskey, Marketing Manager, Gala Retail; (seated, l-r): Flora Crowe, Gala Sixmilebridge; student Emmeline Power (aged 5); teacher, Orlagh Eickholz; TV actress and personality Aoibhín Garrihy; student Kate Lynch; and Susan O’Connor, Gala, Ballysimon.

26|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Gala Annual Conference cars, as well as 150,000 instant prizes to be won in-store.

The activity will be delivered in stores throughout the country, supported by a national radio campaign and will deliver footfall for Gala retailers by rewarding the group’s loyal customer base with #GalaGifts.

Gala’s own in-store coffee offering, Coffee Junction.

Seasonal offerings will include the Halloween Spooky Banana Boat, Christmas Hot Waffle & Ice Cream with Cinnamon Sprinkles; Valentine’s Day mini filled donuts with strawberry topping and a St. Patrick’s Day green and gold sundae. The offering taps into the upturn in consumer demand and popularity of frozen desserts and is a great addition to Gala’s expanding concept range.

Highlighting the individuality of the Gala Group, CEO, Gary Desmond, says, “With a focus on maintaining local and community retailing, we recognise the changing requirements of consumers in the communities in which we operate and the need to create innovative, modern concepts

that will deliver for our retailers and their customers.

“It’s this diversification of offerings and concepts that keeps the Gala Group modern and relevant to retailers and drives consumers to continue to shop in their local Gala store.”

Major Consumer Promotion As the Gala Group continues its 20th year celebrations, November will see the group launch another element of its #GalaGifts activity with a huge in-store consumer promotion of #GalaGifts for consumers, with a prize fund in excess of €400,000.

The activity will feature a range of prizes up for grabs for Gala consumers, including the chance to win brand new

Marketing & Ambient Trading Manager at Gala Retail, Tony Cluskey is pictured with owners of Bracken’s Gala, Winners of the Brand Champion Award, Maeve and Kevin Bracken, along with award presenter, Tony Costigan, Sales Capability Manager, Mondelez Ireland, and Awards host, Aoibhín Garrihy.

A ‘Gala’ Trade Event Packed with almost 80 suppliers, this year’s Gala trade expo took place at the Trackside Pavilion at Punchestown and was a widely regarded success, with the retailers attending and availing of ‘showonly’ offers, while suppliers benefited from valuable one-to-one time with Gala retailers from across the country.

JTI were named as Gala Supplier of the Year, with David Dowling collecting the award from Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail.

Commenting on suppliers’ commitment to the expo, Gary Desmond noted, “Over the past 20 years, Gala suppliers have and continue to make great efforts for the group and its retailers, not only at the trade show and conference, but throughout the year.

The trade expo provides both retailers and suppliers with opportunities to discuss and explore new innovations and products, as well as offering retailers the opportunities to avail of exceptional offers, to the benefit of both parties.

“Our relationships with suppliers are an integral part of the Gala mix, which enables us to continue to deliver great value, quality produce and excellent service to our customers,” the CEO continued.

JTI was named Supplier of the Year at the Gala B.E.S.T awards. Pictured receiving the award are Ian McManus and David Dowling from JTI with Gary Desmond, CEO, Gala Retail (centre).

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Gala Annual Conference Simply the B.E.S.T from Gala Also taking place at the Gala Group’s annual conference was the annual Gala B.E.S.T store awards ceremony, which saw a host of Gala convenience stores from throughout Ireland receiving awards for excellence in retail.

A record number of B.E.S.T. awards were presented, with 53 stores from across the country being recognised for excellence in retailing and 11 Category Awards presented, including the Marketing Initiative and Supplier of the Year awards, among others.

The B.E.S.T Award is awarded following a comprehensive and independent assessment process under the Gala Business Excellence Standards Tool programme and is an accolade all Gala stores aspire to win.

“We offer our congratulations to the winning stores,” enthused Gary Desmond. “These stores provide a fantastic service to their customers, day in, day out, and are amongst the B.E.S.T retailers in the Gala Group.

“It is fitting that during the Gala Group’s 20th year, as we celebrate the continued success and innovation of the group, that a record number of stores have secured this accolade. We wish all our award winners another successful year and look forward to the stores retaining their excellent standards throughout the year.’’

Eric Nolan, Senior National Account Manager, Aryzta Food Solutions, is pictured with John McDermott of McDermott’s Gala, recipient of the Fresh Food Award, along with Audrey Kelly, Fresh, Frozen Trading & Logistics Manager at Gala Retail, and host of the Gala B.E.S.T Awards, Aoibhín Garrihy.

Category Winners: • • • • • • • • •

• • • •

Customer Service Award: Flynn’s Gala, Glenties Alcohol Award : Hanlon’s Gala, Longford Fresh Food Award : McDermott’s Gala, Patrickswell Bakers Corner Award : Murphy’s Gala, Kanturk Marketing Initiative Award : McGloin’s Gala, Belmullet Community Initiative Award : Larkin’s Gala, Ballina In Store Champion Award : Louise Bolton, Maunsell’s Gala, Tullamore Manager of the Year Award : James Dobbs, Cullen’s Gala, Adamstown Fresh Food Manager of the Year Award : Gwen Culbert, Mulrooney’s Gala, Roscrea Brand Champion Award : Bracken’s Gala, Portlaoise Chilled Retailer Award : Gala Station Road, Ballina Supplier of the Year 2018 : JTI Ireland Special Merit Award : Sean Merrins, Merrin’s Gala, Naas.

Caroline O’Connor, Customer & Operations Support Manager at Gala Retail, and Mark Ahern, Sales Director, Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ireland, present Louise Bolton of Maunsell’s Gala with the In-Store Champion Award at the annual Gala Group Conference, with MC Aoibhín Garrihy.

David Dowling, Head of Trading, JTI is pictured with James Dobbs from Cullen’s Gala in Adamstown, who received the Manager of the Year Award, along with Retail Operations Manager at Gala Retail, Billy Massey, and host of the Gala B.E.S.T Awards, Aoibhín Garrihy.

28|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

New Research

Surprising Results from Shopper Survey

The HIM Irish Grocery Shopper Report 2018 highlights the opportunities that exist for retailers and suppliers in the Irish market.

THE latest research into the Irish grocery sector by HIM research & consulting, part of William Reed Business Media, makes interesting reading for both retailers and the companies who supply them.

Their annual syndicated research into the Irish grocery shopper takes an in depth look at key year-on-year trends that are impacting the sector, identifying opportunities for growth and challenges that may be on the horizon. Furthermore, the report benchmarks retailers against each other across a range of different satisfaction categories such as range,

availability and service.

The latest report includes information on: • The channels that shoppers are using; • Why they are visiting these stores; • Which retailers are performing best; • What the future looks like for Ireland and what can we expect to see in future shopper behaviour?

So what are the biggest surprises to come out of the report?

“What surprised us was the consistently high rankings of discounters, who seem to have ticked virtually all boxes for shoppers,”

explains Richard Bissett, Country Manager – Ireland, HIM. “We know from Tesco’s resurgence in the last 18 months that this is a very dynamic market, so both Aldi and Lidl will need to continue with their efforts.

Forecourts are also performing better than we might have expected in hot drinks. This offer had delivered function over form for years, but now it seems to delight the consumer more often than not.”

Where Are We Shopping?

At a retailer level, the traditional multiples still dominate among recent

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New Research shops, with discounters a close second. With the top up mission growing, this highlights the ability of these stores to attract shoppers on various missions.

Across all Irish grocery market channels, footfall is widely spread, with shoppers utilising supermarkets, discounters, convenience stores and forecourts.

Data from the HIM Irish Grocery Shopper Report 2018 substantiates this and highlights the opportunity that exists for retailers regardless of their store type.

Tesco indicates the highest incidence of footfall, which HIM attribute primarily to recent strategic and tactical initiatives, including the group’s new flagship store at Liffey Valley in Dublin and the launch of Club Card Day, which have bolstered this position. Discounters also show high incidence, driven by their shoppers’ fondness for fresh fruit & veg, which is rated by shoppers as leading the channel.

Convenience shoppers behave less loyally than other channels.

Centra is the most popular c-store, with one in five grocery shoppers visiting over a 48-hour period.

Retailers need to understand what is driving shoppers to their store and focus on these core areas.

“Our report can help identify why shoppers are visiting individual retailers and build a strategy based on retaining your current footfall and winning shoppers from competitors,” notes Bissett.

Bissett also argues that it is important that suppliers adapt their strategy to different channels,

Convenience channel overview

adapting their range according to the customer base, with significant benefits to getting the product mix right.

The Shopper Mission: What Brings Us In-Store?

Understanding why shoppers buy what they buy can help retailers and suppliers get closer to their target market.

The HIM Irish Grocery Shopper Report 2018 reveals that the top-up mission dominates, with over one in three respondents stating this as their main reason for visiting a particular store. This is driven mainly by planned top-up shops, which are a driver to store for a quarter of shoppers. Discounters are particularly well placed to match this mission, according to HIM, with easily navigated stores and a more straightforward product range.

Perhaps surprisingly, the main shop mission is only the fourth most popular mission, with shoppers choosing to shop little and often rather than conduct a weekly bulk shop. With shoppers becoming more time poor and greater focus being placed on reducing food wastage, it is quicker and more efficient for many consumers to visit more regularly for a handful of items.

“Shoppers have more information at their fingertips than ever before and are carrying a value legacy from tougher times,” Richard Bissett says.

“This inbuilt promiscuity will keep retailers on their toes as shoppers will be slow to shake this behaviour. They are also more aware than ever of food waste, so this may encourage smaller, more regular shopping trips.”

Richard Bissett, Country Manager – Ireland, HIM research & consulting.

Food-to-go is also thriving, particularly within forecourts and convenience. C-stores and forecourts attract considerably more shoppers on a food-to-go mission than discounters and supermarkets.

Retailers have a fantastic platform to grow their businesses by driving footfall and basket spend, according to HIM, while suppliers need to be mindful of shopper missions: your key accounts may overtrade in one mission, or may be missing a distinct opportunity that your product can help obtain.

Who is Doing It Best?

HIM asked their 2,200 respondents to rank operators across 15 key metrics, based on their recent experience.

Retailers and suppliers will benefit from an awareness of these measures and will be able to identify future opportunities.

The report found that multiples rank highest for ease of shop, but fell behind the rest when it came to the hot drink offer. Whilst performing well on value, discounters scored below average for food-to-go. As this sector becomes increasingly competitive, with investment from specialist operators like Chopped, this will require further investment from Aldi and Lidl if they are to compete in this growing category.

Respondents to the HIM survey praised convenience stores for the friendliness of their staff, but would like to see a better fresh meat and fish offer in their stores. “We have seen tremendous effort from these retailers to meet consumers’ healthy requirements but it seems that some

30|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

New Research elements are not meeting shopper demand,” Bissett explains.

Forecourts, meanwhile, are delivering on hot drinks, but often leave shoppers disappointed with the range of products on offer. As difficult as this may be with limited space, understanding shopper missions may help address this shortfall, according to HIM. For suppliers, understanding best in class will give you a common goal to aim for when speaking with retailers. Aligning your product offer to perceived gaps will appeal to trading teams.

The Future Whilst trusted industry data sources such as Visa spending show the Irish market in strong health, a number of head and tail wind factors mean standing still is not feasible for long-term sustainability. In order to engage the modern consumer, the sector needs to tailor its offering to the needs of younger shoppers, according to HIM, whose research suggested that investment is expected by shoppers in improving healthy offers and increasing the range of food-to-go available.

There are clear variations in spend and basket size between older and younger shoppers, despite each shopper group visiting the store a similar number of times per week.

The younger shopper is spending less per trip and picking up fewer items.

We know that convenience retailers attract the youngest shoppers (39), with multiples serving an older shopper (46). This will have significant implications for channels as these shopper bases

Top 3 categories per channel

mature. Retailers must find a way of attracting the younger shopper to their stores in order to build a successful long term strategy.

Self-checkouts, click & collect and online delivery are ways that

high importance on the food-to-go range, so what are you doing to make sure this need is being met?

Discounters are viewed very favourably by shoppers. “Aside from the obvious price perception, they are

Extract of key missions across selected channels

larger retailers have enhanced their experience and tailored it to the modern fast-paced consumer.

Smaller retailers can look to introduce some of these methods if the infrastructure is in place, but smaller, more cost effective developments should also be considered. 88% of Irish c-store shoppers believe their local store could do more to entice them instore, and there is consistent appetite across shoppers for more mobile engagement.

Multiples will need to pay attention to shopper demographics.

We know that younger shoppers prefer healthier options and place a

over delivering on fresh produce to delight consumers. With such a high incidence of shopper visits, we expect these expectations to permeate visits to all retailers, regardless of subchannel,” Bissett notes.

The Road Ahead The future isn’t going to be immediately dominated by drones or switch completely to online ordering, but it is crucial that retailers leverage non-replicable assets to retain shoppers. Working space and innovative offers will ensure shoppers are being given a reason to visit the store. This message is as important for suppliers as it is for retailers, and should be considered when entering any joint business planning sessions as we move towards 2020.

So what can retailers do to utilise this data to increase footfall and spend in-store? “Retailers can benefit from understanding which categories will be most important to their different shopper groups,” Richard Bissett concludes. “Certain categories are must-stocks for those who wish to attract younger shoppers. The importance of these groups goes beyond ranging; some secondary factors need to be carefully considered by retailers when targeting groups.”

The full report is available for purchase from www.himshopper.com.

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Fyffes

130 Years of Fyffes Fyffes celebrates its 130th anniversary this month, highlighting sustainability through partnership and innovation. success over those years, and on those who will do so as we move forward,” noted Fyffes Chairman, David McCann.

Fyffes’ founder, Edward Watham Fyffe began importing bananas to the UK in September 1888.

FYFFES, Europe’s largest banana importer and leading marketer of organic and Fairtrade bananas, is celebrating its 130th anniversary this month.

It was on September 20, 1888, that the young Edward Watham Fyffe sold his very first bananas in London’s Covent Garden. This followed a trip to the Canaries to help his wife Ida recover from tuberculosis. Once there, he became intrigued by the world of tropical fruits, most significantly the banana, to the extent that he overcame many difficulties to find a way to import them back to the UK. Acquired in 1986 by Dundalk fruit importers, McCanns, and now part of the Japanese Sumitomo Corporation, Fyffes has grown to become a multi-national brand with an annual turnover of €1.2 billion.

Supply Chain With its long-standing, established partners in the tropics, and a supply chain linking Central America and Europe that ensures product is grown, harvested, shipped and ripened in the best possible conditions, the company sees itself being best positioned to offer the highest quality fruit for present and future generations.

“By marking 130 years in the banana business, we are shining the spotlight on the generations of wonderful people and partners who have contributed to our

Production Partners Besides being the world’s first fruit brand, Fyffes also ranks as the importer with the world’s highest number of certified production partners, some of whom it has worked with for more than 50 years.

The pioneering spirit for which Fyffes is recognised continues to exist in the company today, particularly evident in its long-standing partnerships with a number of large and small growers.

With charities, community organisations and established foundations such as The Fundauniban of Colombia, Fyffes is committed to improve the living standards of growers through many different projects. These include educational and community initiatives, large-scale housing programmes, a reforestation project in Costa Rica and a plastic recycling initiative with a school in Belize.

Celebrating the Anniversary To mark its anniversary year, Fyffes will be focusing on brand communications in markets where the brand is sold.

A Fyffes delivery truck from the 1920s.

Fyffes Chairman, David McCann.

Using social media and other channels, it is intended that the Fyffes brand story will be brought to life for consumers, with an emphasis placed on those corporate social responsibility elements that remain a priority for the company.

For more information on Fyffes 130th anniversary, visit: www.fyffes.ie/ explore/fresh-discoveries/news/130thanniversary.

32|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Barry Group Annual Awards

Barry Group Celebrates Retail Excellence The Barry Group Annual Awards saw the country’s finest Costcutter and Carry Out stores rewarded for excellence, along with the top performing suppliers.

Skelly’s Costcutter, Virginia, Co. Cavan was named Costcutter Store of the Year. Pictured are (l-r): Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Tara Geoghegan, Peter Skelly, Philip Moynagh, and Leona Brady from Skelly’s Costcutter; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group, and Normal Lenihan, Head of Costcutter, Barry Group.

BARRY Group held their annual awards in City West, Dublin this September, celebrating the very

best that the retail group has to offer throughout its Costcutter and Carry Out stores, along with its top

performing suppliers. These awards recognise stores and retailers that excel across all areas of their

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Barry Group Annual Awards performance, ensuring a customercentric, superior offering.

“We are in a very fortunate position that we have continuously witnessed a constant increase in the standards held by our retailers and their respective stores,” enthused Jim Barry, Managing Director of Barry Group, on the night. “The auditors brought light to the fact that this time last year, we stood before you and announced 32 Gold Standard stores, recognising their overall high scores in the audit. This year we are celebrating 44 Gold Standard stores. The winners of tonight’s awards, coming from this group of Gold Standard stores, truly are among the top retailers in the country.”

Store of the Year Winners Deservingly winning the overall Costcutter Store of the Year award, Skelly’s Costcutter Virginia, Co. Cavan, represents the very best in the Costcutter retail group and the award was a true testament to the hard work and vision of a passionate and dedicated team.

Continuing the celebrations, Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tipperary Town, was awarded Carry Out Store of the Year and was a worthy recipient due to the store’s impeccable service offering and continuous dedication to enhancing the customer experience.

Both of these award winning stores are proud supporters of their local community and offer them an excellent customer experience. Other significant winners included Curtin’s Amber Costcutter, Youghal, Co. Cork, which was named Costcutter Forecourt of the Year, and Fleming’s Carry Out, Tralee Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry, which took home Carry Out Wine Department of the Year.

Not only are the Costcutter and Carry Out retail outlets a vital component in Barry Group’s success, their suppliers play a key role too. The well contested Supplier of the Year award was presented to Lucozade Ribena Suntory in recognition of their high level of service and their ongoing collaboration to ensure that Barry Group customers have a premium service offering.

immersive experience that is coveted by consumers.

Speaking of their future plans, Barry said, “We are very lucky to have a talented team working behind our brands, who are constantly challenging the standard practice norms in our sector and looking at ways to aid our

Costcutter Awards Outstanding Customer Service • • •

Shirley Sheehan, Costcutter Punches Cross, Limerick Ann Marie Burke, Amber Costcutter Limerick Road, Tipperary Staff of Costcutter Carndonagh, Co. Donegal

Overall Wine Department of the Year • • •

1st Place: Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Wexford 2nd Place: Murphy’s Costcutter Massytown, Macroom, Co. Cork 3rd Place: Tierney’s Costcutter, Tulla Road, Ennis, Co. Clare

Best Manager Award • • •

Jennifer Murphy, Costcutter Clonard, Co. Wexford Deirdre Gately, Costcutter Mountbellew, Co. Galway Catherine Veale, Costcutter Lisduggan, Co. Waterford

Off Licence of the Year • • •

1st Place: Moran’s Costcutter, Dingle, Co. Kerry 2nd Place: Fallon’s Costcutter, Kinvara, Co. Galway 3rd Place: Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford

Food to Go Award • • •

1st Place: Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford 2nd Place: Moran’s Costcutter, Dingle, Co. Kerry 3rd Place: Amber Costcutter, Tipperary

Costcutter Stores up to 2,000 square feet Award, Sponsored

by Unilever H.B. • •

Costcutter Forecourt Award •

• •

1st Place: Curtin’s Amber Costcutter, Cork Road, Youghal, Co. Cork 2nd Place: Ryan’s Amber Costcutter, Fermoy, Co. Cork 3rd Place: O’ Brien’s Amber Costcutter, Bandon Road, Bishopstown, Co. Cork

Best Butchery Award •

•

•

Tierney’s Costcutter, Tulla Road, Ennis, Co. Clare

Best Hygiene Award

1st Place: Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford 2nd Place: Naqvi’s Costcutter, Graigue Cullen, Co. Carlow 3rd Place: Staunton’s Costcutter, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

Costcutter Stores 2,001-3,500 square feet Award • • •

Conconnan’s Costcutter, Killimor, Co. Galway

Best Bakery Award

• Constantly Innovating Building on the recognition of retail excellence, Jim Barry referred to the conscious effort of the Barry Group team to constantly innovate their service offering and ensure that their retailers have a unique and

retailers' growth and allowing them to successfully compete. We have turned to the use of technology and immersive marketing tools to further communicate with consumers and it has been received extremely well. Through all elements of our business, we are extremely excited for the year to come.”

1st Place: Skelly’s Costcutter, Virginia, Co. Cavan 2nd Place: Fitzpatrick’s Costcutter, Kilmihil, Co. Clare 3rd Place: Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Co. Wexford

Large Format Store Award • • •

Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Wexford

1st Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonagh, Co. Donegal 2nd Place: Doherty’s Costcutter, Ballybofey, Co. Donegal 3rd Place: Daniel’s Costcutter, Ballina, Co. Mayo

Costcutter Store of the Year: Most Improved Store Award •

Cunningham’s Costcutter, Mountbellew, Co. Galway

•

Skelly’s Costcutter, Virginia, Co. Cavan

34|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Barry Group Annual Awards Carry Out Awards Regional Awards: • • • •

South West Award: Alcaddy’s Carry Out, Newcastle West, Co. Limerick Midlands Award: Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary South East Award: Galvin’s Carry Out, Carrigaline, Co. Cork East Award: Reynold’s Carry Out Clongriffin, Dublin 13

Spirit Department of the Year: •

Fleming’s Carry Out, Tralee Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Craft Beer Department of the Year: •

Reynold’s Carry Out, Clongriffin, Dublin 13

Wine Department of the Year: •

Fleming’s Carry Out, Tralee Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry

Ger Cruise from Wallace’s Costcutter, Wellington Bridge, Wexford (second from left) accepts the Costcutter Wine Department of the Year Award from Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Jim Barry Managing Director, Barry Group; and Norman Lenihan, Head of Costcutter.

Outstanding Customer Service of the Year: •

Buckley’s Carry Out, Kildare Town, Co. Kildare

Own Brand Champion: •

Carry Out Penny Hill, Lucan, Co. Dublin

Express Store of the Year: •

O’ Riordan’s Carry Out, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Carry Out Store of the Year: •

Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary

Supplier of the Year Awards

Nigel Bramley, Trading Controller, and Bryan Morris, Regiononal Manager, Lucozade Ribena Suntory, accept the Overall Supplier of the Year Award for Lucozade Ribena Suntory, from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

Best Ambient Supplier: •

Lucozade Ribena Suntory

Best Alcohol Supplier: •

C&C Gleeson

Best Chill & Fresh Supplier: •

Aurivo Consumer Foods

Best Innovation Supplier: •

Heineken Ireland

Best Central Billing Supplier: •

Japan Tobacco International

Best Retail Support Supplier: •

Mondelez Ireland

Overall Supplier of the Year: •

Lucozade Ribena Suntory

Pictured are (l-r): Declan O’ Reilly, Kerry Foods; Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Chris Carroll, Doherty’s Costcutter, Carndonogh, Co. Donegal, winner of the Costcutter Large Format Store of the Year Award, sponsored by Kerry Foods; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; and Norman Lenihan, Head of Costcutter.

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie|35

Barry Group Annual Awards

Heineken Ireland won the Best Innovation Supplier Award for Heineken 0.0% Elaine Kellegan, Heineken Ireland, accepts the Award for Best Innovation Supplier from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

The Carry Out Outstanding Customer Service of the Year Award was won by Buckley’s Carry Out, Kildare Town.

Pictured are (l-r): Dave O’Keeffe, Head of Carry Out; Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Ross O Keefe, Ger Buckley and Declan Clare from Buckley’s Carry Out; and Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

Fleming’s Carry Out, Tralee Road, Killarney, Co. Kerry won the Carry Out Wine Department of the Year Award.

Pictured are (l-r): Dave O’Keeffe, Head of Carry Out; Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; store owner John Fleming; and Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

Heffernan’s Carry Out, Tipperary Town, won the Carry Out Store of the Year Award. Pictured are (l-r): Dave O’Keeffe, Head of Carry Out; Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Donagh Heffernan, Marie Heffernan and Michael Heffernan from Heffernan’s Carry Out; and Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

Stafford’s Costcutter, Clonard, Co. Wexford won the Award for Costcutter Store of the Year up to 2,000 square feet, sponsored by Unilever HB. Pictured are Edwina Lucey, Sales and Marketing Director, Barry Group; Sean Bourke, Customer Account Manager, Unilever; Bena Stafford and Jennifer Murphy from Stafford’s Costcutter; Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group; and Norman Lenihan, Head of Costcutter.

Tony Costigan, Sales Capability Manager, Mondelez Ireland, receives the Best Retail Support Supplier Award from Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group.

36|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Drinks News Sling Shot Gin Launches COUNTY Longford’s first distillery, Lanesborough-based Lough Ree Distillery, has launched Ireland’s newest gin, Sling Shot, to the Irish market. The gin is the first in a line of planned Lough Ree Distillery spirits that will include whiskey, vodka, liqueurs, poitín, and fruit spirits. The investment in the new Lanesborough distillery will be in excess of €5m, creating over 20 jobs locally and resulting in upwards of 25,000 visitors to the midlands by 2023.

The new Sling Shot gin is inspired by a mix of historical and modern elements of Lough Ree and marries classic, gin botanicals and a very unique local ingredient, peat, along with citrus and fresh Irish mint. The official launcht of Sling Shot gin took place at the Taste of the Lakelands Festival on Friday, October 5, in Lanesborough, County Longford.

Carlsberg Unfiltered Launches in Ireland CARLSBERG Unfiltered has launched in Ireland; a great tasting, cloudy, pilsner lager offering beer drinkers a brand-new taste experience. The new beer is inspired by Danish values of simplicity and connection with nature, and its name reflects how the lager is made. The brewers have removed the filtration process, which leaves more natural flavours and body in the lager and produces a premium, great tasting, cloudy pilsner with subtle floral and hop notes, unlike anything else in the category. As part of the product launch, a new advert is airing on Irish screens, which sees Carlsberg’s iconic ambassador Mads Mikkelsen in his armchair in a woodland setting, reflecting on what ‘Unfiltered’ can mean.

Carlsberg Unfiltered is available on draught and 500ml can, with a 330ml bottle following in February.

Hendrick’s Unveils Gin Palace in Scotland Hendrick’s Gin has unveiled a new resplendent distilling home, truly befitting a gin famed for its sense of invention and wonder: The Hendrick’s Gin Palace. The Hendrick’s Gin Palace and distillery has been artfully and magnificently expanded to meet the voracious global demand for Hendrick’s, which is unusually infused with essences of cucumber and rose. As an engine of innovation, it is an institution dedicated to exploration and discovery where Hendrick’s Master Distiller, Lesley Gracie, will have the creative freedom to experiment and conceive new Hendrick’s variants, as well as being the distilling home for the brand that turned the gin world on its head. The distillery has doubled its capacity to meet demand and the extraordinary facilities that are now available to Lesley will allow her to truly unleash her innate creative proclivities.

BWG Group Hosts Wine-Tasting Event

BWG Wines & Spirits recently hosted the country’s largest alcohol trade event in the Citywest Hotel, which was attended by over 450 retailers and generated a 10.5% increase on sales for suppliers at last year’s event.

Sales on the day also point to a significant increase in consumer demand for non-alcoholic offerings, driven primarily by beer offering, most notably Erdinger 0.0% and Heineken 0.0%. Sales of other non-alcoholic products such as alcohol free wine are also on the rise, with BWG Foods launching the country’s first non-alcoholic prosecco, Nosecco, at the event. BWG also hosted an exclusive wine tasting with Sebastìan Rìos, General Manager of winery Finca La Celia, owners of the Santa Helena Brand, ranked number 14 in the Irish market. Pictured are Leo Crawford, Group Chief Executive, BWG Group; Gill O’Meara, BWG Wines & Spirits; John Clohisey, Property Director, BWG Group; Liam Nolan, Alcohol Commercial Manager, BWG Wines & Spirits; and Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods, at the recent Alcohol Trade Show.

Midleton Distillery Opens its Doors to Newer Distilleries NEW distillers to the Irish whiskey market travelled from all over Ireland recently to attend a major workshop hosted by Irish Distillers at Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork, which marks the launch of the Irish Whiskey Association’s new ‘The Knowledge Still’ programme, a peer-to-peer mentoring, innovation and support programme. In the last five years, 16 new distilleries have opened in Ireland and a further 29 are in planning or development stage. The ‘Knowledge Still’ programme builds on this work, offering new entrants a structured programme of workshops, seminars and one-to-one support from experienced distillers and industry experts on a range of topics, including best practice distilling, innovation in distilling and blending, and health and safety management. Pictured are Claire Halissey, Distiller at Lough Ree Distillery; Brian Nation, Master Distiller, Irish Distillers; and William Lavelle, Head of the Irish Whiskey Association.

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40|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

OTC Medicine & Healthcare

Health Management

Consumers are increasingly embracing the trend towards health and wellness, with big profit opportunities for retailers.

THE continued trend towards health and wellness shows no signs of abating and, when combined with the onslaught of the cold and flu season, it means that over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamin and mineral supplements and the overall healthcare category is a valuable one for retailers.

Brand loyalty is evident in the cough, cold and allergy sector, according to Euromonitor International, who reveal that consumers are particularly loyal to long-established brands and products that are manufactured in Ireland – a legacy of the government’s “Guaranteed Irish” campaigns of the 1980s, including Benylin, which remained the leading brand in cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies in 2017. Benylin is one of the longest-established brands and

although it was affected by the tighter controls imposed by the HPRA on the sale of cough medicines to children, many adult consumers were given the products themselves as children and this familiarity led to strong brand loyalty in adulthood.

Overall sales of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products grew by over 11% in Ireland in 2017, according to the Central Statistics Office. Acetaminophen remained the largest category in retail value terms in analgesics in 2017, according to Euromonitor, who reveal that GlaxoSmithKline remained the largest player with its flagship Panadol brand, some distance ahead of Pfizer’s Tramil.

Digestive remedies too are growing in popularity, helped by growing obesity levels, an ageing population and a rise

in speed eating, thanks to the increasing number of time-poor consumers.

Longer working hours are also contributing to a rise in consumers using vitamin and mineral supplements as a means to prevent sick days. Vitamins and dietary supplements are regulated by the Food Standards Authority of Ireland. Although tighter controls around the sale of vitamins were under discussion at an EU level in 2017 it is unlikely these controls will come into play within the next year or two.

Halls Halls, Ireland’s number one medicated brand, will unveil an exciting new look ahead of the peak winter season, which will champion the benefits of both Halls sub-ranges.

Halls is unveiling an exciting new look ahead of the peak winter season, which will champion the benefits of both Halls sub-ranges.

42|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

OTC Medicine & Healthcare The new packaging design will bring the product qualities of Halls and Halls Soothers to life, ensuring that the consumer is educated about the different functions of the relief candy.

These functions include clearing a blocked nose, soothing a sore throat, and strengthening the immune system.

The Halls Soothers design will showcase the texture of the sweets, proudly displaying the real fruit juice centre, to emphasise the gentle “soothing” benefit of Halls Soothers, whereas the design for the Mentholyptus range displays the “clearing menthol action” benefit of the candy through the dialled-up relief cue on the pack.

The modern and impactful new designs have been developed to achieve a stronger stand-out on-shelf, by dialling up the relief credentials with a

The new Halls Soothers design showcases the texture of the sweets, proudly displaying the real fruit juice centre, to emphasise their gentle “soothing” benefit.

The new look Halls Menthol range displays the “clearing menthol action” benefit of the candy through the dialled-up relief cue on the pack.

bold new design, whilst ensuring better consistency across the Halls and Halls Soothers ranges. The new packaging will also be supported by fresh new instore display solutions.

“We know that our impactful new designs will stand out on the shelf, and that the consumer will have confidence identifying which Halls sub-range will best fit their needs throughout the winter season,” noted Amy Lucas, Brand Manager for Halls.

Panadol Panadol’s Irish heritage has been brought to life through an innovative campaign ‘Made in Ireland, Supporting Irish’. This campaign celebrates the brand’s Irish manufacturing ties and what it believes has been its “best-kept secrets”; namely that its parent site, GSK in Dungarvan, produces over 6.5 billion Panadol tablets every year, exporting to over 70 countries worldwide.

The campaign features employees from the Waterford site, and aims to highlight its strong ties to Ireland and celebrate the Irish team, who are a big part of the brand’s global success story. The 2018 campaign has focused around sponsorship of programming on RTE on shows such as Nationwide, Ear to the Ground, Up for the Match, coverage of the Autumn Rugby Internationals and other sporting events.

Panadol currently boasts 74% market share in grocery and continues

Panadol’s new campaign, ‘Made in Ireland, Supporting Irish’, celebrates the brand’s Irish manufacturing ties.

Kleenex Balsam with BalmCare Lotion Kleenex Balsam is introducing the new ‘BalmCare’ lotion, with Aloe Vera, Vitamin E and Calendula, which delivers a protective and soothing balm.

It’s perfect for the heaviest of cold and flu seasons, delivering superior soothing for the toughest colds.

Every year, over 6.5 billion Panadol tablets are manufactured at GSK’s Dungarvan plant, exporting to over 70 countries worldwide. to grow ahead of the adult analgesics market in grocery in Ireland (Source: AC Nielsen MAT 09/09/2018).

Panadol 500mg film-coated tablets contain Paracetamol. Always read the label/leaflet.

Contains paracetamol.

Always read the label/leaflet.

CHGBI/CHPAN/0089/17

44|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Food and Drink Business Conference & Exhibition

Food Facing the Future Over 2,000 key decision makers attended the recent Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, including some fascinating speakers. Andrew Irvine reports.

COLLABORATING for an innovative food island was the theme of the annual National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition, which took place recently at the Citywest Convention Centre.

More than 2,000 key decision makers from the food and drink processing, packaging, ingredients, foodservice and logistics industries attended the event to see the latest products and developments from 170 exhibitors. Attendees also had the opportunity to attend a massive 200 seminars and presentations covering all aspects of retailing in Ireland, from customer satisfaction to the evolution of the Irish consumer and how to best utilise social media in business.

of Ireland’s quota for joint fish stocks.

We recognise the huge task involved but also see enormous opportunity present in UK markets. The UK is the largest external supplier of food and drink to Ireland and more importantly, we are the largest supplier to the UK, whose population is close to 70m."

Utilising Social Media Effectively Eimear McManus, Director, Digital Works Agency, discussed how to grow a loyal community on social media.

McManus examined the importance of social media for a business, arguing that it increases brand awareness, Minister of State at the Department of increases web-traffic, is cost effective, Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Andrew increases brand loyalty and helps to Doyle TD, was one of the keynote speakers at monitor competitors. She showed the National Food & Drink Business Conference. how communication today is critically dependent on social media. Methods the Government are negotiating on as of advertising such as billboards are Brexit looms. “Brexit remains a major becoming less and less effective, she challenge and will be for years ahead as maintained, as people ignore billboards we move our way forward, said Minister and focus on their phones in areas such Doyle. “For this reason, the Government as public transport. The importance and the Department have identified from of daily social media updating for a the outset that there are key asks under business is vital when trying to grow a negotiation that we see as essential. loyal community.

They are continued free access to the UK Information overload was a key market without tariffs and with minimal area of discussion in McManus’ talk. additional customs and administrative The American Marketing Association procedures, minimisation of risk from UK conducted a study, finding that trade agreements with third countries consumers need 7 to 14 touch points and the maintenance of our current before remembering a brand. To build access to fishing zones and the protection a successful media presence for your business, you must be relentless in More than 2,000 key decision makers trying to reach potential consumers, from the food and drink processing, according to McManus, who ended her packaging, ingredients, foodservice presentation by listing the best ways to and logistics industries attended the build a loyal community on social media: event to see the latest products and personalisation, customer rewards, developments from 170 exhibitors. humour and finding your target audience.

Key speakers at this year’s event Connecting with the Evolving Irish included CEO of the Irish Exporters Shopper Association, Simon McKeever; Chief Connecting with the evolving Irish Specialist in food technology at the shopper was the subject covered by Food Safety Authority of Ireland, Dr Robert Flavin, Director, Strategic Patrick O’Mahony; Director of Retail Planning, V360°, part of the Visualise Ireland, Thomas Burke; and Minister of Group. Technology is changing the State at the Department of Agriculture, Retail Ireland Director, Thomas Burke, retail marketplace at a faster rate than Food and the Marine, Andrew Doyle addresses the National Food & Drink ever before, Flavin believes. Decades TD, who has identified three key areas Business Conference.

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie | 45

Food and Drink Business Conference & Exhibition ago, local stores were replaced by supermarkets and now automation is the next evolutionary step in the retail industry. The audience was shown an example of a self-service supermarket in Japan that operated completely through an app. This could potentially be the norm in the not too distant future. The integration between online and instore shopping should be a priority for retailers in this new era, Flavin believes.

The Strategic Planning Director showed the audience images of two cookies, one of which had been digitally enhanced and one that wasn’t, before surveying attendees on which cookie they would prefer. A majority of the audience chose the unedited cookie, which he maintains signified the modern consumer moving towards a more genuine means of advertising. Flavin noted the importance of humour in connecting with the evolving shopper, and highlighted the role of Amazon in the continued evolution of retailing. Flavin concluded his talk by urging retailers to prioritise the shopper’s experience above all else.

Satisfied Shoppers?

Colm Rooney, VP of Global Client Development and Country Manager, Ireland, Shopper Intelligence, also examined the Irish grocery shopper in 2018 – how satisfied are they and how does this compare globally. Shopper Intelligence’s study found that Irish shoppers are 63% satisfied, which ranks below average in Europe, which has a very high bar relative to the rest of the world. Italy were found to be the most satisfied country surveyed at 71%, with New Zealand at the bottom with 53%.

Rooney then went on to compare customer satisfaction in particular grocery stores, including multipes and discounters. Discounters scored higher than multipes on shopper satisfaction, ease of shop and value, but multiple stores are winning on quality, authenticity and assortment. Overall satisfaction from each major retailer showed Aldi at the top with 71%. Dunnes win on product quality i.e. freshness and authenticity, while Tesco win on range of products.

Rooney then went on to show an analysis between branded goods and private labels. Branded labels slightly edge out private labels in overall satisfaction. However, customer expectation plays a big role, Rooney noted, as private label has a significantly lower expectation than branded: customers can be pleasantly surprised by a private label they underestimated, while being disappointed by a more expensive branded label.

Shopper Intelligence’s study highlighted the top 10 grocery categories in terms of overall satisfaction, which included deli counter cheese, whiskey, adult yogurts, baby food, flavoured cider, squash/cordial, pre-packed speciality cheese, kids’ yogurts, wrapped rolls, pasta and pasta sauces.

Rooney also subdivided supermarket shoppers into four distinct categories: the hero is highly planned and willing to spend more on premium products; the basket-builder is unplanned, shops for needs and is affected by in-store promotions; the impulse buyer is also unplanned and a high value customer; and the staple consistently buys from the store and goes from a general list (bread, milk and cheese).

Fiona Sweeney, Strategic Marketing Director, Kerry Foods, addresses delegates.

Mary Kennedy, pictured at the event.

Rooney then went on to show the main differences between shoppers in Ireland and the UK. Irish consumers shop more often and are less loyal to stores, often treating each shop as an isolated excursion. Irish shoppers are more promiscuous when it comes to looking for deals and benefits. They are less likely to know exactly what they want, less likely to be brand specific and less organised. However, Irish shoppers are more price aware and more likely to pay attention to a catalogue/ newsletter.

Irish shoppers value authenticity much higher than those in the UK. The Irish consumer wants the product to come as advertised i.e. Italian pasta sauce from Italy.

Overall, the 2018 edition of the National Food & Drink Business Conference and Exhibition was a huge success, with plans already underway for next year’s event. For more information, visit www.fooddrinkevent.com.

46|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Elevate

Elevating the Role of Women in Business Elevate’s inaugural event in Cork was deemed an overwhelming success, as successful business women celebrated their achievements at a charity networking event that raised funds for the IGBF. SUCCESSFUL business women across multiple business sectors gathered at the Maryborough Hotel, Cork, recently to celebrate their personal and professional achievements, at a charity networking event focusing on the prevalent topic of work/life balance hosted by Elevate, a sub-committee of the Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund (IGBF).

As a newly established initiative by the IGBF, Elevate has ďŹ rmly positioned itself as a leading networking event, not only for women in the grocery sector but for women in all business sectors, allowing them to build new connections, while discussing prevalent issues and opportunities through a led discussion by inspirational female business leaders.

The Barry Group team pictured at Elevate inaugural women in business event, (back row, l-r): Louise Mc Dermott, Claire Cosgrave, Jean Morris, Serena Relihan, Deirdre Behan, Lynsey Murphy, Niamh Barry; (front row, l-r): Avril Kavanagh, Natalie Buckley and Holly Barry.

Guest speakers Colette Twomey MD, Clonakilty Blackpudding; Aldagh McDonogh Group CEO, Morgan McKinley; Catherine Cashman, The Healthy Fairy; and Deirdre Clune MEP, pictured with Lisa Lawlor, event MC.

A huge turnout from Musgrave, pictured at the Maryborough Hotel for the inaugural Elevate women in business event.

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie | 47

Elevate

Catherine Fleming, Sue Foley, June Wyse and Michelle Ryan from BWG Foods, pictured at Elevate inaugural women in business event, organised by the IGBF at the Maryborough Hotel.

Pictured are the Elevate committee: Holly Barry, Yvonne O’ Shaughnessy, Deirdre Behan and Maxine Hyde.

Pictured are Sabrina O’Driscoil, Patricia Myers, Sinead MacCabee and Mary Creaven from Mondelez FMI pictured at Elevate’s inaugural women in business event at the Maryborough Hotel.

Rhona Reid, Majella Costello and Joanne Smith from Heineken Ireland pictured at Elevate’s inaugural women in business event.

Speakers included Aldagh Mc Donogh, CEO of Morgan McKinley; Colette Twomey, Managing Director of Clonakilty Blackpudding; Deirdre Clune, Member of the European Parliament for the constituency of Ireland South; and Catherine Cashman, Health and Wellness Advocate.

A Celebration of Women’s Success “Today was a true celebration of women succeeding in the workplace,” noted Deirdre Behan, Chair of the Elevate committee. “It was fantastic to see representatives of so many sectors and seeing the possibilities of what we can collectively achieve”.

Elevate has been established as a supporting branch of the IGBF, which assists people in the retail, wholesale and supplier trade sectors in Ireland.

The objective of the Fund is to provide financial relief for persons in need, who have been involved in the food and beverage trades. This includes retail grocers, wholesalers, manufacturers and general suppliers to the industry.

Pictured are (l-r): Aisling Wixted, Greenhouse; Shanti McNulty, Greenhouse; Heather Murphy, Spark Market Research; Aisling Fitzgerald, Ballymaloe Foods; and Elaine O’ Rourke, The Printed Image.

Pictured are Cathy Lehane M&P O’Sullivan; Ita Mohally, Deirdre Ryan, Marymount Hospice; and Kate Keane, M&P O’Sullivan.

48|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Focus on HR

New Laws Governing Part-Time Workers

The Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 will be passed into law before the end of the year, bringing a raft of new rules governing the employment of part-time workers, including the prohibition of zero hours contracts in most instances.

THE Employment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2017 passed the committee stage in the Dáil on May 17, 2018, and will become law later this year.

This means that employers could face criminal prosecution if they penalise employees for invoking their rights to certainty around working hours, under new legislation.

Background Part-time employment has risen over the last 10 years in Ireland. Evidence presented recently to the departmental and parliamentary consultations has highlighted the negative effect current labour laws and practices have on a number of groups, including migrants, women, young people, older people, lone parents, people with caring responsibilities, and people with disabilities. The European Commission stated that it was concerned that the lack of specified and secure hours of work and

the provision of contracts that state hours below those actually worked lead to: • Insecurity of income; • Restricting the ability to organise family life, including child care; • Inhibiting the ability to secure loans and mortgages.

Legislative Changes The main provisions in the Bill are amendments to two existing acts, the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, with a consequential amendment to the Workplace Relations Act 2015. These amendments cover different aspects of the employment relationship and some aspects of enforcement. Some of the provisions seek to address a number of the problems that can be experienced by workers

who do not have a full-time contract for predictable or stable hours of work.

Objectives The Government states that the objective of the Bill is to improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts and those working variable hours. It follows

The objective of the Bill is to improve the security and predictability of working hours for employees on insecure contracts and those working variable hours.

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie|49

Focus on HR the publication of the University of Limerick study on zero-hour contracts and low-hour contracts, as well as an extensive public consultation process and in-depth discussions with ICTU and Ibec over a number of months. It has been said that it was not acceptable for employers to provide employment contracts so vague about the employee’s working hours as to be completely meaningless.

Potential Changes The potential changes include: • The Bill provides for a new minimum payment for low paid workers called into work but sent home again without the promised work or any meaningful compensation. That payment will be linked to the National Minimum Wage or to sectoral wage levels to ensure that it is focused on those most in need of stronger protections.

• The Bill contains provisions for banded hours to give better certainty regarding working hours and income. Where an employee’s contract provided for 15 hours per week, but they have actually worked an average of 30 hours over 18 months or more, they will be entitled to be placed in a weekly band of 25-34 hours to reflect the reality of their hours of work.

• Where an employer penalises a worker solely for invoking their rights under the legislation, the employee can pursue a penalisation case through the Workplace Relations Commission. Under the new legislation, the WRC can award an employee up to two years’ salary if they are threatened with penalisation for invoking their rights under the Organisation of Working Time Act. • The new law will allow claimants to take a case to the WRC for breach of a right under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, where they can be awarded up to four weeks’ wages.

Why is This Event Important for You? The Zero Hour Contracts Bill outlines the “prohibition of zero hours working practices in certain circumstances and minimum payment in certain circumstances”. The Act will also bring some strong penalties for employers who fall foul of the law. Some of the provisions include: 1. Employees are better informed about the nature of their

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9.

for exercising any right under the employment arrangements and proposed legislation. their core terms at an early stage in their employment.

Complying With the Law Amendments to the Organisation In order to comply with the new of Working Time Act which will legislation, employers should: prohibit Zero Hour contracts in most • Ensure procedures and checklists circumstances. are in place to allow the core Employers must inform employees terms of employment be furnished in writing, within five days of within five days of the employment commencement of employment, commencing; of the following five core terms of • Identify if zero hours contracts are employment: being used in your organisation; Full name of the employer and • Ensure banded hours contracts employee, currently reflect the reality of the Address of the employer, hours being worked to avoid the Expected duration of the contract, possibility of a claim before the WRC; Rate or method of calculating pay, • Become aware of the antiExpectation of what the normal penalisation provisions in the Bill, length of the employee’s working so as to ensure that they do not day and week will be.

Provisions around minimum payments to low-paid, vulnerable workers who may be called in to work for a period but not provided with that work.

Floor payment for low-paid workers who are called into work and then sent home in these circumstances.

Improved compensation for low-paid workers introduce a new minimum The Bill will ensure workers on low hour contracts floor payment, of three who consistently work more hours each week than times the National Minimum provided for in their contracts of employment will Wage or three times the be entitled to be placed on a band of hours that minimum rate set down in reflects the reality of the hours they work. an Employment Regulation Order (ERO), to compensate workers inadvertently penalise or threaten if they are called in to work but do penalisation of an employee for not receive the expected hours of asserting their rights. work.

For advice on Employment Law or It is intended to delete the phrase other HR related issues for employers ‘zero hours practice’ from the title contact the team at the HR Suite on (066) of Section 18 of the Organisation of 7102887 to discuss your requirements Working Time Act 1997.

Ensure workers on low hour contracts who consistently work About the Author more hours each week than provided THIS advice is provided by the HR for in their contracts of employment Suite, which offers specialist tailored will be entitled to be placed on a and effective human resources band of hours (1-10, 11-24, 25and business solutions to clients 34 & 35+) that reflects the reality throughout Ireland. Caroline McEnery, of the hours they work. This will Managing Director of The HR provide greater certainty and a truer Suite, is a member on the Low Pay reflection of their hours of work and Commission and is an Adjudicator in level of earnings, thereby addressing, the Workplace Relations Commission. in particular, difficulties employees She is also author of ‘The Art of may have accessing financial credit, Asking the Right Questions’, a including mortgages. manager’s toolkit to all HR related Strengthen the anti-victimisation tips to proactively manage your team. provisions for employees who For more information, try to invoke a right under these please contact The HR Suite on proposals. It is intended to provide (066) 7102887 or (01) 9014335 or against an employer penalising or email info@thehrsuiteonline.com. threatening to penalise an employee Website: http://thehrsuiteonline.com.

50|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Forecourt Focus: News Profits Up by 33% at Applegreen

Circle K Play or Park Winner

APPLEGREEN has announced its unaudited interim results for the six months ended June 30, 2018, which saw group revenues increasing by 27% on the same period in 2017, and gross profit growing by 33% over the same period.

Interestingly, Applegreen reported like-for-like growth of 3.5% in non-fuel gross profit (food and store) at constant currency.

Applegreen announced on August 2 that it was acquiring a majority interest in Welcome Break, a leading UK Motorway Service Area operator with a portfolio of 24 MSAs, two TRSAs Bob Etchingham, CEO, and 29 hotels across 35 locations Applegreen. in the UK. "We are pleased with the performance of our business during 2018,” noted Bob Etchingham, CEO. “Applegreen is entering an exciting phase of growth in the UK service area market with the recent announcement of the Welcome Break transaction. This will be transformational for Applegreen by giving us critical mass in a key market and is expected to close in Q4 2018.

"The business continued to expand in each of our three markets as we increased our estate by 26 sites to a total of 368 locations trading at the end of the period,” he continued. “We opened seven new sites in the Republic of Ireland, 15 in the UK and four in the US in H1 2018."

The CEO described the financial performance for the first six months of 2018 as robust, despite the difficult trading conditions caused by the exceptional weather in March, especially in their Irish business: “Apart from the impact of this one-off event, the underlying business continues to perform well and we remain confident in the prospects for the business in 2018."

IVAN McCartney from Co. Antrim has been announced as the July 2018 winner of Circle K Play or Park. Ivan chose to play his points at his local Circle K at Larne Port, Co. Antrim and will now, along with a friend of his choice, drive free for a year after winning miles fuel, car tax and insurance cover for 12 months.

Ivan is delighted to have some extra cash in his back pocket thanks to Circle K, as well as the opportunity to share his incredible prize with a friend.

“I still can’t believe that I won this fantastic prize and get to share the good fortune with my friend, Margaret Fleck,” said a delighted Ivan. “Neither of us will have to worry about the cost of running our cars for a whole year, saving us in the

A delighted Ivan McCartney is pictured with Richard Pollock, Loyalty and Insights Manager at Circle K. region of £5,000 each. That’s money that we can now consider putting towards a family holiday or investing in our home. We’re thrilled!”

Richard Pollock, Loyalty and Insights Manager at Circle K, commented: “I am delighted to announce Ivan as this month’s Play or Park winner. It is an incredible prize and I’m delighted that Ivan has been able to share it with his friend, Margaret Fleck.”

Applegreen Joins forces with fuelService to help Fuel Disabled Drivers APPLEGREEN has signed a new partnership with fuelService and the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland, which will help disabled drivers receive assistance when refuelling at Applegreen stations across the Republic of Ireland.

Refuelling a car is one of the biggest challenges faced by disabled drivers, and Applegreen is proud to be the first Irish forecourt retailer to roll out this app service and go some way towards making refuelling easier and more accessible for disabled drivers.

Conor Lucey Head of Retail Operations at Applegreen; Richard Ryder, Marketing Manager of Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland; and fuelService app service user, Sean O'Kelly, pictured at the launch of Applegreen’s partnership with fuelService and the Disabled Drivers Association of Ireland.

Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie|51

What’s New CONNACHT GOLD LAUNCHES ENRICHED MILK FOR CHILDREN

CARBERY WELCOMES SIGNIFICANT CHEESE FINDINGS

CONNACHT Gold Mór Milk, a fresh and nutrient-rich whole milk, has launched for the first time to the Irish market. This new milk product is specifically formulated for children from 1-12 years, providing them with with essential vitamins and minerals that are needed to keep kids fit and healthy. From the farm to the fridge, Connacht Gold Mór Milk is a fresh milk for kids, with no added sugar or artificial flavours, is a rich source of calcium, vitamins and minerals. Fortified with Iron, prebiotic fibre, Vitamin A, C, D, E and Zinc, Mór Milk is developed to assist in meeting the needs an active growing child requires.

AN Independent new study conducted by Food For Health Ireland scientists in University College Dublin has found that Irish full fat cheddar cheese does not raise total blood cholesterol levels. Irish full fat cheddar cheese was compared with groups that consumed either reduced-fat cheese plus butter or butter with added protein and calcium over a six-week period. The group eating full fat Irish cheddar experienced a reduction in cholesterol compared to the other two groups. Carbery, one of the co-funders of Food for Health Ireland (FHI), has welcomed the findings. “We are delighted with the outcome of the study, which confirms that eating Irish cheddar cheese will not raise cholesterol,” noted Linda Tanner, Cheese Research and Development Manager at Carbery.

“Consumers no longer have to be concerned about eliminating it from their diet, as cheddar cheese is a naturally convenient and highly nutritious food.”

MOY PARK CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY TO celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2018, Moy Park relaunched its branded breaded range in April, supported with the roll-out of an integrated marketing campaign, ‘Masterfully Crafted, Marvellously Tasty’. The new look for the breaded range included a packaging refresh, featuring a new Moy Park brand logo as well as the campaign strapline.

Moy Park is now embarking on an Ireland-wide marketing campaign, which will be a real celebration of ‘75 years of tasty chicken’. The campaign will come to life through, outdoor, cinema, digital advertising and engaging social media content supporting the core breaded product range in the Irish market.

SAY YES! TO NEW SNACK BARS A NEW and distinctive snacks brand has been launched in the UK and Ireland with a range of fruit and vegetable and nut bars specially crafted to be both delicious and wholesome. The new Yes! bars remove the compromise and deliver a tasty snack by focusing on diverse ingredients that you might not expect to find in any ordinary fruit or nut bar. The five Yes! bars are available as singles and in multipacks of three in these intriguing and tempting ingredient combos: Delicious Beetroot & Apple; Lively Lemon, Quinoa & Chilli; Tempting Sea Salt, Dark Choc & Almond; Sumptuous Cranberry & Dark Choc; and Delightful Coffee, Dark Choc & Cherry.

MIDLETON VERY RARE 2018 EDITION NEW MAGGI NOODLE POTS NESTLÉ Ireland has launched a new range of Maggi Fusian Noodles Pots in three authentic Asian flavours. They are the quick solution for people with busy lifestyles who do not want to compromise on taste. Available in mouth-watering Chow Mein, Spiced Curry and Sweet Chilli flavours, Maggi Fusian Noodles Pots offer premium, quick and easy meals, giving people an authentic Asian taste experience in only four minutes. Each pot contains premium noodles, spices, and veggies – making it easy to pull together tasty noodles every time.

IRISH Distillers has unveiled the 2018 vintage of Midleton Very Rare.

The 35th edition in the renowned and highly collectable range, first unveiled in 1984, is a masterfully blended Irish whiskey, crafted at the Midleton Distillery, Co. Cork,

by Master Distiller Brian Nation.

Midleton Very Rare 2018 is the result of the careful blending of exceptional, rare and hand-selected single pot still and single grain Irish whiskeys. Each cask has been matured exclusively in lightly-charred ex-Bourbon American oak barrels for between 12 and 28 years, imparting a vanilla sweetness which is in keeping with the rich tradition laid down by the series over the past four decades.

52|Retail News|October 2018|www.retailnews.ie

Shelf Life ADVERTISERS could be doing long term damage to their brands by engaging in excessive or ill-targeted ‘Video-on-Demand’ (VOD) advertising, according to new research from Core, Ireland’s largest marketing communications company. The research highlights that 75% of ads are skipped when the consumer is given the option. Completion rate for ads longer than 30 seconds is 14%, while the completion rates for ads longer than 20 seconds is 42%. Video is taking over as the lead audio-visual viewing tool, with online video now accounting for a fifth of all AV viewing. For younger audiences, this viewing figure can be as high as 39%. However, while people are now consuming more online video, they are not necessarily satisfied with how this migration to online video is being managed by advertisers. 60% say they are concerned there is too much VOD advertising, with 68% saying they’re concerned that the amount of VOD adverts will continue to increase.

For further details, please check out www.onecore.ie.

THE Tree Council of Ireland, supported by Tetra Pak, called on primary school children across the country to get involved in Tetra Pak Tree Day on October 4. The theme for this year’s campaign was “Be nature nice! or Bí dóighiúil don dúlra!” and primary school children were asked to look out for campaign’s mascot Sammy Squirrel, who will feature on Avonmore school milk cartons, with messages on how to help the environment, throughout the campaign.

Broadcaster, TV personality and one of Ireland’s favourite mums, Anna Daly, helped launch the Temple Street Foundation’s annual ‘Trick or Treat for Temple Street’ 2018 fundraising campaign, proudly supported by MiWadi. The beloved children’s hospital is asking witches and wizards all over the country, including communities, schools and workplaces alike, to raise vital funds for Temple Street by hosting their very own Halloween party to help buy vital, life-saving equipment for sick children in Temple Street Children’s University Hospital. Anna Daly is pictured (centre) with Claire Lynch (left), MiWadi Brand Manager with Britvic Ireland, Caroline Hyde, Marketing Manager with Britvic Ireland, and, from left, Grace Cogan (11), Jacob Byrne (5), Myles Jordan (7), Jamie Lacey (4), Alicia Begley (5) and Joshua Ryan (3). To register for a Trick or Treat party pack visit www.templestreet.ie/trickortreat.

Celebrating its 21st year, The International Food & Drink Event (IFE), the UK’s leading and largest food & drink event, is returning to ExCeL London, from March 17–20, 2019. IFE 2019 will provide buyers with the chance to discover emerging trends; meet with thousands of international, future-focused producers and brands; and hear inspiring and thought-provoking talks from key figures across the food & drink industry. For more information, see www.ife.co.uk.

THE Davy Group was announced as the first corporate organisation to sign up for this year’s Cheerios Childline Breakfast, which takes place from October 15-21. With ISPCC Childline celebrating its 30th birthday, the charity is particularly encouraging businesses and corporate groups to take part and raise vital funds for Ireland’s only 24-hour listening service for children.

Pictured are Nicholas Montgomery, CSR Representative, and Joan McGrath, HR Director and Head of CSR at the Davy Group.

THE National Dairy Council celebrated the Dare to Dairy with Mary competition when the three lucky finalists brought their cakes and met the Queen of Cakes herself, Mary Berry, at the Heritage Hotel in Killenard. The NDC received a huge volume of entries from all over the country and baking enthusiasts really impressed the judges. Mary Berry is pictured with Natasha Daly, from Corravough, Tralee, Co. Kerry (left), Sonia Stedman, from Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, and Anne Dunne, from Mitchelstown, Co. Cork (right).

FOLLOWING Lucozade Zero’s launch of The Total Liberation Corporation, a zero-nonsense organisation with a cando attitude, the first act of liberation was held recently in Dublin’s Connolly Station. Commuters were liberated from the curse of excessive coinage, as Tony McGregor provided free DART tickets and cans of Lucozade Zero to busy commuters. Tony manned the Total Liberation Corporation Kiosk, liberating nonplussed commuters from the scourge of loose change, handing out DART tickets and cans of Lucozade Zero.

LYONS Tea recently marked its third year of supporting Pieta House, who provide a free, therapeutic approach to people who are in suicidal distress and those who engage in self-harm. This partnership aims to support Pieta House by raising much-needed awareness and funds for the vital services it offers free of charge from its centres nationwide.

Lyons Tea trade customers can support Pieta House by purchasing the Lyons Tea Original Blend 600 special case. For every special case purchased, Lyons Tea will donate 50c to Pieta House, while stocks last. In addition, Lyons tea will donate 10c with the purchase of Lyons Tea Original Blend 80 promotional boxes.

LIDL Ireland has launched The Lidl Pumpkin Patch this Halloween.

From October 27-31, families can avail of a spooky, fun-filled day out at The Lidl Pumpkin Patch, located in Newbridge, Co. Kildare.

All proceeds from the event will be donated directly to Lidl’s charity partner, Jigsaw, the National Centre for Youth Mental Health.

For €10 per adult and €6 per child, this devilish deal includes one pumpkin per person, a pumpkin carving class, complementary refreshments, face painting, children’s entertainment and free parking on the day. Book your tickets at jigsaw.ie/events.

Hennessy was presented with the Judges’ Special Recognition Award for Portfolio of Investment at the 27th annual Allianz Business to Arts Awards recently. The award was received for Hennessy Art Fund for IMMA, Hennessy Literary Awards with New Irish Writing and The Irish Times, and Hennessy Lost Friday with Royal Hibernian Academy. Hennessy has been supporting the arts in Ireland for over four decades and this award recognised that support. Pictured at the Allianz Business to Arts Awards 2018 are (l-r): Sean McGrath, CEO, Allianz; Paul Tuohy, Moët Hennessy Brand Ambassador; Andy O Hara, CEO, Edward Dillon; Josepha Madigan TD, Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht; Patrick.

T. Murphy, Director, RHA.

Show your Support and join us this year at our annual IGBF Christmas Lunch on Friday 7th December 2018 in the Clayton Burlington, Upper Leeson Street, Dublin 4.

Tickets cost â‚Ź250 per person and are available QRZ RQ D Ĺ§Ć UVW FRPH Ć UVW VHUYHGŨ EDVLV VR ERRN early to avoid disappointment!

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If you wish to reserve your place, just print out this booking form, Ć OO LQ WKH GHWDLOV EHORZ DQG VHQG LW WR XV DORQJ ZLWK \RXU SD\PHQW

Name: Email Address: Mobile No:

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Please reserve

table/s of 10 at â‚Ź2,500 per table

Please reserve

table/s of 12 at â‚Ź3,000 per table

Individual tickets may be purchased at â‚Ź250 each. Please reserve I enclose full payment of

tickets.

for the above booking.

Please note: Cheques should be made payable to The Irish Grocers Benevolent Fund. If paying by Bank Transfer, please reference company name and Invoice number.

The information provided will be used for booking purposes and also retained for notification for future IGBF events, if you want to opt out please ticket here

Please forward this booking form together with full prepayment in advance to: Hotel Solutions, Unit B10, Baldonnell Business Park, Dublin, D22 NP97, Ireland

Telephone: 01 630 9211 Email: roisin@hotel-solutions.ie

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