Retail Times Q3 2022

Your partner in payments

On-line, in-store or on-the-go

First Merchant Processing (Ireland) D.A.C trading as AIB Merchant Services is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c. is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland

WELCOME

As we approach the latter half of the year, at Retail Excellence we have been analysing the most recent card spend data with AIB and, on a positive note, it shows that customers still love to shop in stores with great retailers.

Overall retail spending in Quarter 2 dropped by a modest 1% against the same period last year but within those numbers online spend is down by 17% whereas instore spending rose by 5%. Clothing sales have been the big winner, up by 55% in store, with a big return to spending on occasion wear. ese numbers aren’t that surprising when you consider most retailers only opened their doors to customers in May last year having been shut for the previous 5 months. It does, however, show that customers enjoy the experience of shopping in stores and craved a bit of ‘retail therapy’ during the pandemic.

Of course, the future is far from certain; rising interest rates, increased energy costs, a challenging supply chain and di culties sourcing talent are all creating a perfect storm which makes for a challenging 2nd half of 2022, but I am con dent we can show our resilience once again and weather that storm.

ere are a couple of highlights I’d like to note from the rst 6 months of the year. e rst was our London Retail Safari run in conjunction with Johnston Shop tters and hosted by Matthew Brown. Twenty retailers joined us over 2 glorious summer days where Matthew briefed us on just how fast retail has changed during Covid. We then visited centres of retail excellence like

Coal Drops Yard, Borough Market, Eataly and Covent Garden to see these changes ourselves. ese are inspirational and rewarding days that have become mainstays in the Retail Excellence calendar.

We also launched a guide on sustainable retailing with an event in Fallon and Byrne. ‘Hats o ’ to Sharon Yourell Lawlor and Claire Cogan for pulling together the rst guide of its type speci cally for retailers. 100 people attended the event, hosted by Sonya Lennon and sponsored by Vodafone, Musgrave Group, AIB and TAP Creative.

As you know, the Retail Excellence team have been working very closely with the Government over the last 2 years and I am pleased that Damien English, Minister of State for Business Employment and Retail has given us his thoughts on the future of retail and in particular the importance of rejuvenating our Town Centres.

Damien was out and about with us visiting members across the country earlier in the year and has been instrumental in championing the Enterprise Ireland Online Retail Scheme in Government circles.

We would love to see you at our Retail Retreat in Carton House on 6th and 7th of September where you can meet these retailers and many others.

Kind Regards, Joe Barrett, Chief Executive O cer, Applegreen Ltd Chairman of Retail Excellence

Editor Jennifer McShane

Retail Excellence Editor

Keelan Bourke

Retail Excellence Editor

Duncan Graham Creative Director

Jane Matthews

Leopardstown Office Park, Burton Hall Ave, Sandyford Business Park, Sandyford, Dublin 18 Tel: +353 (0) 65 684 6927

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

Published by Ashville Media Group on behalf of Retail Excellence www.ashville.com

All rights reserved. Every care has been taken to ensure that the information contained in this magazine is accurate. The publishers cannot, however, accept responsibility for errors or omissions. Reproduction by any means in whole or in part without the permission of the publisher is prohibited. © Ashville Media Group 2022

Retail sales rise 0.3% in year to May

Halfords profits jump as retailer is buoyed by continued growth in motoring and autocentres

Halfords profits jumped as the retailer was buoyed by continued growth in its motoring and autocentres businesses. The London-listed company reported a 49.8 per cent increase in pre-tax profits to £96.6 million (€112.1m) for the year to April 1st compared with the previous year. It added that this also represented a 325 per cent rise on the £22.7 million profit it posted in the 2019-20 financial year, before the full impact of the pandemic. Meanwhile, total revenues increased by almost a fifth to £1.37 billion compared with pre-pandemic levels.

Retail sales were flat in May, new data from the Central Statistics Office showed, with annual growth at 0.3 per cent.

On a monthly basis, department stores, electrical goods and hardware showed the largest increases in sales volume, while furniture and lighting showed a 22.3 per cent decrease and clothing and footwear fell by 21.1 per cent. The motor sector also showed a decline in sales volume of 7 per cent compared to April 2022. Compared to pre-Covid levels, retail sales volume was up 7.2 per cent in May versus February 2019, with the highest increases seen in hardware and paints, which were up 24.1 per cent, while clothing and footwear was up 23.2 per cent and pharmaceuticals up 17.4 per cent.

Positive Moves

Zara to open at former Debenhams unit in Blanchardstown Centre. The unit, which had been occupied previously by Debenhams, will accommodate Zara’s womenswear, menswear, childrenswear and accessories collections. The agreement of the letting will see the Spanish-owned brand’s footprint at Blanchardstown grow from the 16,000 sq ft it occupies to 52,000 sq ft.

Irish The latest market share figures from Kantar’s Worldpanel show the value of sales fell 4.9 per cent in the 12 weeks to mid-June compared with the same quarter last year, as the full-throated return of the hospitality sector and a return to pre-pandemic trading norms have eased sales from historic highs. The sales decline would have been even greater only for inflation pushing up prices. GSLS on 01 4605888 email sales@gsls.ie team full range

Carrolls Irish Gifts Opens New Smithfield Store. Carrolls Irish Gifts have opened a brand new store on Duck Lane, in Smithfield, Dublin City Centre.

Take-home alcohol sales 11% higher than pre-pandemic levels despite minimum unit pricing

Take-home alcohol sales are 11 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels despite a new law coming into effect that increases the cost of many drinks, new figures show. However, analysts say more time is needed to ascertain the impact of the public health law, as grocery sales in general remain higher than 2019, as well as inflationary pressures resulting in some people opting to drink at home rather than return to nights out. Since January 4th minimum unit pricing has been in force, meaning alcohol cannot legally be sold below a certain price point determined, and directly proportional to, the amount of pure alcohol in the drink.

RECORD REVENUES

Dunnes not happy with quality of communal square architecture in Point Village, court told. Dunnes has brought proceedings against Point Village Development Ltd (PVDL) asking that “Point Square” be completed in accordance with a clause in an agreement on the development. It says the clause requires that the work on the square be of a “first-class standard appropriate to a prestigious shopping centre”, similar to Eyre Square in Galway, Grand Canal Square Dublin, and Dundrum Town Centre Civic Plaza.

Belfast Footfall Continues To Stumble. Latest official footfall figures for the region paint a bleak picture, with the numbers visiting retail destinations down by 14.7 per cent last month compared to the pre-pandemic June of 2019.

Boots’ Irish arm enjoys record revenues of €434m. An increase in income from Covid-19 testing and vaccinations last year contributed to the Irish arm of Boots enjoying record revenues of €433.4 million. Accounts filed by Boots Retail (Ireland) Ltd show that pretax profits increased by 4.4 per cent to €24.9 million on the back of the record revenues, which surged by 15 per cent to €433.37 million in the 12 months to the end of August last. Revenues were boosted by a 105 per cent year-on-year increase in online sales while a directors’ note with the accounts said that pharmacy sales increased by 21 per cent and “strengthened primarily as a result of an increase in Covid-19 testing and vaccinations”. The note attributed the rise in pharmacy sales due to increased footfall in stores as a result of improved product offering.

Sale Halts

Walgreens halts sale of Boots chain citing tougher financial conditions

Walgreens Boots Alliance has abandoned a sale process for the Boots chain in the UK after the upheaval in credit markets resulted in bids that were below its initial expectations. The US group said that while there had been “significant interest” in the 173-year-old business, “unexpected and dramatic change” in the financial markets meant no offers had been received that reflected the potential value of Boots and its No 7 beauty brand. “WBA has decided that it is in the best interests of shareholders to keep focusing on the further growth and profitability of the two businesses,” it added.

TAKE OVERS & MERGERS

Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group raises its stake in Hugo Boss to €900m. British sporting goods billionaire Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group has raised its stake in fashion retailer Hugo Boss. Frasers valued the new holding at about €900 million in a statement. Mr Ashley has garnered a reputation for taking over failing retailers and building up stakes in rivals. Recently, Frasers snapped up online brand Missguided after it entered UK insolvency proceedings. German firm Hugo Boss is in the process of shifting its offerings toward more casual fashion. The investment “reflects Frasers Group’s belief in the Hugo Boss brand, strategy and management team”, the company said. Other Ashley investments have included video game retailer Game Digital and Jack Wills, an apparel supplier.

STAFF CORNER

Tesco agrees three-year pay deal with staff worth 10% Supermarket group Tesco has reached a three-year deal that will see staff pay increase by 10 per cent. The retailer will increase wages by 6 per cent from April 1st last, of which 2.5 per cent will be backdated a further year to April 2021. Another 4 per cent rise will come into play in April next year. “I am pleased to be able to make this announcement for our colleagues at a challenging time for families with rising living costs,” said Tesco Ireland chief executive Natasha Adams.

DHL Express Opens A New Purpose Built Cork Depot

DHL Express, the market leader in the express and logistics industry in Ireland, recently opened its new purpose-built facility in Blarney, Co. Cork. The new facility, which has been successfully operating since April represents an investment of over €11.7m and will service DHL Express customers across Cork and the south western region. This facility in Blarney Business Park sees a significant increase in terms of sorting capacity, from 2,308 total usable sqm in the current facility, to over 14,980 sqm in the new facility. This will facilitate significant growth in the DHL business, as well its customers. Commenting on the opening, Bernard McCarthy, Managing Director of DHL Express Ireland, said “We’re delighted to open our new purpose built facility in Blarney Business Park which provides a great base to service our many customers in Cork and across the South-Western region. Through the pandemic with pressure and congestion in global supply chains, access to international express services has become even more important for Irish businesses trading internationally. In that regard this new facility provides further scope and capacity to manage the volume growth that we are experiencing and in so doing further improve our service offering to our local customer base.”

MOVING ON

Gavin Slark to stand down as Grafton Group chief. Grafton Group has announced that Gavin Slark will stand down from his role as chief executive of the London-listed building materials distributor and DIY retailer at the end of this year. The Sunderland native, who has been at the helm of the group for 11 years, will also stand down from his role on Grafton’s board from December 31st, Grafton said in a statement. A process to appoint a successor will start immediately, Grafton said, with the support of an executive search firm.

LONDON CALLING TRENDS

We jumped at the opportunity to walk around London with leading Retail Futurist Matthew Brown of Echochamber in mid-May to see what was new and exciting in the world of Retail. During the last two years, certain trends accelerated, which spurred more innovation. It was important as we emerged, that we needed to build back better than before.

Theme 1: Creative Reponse–Inspiring Experiences in Creative Spaces

We started in Coal Drops Yard which is just above Saint Pancreas Station in central London. is formed a central point in the regeneration of Kings Cross. Creative thinkers decided to build it back better than before. It hosts the University of Arts London School, which meant not any old shopping centre could be built. ey converted 19th-century warehouses into posh boutiques and added an elaborate winged roof straddling the two sides to form a uni ed structure. e roof hosts Samsung KX, which demos all the latest new Samsung technology in a vibrant manor. e stores consisted of quirky and unique mixes of independents and creative chains with a new concept store. Coal Drops Yard also installed a large outdoor screen beside the canal that runs alongside it, which shows any major sporting occasion. Next up, we made our way to Borough Market for a quick bite to eat and to check out Borough Yard, which is a new

development of stores housed under the old rail line. Stores were modernised with big glass store fronts and gra tied names overhead. In-store, there was a big focus on sustainable store xtures with connotations of a market-style display throughout.

Theme 2: Curation – Expert Ranges, Storytelling & Phygital Services

Eataly was next up, just o Liverpool Street, which had just opened pre-Covid. is was a true destination store with the largest selection of Italian wine in the UK. Apart from endless options of food to sit in and eat, what stood out was their point-of-sale material. Every single product had a sign describing what it was like, what food/ wine paired well with it and where in Italy it came from. We then took a quick pitstop to Amazon Go, just around the corner. As some members of the group hurried to download the amazon app and to try

and get their bank card approved, others simply scanned their app to enter, had a quick walk around the convenience store format, picked up a drink and just simply walked out. Everyone got charged correctly for what they picked up. is level of digital innovation is coming quicker than we all think and it’s important we pick the right technology partners to work with.

Theme 3: Destination Retail – Hospitality, Community & Sustainability

Finally, we made our way to Covent Garden & Carnaby Street. Many of the stores we visited had a calendar of events happening over the coming months to drive footfall. Others were hosting di erent exhibitions to entice certain strands of their community in to the store. ere was a big focus on sustainability initiatives which were being proudly displayed.

Some key retail trends from our recent Retail Safari around London with Matthew Brown and Johnston Shopfitters

Coal Drops Yard

Eataly

Covent Garden

BACK IN

On foot of the recently announced Town Centre First policy which aims to breathe fresh life into local retailers and town centres, we spoke to Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail Damien English, and councillers John Sheehan and Joe Conway about the importance of renewed focus within our communities

e Town Centre First policy aims to create town centres that function as viable, vibrant and attractive locations for people to live, work and visit. ese centres must also service as the social, cultural and recreational hub for the local community –a challenge in 2022 as Irish towns are facing signi cant challenges in our post-Covid world. e way we shop has changed and retailers and customers alike have had no choice but to adapt.

e local communities are the beating hearts of our town centres and the Town Centre First policy puts them at the fore once again; there needs to be continued particular focus on them if they are to thrive.

In this way, the co-ordinated and comprehensive response of the Town Centre First policy couldn’t have come at a better time. If retailers are to emerge

successfully from these changing tides, the right support will be vital if they are to bene t from this new phase of rejuvenation. Minister English, or Damien as he insists on being called, agrees hybrid working solutions are currently feeding town rejuvenation and in terms of the retail sector, going forward, a blended model will be key to ensuring retailers continue to have that crucial quality of life.

Town Centres First “I think it’s really important that retail is recognised as the important sector it is. In this way, it’s essential that retailers are part of the policy. ere are 33 actions in the plan. But the most important thing, for me,

will be Town Centre teams. ese are Town Centre Managers both focused on the town centre, and implementing national aims national policies, but also local action plans,” he says.

“One of the realisations from Covid I think is just how big a sector retail is and how signi cant it is to our everyday lives, in every part of the country. Be it a small town or village, the corner shop or the centres and stores in our cities as well. Retail has proven to be a very resilient sector, and stepped up to reach their customers in many di erent ways by pivoting and

adapting. e whole aim of this policy is to make our towns, villages and city centres more attractive places to be, to invest in, to live in, to shop and to spend time in,” he said of the policy.

“For me, it’s that regional spread – retail jobs are everywhere. And that’s a bonus for the Government and something I think we need to protect and mind and grow.”

Retail, he says, is not simply a service industry looking a er their customers, but a focal point of our local communities.

“It’s the experience they bring to our town centres, to tourism – hospitality, retail and tourism are very much interlinked. But I think the success of our cities and towns relies on the ‘buzz’ you get from retail, and the movement of people that comes with that is key.”

Career development

Many of us got our rst steps on the career ladder via jobs in retail and Damien says he wants to do more to emphasise the bene ts

and training that comes with having a career in retail. “We have to develop the career in retail a lot more, and all the o ering that comes with that from education point of view,” he agrees. “We need to recognise the skills we’ve built up from our retail experience and try to recognise greater quali cations via this as a career because there’s a lot going on in terms of upskilling, and so on. I want to try to capture that if I can, in an education framework as well.” e idea of blended working can pose a

challenge in retail but Damien says there are exible roles on o er, particularly as the shopping landscape continues to evolve.

“ e future of retail will involve a lot more digitalisation and technologies, so there’s opportunities there. But also, we do want to encourage our Irish retailers to take on more international markets by developing an o ering of service, to distribution and so on. Even if not all retail roles are remote friendly, they’re very exible roles, and there are opportunities to have that worklife balance in other ways. We need to look at these opportunities because it’s not your traditional nine to ve, but we can make the sector more attractive so people will look at it as a permanent career, as opposed to a stepping stone to another career.”

Blended channels

It’s a blended model, he continues, that will be the way forward for retail. “It’s the development of the retail omni-channel which accelerated due to Covid. Because there’s a long way to go when we talk of what’s spent in physical stores, compared to what’s been spent online,” he continues. “So there’s a lot of potential to open channels to reach new customers or service new customers. And competition, that’s phase two. So we have to equip our companies to be able to match what other international players are doing – and I think we can go a er that. But we can also recognise the consumer is not tired yet of the physical experience – they do want that blended model, that full retail experience.”

“ is means destination shopping and coming to a town or a city for the day, to have the blend of retail, tourism, hospitality, culture – that’s where retail has to focus on to develop, but also concentrate on their online o ering under digital services, because e-commerce is a massive opportunity. We have a Digitisation Working Group to develop this.”

Climate transition is a daunting task and challenge for all sectors of retail, he agrees as we talk of sustainability challenges in the sector. “Many in the retail sector have have already taken this on, embraced it and made massive changes on the shop oor, in the back o ces and in their warehouses to reduce energy consumption, to try to play their part. We need to be able to make sure that our other businesses, including the smaller retailers are in a position to do that via the Climate Action Plan and new retail

The local angle

Limerick’s local councillor John Sheehan agrees that shopping habits have changed. “Covid has changed people’s habits. A lot of people are doing a lot of online shopping. Services seem to be taking over quite a lot in town centres rather than your normal retail shops selling product. So the model has to change, because of investment going into public realm, and the likes of active travel. But both of those have to align with one another as to how they best invest in the larger towns and cities. Because at the moment, it appears to be somewhat disjointed.”

“Limerick city needs more investment in terms of an evening and nighttime economy, too, because everybody moves towards the suburbs when finished work and from maybe six o’clock, the city can be quite quiet. We in local government have to try and identify where we can help the retailer’s change and adapt to this situation as well.”

Waterford councillor Joe Conway says tangible support is what’s needed. “Like most cities and provincial towns, there is a dereliction/vacancy hangover from the 2008 crash. These sites depress the economic viability for existing and potential businesses. The Government needs to address this with tangible supports – and could help hugely by making a fund available to Local Authorities to progress CPOs on the major offenders.”

“I would like to see the quayside in Waterford set out on a progression from being largely a carpark to being a place where there is lively economic activity…and not just a repository for inert, slumbering cars occupying what is probably the most outstanding quayside in the whole of Ireland,” he says of his hopes for Waterford’s local development.

sustainability initiative, Sustainable Irish Retail Action (SIRA). Retailers are uniquely placed to lead on that agenda,” he adds.

Supports

Support is needed more than ever and there are a range on o er for retailers now, he explains. “ e full range of supports o ered across Government for businesses, including retailers, can be found on Which support is for you? via enterprise.gov.ie. e Online Retail Scheme, e Trading Online Voucher Scheme, as well as sustainability supports o ered including the Green for Micro Scheme are all there for retailers to avail and make use of. “

One of the realisations from Covid is just how big a sector retail is and how significant it is to our everyday lives, in every part of the country.

Ask the

EXPERTS

What does it take to keep our local retail outlets and town centres at the focal point of customers’ shopping experience? We speak to two experts about the importance of keeping town centres front of mind when it comes to post-pandemic planning

Hot Topic: Town Centre Rejuvenation

“The Heritage Council played a central role in the development of the Government’s ‘Town Centre First this policy,” and one of the actions involves the establishment of a network of town regeneration officers in each local authority whose role will be to bring a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of regeneration actions. The Heritage Council is hopeful that this approach to conservation and re-use of buildings will feature strongly in the Town Centre First implementation and investment packages,” Alison explains. The Heritage Council, she says, views the availability of funding for the care and conservation of historic buildings as critical for town centres. “We run the Historic Towns Initiative grants programme which supports local authorities in maintaining streetscapes and in bringing historic buildings back into use. The programme is guided by the principle that a good quality historic environment is more attractive to shoppers, consumers, locals and visitors. With this in mind, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports the conservation of historic shop fronts and also provides grants to individual historic buildings,” she continues. To continue to attract and keep customers coming back from a retail perspective, Alison says it’s important issues, such as a continued focus on the care and conservation of historic buildings, to examining measures to improve the energy efficiency of historic buildings, as well as support from retailers for the re-use of large institutional spaces is at the fore.

Stephen Purcell, Director and Co-Head, KPMG Future Analytics:

“To encourage greater energy and vitality in Ireland’s town centres there needs to be an increase in people living, working and socialising, bringing vibrancy to the heart of towns,” Stephen says. “The Town Centre First policy is the key instrument being used to drive this.” Town centres are changing, he says, and have evolved as places for people to meet and gather through a combination of traffic reduction and investment in public realm. “The Government could consider further investment in

the acquisition and dissemination of comparative data on vacancy, dereliction and footfall in town centres to enable decision makers to review their town’s performance against others.” Retailers have faced a perfect storm in recent years of consumer habits increasingly favouring online shopping, exacerbated by the impact of Covid-19 on town centre footfall,” he agrees, explaining that technological change, global consumer trends, and the implications of the pandemic means new and innovative approaches to town centre development are called for. “Supports that could help retailers include those that will increase footfall, such as Festival and Events funding offered by many local authorities, as well as Failte Ireland’s Festival Innovation programme. Local authorities, or Chambers of Commerce could also seek to promote town centre event programmes or relaunch their town centre offer, for example shop local campaigns,” he continues. “And increasing residential density in town centres will increase the vibrancy, vitality and viability of Ireland’s town centres, which could be done by activating vacant first and second floor levels through targeted investment. Providing a local service – retailers could increasingly work together and seek to respond to changing consumer behaviour e.g. by trading later or on weekend days – in an ‘our town is open’ approach, or in engaging in collaborative online marketing, are just some examples of how to bring about new approaches to town centre development.”

Alison Harvey, Planning and Development Officer, The Heritage Council of Ireland

SHINING BRIGHT

Richard Wehrly, Director at Wehrly Bros Jewellers based in Sligo, on why his retail business is at its best within the local community

“I am the fourth generation to work in the business and myself and my father Tony work very closely together on a daily basis, and make most decisions together. We are a traditional jewellers, with a heavy focus on engagement rings and wedding bands, jewellery and branded watches. Onsite, we have a jewellery and watchmaking workshop where we also carry out a huge amount of repairs and bespoke work on the premises,” explains Richard.

ey have invested heavily in their workshop over the last two years, and as a result, 90% of all repair works stays in-house, he says. Rarely does anything get sent away, unless it’s going back to brand.

“We have taken great joy and pride in producing jewellery and bespoke pieces and commissions in our shop – this has been an incredibly satisfying new addition to our business.”

“We have always felt a deep connection with the community, we support a lot of events, charities and sports teams in the

area,” he says, when asked why he loves being based in the heart of the community as a retailer. “People very much appreciate the support and sponsorship and they do come back to buy things to support you because you support them. is is what a small independent business is all about, and why such businesses are so important for a community.”

Atmosphere and conneection

As a retailer, Richard says sitting within the town centre gives the business a chance to soak up a slice of the atmosphere.

“ e atmosphere in the town centre is extremely hard to beat. We are very glad to see the focus returning,” he continues.

“Sligo BID has been an incredible addition to our town – it has helped to give retailers a direct line to our local council who listen to our concerns and work very well with retailers generally. ere are also supports and opportunities, as retailers, we would have missed had it not been for Sligo BID.”

e jewellers was not without its challenges during the pandemic, but they are on strong footing even amid the uncertainty. “We had some supply issues initially, as the whole world did,” he adds. “ e main impact outside of closure has been sta ng. ere have been days over the past two years where we didn’t know whether we would be able to open, but thankfully, business has been strong since reopening. “

“We found the support from e Association of Fine Jewellers and Retail Excellence invaluable; it really showed us the value of such organisations to a small businesses like ourselves – you are de nitely much stronger in a collective, rather than isolated out on your own. I dont know how we would have remained sane or made decisions without talking to or seeking advice from colleagues in the retail trade.”

www.wehrlybros.ie

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Maeve Ryan, Managing Director of The Book Centre, a retail chain based in Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny and Naas on why evolving her business has been the key to continued success

“ e Book Centre was established in 1971 by my dad, Sean Ryan. He was looking to expand his retail o ering in Waterford (at the time he had an interiors shop), my mum told him he had to open a decent bookshop, so as he says himself, he did what he was told!” says Maeve of e Book Centre’s beginnings.

“ e business has evolved over the last 50 years by constant innovation, and we now have four shops, a website and employ around 100 people. We are a family business and our people, both our brilliant sta and customers, are at the heart of everything we do, and it is thanks to their their dedication and loyalty we are where we are today.”

“ e success of our business is because we do sit within the local community. We work with local book writers, gi -makers and card publishers, and endeavor to support as much local business as possible,” she explains, saying that a local focus is at the heart of everything the company does. “We hold signing and events as much as we can, and we go above and beyond to deliver the best customer service possible.”

The 360 approach to retail

As a retailer, she says their 360 approach makes them stand out from the crowd within their community setting. “Our shops are all large buildings with di erent levels and areas, we have murals, co ee, seating areas and teen areas all under one roof. Our customers love to explore our shops and soak in the atmosphere, which cannot be paralleled the same way in a ‘white box’ shopping centre unit.”

“ e local people in each of our shop areas were fantastic throughout the pandemic. ey were so loyal – we really appreciate the e ort they went to to continue to support local and shop with us online and in store when they

could. e hard work of our sta and the loyalty of our customers saw us through the pandemic and out the other side,” Maeve adds when talking of the challenges of Covid.

Post-Covid, she says they have big plans. “We are continuing to develop our product range, website and shops. We are in also in the process of redesigning our Barker & Jones Naas store and we will be doing co ee on the ground oor to be enjoyed amongst the books very soon. It’s very exciting and we’re looking forward to continuing to developing and growing our business.”

“I do think the Governement need to look at regenerating the heart of the city centres and help local businesses to both stay and enter the centres – this will keep them growing and thriving.”

www.thebookcentre.ie

ADDED SPARKLE

Managing Director of Tadhg Kearney Jewellers based in Limerick, Tadhg B Kearney, talks of the joy of being in the retail jewellery business, and being ‘purveyors of happiness’ for customers

“ e retail jewellery business is a lovely business to be in because we are essentially ‘purveyors of happiness’. We meet people at their very happiest times when they are marking the special event of life, whether it be a christening, engagement and wedding – for the big and small celebrations of life. e longer I am in this business, the more conscious I am how privileged we are to share these celebrations with generations of people,” Tadhg says.

Having taken over the business at a very young age, he knows every facet of the business. “I came to Limerick in the 1970’s to temporarily manage a retail jewellery store that had been purchased by the Faller jewellery family from Galway. I ended up staying in Limerick and took over the business myself in 1981 when I was just 25 years of age. Last year marked 40 years in business for me and 75 years for the business itself, originally founded in 1946.”

Over the years, one of the most signi cant evolutions in the business, he says, has been the amount of time spend collaborating with clients on bespoke pieces. “ is section of the business grew almost by accident but it’s a side of the business that I thoroughly enjoy, especially

taking a client’s idea and evolving it into a piece that - with guidance and added input - o en exceeds the client’s expectations. Building our reputation over the years, this has now become a signi cant side of the business,” he explains.

“In years gone by, shopping used to be an exercise of necessity but now it is regarded as a leisure activity, and it has become more experiential,” Tadhg says of a local retail o ering over a shopping centre. “ ere are at least a dozen cafes within 100 metres of our shop. On a sunny day when the customers are sitting outdoors, it is easy to see what the city centre has to o er over a shopping centre, but the di erence is more di cult to de ne on a traditional rainy Irish day. I think the eclectic o er in the city is more original and unique compared to the heavily curated o er in a shopping centre.”

In terms of Government support, he stresses the need for tangible change and measures put in place. “ e primary change I would like to see is real implementation of the government’s Town Centres First policy.”

Despite all the lost trading periods thanks to multiple lockdowns, Tadhg says they had an excellent pandemic overall and it enabled them to refocus with fresh insight. “Covid allowed us to take a long hard and re ective look at our business. In order to move to being able to o er an online presence, we have decided to invest in a whole new integrated technology platform that will be a step change for the business.”

tadhgkearneyjewellers

“In years gone by, shopping used to be an exercise of necessity but now it is regarded as a leisure activity, and it has become more experiential.”

‘I have been working with Johnston’s for many years. In that time together we have opened numerous Regatta Great Outdoor shops. What appeals to me the most is the level of service provided by the Johnston’s team from con cept to and ultimately delivering my vision.

The critical path used by the shopfit team allows me to plan delivery dates for stock, start dates for new staff and media campaigns. Such is my confidence with this Dublin based company that we have used them to build shops for us across the UK, Spain, Holland and on the East Coast of America. From concept to delivery on time and on budget I am happy to recommend Johnston’s to any company requiring such a service.’

Brian Fox - MD Regatta Great Outdoors Ireland

The guys take care of everything and are happy to point out potential pitfalls but above all our jobs are fully compli ant now and into the future.

IN WITH

“I was headhunted from another sport distribution business back in 2000. Sports and the great outdoors have always been part of my DNA,” Brian says of his career journey to becoming Managing Director of Regatta Great Outdoors Ireland. “Going from one outdoor clothing brand to another, especially one I felt had potential, seemed like a natural progression. I set up my sample range in the little garage at the bottom of my garden. I hit the phones an invited existing and potential new customers to visit me at home for a co ee and then invited them down to the underwhelming surroundings of my shed to chat through the samples.”

He has certainly come a long way from the garage in his garden. Since joining the company, almost 12 years ago, he has moved steadily up the ranks and seen it go from strength to strength. e popular retail chain, which sells active wear, apparel and equipment for lovers of hiking and other outdoor activities, by the end of the year will have over 34 stores around Ireland. Since the brand rst landed in Ireland in Shaws of Wexford in 2004, it has since grown to include over 10 concession stores as well as its standalone stores.

Brian explains the pandemic created unprecedented customer demand and this, with Brexit a driving force, has resulted in the opening of company’s newest Irish distribution warehouse, located in Cork.

“Customer demands are at an all-time high,” he explains. “We want it now, we want it delivered to our front door, we want great value for money and we want

The challenge, Brian says, is to always give the customer the best experience possible in-store, as well as online.

it collected and credited if the item needs to be returned. is came about as our consumers migrated online during the Covid lockdowns.”

“Brexit is the main driving force behind having to purchase and set up our own distribution centre in Ireland,” he continues. “ e perfect storm of Brexit and Covid seriously upset our supply chain. We

With customer demand at an all-time high, Managing Director of Regatta Great Outdoors Ireland, Brian Fox, tells Retail Times of his plans to forge ahead post-Pandemic

incurred – and still incur – massive added costs shipping product from our main distribution centre in Liverpool to Dublin. You then have the added layer of complex compliance and paperwork for customs that can delay shipments for up to two weeks. is is counterintuitive to consumer demands and would be detrimental if we didn’t nd a solution. As a result, we are well on our way to simplifying our supply chain critical path to ensure we get the correct product, on time, to our loyal customer base.”

e pandemic has a ected everyone,

he agrees, but says the business had a lot of positives. “We developed a solid online platform for our three brands: Regatta Great Outdoors, Craghoppers and Dare2b. We have opened four new shops since returning to ‘normal.’ As well as investing in our new 169,000Sq.Ft. warehouse, we have increased our workforce by over 80 people and we have three more new shops in the pipeline for 2022.”

The best of both

While online demand peaked during lockdown, he does say the demand isn’t what it was during Covid – now the challenge is to give customers the best service and product, however they choose to shop.

“Online demand has reduced dramatically. I think Irish consumers, where possible, like to a trip out to the shops. We like to meet other people, chat with knowledgeable sales people to ensure we get the right product, t for purpose. en, we’ll incorporate a co ee and wander around the hight street or shopping centre before we head home or back to work – my challenge is to ensure that whichever channel our customers decide to go down, they have an equally pleasurable and informative journey.”

Of course, the last 18 months have not been without di culties. As with many retailers, he says sta retention remains a huge challenge. “Retention is more di cult that it has ever been. A lot of great workers have le the work force across all sectors. e cost of living and the increased demand on our pay-packet is forcing people to move for marginal increases in wages. All employers are having a hard time recruiting and are forced to manage opening times and so on, depending on sta cover.”

Of these di culties, Brian says letting the dust settle is needed as retailers adjust to a post-Covid world. “We’ll just have to ride this one out and see where we end up. ese things tend to be cyclical and will settle down eventually.”

When asked about implementing and post-Pandemic changes, he said his focus remains on making sure his customer is happy. “We’re just trying to ensure our customers enjoy a visit to one of our shops, that they all get outside and enjoy the simple things in life, from going for a walk, a jog, or a cycle to being in each other’s company or saying hello that stranger you pass everyday on your walk. Remember it’s not the weather that stops you heading out, it is you and your wardrobe. I’lll help get you into the right gear, the rest is up to you!”

GOING FOR GROWTH

Sky’s new agship stores have been developed to give customers the opportunity to fully experience Sky’s award-winning products and o erings, as well as innovative new products that will launch in Ireland in due course. Sky store teams will also be able to facilitate customer purchases and customer support.

e opening of these agship stores in Ireland follows the success of multiple retail stores opened across the UK over the past two years, with the rst UK store opening its doors in Liverpool in October 2020. e brand-new Blanchardstown store, opened on 30th March 2022, covers 3,000 square feet with the three remaining stores averaging at approximately 1,500 square feet per store.

At Sky, we pride ourselves on trying to deliver unique experiences when it comes to content and what our customers want. is was very much at the heart of every decision when it came to our four new agship stores.  Our current retail estate consists of 17 mid-mall hubs and our new four inline stores.  We try and locate our stores close to our customers and strive to have a drive time of no more than 30 minutes.  We have recently added 30 new employees to the retail team, bringing our overall headcount close to 100 which we are looking to grow. As we continue to add

new customer journeys to our portfolio, we see they need more time and support.

Innovation in Sky is never ending and what has been seen since joining is a passion to be the best at what we do, whether its content or the products we o er our customers.  Over the next 18 months we will see two exciting products enter the Irish market with Sky Glass and

Sky mobile. Our shops will give people a chance to experience Sky Glass rst-hand and allow us to showcase the future of home entertainment and connectivity with Sky.  Shoppers can test Sky Glass in shops across Ireland, speak with Sky’s expert advisors and try our latest innovations.  e shops also have a dedicated ‘Customer Hub’, complete with seating areas, that

With the opening of recent flagship stores and new products poised to enter the market, Sky is going from strength to strength on Irish shores

will allow existing customers to speak to advisors about their current products.  We understand our customers are time precious and we have introduced a booking system that enables them to pick convenient times to come in for a demo or a health check on their account if needed. When it came to deciding the locations

of our four agship stores, we took our time to ensure the locations chosen were aligned to what we stood for as a brand. We picked four centres in high-pro le areas that had deep ties to their local communities. We have long standing relationships with both Blanchardstown and Mahon Point shopping centres and we now have an

excellent opportunity to build long-term bonds with both Crescent shopping centre and Dundrum town centre. As a brand, it is important for us to look to the future, and having committed to be net zero carbon by 2030, the sustainability factor played a huge part in our decisions to invest so heavily within these centres. ey share the same passion as we do with it comes to sustainability.

As a business, we never stand still and constantly look at how we can best serve our customers. We feel with the addition of these four agship stores we can make a real di erence in the market when it comes to the home entertainment experience. All elements have our customers at the fore – this is what makes the stores. From recruitment, store design, training to the experience we want to give to every single customer that crosses the threshold, it’s all for the customer. We’re not only proud of our paid TV market, we’re also proud we have built up our base of broadband customers over the last number years and we see this as a key part of our customers needs and wants when they come in and speak to us. We’ve even put in a dedicated broadband section in to each of our agship stores as we know how important it is to our customers. When mobile comes to the market for Sky in 2023, it will once again allow us to put our best foot forward. We have already begun our plans to make mobile as exciting for our customers as possible.

We are so proud of what we have been able to achieve with these stores and are as excited about what we can do with them in the future. Please take the time to come in and say hello whenever you are passing by.

When mobile comes to the market for Sky in 2023, it will once again allow us to put our best foot forward.

FABIANI

e Retail Excellence Awards promote the bestof-the-best when it comes to retail practice and innovation. Louise Brennan, owner of Longford boutique Fabiani, knows all about this a er her business scooped the coveted National Store of the Year title in the 2021 Retail Excellence Awards. e retailer has made huge strides since Louise bought the business in 2010, and has since expanded its ambitious o ering into fashion, lifestyle products, an in-store co ee shop, beauty parlour and yoga studio. Quite simply, it’s the ultimue retail experience for any avid shopper. “Winning the Retail Excellence award meant the world to us as a team. We have worked very hard for the past number of years to create a truly unique retail experience, and to have it recognised was amazing,” said Louise. “Since winning, we have had customers travel to us from all over Ireland - the support has been incredible.” Fabiani is the ultimate experiential retail experience. “We are totally customer-

centric and have a multi-faceted o ering in store. With an in-store co ee shop, brow bar, and yoga studio, we can provide our clients with a well-rounded and ful lling shopping experience,” Louise says, when asked what made them stand out from the nominees.

“We have worked extremely hard to levelup our brand o ering, with our premium womenswear oor having opened in September of last year. is provides the midlands with a brand o ering that cannot be found anywhere else outside the capital. Every detail of what we do is poured over, from our visual merchandising and instore communication with customers, to how we curate our clothing and footwear collections. We love what we do, and we know our customers do too.” ere’s no quick route to success, adds Louise, who feels their customer-focused strategy is what sets them apart. “What sets us apart is our dedication to providing the very best personal luxury shopping experience that we can. Our main unique selling point has to be our unparalleled level of customer service, coupled with our unique brand mix. is, alongside our relaxed in-store atmosphere, and the fact that we are quite literally a ‘one-stop-shop’, have de nitely contributed to our success,” she continues.

“And Fabiani’s unparalleled shopping environment blends our exceptional service with creativity and technology. is means we can o er our clients an extraordinary customer experience like no other. at is why Fabiani is di erent. “Shoes and clothes are stacked, suspended from the ceiling, or displayed e ortlessly by our beautiful mannequins – we like to make our products speak and perform for our customer.”

DIAMOND FURNITURE

Home and Interiors Store of e Year Diamond Furniture pride themselves on going above and beyond to ensure their customers have the perfect living space. Sales & Marketing Manager Deirbhile Brennan says they are constantly striving to be the best and are thrilled with the recognition of the award. “It’s recognition of our constant strive to be innovative and the best in our business!” Deirbhile says of the Dublin-based interiors company. “To be judged by the experts and winning the home interior store of the year is truly an honour and reason to keep getting even better. We want to reinvent ourselves constantly in an e ort to dig deep into the imagination of our customers and aspire them to create their perfect space. We strive to be the best, to stand above our competitors to o er our customers an inspiring space where their imaginations can be set free,” she adds, explaining that their success lies in every detail. “From handpicked paint colours that complement our ranges – most of which are designed by our Managing Director, William Diamond – nished with the perfect accessories, to an aspirational look coupled with our expert sta , we understand the demands, needs and dreams of our potential customers. Not everyone expects to nd in-store Interior designers on hand to help you every step of the way. Anyone can sell furniture; we create beautiful interiors for people,” Deirbhile continues. “In trying to create something a little di erent, we have set ourselves aside from our competitors. We have made ourselves known for ‘custom’

orders, designing our own ranges, and in a unique and challenging time for businesses, we have pushed harder to nd new and innovative ways to keep reinventing ourselves, perfecting every part of our business.” e pandemic gave the retailer extra time to really focus on executing their vision. “We have used this time to prove what we believe in. Investing in our sta , our showrooms, warehousing, stock and striving to stay the leaders in specialist excellence. We love what we do and this shines through. We stand out by being original and have created our unique branding tone of voice which resonates with our customers. And above all, we know our customers!”

FRANK’S PLACE 1860 WEXFORD

Frank’s Place 1860 Wexford is another retailer who took on the toughest of challenges and opened its doors during the pandemic. is, a superb new casual dining cafe and delicatessen in the heart of Wexford has a heritage that stretches back generations, gives the retail store its edge, says Managing Director James G. O’ Connor. “We were one of the few businesses that actually “started up” during the pandemic,” James explains. “So the award gave huge encouragement to our great team at Frank’s Place. It was a reward for their hard work and commitment during a really challenging time. We did our bit and helped bring a community spirit to the main street in Wexford,” he says of the retailers latest success. “We also provided a meeting place for both retailers and customers to have quality food in top class premises with excellent service – all while in a uniquely historic building which has been in the same families hands for six generations.” In short, it’s all about giving customers an experience that’s hard to nd elsewhere. “Frank’s Place is a throwback to more traditional times,” he adds. “And our tagline, ‘Frank’s Place, make it yours,’ encapsulates our ambition in a retail and hospitality world becoming increasingly homogeneous.” It’s all about, he says, combining history with contemporary to provide the perfect spot to meet old friends to break new bread, using, “a great design and mixing old materials with a modern point of sale and technical equipment – it all contributes to a unique experience for the customer. At Franks, we pride ourselves on providing a unique customer shopping experience. We have something for everyone.”

PETSTOP GALWAY

It can’t have been an easy task opening a new retail outlet during the pandemic, but that’s exactly how Petstop Galway came to be. e hard work resulted in a Retail Excellence Award win, and Managing Director Anthony Gallagher says the award is recognition of the whole Petstop family’s dedication. “Petstop have remained true to our vision, our core ethos, and our Petstop family. For that reason, the award of ‘Top 5 Retail Stores of the Year’ isn’t just another prize to sit on the shelf, it’s a mark of recognition of the hard work and dedication that our Petstop team have put into our stores - both online and o ine,” Anthony says. “Each year, we raise the bar of excellence, not for our competitors, but for ourselves. Our team’s hard work and dedication is central to Petstop’s success, but what makes us stand out even more is our dynamic line-up,” Anthony explains of the company’s success factors. “We are proud to say that our team consists of veterinary nurses, zoologists, dog behaviourists, groomers and individuals quali ed in FETAC animal care courses. Having such a well-rounded and rich team means that our customers can gain guidance and help from highly-trained, educated sta members. is not only strengthens and builds upon the level of trust that customers have with us, but enriches the overall quality of service that we provide. We prioritise, we care and we pride ourselves on the quality of customer service that we provide. Our ethos, “Happy Pets, Happy People”, says it all,” he adds. ey became a winner, he says, thanks old fashioned team work. “It is the Petstop team that has shaped the path of success. With nearly 30 years of experience in the pet industry, we have learned the importance of surrounding oneself with like-minded people. Our team of pet-loving sta have cra ed a pet- rst culture that emanates from the busy bees up in the o ce, and trickles all the way through to pet lovers and pets. Petstop is a retail store, but its vision is so much more than that,” Anthony continues. “Petstop is di erent because we care. We care about pets, our pet parents, our colleagues, and the wider pet-loving community. As a retailer, we sell products, but as a leader in the pet industry, we share our expert pet knowledge. We know that there is no secret to our success, just a clear business goal, a brilliant, pet-loving team, and the ability to adapt our business to pets’ ever-changing wants and needs.”

We prioritise, we care and we pride ourselves on the quality of customer service that we provide. Our ethos, “Happy Pets, Happy People”, says it all.

ANTHONY GALLAGHER MD, PETSTOP GALWAY

THE SOURCE BULK FOODS

Next up, Health/Pharmacy Retail Sore of the Year winner, e Source Bulk Foods’ local Irish franchise partner Ken Kinsella says they were delighted to win, given that they were a relatively new business on Irish shores. Based in Rathmines in Dublin (with a second store recently opened in Greystones), he explains the aim is to take shopping, “back to basics, where our food and products speak for themselves.” Simply, put, he explains their mission is to make sustainable shopping easy. Customers easily embrace a zero-waste mindset while choosing from over 500 bulk foods and lifestyle products, all of which are 100% plastic-free. e Source has a large range of vegan, paleo, dairy free, organic and gluten-friendly food options – it isn’t just abouteasily setting out a conscious shopping path for customers, but ensuring the products are as nutritious as possible.

ere’s also cooking oils, natural cleaning products and personal care products to choose from. “Retail in Ireland is extremely competitive, and the standard is very high. To win an award from Retail Excellence considering we were a new business was very special,” Ken said of the win. “I think it was a combination of many factors; there was no one pillar that stood out. We realised that we needed to do some work on our communication within the store in regardless to our customers, so we focused on that.“ What certainly stands out is the retailers’ passion for zero-waste living and healthy food and eye-catching, e ective branding, and Ken adds their simple solutions to ‘going green’ when it comes to the shopping experience has ensured success for the business. “ e main factor that have contributed to our success, is I think, rstly that we o er a solution to the plastic issue with regards to food, household and personal care shopping. We enable customers to purchase unique organic products packaging free and they can buy as little or as much as they like. “We are very customer focused and our staf, wellversed in solutions to living plastic-free, are trained to make sure that the customer knows that they can ask any question and ask for help at anytime in helping them do there zero waste shopping. We provide easy plastic-free ‘swaps’ to everyday products.”

Award Winners / People in Retail

07 Inviting exterior of The Source Bulk Foods

08 Ken Kinsella with fellow staff at The Source Bulk Foods

DIGITAL TOOLS OF THE TRADE

Every street in every town and city in Ireland has a merchant trying to sell products and services that may be found online elsewhere. However, what could be better than local people selling to their community and giving the right service to friends and neighbours?

We know these merchants are sure they can do it better than anyone else and want to serve their customers and their communities in the best way possible, but we also know just being on the street isn’t good enough anymore; you also need to be on their phones and coming up in their searches. Presence in their digital feeds is as important as footfall on the street.

One of our newest partners is Click & Collection, who through Covid, built a business out of getting businesses open from behind shutters to help them to speak to their communities online. This allowed them to trade in the most difficult trading circumstances, from zero to hundreds of orders in days, rather than months. Using simplified tools, business owners could trade in a way that suited them and their customers.

Mark Hooper of Click & Collection tells us more:

“For many independent businesses figuring out how to set up e-commerce or to add a digital aspect to their business, this can be difficult to navigate.

At Click & Collection, we set up our

business to simplify that. A prime objective for our software is that business owners and small teams should be able put their own business online and take orders and payments within minutes. They shouldn’t need specialist knowledge or need to hire a developer or consultant.

These businesses’ web shops are driven by effective and efficient workflows and automated admin. This allows these merchants to achieve more with less and concentrate on what they do. Businesses can set themselves up to trade within as little as 30 minutes, without any technical know-how.

Businesses can take orders and payments for collection, delivery, shipping/dispatch or on premises service. Each merchant manages their business using their own online dashboard.

For the customers, it is also simple and straightforward to use, there is no app to download. It is web-based and they simply order, and choose how the order should be fulfilled according to their date and time preference. They automatically receive confirmation of their order and payment.

We started this business in the very early days of Covid in March 2020. In that intervening period of time, we have worked and listened closely with the businesses that have used us, delving into where they came across problems – and we have developed solutions to those issues. Listening and developing with our users made us more relevant to them and their needs and resulted in a product more focused on what they think is important, not just what we deem important.

As a company, we focus on giving access to the type of digital tools larger businesses normally have at hand. We give these tools to independent businesses to deploy, so we can empower these merchants to use these new tools to the greatest effect.

While our software is self-serving, we also enthusiastically talk with each of the businesses on the platform to ensure their online business is optimised for their needs. We aim to put a human face to technology.”

AIB’s newest partner offers tools for businesses to optimise their digitaland e-commerce offerings faster than ever

Mícheál Ó Gruagáin, Senior Product Manager for E-Commerce, AIB Merchant Services

Having partners such as Click & Collection, who develop tools for merchants to self-build e-commerce channels that work for bricks and mortar businesses, as well as blended trading is a value add for AIBMS and our merchants. We encourage the development of these services so our merchants can continue to grow to meet the challenges of the future.

AIB Merchant Services has been developing our own complimentary tools for a number of years to give businesses a detailed view of their customers and trade. Our Main Street Insights product is the perfect partner for a face-to-face business to add an online piece to their puzzle. By providing day-by-day, week-

by-week, analysis of your ‘walk-in’ trade volumes, you can see where your business is at its most successful and where you can supplement this with online trade.

Main Street Insights can also give you a geographic and demographic breakdown of your customer base on any given period (day, week, and month) of trade so you can see who you trade with and where they are, resulting in a perfect tool to potentially build a social media campaign to advertise your new online channel.

You can use social media tools to speak to your customer demographic in the areas you want to target. You can then give them a link to pre-order the new product you want to sell, allow them to pay for it and book a slot to pick it up from you. is is

your business in action online, but very much aimed at your community.

Trade in Ireland is moving towards not only grabbing people’s attention on the street with window displays, but also grabbing their attention in their social feed with posts, Tweets and Instagram Stories. e intention to buy is being nailed down “on the couch”.

Trading online is moving on from the rst few waves of products and suppliers, and costs are coming down for these services – complexity is being replaced with simplicity. Every shop can now begin to reach out from their premises and trade as much online as they do in store. AIB Merchant Services and our partners are here to back you as you do this.

When mobile comes to the market for Sky in 2023, it will once again allow us to put our best foot forward.

DIGITAL NEWS

Primark starts clickand-collect trial as sales recover Associated British Foods said budget-clothing retailer

Primark, which trades as Penneys in Ireland, will test a UK click-and-collect service on children’s products, seeking to boost sales that are still recovering from the pandemic. In a significant departure for a retailer that has previously resisted moving any of its sales online, the trial will take place in up to 25 stores in northwest England later this year and is expected to drive higher footfall and boost sales, the company said in a statement. Primark was hit hard during lockdowns as stores closed and it lacked an online business to fall back on. Sales are recovering since stores reopened, but like-forlike they are still 9 per cent lower than pre-Covid levels three years ago, AB Foods said.

Latest Retailing Trends, Technologies and Solutions Revealed at SPAR Innovation Event

Hundreds of retailers from across Ireland gathered at the SPAR Innovation Event this summer to witness the latest thinking in retailing trends, along with rinnovative technologies and other solutions soon to be rolled out. Among the new solutions showcased on the day was BWG Foods’ new predictive AI stock management system, ShopLink Pro, which leverages hundreds of complex data points to predict consumer demand for in-store products, allowing for smarter forecasting of stock requirements, while also considering business promotions and category management to deliver 21-day, 14-day and 7-day sales forecasts. The BWG team also revealed an innovative new HR Support service to support retailers with managing this very important part of their business. Discussions on the day included presentations from SPAR and BWG Foods management focused on the continued development and expansion of the SPAR retail network across Ireland, and plans in place to launch new offerings including an expanded SPAR Own Brand Range. Speaking at the event, Colin Donnelly said, “Our network of SPAR retailers is very much a tightknit community of likeminded businesspeople, so it was fantastic to gather socially and to share conversations regarding the future of our business, our offerings and our iconic brand. SPAR has always been at the very forefront of retail innovation in Ireland and across the world, and this meeting was the perfect platform to share ideas and to present our exciting plans.”

WORD OF

METACHANNEL

Stocktaking.ie Announces Support for Irish Children’s Cancer Charity.

Stocktaking.ie, Ireland’s leading stocktaking company are throwing their support behind children’s cancer charity, Cancer Fund for Children. The company has just launched their 2022 charity partnership with Cancer Fund for Children who are raising funds to build Daisy Lodge, a dedicated therapeutic short break facility in Cong for children across Ireland diagnosed with cancer and their families. Commenting on the launch, Stocktaking.ie Business Development Manager Sharon Kelly added, “We are absolutely delighted to have chosen Cancer Fund for Children Ireland as our Charity Partner 2022. We are off to a wonderful start and delighted to have our full Team on board for this very worthy charity.

Online retailer Ocado raises €671m as UK economy slows. Ocado has raised £575 million (€671 million) from investors as the group seeks to lock in funding for the costly roll-out of its grocery ecommerce technology. The company, which was one of the biggest beneficiaries of the boom in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic, said that it had sold 72 million shares to existing and new institutional investors at 795p each. It raised an additional £3m through selling shares to management and in a separate offering designed for retail investors.

Revolut begins European roll-out of ‘buy now, pay later’ product. Revolut has begun the phased European roll-out of a ‘buy now, pay later’ product which will allow its customers to spread the cost of purchases over a number of instalments. Dubbed ‘Pay Later’, the feature will be available “for early access” to a handful of its Irish customers, the fintech said in a statement. Revolut will assess each customer’s bank account individually and give them a “bespoke” credit limit based on their means and suitability. With their Revolut cards, users will then be able to spread the cost of purchases up to a value of €499 across three instalments.

Piltown is winner of .IE Digital Town Awards 2022 Piltown in Co Kilkenny has been announced as the overall winner of the 2022 .IE Digital Town Awards for its ‘Taking Charge of our Digital Future’ project. As well as taking home the overall award, Piltown was also announced as the winner of the Digital Business category winning a total prize of €19,000. Chair of the judging panel Joan Mulvihill commended Piltown’s win commenting that “the community of Piltown showed extraordinary resolve and determination in putting their town on the digital map. The support from businesses and landowners in granting access to land, those who prepared the ground and laid the cables, every aspect of this entry is commendable. In recognising Piltown with this award we are confident that this is just the start for them with great things to come. This is truly a lighthouse digital town.” In total, there was a prize fund of €100,000 across 7 award categories including three special awards recognising a digital changemaker, a digital rising star, and a digital local hero. Speaking at the ceremony, a .IE spokesperson commented: “In the case of all our finalists and winners today, it’s clear that with innovative ideas and the support of the community, towns can not only survive, but thrive.”

HOW TO MANAGE STRESS Mental Health in the Workplace

Stress can be broadly de ned as a negative reaction people have to demands placed on them, or aspects of their environment, as they see it. We all see, interpret, cope, manage, and react to the world di erently, and some aspects of life that some people may nd stressful, others might not. Stress is an unpleasant state of anxiety, which if le unmanaged, can lead to long term health issues such as cardiovascular problems and mental health illnesses such as depression and anxiety.

While people may be stressed from their personal lives predominantly, the workplace can be a source of stress for an individual also. Work-related stress can occur when an individual perceives the work environment in a way that causes them to have a stress reaction and a feeling of an inability to cope. is may arise following a situation like a customer interaction or COVID-19 in the workplace. It can also be caused by tight deadlines/ workplace bullying/ pressures from managers or colleagues or anxieties within the working environment. e causes are di erent for everyone.

Stress can have a signi cant impact on the workplace as employees su ering from stress are more likely to make mistakes in their work, become irritable with colleagues, and take an increased number of sick days. is can lead to other organisational issues, such as workplace con ict, grievances, and an increase in long term absences.

However, not all stress is negative. Stress makes us work, gets us out of bed in the morning, encourages us to reach deadlines and hit KPIs. With that said, excessive, frequent, or prolonged stress is not healthy. When stress has a negative impact on someone’s daily life, something needs to change.

At times, employers can feel a sense of frustration if they feel an incident or workload should not have caused the level of stress claimed by an employee. is is a di cult situation as everyone does

Tom Smyth has advice

Spotting signs of stress:

An employee suffering from stress may display the following behaviours:

• They may become withdrawn, quiet, and keep to themselves

• They may display outbursts of anger or act aggressively

• Their absenteeism level may be quite high

• They may have reduced concentration levels

• Their work performance may decline

• Their engagement and motivation to work may have decreased significantly.

Combatting stress:

A few tips to try to combat work related stress are:

• Respect the dignity of each employee; conduct dignity at work training periodically

• Provide regular feedback for employees on their performance

• Set clear goals and targets with employees, ensuring they have the right supports to reach the targets

• Have an open door policy and aim to be approachable for employees to come to discuss any issues they may be having

• Promote a culture of positive leadership from the top down.

Stress toolkit:

process stressful situations di erently, but an employer can certainly help themselves by making sure their work and team environment is friendly and supportive to minimise unnecessary stress – even in di cult work moments.

Employers need to take proactive steps to minimise the risk of employees becoming unreasonably stressed. If employees do indicate they are feeling stressed due to work, employers should engage positively and reassure colleagues that they will do all they can to support the employee and resolve any issues.

Where an employee is experiencing stress in the workplace, below are some resources an employer could point employees:

• Mental health first aider

• Dignity at work contact person

• Employee Assistance Programmes

• Encourage them to seek professional help.

If any REI members wish to discuss the steps to take to reduce stress and the risk of unnecessary stress in the workplace please don’t hesitate to call Tara Cooney or Paula Cashell in TSA on 0214634154.

Tom Smyth TommySmyth

AdSmart from Sky shoppable advertising is here!

Shoppable advertising allows Sky viewers to interact with TV ads containing a unique QR code which drives TV viewers online.

Whether it’s simply buying the product you’ve just seen on screen, downloading an app or even booking a visitor attraction, shoppable delivers a seamless customer experience directly from the TV screen to a brand’s website or online destination.

Combining shoppable functionality with AdSmart from Sky’s cabability to cherry-pick exactly who sees your ad, makes it a real game changer for brands. For more information, scan the QR code above or contact us at adsmartfromsky@sky.ie

GREEN Retail

Lidl is the first retailer in Ireland to launch prevented ocean plastic packaging

Lidl supermarket group has become the first retailer in Ireland to use prevented ocean plastic (Pop), a new form of fresh food packaging using “ocean-bound plastic” — that would have otherwise ended up in marine environments. The Pop has been recycled and reintroduced into its packaging of fish products.

Working with its Cork-based supplier Keohane Seafoods, Lidl has moved five fresh fish products into this innovative packaging. A full rollout is due to be completed by the end of July. The initiative is part of Lidl’s commitment to ensure 50 per cent of packaging is made from recycled materials by 2025.

Carbon Calculators

When was the last time you had an enegry audit?

Your first step as a retailer who’s decided to go green is to develop a plan of action. Contact your local utility provider and request an audit of your energy usage. Most suppliers provide these audits for free, and many will suggest ways to reduce your usage and associated costs. You can approach a third-party environmental auditing service to highlight areas of your business that could do with some sustainable upgrades. From there, draw up a plan of action based on those recommendations. Assess each area of your business’s operations and determine why and how you should change them to make them more sustainable.

A Carbon Calculator is a computer programme that calculates your Carbon Footprint. This is the approximate amount of carbon dioxide produced by the activities of business, organisations, individuals, families, etc. Any business can calculate their carbon footprint. Calculating the carbon footprint of a business provides a much clearer understanding of how a company’s day-to-day operations are affecting the environment, helps identify where its using large amounts of energy, improves business operations, and provides valuable sustainability data for stakeholders.

The EPA, through a Resource Efficiency Programme, offer a range of services, advice and guidance to businesses and institutions on reducing energy and other resources use while maintaining productivity. www.epa.ie

Six out of 10 retailers believe trying to be as sustainable as possible will cost their business money, while the proposed “latte levy” on single-use coffee cups will be counterproductive, according to Retail Excellence. The group, which is the largest representative body for the retail industry in Ireland, warned that the proposed 20 cent levy “does not make sense”. “It is good to see the Government place a real emphasis on sustainable measures, but the coffee-cup levy does not make sense,” said Managing Director Duncan Graham. “It wants consumers to use reusable coffee cups, but these are generally made from plastic which is clearly harmful to the environment. Single-use cups, meanwhile, are compostable and will degrade naturally.”

‘Latte levy’ on single-use cups would be counterproductive, retailers say

NOURISHING IRELAND MEMBER PROFILE

From oat milk to raw chocolate, our tastes have changed dramatically over the last number of years. As we start to choose more wholesome and sustainable products for our families, there is increasing demand for a more diverse and ecologically conscious shopping basket, says Nourish HR Manager Órla Cosgrove

“Nourish Health Food Stores have been supplying Irish homes with natural products since 1986, before couscous and tofu became supermarket staples. One of Ireland’s rst health food stores, Nourish started in Dublin’s Marlborough Street in a bustling and colourful shop near the Abbey eatre.

“Dubliner Derek Kelly began selling wholefoods, nutritional supplements and eco-friendly products in what was originally called e General Health Food Store. From humble beginnings the business grew, as more and more people became interested in taking care of their own health and eating simple, healthy and wholesome organic food,” Órla says of the company’s foundations.

Strong foundations, expertise and knowledge has seen the retailer go from strength to strength since its inception and they now have their sights on amping up their sustainability options for their customer base. “Over the next 30 years, the business changed its name to Nourish and opened more stores across Dublin, developing its experience in health food retail, knowledge in nutrition and expertise curating a unique natural product mix.

“Developing their product range, customer experience and o ering, the team have recently re t their Sandymount Store with Zero Waste Wholefoods. Customers can now choose from more than 50 organic grains, pulses, nuts, seeds and dried fruits to re ll in their own containers,” she explains.

THE NOURISH ACADEMY

While natural products become more widely available, Nourish continues to focus on their team and award-winning

Customers can now choose from more than 50 organic grains, pulses, nuts, seeds and dried fruits to refill in their own containers.

customer experience. “Walk into any of their stores today and you’ll nd a highly knowledgeable team able to recommend products, talk nutrition and share a recipe or two,” Órla continues.

“Every store team member is enrolled in e Nourish Academy, an in-house Training Programme with three key modules that cover customer experience, nutrients and ailments and the key product ranges. eir Customer Focus Workshops are certi ed by CX Change and provide teams with the tools and knowledge to o er a helpful, friendly and welcoming shopping experience.”

Today the business is still owned and managed by the Kelly family. Working with Dunnes Stores, they have brought their range of natural products and sta expertise to more customers across the country with Nourish now found inside 13 Dunnes Stores locations across Ireland.

A er more than 35 years in retail, she points out their mission remains the same. “With 19 stores and 180 sta , their mission hasn’t changed: Nourish are here to provide the best natural products to live a healthy life.”

www.nourish.ie

WILLIAM HYNES, KPMG

TOWN FIRST

Experience-led Retail Key to Reviving our Town Centres

Town Centre First initiative, focused on reimagining our towns and cities through people centred design, presents an exciting opportunity for retailers, writes Prof. William Hynes, Managing Director of KPMG Future Analytics.

It’s no secret that our town centres have su ered in recent years, with dereliction and vacancy on the rise. Our populations increasingly live and shop on the edge of towns away from the centres. We also increasingly purchase online, particularly the younger generation, who are abandoning our town centres resulting in a ‘hollowing out’ experience. ese trends have naturally been accelerated by the pandemic over the last two years.

Town Centre First e Irish Government has launched Town Centre First in early 2022, a policy aimed at reversing these trends and beginning a new era of urban regeneration. Town Centre First aims to create more viable, vibrant and attractive town centres for people to live, work and visit, while also functioning as social hubs for our local communities.

One aspect of this is the Government’s Urban Regeneration Redevelopment Fund (URDF) and Rural Regeneration Fund (RRDF) initiatives under Project Ireland 2040. Both will provide funding to help the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland’s town centres through providing improved public realm, greater connectivity and permeability through improved walking and cycling routes as well as the refurbishment of unused public buildings, so that they become connectivity hubs and places of community interaction. Some towns in Ireland, such as Clonakility and Westport, have already begun this rejuvenation process and can serve as a useful blueprint for others.

ere are multiple bene ts and opportunities for retailers here - the obvious being that shoppers will increase as footfall begins to improve again in our towns. ere are also opportunities for funding to provide for shopfront improvements through grant applications to local authorities.

Experience-led retail

However, local authorities are not the only players here. ere is a role for retailers too – through experience-led retail. It’s no longer enough to have the best products at the best prices, or even the best customer service – retailers are now expected to provide a more immersive customer experience.

In-store retailing is shi ing away from being solely about buying goods to a blend of retail, hospitality, leisure and entertainment. We’ve already seen some large retailers shi their stores to becoming more like showrooms, where goods can be viewed, ordered and delivered to home. Others are using the latest innovations in AI-powered technology to create ‘checkout-free’ stores, with no scanning or queuing required and receipts sent directly to customer’s phones the moment they leave.

Online retailers are innovating too, and it’s anticipated that emerging technologies such as the metaverse and virtual reality will soon enable shoppers to walk through virtual stores. It’s essential that bricks and mortar retailers o er an experience worth leaving the house for to compete with the acceleration of the online user experience which continues to pose a signi cant threat to town centre retailers.

Get in touch

KPMG’s Future Analytics team have extensive experience in urban planning, demographic economics, town planning and strategy development. If you have any queries on the above issues, contact our team. Find out more at http://kpmg. ie/futureanalytics

For what’s next in digital transformation

Together we’ll help you stay ahead.

TapCreative design a fresh new look for Chadwicks Bray

A Sustainability-focused revamp of Bray branch forms part of Chadwicks Group’s nationwide upgrade programme

Earlier this month, Chadwicks Group, Ireland’s leading builders’ merchants announced the official reopening of its Bray branch. The design team over at TapCreative have been working with the Chadwicks Group since January 2021; here TapCreative call out their top design highlights to note throughout the state-of-the-art store.

Sustainability at the Forefront Chadwicks Bray has introduced plasticfree internal signage within the branch.

The team have also made significant updates to the branch’s building fabric, as well as installed 50kWp Solar PV panels and introduced a new and improved energy-efficient VRF heating system with Heat Recovery Ventilation.

The Fixing Centre

Our “store within a store” concept has been introduced to the newly opened Bray branch. It provides builders, engineers, and specialist tradespeople with all the tools and materials they may need in one convenient location.

The navigation of the space is aided by a clear colour coded system and step by step process that allows customer to find the product that is right for their job.

State-of-the-art Showroom

Our team designed a state-of-the-art showroom which showcases the latest trends in doors, floors, bathrooms and stoves. The Bray branch now features new product lines, as well as innovative features such as the brand new design studio where customers can keep up with all the latest trends, innovations and get expert advice. The interactive flooring display allows customers to see how the look of a floor can change under different light conditions – an often overlooked part of the decision process.

A Community-Centred approach

New to the Bray branch is the new community hub, which features a coffee station, a community board and a trade board for information on local tradespeople and initiatives happening locally.

LET’S MAKE SOMETHING GREAT TOGETHER...

The team at TapCreative create retail brand experiences that challenge convention, disrupt categories, and thrive to purposefully connect with your customer. Let’s see how we can help you. touch

NOURISHING IRELAND MEMBER PROFILE

Irish-owned pet store Petmania is celebrating its 15th anniversary. Petmania began as a small pet section in a garden centre on John Street, Kilkenny in the 1990s and now employs 200 people. Its fifteenth store opened in Roscommon in January of this year. John Timmons, Operations Manager of Petmania spoke about reaching a milestone year in business.

People, John says, are the secret to the retailers success. “We spend a lot of time listening to our customers and training our store teams. Our success over the past 15 years is in no small part a re ection of the commitment that has been made by our people,“ he said. “We’ve built a strong foundation of trust with our customers, who come to us because they know they will get great service and have a solid reputation for being the go-to pet experts in Ireland.”

e past year has been challenging, he agrees, yet the business has made some progressive steps, opening three new stores. “Coming o the back of the pandemic, we’ve traded through restrictions as an essential retailer but we’re glad to be able to see the faces of our customers again,” he says. “ We opened three new stores in the last 12 months –Sligo, Westport and Roscommon – and

have just completed the refurbishment of our stores in Carlow and Tralee. is is as well as the launch of Petmainia’s new online store in 2020.”

AN EXCEPTIONAL TEAM

To celebrate the milestone anniversary, the pet store hosted a PAWty inviting animal lovers from across the country to join the fun in-store, but they also wanted to acknowledge their team.

With this in mind, the store awarded sta with a Contribution to Pet Care Award for their dedication and hard work through the years. “ e award was presented to exceptional team members that have been working with us since their stores rst opened 15 years ago,” he explained.

“We wanted to acknowledge their years working with us, their contribution to the development of our business and the high

standards that they have shown in 15 years of helping to care for Ireland’s pets. e award has been warmly received by both those that were presented with an award, and their colleagues in-store.”

“We would like to thank our teams within our stores and our loyal customers for their support over the past 15 years,” he added.

“We’re looking forward to opening additional stores as well as continuing our refurbishment programme for our current outlets,” John says, when asked of future plans.

“We’re continuing to develop our in-store services and new ways for our customers to get access to expert pet care advice. For example, our Pet Care Advice Centre is a free online resource with contributors including vets, agility trainers and other pet care specialists.”

“Coming off the back of the pandemic, we’ve traded through restrictions as an essential retailer but we’re glad to be able to see the faces of our customers again.”

SUPPLIER DIRECTORY

Denotes

Dara Keogh +353 (0) 1 705 7005 Software www.geodirectory.ie info@geodirectory.ie

Address Capture GeoDirectory

Sociolocal SocioLocal

Nicole Stevenson +353 (0)1 240 2580 www.sociolocal.ie nicole@sociolocal.ie

Audit, Tax, Advisory KPMG

Niall Savage +353 (0)1 700 4141 & Consulting Services www.kpmg.ie niall.savage@kpmg.ie

Audit, Tax, Advisory Grant Thornton Damian Gleeson +353 (0) 61 607 993 & Consulting Services www.grantthornton.ie damian.gleeson@ie.gt.com

AV & Digital In-Store Quest Systems

Damien Stout +353 (0)1 419 9199 Services www.questsystems.ie Damien.stout@questsystems.ie

Branding, Store Design, Bradley Brand and Design

Andrew Bradley +353 (0) 86 258 4368 E-Commerce www.bradleybrand.ie andrew@bradleybrand.ie

Branding & Retail Design TAP Creative

Niamh Higgins +353 (0)1 541 4664 www.tapcreative.ie niamh@tapcreative.ie

Branding & Signage 3Rock

Patrice Murphy  +353 (0)1 457 0188 Solutions www.3rock.ie patrice@3rock.ie

Broadcast Media Sky Media Ireland Gareth Genockey +353 (0) 1 614 7611 www.skymedia.ie gareth.genockey@sky.ie

Business Training, Action Coach Business Coaching Paul Fagan +353 (0) 1 891 6220 Coaching & Mentoring www.actioncoachireland.com ireland@actioncoach.com

Cash Handling Solutions Glory David O’Meara +353 (0) 1 467 0542  www.glory-global.com david.omeara@glory-global.com

Cash Logistics Services GSLS

Paul Cahill +353 (0) 87 133 6000 www.gsls.ie pcahill@gsls.ie

Consumer Market Customer Perceptions & Optimum Results Emma Harte +353 (0) 42 93 39911 Research & Training www.customerperceptions.ie emma.harte@customerperceptions.ie

Contract Cleaning Cleaning Contractors

Turlough O’Brien +353 (0)1 296 3036 www.cleaningcontractors.ie turlough@cleaningcontractors.ie

Creative & Print Services The Smart Group

Tom Ryan  +353 (0) 86 780 1626 www.thesmartgroup.ie tom@thesmartgroup.ie

CX Solutions SAP

Kevin Purcell +353 (0)87 434 8508 www.sap.com kevin.purcell01@sap.com

Digital Marketing Agency Core Optimisation Caroline Dunlea +353 (0) 86 086 2840 www.coreoptimisation.com caroline@coreoptimisation.com

Digital Marketing Agency Wolfgang Digital Brendan Almack +353 (0) 1 663 8020 www.wolfgangdigital.com brendan@wolfgangdigital.com

Digital Signage Screenvend

Louise Doherty +353 (0)85 878 9757 www.navi.ie louisedoherty@navi.ie

Digital Signage Focal Media Maurice Muldoon +353 (0)1 2934040 www.focalmedia.com maurice@focalmedia.com

Digital Signage Stacked

Keith Hanley +353 (0)86 145 1903 www.stacked.ie keith.hanley@stacked.ie

Domain Name Registration IE

Registration Services +353 (0) 1 236 5400 www.iedr.ie registrations@iedr.ie

Ecommerce Agency StudioForty9

Ger Keohane +353 (0) 21 239 2349 www.studioforty9.com ger@studioforty9.com

Ecommerce Agency Ireland Website Design

Nick Butler +353 (0)51 325 567 www.irelandwebsitedesign.com nick@irelandwebsitedesign.com

Ecommerce Advisory Services BDO Conor Mac Manus +353 (0)1 470 0535 www.bdo.ie conor.macmanus@bdo.ie

Ecommerce Content Styla Lee McDermott +44 (0)79 5800 3481 Management System www.styla.com lee@styla.com

Ecommerce Platform Shopify Lauren Helstab lauren.helstab@shopify.com www.shopify.com

Ecommerce Platform Shopware

Heike Zellerhoff +44 7379 233034 www.shopware.com H.Zellerhoff@shopware.com

Electronic Security Solutions Convergint Stephen Carbery +353 (0)1 836 5538 www.convergint.com stephen.carbery@convergint.com

Employee Workforce Timepoint Colin Ryan +353 (0) 1 406 7610 Management Solutions www.timepoint.ie colin@timepoint.ie

Energy Advisory Service Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland Sara Norris +353 (0)1808 2121 www.seai.ie sara.norris@seai.ie

Energy Services Exemplar Energy Jonathan Fitzpatrick +353 (0) 87 276 8778 www.exemplarenergy.ie jonathan@exemplarenergy.ie

Energy Services Pinergy Colm Foley +353 (0) 1 524 2825 www.pinergy.ie colm@pinergy.ie

EPOS Solutions K3 Retail Mark Bryans +353 (0) 1 820 8321 www.k3retail.ie mark.bryans@k3btg.com

EPOS Solutions Positive Systems Solutions Damien O’Driscoll +353 (0) 1 6296058 www.pss.ie damien@pss.ie

EPOS Solutions Retail Integration Patrick Heslin +353 (0) 1 429 6800 www.retail-int.com patrick@retail-int.com

EPOS Solutions CBE

Oliver Sheridan 0818 373 000 www.cbe.ie oliversheridan@cbe.ie

EPOS Solutions Eirpoint

Niall Cannon +353 (0) 65 686 8880 www.eirpoint.ie ncannon@eirpoint.com

Footfall Counting, Digital Detectag Retail Services

John Dempsey +353 (0) 86 243 7100 Signage & Loss Prevention www.retailservices.ie john.dempsey@retailservices.ie

Gift voucher and FromMe2You Gift Card

John Wall +353 (0) 87 666 6795 Gift Card Solutions www.me2you.ie John.wall@me2you.ie

Global Payments & Foreign Corpay

Finian Brett +353 (0)87 666 6795 Exchange Risk Management www.corpay.com fbrett@afex.com

Graphic Design, Printing, Sooner Than Later

Mark Finney +353 (0) 1 284 4777 Delivery www.soonerthanlater.com mark@soonerthanlater.com

Hotel, Conference Venue Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown

Carol Byrne +353 (0) 86 201 8997 www.cpireland.crowneplaza.com carol.byrne@crowneplazadublin.ie

HR Consultant Tom Smyth & Associates

Tommy Smyth +353 (0) 21 463 4154 www.tsaconsultants.ie tommy@tsaconsultants.ie

Human Resources Solution Strandum Ltd

Insurance

Instalments

Brendan Carney +353 (0) 1 899 1900 www.strandum.com bcarney@strandum.com

FBD Insurance

Patrick Carey +353 (0) 86 815 4193 www.fbd.ie Patrick.Carey@FBD.ie

Mastercard

John Wheeler John.Wheeler@mastercard.com www.mastercard.com

IT Domain and Blacknight

Michele Neylon +353 (0) 59 918 3072 Hosting Services www.blacknigh.com michele@blacknight.com

IT Services Objectivity

Tony Rothwell   +44 779 502 3225 www.objectivity.co.uk trothwell@objectivity.co.uk

Star Category Of Company Company Manager Contact Information

IT Solutions & Security Radius Technologies

Label Solutions

Jerry Buckley 1890 592500 www.radius.ie jerryb@radius.ie

IMS Labels

Steven Burke +353 (0) 1 295 4544 www.imslabels.ie steven.burke@ims.ie

Licence Exempt Music Provider Image Sound

Phil Randle +44 (0)1 246 572 997 www.imagesound.com/background-music service@imagesound.co.uk

Legal Advisory Sherwin O’Riordan

James Sherwin +353 (0)1 663 2000 www.sor-solicitors.ie jsherwin@sor.ie

Logistics DHL Express

Ciara Hynes +353 (0) 86 197 0085 www.dhl.ie Ciara.hynes@dhl.com

Logistics DPD Patrick O’Loughlin +353 (0) 906 420 500 www.dpd.ie salesdpd.ie

Mystery Shopping, Crest Mystery Shopping Ireland Michele Cawley +353 (0)86 814 5004 Store Assessments www.crestireland.com michele@crestireland.com

Payment Solutions AIB Merchant Services

Mark Patterson +353 (0) 86 189 3681 www.aibms.com Mark.Patterson@aibms.com

Payroll Services Paycheck Plus

Niall Clarke +353 (0)1 4198 92100 www.paycheckplus.ie nclarke@paycheckplus.ie

Personal Wealth Management Davy Group

Kevin Doherty +353 (0) 1 614 8778 www.davy.ie kevin.doherty@davy.ie

Personalised Retail Packaging Barry Packaging

Eamonn Barry +353 (0) 87 263 9487 www.barrypackaging.com eamonn@barrypackaging.com

Personalised Retail Packaging Delpac

Charlie Curran +353 (0) 66 947 9298 www.delpac.ie charlie@delpac.ie

Personalised Retail Packaging JJ O’Toole

Vicki O’Toole +353 (0) 61 229 333 www.jjotoole.ie info@jjotoole.ie

Print and Design Kingdom Printers

David Keane +353 (0)66 712 1136 www.kingdomprinters.net dave@kingdomprinters.net

Recruitment Excel Recruitment

Barry Whelan +353 (0) 1 814 8747 www.excelrecruitment.ie barry@excelrecruitment.com

Recruitment Teamworx

Amy McGlynn +353 (0) 45 898037 www.teamworx.ie amy@teamworx.ie

Retail Lighting Specialists Pro-Light Design & Technology

Paul Hanlon +353 (0)1 2962607 www.pro-light.ie Paul.Hanlon@pro-light.ie

Retail Shopper Insights VisionR

Shane O’Sullivan +353 (0) 85 119 8040 & Analytics www.visionr.com shane.osullivan@visionr.com

Risk Management Solutions Seachange

Paul Cummins +353 (0) 87 052 24 95 www.seachange.ie paul.cummins@seachange-intl.com

Shopfitting and Retail Design DDC Group

Ashley Gardiner +353 (0) 1 401 3050 www.ddcshopfit.ie ashley@ddcshopfit.ie

Shopfitting and Retail Design Johnston Shopfitters

ShaneBrennan +353 (0) 86 244 0714 www.johnston-shopfitters.com sbrennan@johnston-shopfitters.com Andrew Johnston +353 (0) 1 419 0419 ajohnston@johnston-shopfitters.com

Shopfitting and Retail Design Store Design

Declan McKeever +353 (0) 1 413 1350 www.storedesign.ie d.mckeever@storedesign.ie

Specialist Entrance Footfall

Ger Halloran +353 (0) 86 235 3515 Matting Provider www.footfall.ie ger@footfall.ie

Stocktaking Service Stocktaking.ie

Sharon Kelly +353 (0) 86 389 9542 www.stocktaking.ie sharonk@stocktaking.ie

Stocktaking Service TakeStock

Bernard Brown +353 (0) 1 77 55 242 www.wecount.ie bernard.brown@wecount.ie

Video Production Another Avenue

Sharyn Mitchell +353 (0) 1 660 1588 and Graphic Design www.anotheravenue.com sharyn@anotheravenue.co

Star Category Of Company Company

Account Manager Contact Information