Retail Times Summer 2023

difference retreat a with a

All the highlights from the hugely successful Retail Retreat

In This Issue

Dundrum Town Centre on standing out from the crowd

The Run Hub on going the extra mile

The retailers disrupting the customer shopping experience

Welcome

Iam thrilled to share the highlights of our recent Retail Retreat held in Dublin at the end of May. The event was a resounding success, with an impressive turnout of familiar faces as well as new attendees. The feedback we received has been invaluable, and it will greatly assist us in planning for next year’s retreat. Right from our drinks reception on the eve of the event, it was evident that people were eager to connect and exchange experiences. The level of engagement throughout the retreat was remarkable. We had the privilege of hearing from a diverse range of speakers who shared their insights and stories. Sue Harries enlightened us with the Screwfix journey, Marsha Smith from Ikea provided her valuable perspective, and Lorraine Culligan from Primark delved into the importance of people and culture. Our lineup also included captivating talks by marketing expert John Fahy and Brian Pennie, who shared his personal journey from addiction to becoming a doctor. With such varied content, there was something for everyone. The Retail Excellence Retreat has firmly returned to our agenda after the challenges posed by the pandemic, and we are already looking forward to presenting Retreat ‘24. I encourage you to read the article on pages 20 and 21 for further insights. Naturally, one of the foremost questions discussed at the Retail Retreat was the status of business. It is clear that retailers nationwide are facing ongoing challenges due to a high cost of living, rising interest rates, and low unemployment. While the year started positively for many, some traders have witnessed a considerable slowdown in trade during May and June. Footfall has seen a decline of almost double digits in some areas, and customers are adopting a more conservative approach to spending. However, there are early indications that inflation is beginning to stabilize, which is a hopeful sign that sales may see a boost in the second half of the year. Lastly, on behalf of the Board, I would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Duncan Graham, who has decided to move on from his role in Retail Excellence at the end of July. Duncan has been a great Managing Director, guiding the organization through a period of significant change and evolution, particularly during the challenges of the Pandemic. We thank him for his valuable contribution over the last 2 years and wish him every success in his future endeavours.

Warm regards,

Jean McCabe Chairperson of Retail Excellence Ireland

Editor Jennifer McShane Retail Excellence Editor

Keelan Bourke

Retail Excellence Editor Duncan Graham

Director Jane Matthews

JOHNSTON SHOPFITTERS

#WeGetRetail

working with

Arboretum have partnered with the iconic Dublin bookshop Chapters to open a city centre destination, Arboretum Urban Green, on the mezzanine floor of the much-loved independent bookshop.

Together they offer city centre dwellers, workers and tourists a welcoming haven in which to escape the hustle and bustle of the city – an oasis of calm, where they can browse Arboretum's perfect blend of plants, seeds, gifts and outdoor living essentials including furniture and Weber barbecues in addition to the vast range of new and second-hand books at Chapters. The Arboretum offering of course is geared towards smaller urban gardens and balconies.

In a huge boon for the area, Arboretum Urban Green has at its heart a 60-seater café where their trademark delicious home-cooked food is available along with great coffee and tea.

support@johnston-shopfitters.com

johnston-shopfitters.com

‘It’s only a fantastic job, it’s when you take a step back and you look at the standard and quality, you know it’s exceptional. Well done to Johnston Shopfitters’.

Feature images Johnston Shop tters Turn-key Fit-out for Arboretum Urban Green at Chapters Bookstore, Dublin.

Barry & Fergal Doyle - CO Owners Arboretum

The synergies between Arboretum and Chapters makes for an exciting addition to the city centre retail scene.

Intersport Elverys buys iconic Roches Stores building

Intersport Elverys recently announced the acquisition of the iconic Roches Stores building and former Debenham’s premises on Patrick’s Street, Cork City. This significant investment marks an exciting expansion for Intersport Elverys, as well as an investment into the rich retail heritage in the local community of Patrick’s Street. Elverys Sports, Ireland’s oldest sports store which dates back to 1847, operated one of its very original stores nearby on 75 Patrick’s Street. Elverys Sports was taken over by Staunton Sports in 1998 and later rebranded Intersport Elvery.

HMV reopens its doors in Dublin for first time in seven years

British Music retailer HMV has opened its first store in Ireland, since it closed its doors almost seven years ago. His Master’s Voice (HMV) closed its five

remaining stores in the Republic of Ireland in 2016 after it entered administration. The new store will take up the 18 Henry Street address and mark the opening of its first flagship outside the UK, where it has 120 stores. The 6,000 square foot space will have three floors and offer over 15,000 different products, including over 5,000 different vinyl albums and 5,500 different CDs. The shop will also stock over 3,000 pop culture products and 1,000 different t-shirt designs. It will also offer performance spaces to host shows and signings from artists.

Jysk to recruit 100 staff

Danish retailer JYSK are on the lookout for people to fill up 100 new jobs over the next year after their new store in Sandyford was opened. The Beacon South Quarter development in south Dublin is the 21st Irish store by the chain. Alongside this new store, the chain has also said they have a “goal” of opening another 10 stores in the next year. “Since JYSK launched in Ireland four years ago, we have had a very clear strategy – to open a JYSK store where we see a gap in the market and where there is an appetite for a leading brand to offer high-quality homewares at an excellent price point,” JYSK Ireland chief Roni Tuominen said.

AIB, EBS double some deposit rates for savers

AIB and EBS have increased rates for savers, doubling the return for regular savers to 2%. The bank said it would apply the 2% rate to its regular saver products, along with AIB Junior, AIB Student Saver and EBS Family Savings accounts. But the top rates come with caveats, applying to regular savings of up to €1,000 a month for the first 12 months. The rate drops to 0.10% after this. AIB’s one-year fixed term account for both personal and business customers will have a rate of 1.5% for deposit balances of greater than €15,000, an increase of 1%, while the EBS children and teen savings rates will also increase by 1%.

Upgrades & Openings ...

1  New Boots store opens in Wellpark Retail Park

Galway Wellpark Retail Park has welcomed Boots to its location in what will be their 94th store in Ireland. The new store is located in Unit 10 of Wellpark Retail Park based on the Dublin Road and will employ 17 people locally. Commenting on the opening of the new store, Stephen Watkins, Managing Director of Boots Ireland said: “Boots Ireland is continuing to expand its nationwide offering across Ireland, with the latest store opening in Wellpark bringing our total number of stores in the country to 94. I wish David and the team there much success and we are looking forward to delivering the Boots range of services all under one roof to the community.”

2  New Applegreen service station complex

Musgrave announces new five-year-deal with Ballymaguire Foods

Musgrave recently announced a new multi-million euro deal with Lusk-based ready meal producer Ballymaguire Foods, valued at €170 million. The new contract will continue to supply homegrown, Irish-made prepared meals and side dishes to Musgrave retail brands SuperValu, Centra and Daybreak. Louis-Francois Gombert will be CFO as announced by the Valeo Foods Group. Francois succeeds Brendan Feeney, following his decision to step back from the business. “I’m very excited to join Valeo Foods and look forward to supporting the ambition of continuing to build a leading European food business with global reach and impact,” said Gombert. “Commenting on his departure, Feeney added, “I’m immensely proud of Valeo Foods’ journey over the last 11-plus years, since its formation. I look forward to working with Louis-Francois on a smooth transition and wish him every success in his new role.”

planned for Kilkenny

A planning application has been submitted for a large service station complex at Garrandarragh, Mullinavat, County Kilkenny. The proposed development includes an amenity/services building with a gross floor area of approximately 1.028sq.m that includes a retail convenience store with part offlicence, two food outlets (one with a Drive-Thru function), a coffee area and a communal seating area.

3  Bray Town Centre welcomes Butlers

Chocolate Café

The Butlers Chocolates team were delighted to open their 27th Butlers Chocolate Café on Main Street, Bray recently. They join a stellar line up at the new mixed use Bray central centre which showcase new units from Penneys, Sports Direct, Holland & Barrett, UMI Falafel, Sally’s Hand Rolled Ice-cream, and several venues operated by McKillen and Ryan’s Press Up Entertainment Group.

4  Tirlán Invests €11m in upgrades to local

branch network Tirlán, formerly Glanbia Ireland, has commenced an €11m investment programme to upgrade its local branch network, with work at its Athboy, Castlelyons and Bunclody stores now underway. The farmer-owned co-op said the investments in its 52 branches is part of a range of measures to future-proof its agri, retail and garden centre services in 11 counties. “Our 52-strong branch network is the face of Tirlán in our communities,” said Senan Foley, head of retail at Tirlán. “They are more than just an agri store. Today, our branch network provides critical services in a setting that many of our shareholders, suppliers and customers have a strong affiliation with locally.”

5  Mango to overhaul former Quills store in Cork

Spanish retail giant Mango has begun transforming a long-vacant city centre eyesore into a breezy Mediterranean-style outlet as the former Quills store undergoes a major makeover. Work had begun at the being of May on the Savoy-adjoining premises on St Patrick’s Street, and that the store is scheduled to open after the summer, with 10 jobs created. The premises has been vacant since Quills shut up shop in 2014. It was bought the following year for €2m by Clarendon Properties, owners of the Savoy.

Goldman Sachs to sell Blanchardstown shopping

Pepco launches sixth store in Dublin

centre

Goldman Sachs is reported to have appointed real estate investment bank Eastdil Secured and CBRE to find a buyer for Blanchardstown Centre. The shopping centre is expected to have a guide price of between €650m to €725, according to a story first reported by the Irish Times. Blanchardstown Centre, which spans around 112,000 sq m, has 180 stores. Anchor tenants include Penneys and Marks & Spencer. Goldman Sachs acquired the shopping centre, as well as two adjacent retail parks, external retail units and a fivestorey office block, in December 2020 in a deal worth €750m. At the time, it described the centre as an, “excellent asset in a prime location with a very strong mix of highquality retailers.” Prior to being taken over by Goldman Sachs, Blanchardstown Centre was owned by US investment giant Blackstone. It purchased the shopping complex for €950m from Stephen Vernon’s Green Property in 2016 but walked away from the centre after the pandemic. Goldman Sachs had been among the financial backers for Blackstone’s investment in Blanchardstown and swapped its debt to lead a takeover of the property.

After launching five pilot stores in Ireland last year, Pepco in Ireland is celebrating the opening of another store in The Square, Tallaght. Tallaght will be the sixth pilot Pepco store in Ireland, adding to the Pepco stores in Omni Shopping Centre, Finglas Main Centre, The Park at Carrickmines, The Courtyard at Newbridge and Galway Shopping Centre. Pepco has over 4,000 stores across 19 European countries. Alongside Dealz and Poundland, Pepco is one of three key retail brands operated by the Pepco Group and headquartered in Poznan, Poland. “We’re delighted at the initial reaction to our five Pepco stores in Ireland and we’re extremely excited to be opening our newest Pepco store in Tallaght,” Olivia McLoughlin, trading country operations manager for both Pepco and Dealz in Ireland said.

Dr Paul Cummins appointed Chief Executive Officer of SeaChange Ltd

Dr Paul Cummins has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SeaChange Ltd., succeeding his father and the company’s founder, Ger Cummins, who will continue in the business and serve as acting chair of the board. Since joining the family business in 2011, Paul has been committed to developing SeaChange and says he has worked to grow the business at scale to its current position as a leader in the health and safety industry. With his business acumen, R&D experience, leadership abilities and strategic vision, he added he will continue to contribute significantly to the ongoing success and expansion of SeaChange. “I am very proud and excited to step into this role – one that my father, Ger, has held since founding SeaChange in 2005. My focus will be to continue supporting our extensive client base on their safety culture journeys, keeping people safe at work through our innovative and disruptive Health & Safety solutions while also driving our positive growth trajectory into the future,” Paul said of his new role.

Winners announced at Homegrown at Maxol Programme

A spotlight was shined on six of Ireland’s leading, indigenous food and drinks producers, as Maxol announced the winners of its inaugural Homegrown at Maxol Programme. The winners willl receive a free listing at up to 72 Maxol stores in the Republic of Ireland, as well as invaluable mentorship along with PR and marketing support. While the initial programme set out to reward four indigenous producers, the calibre and scale of entries meant that six winners were chosen from more than 100 hotly contested entries. The winners were: White Hag Brewery (Sligo) a contemporary independent brewery, creating modern beer, All About Kombucha (Galway), a freshly fermented sparkling tea made from organic ingredients, Good 4 U (Sligo), a range of functional, healthy snacks, SAGE Meal Solutions, (Cork) an extensive range of condiments, meal pots, sides, bakes and pies, The Luxury Confectionery Company (Cork), makers of premium chocolate tablet bars and truffles and Absolute Nutrition (Dublin) whose range includes convenient, ‘functional’ protein and energy snacks.

FOLLOW THE LEADER

REI’s influential Retail Management Development Programme is designed to help retail store managers and assistant managers develop the core leadership skills needed to advance in managementtype roles so they continue to thrive in their careers. Here, we speak to some of those involved in the programme as we look at why the right leaders are so important for retail in 2023

“I rst joined the retail sector 40 years ago and while there are still similarities to how a career progresses, I think the career path has de nitely changed. When I was on the shop oor, there were a high percentage of my fellow workmates who wanted to aspire to supervisory and management positions, so it was a very competitive space. Today, the pool of employees who are going to make a career in retail is probably less and therefore the possibility to rise through the ranks at a much faster rate, for those who choose to do so, is a de nite new opportunity that has presented. It can be a faster and more rewarding journey,” he explains, adding that the supports available now are a major advantage of the industry and advancement.

Having just wrapped up its 11th year, REI’s four-day programme is designed to help professionals –from store managers, supervisors to independent retailers – develop the skills they need to thrive in the retail industry. So far, it has been a success, with many coming together each year to learn from experts and leaving with tools to ensure that their business, under the right leadership, both is customer-focused and commercially-led. But what exactly makes a great leader in 2023? Retail Expert and Programme Facilitator James Burke says it’s crucial to nurture personal and professional growth –which the programme can help with.

“Securing and nurturing management talents in today’s environment is critical to every retailer. The personal growth and development of younger managers is now the cornerstone of modern retailing,” James says of why the programme is so impactful. “Whether the programme

participants are managers working for organisations or owners of their own retail business wishing for external input and a fresh start, it helps stimulate participants thanks to our industry speakers. Participants get the opportunity to step away from the shop oor and hear from experts who will challenge and expand their thinking.”

Also, important to note, James says, is the importance of the evolving retail industry. In other words, the skills that make a successful leader or manager has changed in 2023.

“All of the usual skills still remain like leadership, delegation, motivation and having a strong numerical focus, however the evolving retail scene has brought the need for new skills. With the shortage of available sta , managers now have to pay far more attention to employees they have and ensuring that motivation is at a very high level in order to retain those that they have,” James adds. “Senior retail management today is about anticipating what’s over the horizon and being ready.”

“Further education in retail management skills was limited years ago. The other positive development in building a career in retail today is the plethora of further education and supports that are available for those considering developing in the sector.”

James Burke

True leadership

Motivational speaker and author Paul McNeive has been one of the experts involved in the programme and believes that leaders today need to lead by example if customer priority is to come out on top, rewarding sta when they see potential.

“Every business talks about the importance of customer experience, and many don’t live up to that, but very few have customer experience as a strategic priority,” Paul says. “If your managers and sta realise that customer experience is just part of a wish-list on your website, and not something that you live and die by, then you will become mediocre. So, every day, owners and senior managers must be leading by example, coaching, and visibly recognising and rewarding great e orts made by their sta .”

Every great leader has worked their way to the top, but Paul stresses the importance of leadership, versus a more operational type of retail leadership. A manager, he adds, needs to lead so that others will be inspired, and to ensure real tangible change happens.

“From my own 40 years in business and having spoken to and worked with dozens of companies, I think that the biggest challenge for potential leaders

(and actual leaders) is recognising the di erence between the ‘operational’ and the ‘strategic,’” he explains. “Managers are usually appointed because they have shown particular strengths in perhaps selling, or with customers, or on supply chain management etc. But these skills do not necessarily make you a good manager. On taking the bigger leap into leadership, many leaders spend most of their time managing but on a bigger scale. But that is ‘operational,’ which means others can do it and it should be delegated. Leadership is about being strategic and is far more challenging. For example, should we have more stores or less? Should we open abroad? Should we franchise? What is our technology strategy? Leaders show others which path to follow, and when we are leading at our best, we are usually out of our comfort zone which is where most great changes happen.”

He agrees with James that vital skills needed for leadership roles have shifted and evolved, and managers need to be aware of changing customer trends to stay ahead.

“Obviously senior leaders need to be competent with the fast-changing technologies in retailing, both customer facing and on the supply line side, and must be champions for improving customer experience. But the real value in the best senior leaders is their ‘soft skills’; their self-awareness, their ability to enthuse others,” Paul continues.

“Attracting and retaining good sta is one of the biggest challenges in business these days and at the recent Retail Management Development Programme, I pointed out how business owners and senior managers can become disconnected from their sta . A Forrest Consulting survey asked 1,000 business owners what the ten most important things were for their sta . The top three answers were Pay, Promotion opportunities and Pension. The top three answers from their sta were: Genuine appreciation for a job well done, a sense of being part of a team and a sense of doing something worthwhile – so you can see the slight disconnect there already.”

Paul McNeive

Kate Rooney

“Attracting and retaining good staff is one of the biggest challenges in business these days and at the recent Retail Management Development Programme, I pointed out how business owners and senior managers can become disconnected from their staff.”

Management essentials: Communication and Collaboration Business and Development coach and founder of The OnLegs Agency Kate Rooney is another expert involved in the programme and says the personal development of workers is key to having the right people in retail leadership roles – not just training done to tick o a box.

“The main area I see for development for people in the retail sector is Continuous Personal Development (CPD). All too often I see companies doing adhoc training or sending people to a training session to tick training o the list. A cohesive CPD programme ensures the training needs are met in a speci c way as opposed to a generic training initiative. Continuity and consistency of Personal Development for people within the sector is essential to retain talent and also to ensure that talent moves up the ranks,” Kate explains.

She adds that leaders today can struggle with a very basic tool essential for success, leading to problems down the line.

“The area that I see leaders within the sector struggle with the most is communication. In my experience, this is the area that comes up again and again regardless of size or experience of the team. I refer to it as the 3Cs of communication because I see it so often. These are: consistency of communication, continuity of communication and clarity of communication. If these areas are focused on, they will in almost all cases x 80 per cent of the challenges in the business or leadership style.”

“The main skills I see as essential now as opposed to a decade ago is the ability to listen and collaborate in an inclusive way,” Kate continues. “The days of ‘do as I say’ are gone. The days of the manager doing all the talking are gone, and the days of a lack of empathy are gone. This is an evolution, and it will make better leaders and better environments within the sector, but support and development is needed to help with this shift.”

Why you should take part...

Claire Reilly, Assistant Manager of Shaws Castlebar

“I was grateful to have to the opportunity to participate in this year’s course over a four-day period, with numerous guest speakers from various retail backgrounds giving a panoramic view of retail, not just in Ireland but in other parts of the world too. It helped adjust from the day-to-day management focus mindset and encouraged participants to think outside the box from different aspects of retail. This included VM, emerging trends, sustainability and effective management while developing a realistic and beneficial Sales Growth Plan over the course. Overall, the course instils confidence and renewed passion in retail.”

John Meade, Assistant Site Manager for Junction 14

“The Retail Management Programme provided a great opportunity to network and engage with other retail managers to discuss practices they implement and also give suggestions on things we could try. It has helped me as a manager broaden my own views, and in addition to this, there were a range of speakers who were all excellent and motivating to enable you to see things from a different perspective while keeping your own business growth goals as the key objective. I would highly recommend this programme to any retail manager.”

Niamh Kealy, Manager at Tony Kealys

“The retail management and development programme was really engaging, well-structured and all four members of our team who attended learnt a lot. The mix of in person and online participation worked really well and the variety of speakers covered many relevant topics and had a wealth of information which was beneficial to all. We learnt a lot about our own leadership style and ways to further advance our skills and confidence. I would highly recommend this course to anyone looking to develop their management credentials, especially those newer to management roles.”

For more details on the Retail Management Development Programme, contact amy@retailexcellence.ie

Previous attendees

STANDOUT FROM THE CROWD

Post-Covid shopping habits have undoubtedly changed so physical centres have to work hard to keep customers returning. Dundrum Town Centre is always busy staying ahead, and Senior General Manager Don Nugent explains why it continues to be a must-visit shopping experience

“Dundrum Town Centre is very much about points of di erence and its mix of retail, hospitality and unique services help set us apart from other locations,” Don says when asked about the centre’s post-Covid plans to keep footfall increasing. Its retailers are the stars of the show, so to speak, so the teams are always thinking of new ways to help them shine. “We invest in our existing retailers by supporting store openings and re ts, product launches and seasonal sales, events and activations, and we’ve also welcomed collection of world-class brands to the centre across retail, beauty and food

and beverage.”

Some new openings this year that have sparked a lot of excitement include TAG Heuer, LUSH, FFS Gym and Nike’s rst ever ‘Live’ concept store in Ireland and there’s much more in store (quite literally) with exciting additions to come as the year progresses. “We’re continuing to attract new brands and are looking forward to welcoming Dunnes Stores later in 2023.”

Dundrum Town Centre prides itself on o ering a mix; an engaging and exciting range of retail, leisure and hospitality options all in one. “Dundrum Town Centre itself is home to 170 tenants, almost 140,000 m2

square metres of oor space and over 3,400 car parking spaces and o ers an extensive range of entertainment. The o ering is continuously expanding to meet our customers’ needs. In addition to this, the availability of options such as an adult education facility, a secondlevel college, a Citizen Advice o ce, a soft play area as well as a creche, a Changing Places option and a state-ofthe-art theatre really sets us apart.”

A shopping experience

Dundrum has always highlighted its destination shopping as an overall experience for every type of customer from families to everything in between.

This is, he says, what elevates the centre, going above-and-beyond shopping. “Dundrum Town Centre has become a recognised leisure and entertainment destination where people come to meet family and friends for a full day out,” Don explains. “We want to attract and retain people at the centre, we have invested in live events covering a range of topics that are unique. For example, last summer we held a ve-day family friendly event called Fundrum Family Festival. Following that we engaged in a Super Car Weekend which focused more on the male shopper and earlier this year we also created a Sisterhood Series event which brought together female specialists in areas such as manifestation and self-expression, nutritional health, hormone health and sexual health to open up taboo conversations and provide an educational space for our customers.” Even the shopping experience itself has been elevated for the customer. “Many of our retailers have adopted a technology- rst retail experience

where people can view the clothes but purchase using self-check out or try on the clothes or shoes but purchase through digital channels or apps. It is really about a combination of o ers that cannot be enjoyed online (we have, for example, over 40 food and beverage options) while embracing online so a wide-range of customer needs can be catered to while in the centre.”

Dundrum Town Centre, like so many shopping centres, has had to re-think their strategy and be uid as customer habits have changed, post-Covid and otherwise. “We have seen many behavioural changes over the last 18 years since Dundrum Town Centre opened,” Don agrees. “The downturn in the economy back in the 2008-2010 period saw some consumers moving away from exclusively premium to shopping the spectrum and we’ve been fortunate to have the range of choice that enabled shoppers to do that. The option to choose from mainstream brands such as Penneys and H&M to premium brands like Boss and Harvey Nichols and the more recent addition of

Brown Thomas enables our visitors to choose. So, whether consumers are in the market for premium brands or are working o a budget, Dundrum Town Centre has positioned itself so that there is choice – and a lot of choice – for our customers.”

Don says the teams are always thinking ahead, planning innovation, keeping the customer front of mind and this will continue for the future. “We’ll continue to attract new brands and services to the centre to make sure all budgets are catered to. With high standards of presentation and customer service, along with exceptional experiential activities, we will continue to ensure that visitors enjoy their visit and keep returning to enjoy Dundrum’s unique mix and experience. Other great innovations are planned, and we are looking forward to continually broadening our choice and facilities.”

For more information: www.dundrum.ie

Going The Extra Mile

Celebrating 10 years in in business, The Run Hub is, you could say, running away from their competitors. Managing Director Mark Horan reveals why they are always ahead thanks to their unmatched in-store experience

Reaching a 10-year milestone in business is a huge achievement but The Run Hub’s Managing Director Mark Horan says it’s impossible to know in the early days how the business will evolve. Initially set up as a franchise of another business, he says they very quickly realised they were moving at a di erent pace and in opposite directions to the master franchise so went out on their own, carving a very successful path.

Now very much established as a leading running specialist retailer in Ireland, they have three stores based in Dublin and a strong e-commerce presence to serve the greater Irish market.

The business seems natural for Mark, who not only has a retail background – he spent a number of years in regional management roles with some of the major sporting brands in Ireland – but also key, is the

strong running background he has himself.

“As well as having a strong running background, I spent 10 years racing triathlon with much success. My own troubles with injuries over the years got me researching internationally for more specialist retail o erings catering speci cally for the running market,” he explains. “Running and triathlon were no longer for the minorities and with this there was a growing evolution of running brands catering for all types of running consumer.”

The in-store experience

They are keenly aware of the international competition, but Mark points out The Run Hub’s in-store experience is something these brands will never be able to replicate. “‘Going the Extra Mile' is our slogan and that is exactly what we do when any customer enters one of our stores,” he continues. “Having the largest range

of running-speci c footwear and associated products is only one part of this.”

It’s a true 360 business with a vast range of running and sportswear products on o er, in-store events and their unique tting processes – this has seen the retailer go from strengthto-strength.

He explains the team uses comprehensive gait analysis tting processes, using state-of-the-art 3D foot scanners, 3D pressure plates, high powered cameras so that customers get their needs tailored to exactly. The teams hare highly trained, with a “knowledge base that is unmatched” – all of which adds up to world-class service for the consumer.

“We were also one of the rst run specialty retailers in the world to bring our gait analysis tting process to the online space,” he continues. “ Using WhatsApp and Zoom we were able to quickly pivot the

business to reach our regulars but most importantly reach a far wider audience across the whole country. We also introduced an online booking system from 7am to 9pm to facilitate the huge shifts in people’s working days. The success of the booking system followed into our physical stores when lockdowns lifted.”

“We also regularly host ‘try on experience’ events either from one of our stores or with clubs and we’re about to re-establish our series of in-store sessions where we will have speakers from the running industry to discuss training, nutrition, rehab, mental health and many more running-related subjects. These events help raise our pro le as genuine running specialists, but also keep us tightly linked to the running community.”

All this requires requires considerable investment, he agrees, but is key if they are to remain at the forefront of running specialty retail.

Teamwork

Having the right team is also essential to the success of The Run Hub. “We are constantly updating our knowledge base with the latest technologies from our brands so that we can in turn share this with our customers. The reality is, most customers will have done some research prior to visiting one of our stores, so we need to be ready to ‘wow’ them no matter what level of runner they are. As well as all of our team being active runners, many of them have physiotherapy and biomechanics quali cations, all of which helps add to our credibility as running specialists. Physiotherapists, podiatrists, consultants and doctors all regularly send in referrals to our stores which is always welcome as it reinforces our status in the community. Apart from one or two departures postCovid, most of our team are with us a number of years. We pay well,

involve the team in key decisionmaking and provide a fun working environment for all.”

Having expanded the business last year, Mark says now it’s about settling in post-Covid and focusing on growth. “In 2022, we also opened our 3rd store in Leopardstown. 2023 is about resetting the business and looking to explore new markets. We are also exploring potential collaborations with Irish retailers across other sectors, all of which will make the business more attractive to consumers and robust into the future.”

But future plans aside, it always goes back to the customer. “We are visited by all demographics of society – Covid de nitely helped fastrack the ‘elitist’ public perception the business had (not by design), but we now regularly have aspiring Olympians and 80-year-old pensioners all in on the same day.”

More in store…

First outlet for Arboretum Urban Green

The family-owned Arboretum garden and lifestyle retailer has opened its first urban outlet in the heart of the capital city on Parnell Street, Dublin 1. Arboretum Urban Green spans an impressive 14,000 sq. ft, on the first floor of the well-known Chapters Bookstore, the largest independent book retailer in Ireland which re-opened last year to great applause. As well as plants, garden accessories, furniture, a wellness and gifting department, the store offers an all-day dining menu at its 60-seater café. This is the third outlet for the family-owned and operated business, which was founded in 1977 by the high-profile horticulturist, Rachel Doyle in Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow. Arboretum Home and Garden Heaven was Ireland’s first destination garden centre followed by Arboretum Kilquade in Co. Wicklow in 2015; both have been awarded the prestigious ‘Retail Excellence Ireland Retailer of the Year’ and ‘Bord Bia Five Star Garden Centre’ awards. The Arboretum business is now led by Rachel’s two sons, Barry and Fergal Doyle. “We are delighted to partner with Chapters Bookstore on this exciting initiative, our first investment in a city location,” said CEO Barry Doyle of the opening. “Arboretum Urban Green is be a terrific addition to the retail mix off O’Connell Street and serves a wide variety of visitors to the store including city dwellers, workers, students, and tourists,” added Fergal Doyle, Chief Commercial Officer. arboretum.ie

Petstop celebrates 10th store in Blackrock

Petstop, Ireland’s largest pet supply chain, have recently opened a new store in Blackrock – the 10th outlet in the businesses 28 yearhistory. The Blackrock store, located within the main Blackrock Shopping Centre, is a smaller store exclusively for dogs and cats featuring approximately 3,000 products. The remainder of Petstop’s almost 12,000 products will be viewable at an in-store kiosk for next-day delivery. This is a new evolution and if successful, the plan is to expand this offering through smaller format outlets in shopping centres nationwide. The Blackrock outlet stocks the full range of Petstop’s own brand Nadur along with everything your pet needs to cool down, eat well, have fun and enjoy sweet dreams in their selection of pet bedding. Petstop has had plenty to celebrate over the year’s most recently as winners of both National Retailer of the Year and Large eCommerce Website of the Year Award at the Irish eCommerce Awards. petstop.ie

New Limerick store for Apple retailer Select

Select recently opened its new store in the Crescent Shopping Centre, Limerick. The Crescent Shopping Centre store joins Select’s network of over 30 physical locations across Ireland and the UK. Inside customers will find the complete Apple range along with carefully considered extras from premium technology brands. The new store also includes an immersive discovery hub that provides Apple expertise and support to customers, who can also use Select’s repair and service offerings. Speaking about the opening Select’s Managing Director, Ciaran McCormack said: “We’ve also been deeply involved in the community and that has always been the case in Limerick. This is where we opened our first store over 25 years ago and we are firmly committed to local retail in Limerick. Moving to the Crescent means we are even more accessible and available to customers and local businesses.” selectonline.com

With the post-Covid shopping experience remaining fluid and shifting, retailers are still aware of the benefits of a bricks and mortar store for customers. Below are some recently opened in new locations

RETAIL RETREAT ROUNDUP

“Wow, what a day we had at the Retail Excellence Retail Retreat, powered by AIB Merchant Services! Over 400 people attended the event held in the fabulous Dublin Royal Convention Centre, there was a real sense of positivity in the room as people talked and shared ideas. While one side of the main function room became the plenary room the other side was converted into an exhibition space where partners like AIB Merchant Services, KPMG, Johnston Shopfitters and others provided solutions and giveaways to attendees. A big thanks thanks must go to our speakers especially Sue Harries from Screwfix who kicked off the day and Penny Grivea from Rituals who closed things out. I know John Fahy’s marketing presentation stole the show for many of you and who couldn’t be impressed by the words of wisdom from reformed Heroin addict Brian Pennie? His words really struck a chord. From your feedback, the breakout sessions landed really well and created much discussion. There was a good blend of speakers from large multiples from Penneys and Ikea to smaller players like Blanaid from Folkster, Chris Furey, Furey Smyth Group and John Burke, Burkes of Rathnew Homevalue. We were even able to ‘shoehorn’ in Minister Neale Richmond for a 10 minute slot. The Minister was delighted to take part and he stayed around to meet members and partners afterwards. The Retail Excellence Retreat is the biggest retail conference in the country and it was a delight to to network with people who love the industry, generating shared ideas and commonality. We were thrilled to return after a short break during the pandemic, and already we are back out there, fired up and already planning for 2024. Please let us know if you have anything you want to share from the retreat, we always love hearing your feedback.”

Duncan Graham, Managing Director, Retail Excellence

Convenience is a true differentiator

Our first keynote speaker was Sue Harries of Screwfix, who spoke about the transformational story of Screwfix on becoming an omnichannel retailer. One core pillar of their strategy is focused on being the most convenient option for their customers. Their research found their customer, is busy and ‘time is money’ is their mantra, so they focused on making sure they had comprehensive store estate to ensure they were closest to the customer. On top of this, they have rolled out ‘Screwfix Sprint’ which focuses on delivering an order to a customer in under one hour or less.

Sue Harries

Brand building eats digital marketing for breakfast

The speaker that got the most amount of positive feedback was John Fahy, Professor of Marketing with University of Limerick. John spoke about the need to focus on building your brand as a true North Star to deliver growth. Rather than focus on short-term tactical digital marketing advertising, John explained brands are now slowly realising the need to rebalance the scales of their marketing spend and to zone in on building their brand.

John Fahy

Develop your culture to drive your retail business

Penny shared the Rituals story and how they have cultivated a truly positive culture while they continue to expand their retail store estate. We all know how challenging it has become to retain and attract talent in todays market, Penny explained. Stories and activities were shared on how they bring this framework to life and posed a great talking point around how you are developing your culture. What values does your business stand for.

Penny Grevea

Will it make my boat go faster?

A standing ovation was given to the truly inspirational Brian Pennie who spoke after lunch at the Retail Retreat. He told a fantastic personal story that posed several questions to the audience, emphasing the importance of the values we live by. Are they truly worthy values? He told a memorable tale relating to his time in Trinity and used the metaphor of a roaming boat for life – will this particular action make your boat go faster? This is what we need to continually ask ourselves as we move forwards, he added.

Brian Pennie

The right Safety Net

SeaChange have designed and delivered innovative Safety Culture Audits across the Primark Global Group to Support Primark’s ‘Safe Today. Safe Tomorrow’ Strategy Overview. Here’s what you need to know

SeaChange Ltd. is a leading Health and Safety consultancy that provides retail organisations with transformative safety management solutions. Established in 2005, SeaChange services almost 300 clients across 1,300 sites in Ireland, Europe and the USA. One of those clients is Primark, an international retailer that o ers the latest fashion, beauty and homeware at the best value on the high street. Primark opened its rst store in Dublin in 1969 under the name Penneys and today operates over 400 stores in 14 countries across Europe and America. At Primark, the health, safety and wellbeing of their colleagues and customers is a top priority. To help ensure their global business remain focused and aligned on this, Primark launched in 2021 their rst ever business-wide safety strategy, ‘Safe Today. Safe Tomorrow.’ Through this strategic initiative, the Primark EHS team outlined key milestones, goals and objectives to ensure they are proactively working towards achieving world-class safety standards throughout their global business which includes retail stores, o ces and depots.

The Challenge

An important cornerstone of Primark’s ‘Safe Today. Safe Tomorrow’ strategy is the ability to accurately audit not just safety compliance, but also cultural measures such as behaviour, leadership and colleague

awareness. The Primark EHS Team wanted to design a speci c audit that re ected their safety vision and t with their Safety Culture journey. “We wanted to design and implement an external audit process that accurately captured and positioned our safety performance along compliance and behavioural pillars,” explains Greg Ramsbottom, EHS Lead, Primark.

The Solution

In 2020 SeaChange, in collaboration with the Primark EHS team, designed, developed and implemented a novel EHS audit that was able to accurately measure both EHS systems and behaviours on a site per site basis across the Primark group. As their external safety partner, SeaChange provide Primark with the expertise to deliver this novel audit on an annual basis to all of their stores, depots and o ces.

The Results

The new audit’s ability to measure

behaviours, leadership and overall safety culture in addition to compliance provides a much more accurate picture of where the business sits within their overall safety culture roadmap. The process provides key recommendations on both safety systems and safety behaviours, to robustly assess progress and action key risk items as a result of each audit. “Primark are leading the way when it comes to the adoption of best practices, to both measure and grow safety culture within the retail industry,” adds Dr. Paul Cummins, CEO, SeaChange Ltd. “They understand the importance of personal accountability, leadership and behaviour when it comes to building a sustainable safety culture. We are happy to support Primark in their Safety Culture journey.”

Paul Cummins, SeaChange

Greg Ramsbottom, Primark

People, planet, & profi t Shaping the retail sector:

Retailers have proven their resilience time and again, particularly over the last few years when they were forced to adapt to pandemic restrictions while remaining competitive in an already highly competitive market. 2023 is no di erent. Retailers are faced with three high-level forces shaping the sector: people, planet, and pro t.

1Innovation can counter supply chain and staffing challenges The e ort to win the customer’s attention and loyalty continues to dominate conversations, especially as retailers try to grow market share in a more challenging market environment. However, what many thought were temporary conditions at the height of the pandemic now appear to be more structural, as labour shortages and the accompanying wage in ation continue to challenge the sector. Employees are one of retail’s most important assets but are often considered rst as a cost centre, even in the current environment. Technology investment is expensive upfront but can release pressure on the bottom line by increasing e ciencies and productivity from a shrinking workforce. New technologies in the hands of employees and direct automation, on the retail oor or within the supply chain, allow retailers to do more with less. Self-checkout and returns, automated distributions centres and many more e ciencies will become commonplace. Just as importantly, automation and other innovations can free employees from manual tasks and allow them to focus on what matters most: enhancing the customer experience. With customers reverting to choose the in-store shopping experience, post pandemic, the unique value of the in-store employee and the power they have to in uence customer buying behaviours continues to rise.

2Surviving in a challenging macro-environment

Economic and geopolitical challenges that began in 2022 have continued into 2023. In ation in Ireland and globally means households have less buying power and business margins are under pressure. Retailers are faced with increased supply chain costs, costs of goods, energy, and labour and now must consider building in more sustainable practices. The transition to more sustainable practices is costly unless they are embedded in the whole value creation model. These pressures mean retailers will need to constantly evolve, adopting new business models and strategies that will allow them to deliver on their promises while seeking to protect their margin.

3Staying resilient

Despite the obvious challenges, retailers are just as excited as ever about the future of the sector. With the noted ongoing margin compression and decreased access to a ordable capital retailers are considering how to a ord — and target — investing for the future. At the same time, retailers show enthusiasm when discussing options to explore new technologies and business models, enhancing the customer experience, and acknowledging their sustainability and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) responsibilities. Retailers must continue to show their resilience while addressing people, planet and pro t and understanding the interdependencies without creating a detrimental impact on others.

Despite a challenging macro-environment, retailers continue to stay resilient and find new innovative ways to be competitive, says KPMG’s Alison Carbery

Alison Carbery, KPMG

Next Gen Retail

The changing shape of the high street

A360° view of e-commerce

In 2022, Ireland ranked 3rd-highest in Europe for the share of internet users engaging in online shopping, with 89% of internet users in Ireland making online purchases. Below, StudioForty9 highlights the importance of having a fluid and adaptable e-commerce strategy to meet customer need and demand

Over the past three years, StudioForty9 has witnessed signi cant activity in the market as Irish retailers rapidly transform their e-commerce strategies, from in-store to online to a mix of both. At StudioForty9 have a 360-degree view of e-commerce, covering everything from driving tra c to optimising trading, from managing catalogues to enhancing customer experiences, and from streamlining processes to maximising performance. Our mission is to help retailers achieve their e-commerce goals by adopting a holistic approach that encompasses technology, technical processes, brand management, user experience, and performance marketing.

Joined-up Thinking

StudioForty9 is known for its expertise in e-commerce strategy and delivering best-of-breed e-commerce technology, but our performance marketing team has also delivered remarkable results for retailers, due to o ering services across all aspects of e-commerce. This means we are uniquely positioned to provide a cohesive approach to your digital marketing that aligns with your e-commerce objectives. We create data-driven marketing strategies to drive tra c, conversions, and revenue while optimising trading activities to ensure maximum return on investment. We stitch the experiences together for both the consumer and the retailer.

Case studies

Evergreen Healthfoods McKenna Man

Evergreen Healthfoods partnered with StudioForty9 to enhance their online presence and leverage digital marketing channels, including Email Marketing, PPC, and Paid Social. Through collaboration, they developed an e ective email marketing strategy, generating 22% of overall revenue. We optimised their advertising accounts by restructuring and implementing Dynamic Search Ads, broad match keyword campaigns, new shopping campaigns, and Bing ads. These e orts increased website tra c, brand awareness, and Conversion Rate by 15%, resulting in €40K revenue from Bing ads alone. Additionally, their paid social campaigns, driven by First Party Data and a full-funnel conversion approach, focused on store tra c and event response, resulting in a remarkable 150% increase in channel revenue.

McKenna Man, a long-standing menswear business, partnered with StudioForty9 to transition to online sales during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our comprehensive marketing strategy led email marketing to contribute 24% of revenue through campaigns and automations. Key automations like Welcome, Cart, Loyalty Flow, and Price Drop enhanced conversion and retention. A targeted paid social media strategy achieved a remarkable ROAS of 12, with low CPC at 13c and leads at 89c. Full-funnel conversion and lead generation campaigns fed into email for an e ective retention plan. Stronger shopping and search campaigns on Google resulted in a remarkable 120% increase in revenue YoY and a 33% YoY ROAS. These e orts generated signi cant revenue, increased brand recognition, and facilitated a seamless transition to online retail for McKenna Man, solidifying their industry position.

Face the Challenge

For businesses established online, sustaining growth and nding new opportunities pose signi cant challenges. Our experienced e-commerce consultants specialise in helping retail leaders develop winning strategies and unlock their full potential. We assist in planning the next phase of growth through the following areas:

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Harnessing Integration The Power of EPOS for Specialty Retailers

EPOS, empowers specialty retailers to streamline operations, enhance customer experiences and drive business growth. Here, its bene ts and importance of integrating EPOS systems with e-commerce, payments, human resources, nance and ERP, footfall trackers, search engines, CRM and security are explored in more detail.

Expanding

Reach and Increasing

Sales: Customers expect a seamless retail experience and will not accept anything less. By integrating their EPOS systems with e-commerce platforms, retailers can extend their reach beyond physical stores. Online shopping capabilities enable customers to browse and purchase products conveniently from anywhere, at any time. An additional bene t of this integration is seamless inventory management, preventing stock discrepancies between physical and online stores and hence reducing unful lled orders.

Payments and Improved Customer

Efficient

Experience: Integrating payment systems with EPOS simpli es the transaction process, reducing waiting times and enhancing the overall customer experience. Customers can choose from a variety of payment options. This integration between the payment and EPOS also ensures secure and reliable payment processing, removing the possibility of till user errors, safeguarding sensitive customer information and mitigating the risk of fraud or data breaches.

Streamlining Human Resources: Retailers can optimise their employee management by implementing a Human Resource integration with their EPOS system. Scheduling, timekeeping, and payroll processes can be automated, reducing administrative burdens and increasing operational e ciency.

Real-Time Financial Insights and Business Optimisation: Finance and ERP integrations empowers retailers with accurate and real-time nancial reporting. By leveraging automatically sychronised sales data, inventory levels and nancial information, retailers gain valuable insights to optimise business operations, identify growth opportunities and allocate resources e ectively.

In the fast-paced and ever-evolving retail landscape, specialty retailers face numerous challenges in staying competitive and meeting customer expectations. One solution that has proven to be a game-changer is the implementation of Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) systems with various integrations, as Ceala Powell Operations Manager of Retail Integration explains For more information: www.retail-int.com

Seamless Access to Product Information: Through integration with applications such as Google Lookup, specialty retailers can provide customers with up-to-date and accurate product information, pricing and availability. This convenience and consistency across online and physical stores,

o ers customers a seamless shopping experience.

Delivering Personalised Marketing and Building Customer Loyalty: Marketing and customer loyalty are essential components of specialty retail’s business. An integration between the EPOS system and a CRM centralises customer data, including purchase history and preferences. By understanding customer needs and preferences, retailers can create tailored experiences that resonate with their target audience.

Strengthening Security and Protecting Customer Data: Security systems, such as CCTV, ensures the safety of customer and business information. Integration with these systems allow retailers to detect and monitor suspicious activities, safeguard against data breaches, fraud and unauthorised access. Compliance with data protection regulations and industry standards builds trust with customers, reassuring them that their information is protected.

“There is a myriad of bene ts for specialty retailers with EPOS system integrated with e-commerce, payments, human resources, nance and ERP, footfall trackers, Google Lookup, CRM, and security functions,” Ceala adds. “These bene ts include but are not limited to streamlined operations, enhanced customer experiences and data-driven decision-making.”

Ceala Powell Operations Manager of Retail Integration

Daring Disruptors

Nimble describes itself as a ‘one-stop shop for ‘all things video commerce and live shopping’ and Nimble Director Jimmy Galvin explains the concept of what they do, ultimately creating a fully interactive shopping service for brands and their customers, largely through the use of video. This is, he says the way forward when it comes to social media, and what many brands need to standout from the crowd in 2023.“We offer a full scale, video commerce solution and consultancy service. For example, we will take a brand with no video commerce presence and guide them through the whole process start to finish. So, even if you’ve never considered video or social media video, we can bring your offering from nothing to full scale productions with fully interactive shoppable videos so you never have to leave the video to purchase – everything from adding to cart and the checkout itself happens in video,” he explains. Jimmy says their business model was created in response to the shift in customer shopping habits. “Consumer habits have changed a lot in line with social media and that short form, previously static imagery. Now all people seem to be responding to is video. And even more so short form video you can interact with, so that it becomes a real life experience.” Another benefit to Nimble’s service for retailers, he continues, is that they can track the customers journey at every stage of the interactive video, literally finding out what makes their customers tick. “Retailers and companies can track the direction of their customers, down to the point of what products people interacting with in the video, which products are selling. You’re seeing what’s resonating with your customers – it gives you a whole other insight into changing consumer habits and being able to know what makes your customers tick in more than just a sales way – it’s about their shopping experience overall. Selling a huge part for brands – our figures say that 73% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product after watching a video that explains the product – but as well as this, it’s offering brands the opportunity to understand their customers more.

thisisnimble.com

“Orb Media creates a new way of using e-commerce more effectively for retailers and brands. We fuse gaming engine technology and e-commerce into immersive stores that work on all smart devices driving higher conversion rates and more meaningful consumer engagement than standard 2D or non-immersive websites,” Orb Media CEO Ciara Sheahan says of what makes their business a disrupter in the market of shopping experiences.

“We enable retailers to cut through the noise, elevate their brand and meaningfully engage with their customers. Higher conversions with longer engagement and a willing customer-led discovery journey brings the customer closer to the retailer before they ever visit a store,” she continues. “This means a fused 360-shopping experience that appeals to customers and gives the retailer another way to market their brand.

“The retailer can embed all of their key brand initiatives, messaging and preferred callsto-action on the interactive touchpoints.

The customer gets an enjoyable, interesting, frictionless, extended brand experience. They can access our virtual stores on any smart device, in an inviting shareable way. With the use of 3D models and digital twins, the customer gets a real close up in sparkling detail of their desired item. Linking offline and online benefits, exclusive offers, optimising loyalty, inviting interaction will make the customer feel valued.

And as we all know, a valued customer will always return.”

orbmedia.ie

Retail Times speaks to Nimble and Orb Media, two Irish startups doing something different when it comes to the customer shopping experience

.IE Digital Town Awards 2023

.IE, the national registry for .ie domain names, recently announced the winning entries for the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023. The glitzy gala night recognises the innovative digital projects developed by businesses in communities across Ireland

The awards recognise and reward projects with a digital element that have been created by town groups and local communities promoting awareness, knowledge, use and understanding of digital in Ireland by its citizens, businesses and communities. Created by .IE in 2021, the programme encourages the uptake and use of internet and digital technologies. A prize fund of €100,000 was given over the 10 digital innovation categories; in total, 22 town and community digital projects were recognised at this year’s awards, including winners and runners-up across the seven main categories, three special category winners and one overall prize winner. Clonmel’s Smart Skills Agri-Tech project took the overall .IE Digital Town Award (and €10,000) title. Its project helps farmers use new technologies to make their work easier, save time and money as well as improving the sustainability and pro tability of their farm. The .IE Digital Business award was won by Killorglin’s RDI Hub. Their hub was launched to facilitate the creation of new products, services and jobs in the South West region. It was a worthy winner; having transformed Kerry into “a globally connected digital technology innovation, enterprise and skillset hotspot boosting economic growth,” according to .IE. It also runs numerous programmes including hackathons which resulted in Augmented Reality Apps for Kerry tourism, a STEM passport programme whose graduates gain a bonus of 50 Leaving Cert points and it provides ongoing supports for scaling companies to attract investment and create jobs. Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director, .IE Digital Town Programme agreed this years entries truly went above and beyond in terms of digital innovation throughout their towns and communities across Ireland. “The quality of entries in this year’s .IE Digital Town Awards has been incredibly impressive. Ireland’s towns and communities are identifying and solving connectivity challenges, driving digital innovation and developing creative digital solutions to enhance the lives of their fellow citizens. This year 22 projects were recognised which add signi cantly to the lives of their local communities and improves our nation’s digital footprint,” she said. New categories were also introduced this year, including The .IE Digital Sustainability award with Hollymount in Mayo winning for their Eco-Powered Cabinets which store life-saving equipment.

Overall winner (centre) Tina Mulhearne representing Smart Skills, Tipperary, Clonmel pictured with Sinead Bryan, Managing Director Vodafone Business and Oonagh McCutcheon, National Director, .IE Digital Town Programme.

RIGHT: Clara Clarke, Cycling Without Age, Winner in Digital Local Hero category pictured alongside Oonagh McCutcheon.

BELOW: Trevor Connolly, CEO Love Drogheda Bid representing Drawda Urban Art Trail from Louth, Winner in Digital Rising Star category pictured alongside Oonagh McCutcheon

Winners

.IE Digital Town Awards Winners 2023:

.IE Agri-Tech Award

Winner: Clonmel: Smart Skills for Farming Communities (Tipperary) overall winner

.IE Digital Education Award

Winner:

Fingal: Weather Stations for Schools (Dublin)

.IE Digital Tourism Award

Winner:

Dunlewey: Virtual Heritage Trail (Donegal) sponsored by AIB Merchant Services

.IE Community Digital Award

LEFT:

is Kevin Vallely representing Weather Station for Schools, Fingal Dublin, Winner in Digital Education category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Oonagh McCutcheon.

BELOW: Pictured are Rona Toft and Sophrina Joyce, Rossmore Scratchers Rural Connectivity, Tipperary, Rossmore, Winner in Community Digital category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Allan Mulrooney, Western Development Commission, category sponsor and Oonagh McCutcheon

Winner: Rossmore Scratchers (Tipperary) sponsored by the Western Development Commission

.IE Digital Business Award

Winner: Killorglin’s RDI Hub (Kerry) sponsored by Vodafone

.IE Digital Sustainability Award

Winner: Hollymount: Eco-Powered Cabinets for Defibrillators (Mayo)

.IE Newcomer Award

Winner:

Portumna: Recording Family Histories (Galway)

ABOVE LEFT: Pictured is Oileán Carter Stritch representing Change Clothes Crumlin, Dublin, Winner in Digital Changemaker category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Stephen Carolan, Connected Hubs, category sponsor and Oonagh McCutcheon. BELOW LEFT: Pictured are Caoimhe Callan and Ned Burns representing Recording Family Histories, Galway, Portumna, Winner in Newcomer Award category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Oonagh McCutcheon. BELOW RIGHT: Pictured is Josephine Kelly representing Virtual Heritage Trail, Dunlewey, Donegal, Winner in Digital Tourism category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Mícheál O’Gruagáin, AIB Merchant Services, category sponsor and Oonagh McCutcheon

.IE Digital Rising Star Award:

Drogheda: Drawda Urban Art Trail (Louth)

.IE Digital Changemaker Award: Change Clothes Crumlin (Dublin) sponsored by Connected Hubs

.IE Digital Local Hero Award:

Clara Clarke, Blackrock Cycling without Age (Dublin)

ABOVE: Pictured is Liam Cronin representing RDI Hub Digital Business, Kerry, Killorglin, Winner in Digital Business category at the .IE Digital Town Awards 2023 alongside Sinead Bryan, Managing Director Vodafone Business, category sponsor and Oonagh McCutcheon.

Pictured

Tommy Smyth, Tom Smyth & Associates

The importance of investing in Training

Organisations can sometimes be reluctant to really invest in the training and development of employees. However, we would argue that the age old concern of ‘What if I train them and they leave?’ has by now well and truly been rebutted by ‘What if you don’t train them and they stay?’. Here’s what you need to know, says Tommy Smyth

The training and development of team members happens in all organisations, every day. Sometimes it is structured, planned and deliberate and sometimes it’s more organic in nature where newer members of the team follow the lead of other, more experienced employees. We want to encourage all retailers to take the time to research, collate and document learnings into a concise set of teachings for all colleagues, both new and old. Remember, a quality training o ering does not have to be expensive and time consuming, however it will reap rewards across your business. We also want to advise on some key areas where, for HR and Legal reasons, you need to be proactive in moving beyond a static contract or handbook clause and genuinely educate all team members on certain expectations and standards.

Create your own learning experience

What are the standards you expect of colleagues in areas such as customer service, merchandising, ordering, sales techniques, stock management and handling, report preparation etc? If I asked you to picture the champion of these, and any other, areas of your business does an employee name immediately spring to mind? Why?

What makes them so e ective?

Why not ask them to share their knowledge and encourage them to become the company champion in this eld. They can prepare notes and slides on how they approach and execute these tasks and possibly conduct online or in person training with groups of colleagues to share their method and approach. Instead of employing expensive trainers, who may not intimately know your business, you are, in a coste ective manner, raising the bar of standards and performance levels in a common-sense way.

EXPECTATION FOR TRAINING IN CRITICAL AREAS

Recent WRC cases, which centred on a range of issues, contained quite similar comments and streams of thought from the Adjudication O cers. It’s very clear where aspects or standards of business operations are so critical that failings may lead to the termination of an employee’s position, employers must proactively ensure that regular reminders and training on same are provided.

Dignity at Work

1Every employer must have a Dignity at Work policy in line with the 2021 Code of Practice. If you have not updated yours in the last two years, it is critical that you do this as a priority. This policy sets out the contact people, procedures and standards for colleagues on issues like Bullying, Harassment and Sexual Harassment.

It’s clear however, that it is not su cient for an employer to simply have a policy on how they react to bullying, harassment or sexual harassment. An employer must show they have actively educated all employees on what behaviours are unacceptable, why this is and what will happen if they behave in certain ways. This is both correct morally but also legally as it may signi cantly reduce exposure during any legal case, if unfortunately one should arise.

Till matters

Employers should be very clear on the standards and practices they expect from their team when managing stock and money. This is critical in terms of interactions at the point of sale. Clear direction for employees should include regular and repeated brie ngs on:

• Use of discount codes

• Management of any customer loyalty scheme

• Serving of family friends

• Serving of oneself

• Managing refunds

• Using void or no sale buttons

• Counting oats

• Cashing up

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Safety

Alcohol/drugs

The use of illegal drugs in the workplace has increased exponentially in recent years. It’s critical that any employer policy on the use of, or being under the in uence of, alcohol and drugs at work is customised to the employer and the roles within the business based on a proper risk assessment. Be very clear on how any random or ‘for cause’ testing is carried out. Again, don’t just leave this policy hidden in a handbook and then feel you can take action once in a blue moon if an issue arises. Pro-active education and a zero-tolerance culture regarding drink and drugs at work reduces the likelihood of an issue, but also supports HR if/when an issue does arise.

In a similar manner to HR, Health & Safety policies and procedures should be contained in your safety statement and risk assessment for each location. Again, there is no point having this document and keeping it led away in pristine condition in a drawer. It should be visible and accessible and the contents should be part of every single workday. Ensure that short but relevant reminders are prepared and given on work tasks such as e.g. cleaning, avoiding slips/trips/falls, use of ladders as well as properly organised and formal training (such as food safety and manual handling).

With regard to training across your business, this is an area which can sit easily under your control and from which you will reap the bene ts. Ensure you do yourself justice, no matter how informal it may be there is no doubt that instruction, information and training is given to all team members on a wide variety of work tasks and functions on a day-to-day basis. Take ownership of this and collate the information into notes, slides and tangible training content and materials. Doing this will allow you to seamlessly roll out consistent training and information regarding your policies, and to carry out refreshers as needed to ensure that good practices are maintained. By having records of these interactions, should you have issues where team members underperform this will provide a clear picture of the information and training provided to them and will help you move forward with any next steps needed.

Moving to a

HYBRID Shopping Experience

Hybrid shopping, which combines both bricks-and-mortar stores and an online presence, has become increasingly important in the retail industry.

Aislinn Lea, Director of Fashion & Non-Food Retail at Excel Recruitment outlines why having a bricks-and-mortar business with an online aspect, along with a mix of retail and digital talent, is crucial for retail success

It’s a different world in retail, post-Pandemic, Aislinn Lea agrees. “Retail employee retention has always been challenging, but it has reached new heights since the pandemic. Retail workers are now seeking roles that offer greater work-life balance and more flexibility as well as the company being the right culture fit,” she says. Sourcing, training and onboarding new team members can be expensive, so it is worth investing in retention strategies to prevent high employee turnover. With this in mind, Aislinn says there are a number of key reasons good retail staff will start to think about leaving to be mindful of. And luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent this, as she explains below.

Meeting customer preferences: Customers have varying preferences when it comes to shopping. Some prefer the convenience and accessibility of online shopping; others prefer the tactile experience and personal interaction of physical stores. Having both options allow you to cater to a wider range of customers, whilst enhancing their shopping experiences.

Digital talent for online success:

To succeed in the digital realm, having a team of digital talent is essential. These professionals can handle e-commerce operations, digital marketing, website design and optimisation, social media engagement, and customer relationship management. Their expertise will ensure that your online presence is effective, engaging, and capable of driving traffic and conversions.

Building brand awareness and sales: Physical stores offer a tangible presence that can help build brand awareness. Customers can interact with products, seek assistance from knowledgeable staff, and establish a personal connection with the brand. By complementing this with an online presence, you can expand your reach, engage with a broader audience, and reinforce your brand identity. Online sales can supplement your in-store revenue and provide opportunities for growth.

Aislinn believes a hybrid shopping model is essential in today’s retail landscape, but equally important is having the right digital and retail team. “In physical retail stores, employees assist customers, answer their queries, and guide them through the purchasing process. Similarly, in the digital realm, staff interact with customers through various channels like live chat, email, or social media, addressing their concerns and providing support. Exceptional customer service builds customer loyalty and increases sales so selecting the right candidate is essential for business growth,” she says.

Blending physical and digital strategies: The key to a successful hybrid shopping model is integrating your physical and digital strategies. Your retail and digital talent need to collaborate closely to align marketing efforts, optimise inventory management, deliver consistent brand messaging, and leverage customer data to provide personalised experiences. This will help make the most of your hybrid approach. Retail teams could also enhance collaboration with the digital team by providing services such as in-store collections and returns.

Retail talent for personalised experiences: In-house retail talent is crucial for providing exceptional customer service, creating personalised experiences, and driving sales in physical stores. Retail employees with product knowledge, excellent interpersonal skills, and a passion for customer satisfaction can enhance the overall shopping experience and build lasting customer relationships.

For over 21 years, Excel Recruitment have built a strong network of retail professionals and expertise in understanding the specific needs of the retail industry. If you need recruitment assistance, you can contact Aislinn Lea on 086 8073544 or aislinn@excelrecruitment.com

Aislinn Lea, Director of Non-Food and Fashion Retail at Excel Recruitment

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