Ulster Grocer Summer 2019 by Helen Wright

GROCER ULSTER

Over 45 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

SUMMER 2019

N O. 1 M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E LO C A L G R O C E R Y S E C TO R

GROCER ULSTER

SUMMER 2019

N O. 1 M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E LO C A L G R O C E R Y S E C TO R

Over 45 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

HENDERSON AIMS TO REDEVELOP THREE SUPERMARKETS IN £26M INVESTMENT BY RYAN McALEER

Mark Adrain, Henderson property director.

orthern Ireland retail and wholesale giant Henderson Group has launched fresh bids to redevelop three supermarkets as part of an overall investment of £26m. The new plans for stores in Ballymena, Tandragee and Doagh, bring to nine the number of retail projects the Malluskbased group has submitted to planning officials here to date in 2019. The Henderson Group said it has opened 19 new outlets across Northern Ireland in the past year, with plans to

18-19

match that figure in the coming 12 months. It already has planning permission for six new builds, with applications for 14 store upgrades currently being processed. A shop is due to open on Sunnyside Street off Belfast’s Ormeau Road this month. The group behind the SPAR, EUROSPAR and VIVO brands now provides its distribution advisory and marketing service to more than 400 grocery stores around the province. That number is steadily growing. A report from commercial property consultancy firm Lambert Smith Hampton revealed that the Henderson Group acquired a portfolio of petrol stations from receivers for £7.6m in the first three months of 2019. It ranked as Northern Ireland’s third biggest commercial property deal for the first quarter. Last month the retail and wholesale business submitted planning applications to demolish and redevelop petrol station retail stores on the Doury Road in Ballymena and Station Road in Doagh. The group is also planning a major upgrade of the SPAR store on Mill Street in Tandragee. Other applications submitted so far in 2019 relate to stores in Carrickfergus,

20-23

REDEFINING CONVENIENCE:

BALMORAL SHOW:

MUSGRAVE IS TO TO INVEST £28M, OPENING UP TO 20 NEW STORES & CREATING AROUND 550 JOBS ACR0SS SUPERVALU, CENTRA, MACE & MARKETPLACE

UG LOOKS BACK AT HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS YEAR’S SHOW INCLUDING HENDERSON WHOLESALE’S FRESH INNOVATION AWARDS & THE LIFESTOCK CLASSES

Glengormley, Portaferry, Larne and Newtownards. Henderson Property Director Mark Adrain confirmed that the group’s retail arm has planning permission for six new builds, and that bids to extend and upgrade stores are in the planning process for another 14 locations. “They include nine new builds from Rossdowney in the North West to Portaferry on the Ards Peninsula, with an investment of almost £17m, including SPAR Sunnyside Street, Belfast, which opens later this month. Furthermore, we have applications in to push an extra £9m into refurbishments and extensions of some of our landmark SPAR and EUROSPARs, including EUROSPAR Wallace Village, Lisburn,” he said. “With this continued investment, we’re able to provide local employment opportunities and serve the needs of local communities with enhanced shopper experiences, thanks to innovative in-store services and facilities.” The last accounts filed by the retail and wholesale group reported pre-tax profits of £20m. The report, which includes a number of subsidiary divisions, put the company’s workforce at 3,387, with a pay bill of £65.3m.

25-44

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2019: SHOWCASING WINNERS ACROSS 10 CATEGORIES, AS WELL AS FUNDRAISING NEWS & SOCIAL PICTURES FROM THE GROCERS’ BALL

52-53

NEW YORK, NEW YORK: BOOST DRINKS IS RUNNING AN ONPACK PROMOTION IN INDEPENDENTS THIS SUMMER OFFERING A TRIP TO THE BIG APPLE & RELATED MERCHANDISE

email: info@ulstergrocer.com Volume 54, Number 6 SUMMER 2019

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EDITORIAL COMMENT

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FROM GLAMOUR & GRAVITAS TO LEGGY LOVELIES

elcome to the summer edition of Ulster Grocer, our only double edition of the year, covering June and July. Hard to believe we have reached that point in the year already, yet here we are, seemingly no closer to Brexit or the restoration of Stormont. Maybe a clearer picture will have emerged by the time our August edition rolls around; then again, maybe not. In the meantime, we recommend you take your mind off the turmoil and enjoy our bumper edition. Taking centre-stage in this edition is, of course, the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, held on May 10 as part of the GroceryAid Grocers’ Ball in the Culloden. We would like to extend a big thank you to the GroceryAid NI Committee organising the ball, led by Musgrave NI’s Trevor Magill and including Ulster Grocer’s own Chris Keenan. A lot of work goes into planning and executing the highlight of the annual grocery industry calendar, and thanks are also due to the unflappable Kerry Prentice, who ensures the seamless flow of the evening. As well as the Committee, congratulations are due to all companies supplying raffle and auction prizes for the evening, and food and drink for both the gala ball and the infamous hamper packed by PRM Group. And of course to all those buying seats, raffle tickets and auction items at the Grocers’ Ball, collectively raising over £35,000 for the GroceryAid charity. Moving onto the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, an important part of the evening, our congratulations to the winners, highly commended entries and those shortlisted across the 10 categories of the Awards. Ulster Grocer also extends its heartfelt thanks to the category sponsors for making the Awards possible, and joining us on the evening to present on stage and add a bit of glamour and gravitas to our tables at the event. Our

extensive coverage spans ps25-44. Another highlight of the year for the agri-food sector is featured over ps20-23, in our review of this year’s Balmoral Show, taking in Henderson Wholesale’s Fresh Innovation Awards (including a profile of Overall Supplier of the Year K&G McAtamney) and M&S’ Select Farm Awards. And, at the risk of appearing superficial, have you ever seen a finerlooking bunch of livestock than the competition class winners at this year’s Show? To steal the lingo of the Daily Mail sidebar of shame (don’t pretend you don’t know what that is…), have you ever seen so many ‘leggy lovelies’? Elsewhere in the magazine, it’s been a busy month for retail industry news with new store openings including Centra City Quays, but a stone’s throw from Ulster Grocer HQ in Clarendon Dock. And the openings are set to continue with ambitious expansion strategies in place for both Centra brand owner Musgrave NI (ps18-19) and the Henderson Group (p3) while, as Margaret Canning’s p7 story highlights, Lidl is still dominating growth at the multiple/ discount end of the grocery market. Investment is also strong in the food and drink sector, with sustainability a focus in this edition including the launch of anti-waste initiative Step up to the Plate and an update on the FareShare Northern Ireland charity, which has diverted 341 tonnes of fresh surplus food from waste to frontline charities and community groups. And on p47, we cover Deep RiverRock’s conversion to 100% recyclable packaging, in line with brand owner Coca-Cola HBC’s commitment to creating a world without waste. Enjoy...

Alyson Magee

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NEWS

RAPIDLY EXPANDING CITY QUAYS WELCOMES CENTRA STORE From left, Stephen Gracey, owner, Frank Mitchell, u105 and Anna McErlean, owner.

entra is bringing convenience to people living and working in the Belfast Harbour Estate, with the arrival of its highly anticipated new store at City Quays, which opened its doors to the public on May 28. The contemporary store, which boasts

panoramic riverside views across the harbour to the Titanic Quarter, is aiming to attract the 5,000-plus residents and workers in the area. Located within City Quays 2, the store offering includes a wide range of food to go including the Mex-A-Go burrito bar, hot self-serve options, an in-store Frank and Honest gourmet coffee dock, indulgent treats and lighter choices such as fresh salad and sandwiches courtesy of the Green Kitchen hot and cold deli. In line with Centra’s companywide ethos, the store has embraced sustainability with 100% compostable Frank and Honest coffee cups, food-to-go packaging and wooden cutlery. It features a comfortable seating area, with complimentary USB charging ports, and a covered terrace for alfresco dining overlooking the landmark locations of

JOHNSON BROTHERS CELEBRATES 125 YEARS IN BUSINESS

isburn-based Johnson Brothers is celebrating 125 years of successful business, serving the island of Ireland and beyond. The Johnson family started its business in 1893, and has seen it successfully grow through four generations, providing a sales, marketing and warehousing service to the retail grocery, pharmaceutical, wholesale and foodservice industries across the island of Ireland. According to the business, its expertise has passed down through the generations

and, coupled with an unprecedented degree of customisation for product penetration in the marketplace, has ensured they are well placed for the next generation of Johnsons already working in the business. Having roasted award-winning coffee since 1913, Johnson Brothers also lays claim to understanding the difficulties and complexities of the manufacturing process and its award-winning blends, roasted on site in Lisburn, are enjoyed throughout Ireland and beyond. From left, brothers Andy and Dermot Johnson.

the city’s waterfront skyline, as well as direct access to the River Lagan walk and cycleway. Centra City Quays is owned by the Gracey family, a well-known family business based in Belfast, marking the latest addition in their successful retail portfolio. “Building on the experience of two decades in retail, we are proud to be opening the doors to our new store, which will bring a contemporary and vibrant new convenience offering to people working in Belfast Harbour Estate,” said Anna McErlean, owner. “We are delighted with the prime location of our new store and feel that Centra City Quays will be a fantastic addition to the area.”

NEWLY ELECTED COUNCILLORS URGED TO DELIVER FOR THE ECONOMY

etail NI has congratulated all 462 councillors elected in Northern Ireland last month, urging prioritisation for the regeneration of their villages, towns and cities. “In our recently published Regeneration NI report, Retail NI outlined the need for the establishment of a Rural Town and Village Infrastructure Fund to support the regeneration of our rural towns and villages,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Retail NI. “We fully support the call of the Northern Ireland Local Government Association for Councils to gain additional powers covering regeneration, all car parking, more economic development powers and resources, neighbourhood services, winter maintenance, emergency planning and local roads maintenance. “A Northern Ireland Towns and Cities Partnership should be established to manage and coordinate town centre regeneration policy, made up of representatives from the Departments for Finance, Infrastructure, Communities, Economy, the 11 local councils and key business organisations.” Retail NI also welcomed the restoration of talks to restore the Northern Ireland Assembly. “The business community deserves more than a ‘care and maintenance’ administration and badly thought out emergency budgets,” said Roberts. 5

NEWS

DAVISON CANNERS LAUNCHES NEW OWN BRAND PRODUCT RANGE AS BUSINESS GROWS INTO NEW MARKETS A rmagh-based Davison Canners is launching its own brand of hoteat desserts and puddings – Simply Puddings – as it continues to grow its business. The company is reaping the benefits of a £1.4m capital investment which included a new bespoke manufacturing facility. The facility, built in 2018, has allowed the company to develop and produce a new range of hot eat desserts and puddings. “Davison Canners has traditionally been an apple growing and processing business, but as a result of this investment has now diversified into hoteat desserts,” said John Hood, Invest NI director of Food & Drink. “The company initially used our popular Innovation

From left, John Hood, director of Food & Drink, Invest NI, and Alan Davison, MD, Davison Canners.

Vouchers to retain specialist expertise from Loughry College’s Food Innovation Centre to develop the new dessert range. “This then led to the investment in the new facility and to exploring new

export markets, such as participating at Gulfood last year where we helped introduce them to potential customers. As a result, the company has secured new orders with a major food retailer in Dubai, and is also now selling its new dessert range to leading retailers in Great Britain and Republic of Ireland.” Invest NI has offered Davison’s almost £150,000 of support towards the capital investment and development of the new product range. Alan Davison, managing director of Davison’s, said: “As a result of these investments in the business we have increased the number of employees from 14 to 90 in just two years, and we hope to grow this further in the coming year.”

SHS GROUP CLOCKS UP HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERING HOURS nominated charity MindWise on May 17 as part of the Northern Ireland Give and Gain Week volunteering campaign. Give and Gain Week provides teams within the Group with the opportunity to experience the incredible power of employee volunteering. Over the course of the week, SHS Group staff took time out to volunteer with community groups, schools, foodbanks and various nominated charities. “Last year we delivered 388 volunteering hours across the Group during Give and Gain Week and this year we’re aiming to beat that figure. Our staff are extremely engaged with this initiative,” said Chris Lillie, Group HR director, SHS Group.“There SHS Group Belfast Volunteers, from left, Neil Makinson, Seana Ni are lots of worthy causes to support and we are committed to Mhaolmhuaidh, Peter Grimley, Kerri-Anne McAuley, Lisa Bowers, Lorraine making a difference in the local community. To create the type of Mullan, Benjamin Logan, Michelle Armstrong and Mark Weatherup. communities in which we all want to live, everyone has a part to HS Group has supported Give and Gain Week for another play.” year, clocking up hundreds of volunteering hours for charities, SHS Group volunteers worked in conjunction with their schools and community groups across the UK last month. nominated charity MindWise, helping with painting and In Belfast, a team of 10 local volunteers from SHS Group’s gardening tasks and preparing starter packs for new arrivals, Airport Road West office worked in conjunction with their with items that they sourced in advance of Give and Gain Week.

MUSGRAVE NI SUPPORTS 2,370 PEOPLE THROUGH LOCAL CHARITY SERVICES

ocal wholesaler Musgrave NI has raised £151,733 in less than three years for local health charity, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS). Raised by both Mace and Musgrave MarketPlace, it enables the charity to support 2,370 chest, heart and stroke survivors through its free regional services. Mace has over 80 stores across Northern Ireland, and Musgrave MarketPlace has three regional branches in Derry/Londonderry, Lurgan and Belfast. NICHS has a network of support co-ordinators and free support groups throughout the province, including its PREP programme which runs at 11 different venues from Newry to Derry/ Londonderry and Enniskillen to Coleraine. 6

From left, Diane Anthony, MACE assistant brand manager; Alastair Patterson, MACE regional manager; Declan Cunnane, NICHS chief executive; and Sinead Lynch, NICHS corporate partnership manager.

NEWS

FURTHER SALES GROWTH FOR LIDL IN NORTHERN IRELAND BY MARGARET CANNING

erman discount supermarket Lidl has continued to grow its market share in Northern Ireland - and has a bigger slice of spending here than it does in Britain. Statistics from information service Kantar said the retailer had increased its market share to 5.9% in the year to May 19, higher than its 5.8% share in Britain. In contrast, there had been a slight fall in the market share here of the top three grocers, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda. The value of sales in Lidl had accelerated by 7% over the period, far outpacing sales growth by its competitors. However, Lidl’s share of the market in Northern Ireland, where it has 38 stores, is still below the 11.5% slice it claims in the Republic. Kantar said that overall spending in Northern Ireland grocers, from the multiples like Tesco to the symbol convenience retailers, was up 1.4% over the period. And Tesco, which has around 50 stores of varying sizes around Northern Ireland, held fast to its position as number one. Its

sales were up 1.1% and its market share was 35.1%. Sainsbury’s, which has 14 stores in the province, remained at number two with 17.2% and had grown its sales by 0.9%. It maintained a comfortable lead over Asda, with its 18 stores. The Walmartowned business had a market share of 16.9% and had grown its sales by 0.8%. Following the veto of a proposed merger with Sainsbury’s, Walmart has said it may list Asda on the stock market. “Northern Ireland’s three largest retailers, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda, all saw their market share eroded by 0.1 percentage points, with Lidl the primary benefactor as it continues to perform strongly both north and south of the border,” said Douglas Faughnan, Kantar consumer insight director. “The retailer now accounts for 5.9% of the market in the north, marginally higher than the 5.8% share it holds in Britain, but still some way off the 11.5% it claims in the Republic of Ireland.” And he said the decision by watchdog the Competition and Markets Authority

(CMA) to block the proposed merger between Asda and Sainsbury’s meant that Tesco’s position at number one would be safe. He said the deal “would have seen more than £2 in every £3 spent on groceries in NI shared between two retailers”. “According to the CMA, this would mean reduced competition and increased prices for the consumer - in a region where prices are already on the rise, up 1.5% in the past year,” he said. “With the merger now dead, the focus for all three major retailers in the north will return to preventing further losses to Lidl, which continues to grow at an impressive 7%.” Dunnes is the dominant grocer in the Republic, with market share of 22.3% in the 12 weeks to May 19. But with Lidl and fellow discounter Aldi having shares in the Republic of 11.5% and 12.1%, discounters now had a combined market share that was bigger than the number one operator. Aldi does not operate here.

FIFTEEN NI FOOD COMPANIES TO BENEFIT FROM ASDA DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME F

ifteen food companies from across Fifteen of NI’s local food companies are pictured at Asda House in Leeds. Northern Ireland have joined a six month, Asda-led programme which aims to maximise their business potential, promote innovation, and ultimately boost sales. Each is participating in the third Asda Supplier Development Academy, a joint initiative between the supermarket and Invest Northern Ireland which was first launched in 2012. Since then, 22 NI food companies have participated in the initiative and have collectively generated over £11m in additional sales. To launch the 2019 Academy, company representatives visited the supermarket’s headquarters in Leeds where they gained a better understanding of the systems and processes involved in trading with Asda. Over the coming months the programme will cover topics including supply chain, “The current retail environment is dynamic and consumeraccount management, marketing and NPD/innovation. focused, so the combination of insights, business mentoring and “This initiative will benefit 15 local food companies across a development planning provided by the Academy is crucial to range of categories and at different stages in their relationship supporting suppliers in maintaining and developing their business with Asda, from long-standing to new suppliers,” said John with Asda, both locally and nationally.” Hood, director Food and Drink at Invest NI. 7

NEWS - SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS

FORMER FOODSTUFFS ARE PART OF FOOD WASTE SOLUTION

Paul Featherstone

he launch of a new Step up to the Plate initiative, by UK government food surplus and waste champion Ben Elliot, has been welcomed by the UK Former Foodstuffs Processors Association (UKFFPA). Elliot is bringing together key industry players to sign up to a number of commitments on measuring and reducing food waste. “More and more people have been acknowledging the need to reduce food waste,” said Paul Featherstone, chairman of UKFFPA. “We welcomed Ben Elliot’s appointment and see this latest initiative as another important step towards greater food waste reduction. “The work of UKFFPA – taking food that cannot be consumed by humans and putting it back into the food supply chain as animal feed – is a critical part of the circular economy, and makes a significant contribution to food waste reduction. “Both the EU, in its Waste Farmework Directive, and WRAP in the UK, have

recognised that the use of former foods is not categorised as waste; in other words, we are part of the solution not the problem. Better food waste management and measurement are critical, and we can help food manufacturers and suppliers to make improvements in this area. “Every year we process around 650,000 tonnes of former foodstuffs, but there is an opportunity to increase this even further and move more food from waste into being a useful resource.” David Moon, head of Business Collaboration at WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme), said: “It’s vitally important that food businesses

explore all options to reduce food ending up as waste. If food surplus or waste can’t be prevented from arising at source, and isn’t suitable for redistribution to people, then using this to produce animal feed is the next best thing. “WRAP’s research suggests that there is the potential to increase the amount of food surplus being sent to animal feed by around 20% by 2025, preventing an additional 140,000 tonnes a year of food waste. We therefore welcome the activities of the UKFFPA in raising awareness of this opportunity for businesses to further drive down food waste.”

LOCAL CHARITY DIVERTS SURPLUS FOOD TO CREATE OVER 800,000 MEALS FOR PEOPLE IN NEED

Northern Ireland food charity has saved a record 341 tonnes of fresh, in date surplus food from waste by diverting it to people in need; a 21% increase on the year before. FareShare Northern Ireland takes surplus food from the food industry that can’t be sold in shops, either because of packaging errors or a short shelf life, but is still good to eat and redistributes it to frontline charities and community groups. Food items and categories redistributed include fresh meat and fish, fruit and vegetables, ready meals, milk and cheeses. The Newtownabbey-based depot

currently serves a network of 115 organisations across Northern Ireland - which include school breakfast clubs, domestic violence refuges, older people’s lunch clubs, food banks and hospices. These organisations in the last year alone used FareShare food to provide 808,896 meals for vulnerable people who might otherwise go hungry. The provision FareShare supplies also enabled them to make a collective saving of £908,500. A national survey found that, on average, each charity saves £7,900 from its yearly food bill by using food from

FareShare, with one in five charities saying that without that food they’d have to close. The food also helps the charities provide healthier, more nutritious meals, with 77% saying it’s improved their client’s diets. “Times are tough for charities, with local authority cuts continuing to bite,” said Meabh Austin, development coordinator, FareShare Northern Ireland. “The food we redistribute is great quality and tastes just like the food you’d eat at home. It’s amazing that we can take something that could been thrown away and turn it into something that creates enormous social benefit.”

ADVERTORIAL

FSA GUIDANCE FOR BUSINESSES TO WITHDRAW OR RECALL UNSAFE FOOD

he Food Standards Agency has published new guidance designed to help food businesses carry out food safety withdrawals and recalls with greater ease and effectiveness The Guidance on Food Traceability, Withdrawals and Recalls within the UK Food Industry explains what the law requires and what businesses need to do to comply. It also includes advice and best practice on traceability systems, roles and responsibilities and how to inform consumers about a food recall as well as practical tools such as editable allergy and food recall alert point of sale notices. These can save businesses time and ensure consumers get the information they need. Philip Randles, head of Incidents and Resilience at the FSA, said: ‘When food on the market is found to be unsafe, food businesses are required to withdraw or recall a product. Our guidance, and the associated tools, have been created with food businesses in mind to help

them carry out their responsibilities more effectively. ‘We urge food businesses to download these tools, so they are equipped to carry out the necessary actions to make sure food is safe and what it says it is.’

The guidance and tools are available from www.food.gov.uk/business-guidance/food-incidents-product-recalls-and-withdrawals. Alternatively, contact ruth.watson@food.gov.uk for more information.

QUICK GUIDE TO FOOD INCIDENTS, PRODUCT RECALLS AND WITHDRAWALS Food incidents

Reporting a food incident

A food incident occurs when concerns around the safety or quality of food (and/ or feed) may require action to protect consumers. These broadly fall into two categories: · contamination of food (or feed) in processing, distribution, retail and catering · environmental pollution incidents such as fires, chemical/oil spills and radiation leaks

If you think a food product (or feed) you have supplied is either harmful to health, unfit for people to eat or does not meet legal requirements, you should: · immediately withdraw or recall the food from the market · contact your local council who will advise of any further action you might need to take

Product withdrawals and recalls As a result of a food incident, a food product may have to be withdrawn or recalled. · A withdrawal is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain before it has reached consumers · A recall is when unsafe food is removed from the supply chain and consumers are advised to take appropriate action, for example to return or dispose of the unsafe food

RETAIL NEWS - INDEPENDENTS

THE STAGE IS SET AS BARCODE FESTIVAL SELLS OUT

arcode Festival, GroceryAid’s fundraising summer party for the whole grocery industry, has been sold out months ahead of the July 4 event. Now in its second year, Barcode returns

to the vibrant setting of London Union’s Hawker House and will see a record 2,200 industry colleagues kick back, relax and enjoy the incredible line-up of entertainment that includes Jessie J,

Basement Jaxx and Nick Grimshaw. A celebration of everything that makes the food and drink industry special, Barcode has a total of 40 corporate sponsors including Asda, Bestway, Booker, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, SPAR, Tesco and Waitrose. On the day guests will include everyone from the shop floor to CEO. “We launched our Barcode Festival last year and were blown away by the feedback,” said Steve Barnes, chief executive of GroceryAid. “It has very quickly become a must-attend in the grocery calendar selling out months ahead of the July 4 date. “Barcode will enable a wide range of industry colleagues to engage with the charity, network and have fun at what is going to be our biggest ever event. With well over 100 companies attending, Barcode is breaking new ground in how we bring the whole industry together for our cause.”

CALL FOR EVIDENCE ON RETAIL CRIME CLOSES ON JUNE 28

FRN National President Mike Mitchelson has urged independent retailers to tell the government about their experiences of retail crime and the impact it has had on themselves, their family, their staff and their businesses. His appeal came after Crime Minister Victoria Atkins launched a call for evidence after the increasing problem of the physical and verbal abuse of retailers was raised in the House of Commons by MPs David Hanson and Steve McCabe,

who is also chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Retail Crime. “NFRN worked with MPs and through the APPG for Retail Crime, for which we act as the secretariat, to put the issue of retail crime and attacks on retailers firmly on ministers’ agendas,” said Mitchelson. “Crime Minister Victoria Atkins was clear that the government wanted to better understand the situation retailers find themselves in before taking action. It is, therefore, vital that as many independent

LOTTERY CONTRIBUTIONS EXCEED £40BN

ational Lottery ticket sales for the 2018/19 financial year totalled £7,206.8m, an increase of £255.1m on last year, according to Camelot UK Lotteries. During 2018/19, Camelot generated £1,654.7m for Good Causes, which continues to amount to around £30m every week and takes the total delivered to more than £40bn over the past 25 years. National Lottery funding has now been awarded to 565,000 individual projects, an average of 200 lottery grants in every UK postcode district. Combined with the Lottery Duty it pays to the Government and the commission earned by its retail partners, Camelot continues 10

to return around 95% of all revenue to winners and society; one of the highest percentages of lottery revenue given back in the world. In 2018/19, returns to winners and society grew by £205m to £6,785.3m. Over the course of the year, Camelot awarded £4,128.5m in prizes to players and created a record 406 new millionaires, including Patrick and Frances Connolly from Northern Ireland who became Britain’s fourth biggest-ever National Lottery winners when they scooped £114.9m on New Year’s Day. The National Lottery has now awarded over £71bn in prizes and created more than 5,350 millionaires or multi-millionaires since its launch in 1994.

retailers as possible respond, explaining their experience of crime and the impact it has had on them.” The government has also made funding available for an information campaign reminding retailers they do not have to take abuse. For further information, visit https:// www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ violence-and-abuse-toward-shop-staffcall-for-evidence.

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS ISSUE AROUND ATM CHARGES

etail NI has welcomed a Which? study, indicating transaction charges have been imposed on over 1,700 ATMs across the UK in the first three months of this year, as a major wake up call to government. “Retail NI is completely opposed to the imposition of these transaction charges,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive of Retail NI. “It is blatantly unfair to independent retailers and their customers. “It is completely unacceptable for any consumer to have to pay 95p every time they use an ATM to withdraw their own cash. This transaction charge will result in less footfall and trade for our members as consumers will go elsewhere to access cash.”

RETAIL NEWS - SYMBOLS

SMOKED MEATS BUSINESS SECURES HENDERSON GROUP LISTING C o Armagh-based Meadow Farm Quality Foods is supplying its range of smoked duck fillet, chicken, turkey and ham consumer packs, sold under the Orchard Smoke House brand, to selected SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO and VIVOXTRA stores from May. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the business,” said Frank Foster, director of Meadow Farms. “It will build significantly on the consumer base which we currently enjoy. We specialise in producing a range of high-quality smoked chicken, turkey, duck, pork, and beef

products. “This is a highly innovative sector of the food market with lots of new ideas coming to the fore. These are relevant to both retail and foodservice outlets. Demand for smoked meats is growing internationally at the present time. And, obviously, Meadow Farm Foods wants to capitalise on this potential.” Steven Kennedy, trading manager at the Henderson Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with the team at Meadow Farm Quality Foods. At the Henderson Group, we are totally

From left, Frank Foster, Martin Rafferty and Ciara Rafferty, Meadow Farm Quality Foods and Steven Kennedy, the Henderson Group.

committed to supporting local food processing businesses with a track record in bringing bespoke products to the market place. Meadow Farm Quality Foods is showing that it can do exactly that.”

SALES SUCCESS FOR APPLEGREEN VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL

pplegreen is reporting a 13% sales increase in its hot deli sales since introducing a vegan sausage roll on April 29, and a 43% year-on-year uplift in sausage roll sales. The Applegreen vegan sausage roll, known as The Vegan, is made from a plant-based blend of soyabean, chickpeas, herbs and spices wrapped in a flaky puff pastry. “As the first retailer in Ireland to sell an Irish-made vegan sausage roll nationwide, we had anticipated a certain level of hype, similar to that seen by the success of Greggs’ product launch,” said Aaron Duggan, head of Food, Applegreen. “However, the response to The Vegan is far greater than we imagined. The Vegan currently accounts for 19% of all our

sausage roll sales; this has far exceeded our expectations. “We’re seeing the benefit of offering our customers a wider choice of good quality food on the go. A robust advertising and PR campaign raised awareness of The Vegan but I believe people are coming back into our stores because the taste speaks for itself. “It has a delicious taste and texture, is a good source of protein and our customers tell me it’s surprisingly meaty. From reviewing the sales figures, it’s clear The Vegan has contributed to driving sales across our entire Bakewell café and shop retail offering, attracting new customers and vegans alike.” The Vegan is sold in 81 Applegreen stores nationwide.

NISA UNVEILS NEW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE D elivered wholesaler and convenience retail specialist Nisa has unveiled a series of management changes, aimed at aligning its structure to the company’s four-year growth strategy. The changes are effective from July 1, and include a decision by Retail Director Nigel Gray to leave Nisa for a career break after more than five years with the company. Nisa’s strategy is to grow its business both with existing partners and secure new ones. To support this, the Sales and Retail teams will be merged under Steve Leach’s directorship, centralising recruitment, account management and retail operations.

John McNeill, Nisa’s COO, will add Format and Development, Marketing and PR, as well as the company’s charity, Make A Difference Locally, to his existing portfolio. Furthermore, Martin Rogers will now lead on strategic planning in addition to his core Franchise responsibilities. “We recently celebrated our first-year anniversary of being part of the Co-op family and reflected on our successes to date,” said Ken Towle, CEO of Nisa. “However, there is more we can do to realise our strategic vision and this reorganisation will better align our management structure to Nisa’s growth strategy.

“For many years, Nigel has been a key part of our leadership team, commuting from his home in Northern Ireland to lead our field teams and partner engagement. Having successfully led the Retail team through the first year of Co-op ownership, Nigel has now decided to leave the business and, while we are very sorry to see him go, we wholeheartedly wish him all the very best for the future. “Meanwhile, I have every confidence that John, Steve and Martin have the necessary experience, expertise and drive to successfully build on Nisa’s recent success, and I look forward to working with them in their expanded roles.”

RETAIL NEWS - MULTIPLES

LIDL NI MANAGEMENT DEGREE PROGRAMME ENTRY CLOSES ON JUNE 30 L idl Northern Ireland is seeking fresh candidates hungry for success for its specialist management degree programme. The retailer will hire up to 50 candidates to fulfil two key managerial roles which come with a competitive salary, on-the-job training and a fully-funded degree. Following the success of last year’s Feed Your Mind programme, Lidl has invested more than £2m rolling out the scheme this year, offering positions across Lidl’s 190+ stores and warehouses on the island of Ireland. Lidl Northern Ireland is urging applicants to apply for the programme before the closing date of June 30.

Delivered in conjunction with Ulster University and Irish Times Training, Feed Your Mind will take successful applicants through Lidl’s managerial approach over the course of two years, allowing them to earn as they learn, whilst gaining a University Accredited Foundation Degree

in Management Practice with Specialism in Retail. “At Lidl we pride ourselves on our people; we believe they are our greatest asset,” said Maeve McCleane, director of Human Resources at Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland. “Our Feed Your Mind programme was created to give applicants a dual approach to retail, combining experience with education to allow them to fulfil themselves in their retail careers and fast-track their progress within a leading global retailer. “We were delighted to receive over 500 applications for the programme in 2018 and expect to top that number this year.”

NEW SEASON SPRINGS FORWARD FOR ASDA & GILFRESH

oughgall company, Gilfresh, is planting new season kale, broccoli, savoy and sweetheart cabbage destined for Asda shelves across Northern Ireland from mid-June - almost three weeks earlier than in 2018. Gilfresh, a family-run company based in Co Armagh, was established by the Gilpins over 50 years ago, and is dedicated to the growing, packing and processing of core and prepared vegetables; already supplying 25 product lines to Asda including carrots, swedes and scallions. The team at Gilfresh will cover the seedlings with fleece to keep them warm and encourage growth, so the

Billy Clelland, crop is ready to quality manager harvest in early of Asda NI, summer. said: “We “On average, in have excellent local season, we working supply over 5,000 relationships cabbages, 13,000 with some heads of broccoli, of the best 2,500 swedes From left, Gary Medforth, IPL manager – Buying Edible growers and and 17 tonnes of Produce; Danielle Mitchell and William Gilpin, Gilfresh; and Billy Clelland, quality manager of Asda NI. suppliers across carrots to Asda Northern Ireland each week,” said Danielle Mitchell from Gilfresh. “We have – and Gilfresh is a perfect example of this. It’s fantastic to have the promise a great working relationship with the of great-tasting locally-grown produce team there and we’re delighted to bring from Gilfresh on shelves even earlier this new season products to Asda customers year for our customers to enjoy.” earlier this year.”

SUPERVALU INVESTS £250,000 IN ITS MEAT RANGE S From left, Stephen Bogle, SuperValu brand manager and Michael Anderson, butcher at SuperValu Kings Road.

uperValu has launched its summer range, featuring 30 new lines as part of a £250,000 investment into its meat offering. Prepared By Our Butcher and Fresh For You ranges include everything from traditional favourites, such as burgers and sausages to Chinese Pork Belly Ribs, Cajun chicken skewers, sizzling steaks and piri piri spatchcock chickens, ready to place straight on the barbecue, while SuperValu stores’ own in-house butchers are ready to offer handy tips and recommendations. SuperValu’s new summer range also extends to tasty local cheeses, fresh breads, salamis, dips and tapas-style treats for picnics, complemented by an exclusive wine collection featuring popular choices such as Bendel Cuvee Caroline Rose from Provence France and Cantina Tombacco Aglianico. SuperValu additionally lists a range of local craft beers and ciders, including an exclusive, The JourneyMan IPA, and spirits from a number of local producers including Jawbox, Shortcross, and Boatyard gins. 13

ADVERTORIAL

LAUNCH OF NEW BUTCHERY EVENT MEAT2TRADE Garyth Quigley, key account manager, Cutting Edge Services, Rhonda Montgomery, CEO of Butchery Excellence International and Pamela Ballantine.

edicated to the food manufacturing, retailing and butchery industries Meat2 Trade is a new trade exhibition coming to Lisburn’s Eikon Exhibition Centre in October 2019. Taking place over October 2-3, it is the brainchild of Butchery Excellence International CEO Rhonda Montgomery. “In 2019, we’re raising the bar with Meat2Trade and have invested significantly in making this new show an event that’s absolutely relevant to businesses in food manufacturing and

butchery today,” comments Rhonda Montgomery, organiser of Meat2Trade. Sponsored by Cutting Edge Services, Meat2Trade will feature over 100 meat, artisan butchery and food manufacturing businesses all under one roof. Garyth Quigley, key account manager of Cutting Edge Services, comments: “We are delighted to support Meat2Trade, in what is sure to be a very informative and interesting first event. With visitors having the opportunity to learn about new technologies, products and services,

as well as how you can put them into practice, the show is definitely not to be missed.” The show will play host to a range of exciting initiatives including a Dragon’s Den-style panel for agri-food producers to pitch to, a Product of Show competition with £1,000 prize, and the first-ever Four Nations Butchery Championships. Rhonda Montgomery concludes: “We would like to thank our event partners, Manor Farm, Spice O’Life, UMC, Rational, Quinfresh, Globeweigh, Cutting Edge, Kiernans Food Ingredients, Rhino Media, McDonnells, MLS Label, and Design and Printing Systems for their continued support and collaboration on the event. Looking ahead to October, we are excited to welcome a wealth of knowledge and industry leaders under one roof.” Meat2Trade will take place on October 2-3, 2019 in the Eikon Exhibition Centre, Balmoral Park. Further information can be accessed at www.meat2trade.com. For those who wish to exhibit at the event, contact Rhonda on rhonda@meat2trade.com.

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ADVERTORIAL

MUSGRAVE TO ‘REDEFINE CONVENIENCE’ IN NORTHERN IRELAND WITH AMBITIOUS EXPANSION PLANS OWNERS OF SUPERVALU, CENTRA, MACE AND MARKETPLACE ANNOUNCE £28M INVESTMENT AND PLANS TO OPEN UP TO 20 NEW STORES, CREATING AROUND 550 JOBS BUILDING ON AN EXCEPTIONAL 2018 All Musgrave NI brands – SuperValu, Centra, Mace and MarketPlace - saw significant growth in 2018, with positive like-for-like sales growth across all brands. Growth for the SuperValu, Centra and Mace brands has been driven by consumer demand for on-the-go food and beverages, along with growth in its own-brand ranges, alongside new instore concepts and experiences that have been rolled out across its network. Michael McCormack, managing director of Musgrave, said: “We’re reassured to see that our brands are in a strong position in front of our shoppers. We’ve driven the sales, seen improved brand scores in key areas across all of our brands and receiving recent Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards for Best CSR Initiative for SuperValu SuperStars, Best Digital Marketing Campaign for Centra Live Well and Best Green Marketing for Frank and Honest, shows that we are communicating what our brands stand for - with impact.” STRONG FOUNDATIONS ACROSS THE ISLAND OF IRELAND The platform for growth for Musgrave NI is built upon an incredibly positive performance in Musgrave Group. Within the Group, turnover grew by almost 4% to €3.9bn last year, with pre-tax profits rising 5.6% to €84.5m. Across the island of Ireland, SuperValu grew sales last year by 1.5% to €2.9bn, with Centra growing 4% to €1.9bn. Michael added: “These results provide a solid platform for us to grow our presence in the NI market and we very much leverage our Group strength when it comes to buying, tapping into expertise and adapting concepts that we see working across our business.” REDEFINING CONVENIENCE IN 2019 The Musgrave NI business model has evolved to capitalise on the move to what it calls an era of ‘super convenience’, 18

where the market has been redefined by: • Increasing demand for healthier and more convenient food to go; • Key dayparts that are driving shopping missions; • Quality food experiences as retail and foodservice merge; and • Quicker, seamless shopping experiences. Michael said: “While 2018 was a good year, we know we can’t stand still. Our plans are ambitious but achievable, as we’ll expand our network by opening up to 20 new stores in Northern Ireland in 2019, creating around 550 new jobs and revamping an additional 40 stores, as part of a £28m investment programme. For us, this is all about how we’ll realise our vision to ‘redefine convenience’ in Northern Ireland.” Michael added: “We have been working now for a number of years across Supervalu, Centra and Mace on redefining the convenience offer in Northern Ireland. We have done that by ultimately focusing on what matters to our shoppers – by bringing healthier, restaurant-quality food to convenience and continuously innovating across all aspects of convenience.” THE HUNT FOR NEW STORES AND REINVIGORATING THE EXISTING ESTATE One of the key opportunities for growth for the Musgrave NI brands is through

opening new stores – a point which Michael was clear on: “There is no doubt about it – our aim to redefine convenience is underpinned by our ability to grow our estate across the SuperValu, Centra and Mace brands. That’s why we’ve been extremely active in the market – we’re opening brand new stores – as we’ve done in Gracey’s Centra City Quays, Belfast recently and in Mallusk, where we are building a new Centra store this year.” As well as opening new stores, Musgrave is also looking to convert retailers and buy sites too: “First and foremost, we want to work with the best independent retailers and grow business together. However, as we seek to grow and offer our existing retailers the benefits of scale, we are looking at converting retailers and saying to those that are thinking of selling their business, freehold or leasehold - that we are very much open for business.” To that point, the business has acquired 14 stores in recent years. Revamping existing stores within the estate is also a core part of Musgrave’s ongoing investment and growth strategy. Retailers that have completed refresh programmes are demonstrating robust sales growth. There’s an impressive pipeline of recent refreshes – more than 80 in recent years - including Lilley’s Centra in Dublin Road, Moran’s Centra

ADVERTORIAL later’ offering for consumers. A rotisserie style chicken concept will also be rolled out following successful trials. The rotisserie chicken will be available in sandwiches or bowls and will play to both the healthy and indulgent trends.

Strand Road, Watson’s Centra Cloughey, SuperValu Comber and SuperValu Kings Road. The next refurbishment will take place at SuperValu Lisburn, as Michael explains:

“We need to push the envelope when it comes to the offering in-store – for new and existing stores - it’s something we are renowned for. We’re particularly excited about the refurbishment of our SuperValu Lisburn store. It will be a true stake in the ground for the SuperValu brand in NI; we’re introducing several new concepts to the store including Moo’d ice cream and pizza, as well as vegan and vegetarian sections, a new deli, an enhanced health and wellness section and an overhauled off licence that will feature some of the most extensive ranges of alcohol lines within a convenience setting.” BUILDING ON THE SUCCESS STORIES Over the last two years, artisan on-the-go coffee brand, Frank and Honest has been introduced to 110 SuperValu, Centra and Mace stores across Northern Ireland. With over 700 Frank and Honest locations across the island of Ireland, Frank and Honest is now the largest on-the-go coffee brand on the island.

“We plan to grow this footprint locally in 2019 and we’re not restricted to our own stores as we’re looking at how we would launch a standalone Frank and Honest coffee shop in NI. With the recent marketing campaign we’ve rolled out to support the brand, we’re driving the quality credentials of the brand and ensuring that our consumers are aware of and open to the brand when they see it in-store.”

DELIVERING FOR COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL BUSINESS Musgrave is also committed to the communities in which it operates, sourcing £120m of produce from local NI producers and in 2019 is on the cusp of reaching a landmark £3m in funds raised with its charity partner, Action Cancer. It’s a relationship that goes back 13 years and has helped make a difference

While the Musgrave NI brands have capitalised on consumer healthy eating trends, the company also points out that NI consumers like to indulge themselves, pointing to the success of its new XO Donuts brand, which it launched in 2018. To date, in excess of 40,000 donuts have been sold. BRINGING NEW CONCEPTS TO CONVENIENCE Looking to 2019, the Musgrave NI brands will tap into a number of consumer trends and the merging of retail and foodservice to achieve further growth, bringing more new concepts to the Northern Ireland market. “We’re always seeking out new ways to delight our consumers and to grow the sales line for our retailers so when we look at the trends shaping convenience, we then look to how we can capitalise on those.” One of those new concepts is Caramico pizza, a concept using authentic pizza ovens to offer a freshly made pizza instore. It has been rolled out successfully by Musgrave in the Republic of Ireland, driven by a high-quality product that surpasses other established pizza brands. Key to the concept is a ‘for now’ and ‘for

to thousands of people across NI, in the prevention of cancer through the Health Action Programme which delivers education on healthy lifestyle choices to schoolchildren and in the detection of cancer through the Big Bus which provides breast screening to those aged 40-49 and 70+ who fall outside the NHS age range. DRIVEN BY PURPOSE Last but not least, the ambitious plans that Musgrave has for 2019 and beyond are underpinned by its purpose – Growing Good Business. As a family business, Musgrave is committed to delivering for its retailers but doing so in a way that is good for colleagues, communities and the environment. “Our purpose and our values are what drives us; and we often hear from those who want to join us that these are reasons they want to work with and for us. For all of our ambition, I think it’s reassuring for others to know that we seek to grow in a way that does good for them. I’d say to anyone thinking of working with us, to take that step and find out how they can join the ‘family’.” 19

BALMORAL SHOW REVIEW

M&S RECOGNISES ITS LOCAL FARMER SUPPLIERS

Douglas Hamilton PCF, Jackie Gibson, Claire Saunders PCF, and Damien Tumelty.

roducers from across Northern Ireland and Ireland were recognised by M&S at its Select Farm Awards presentation, which took place on the first day of this year’s Balmoral Show. The winners were: Excellence Award - James Brannigan, Co Fermanagh; Innovation Award - Pat McGlade, Newry; Young Producer Award - Arlene Devine - Omagh; and Prince’s Countryside Fund Farm Resilience Award - Damien Tumelty, Co Down. Brannigan, a beef farmer, scooped the Excellence Award in recognition of his dedicated and detailed approach to his business and his strong focus on animal welfare. With the help of his wife,

Peter Kennedy and Pat McGlade.

Rosaleen, he rears 500 calves a year for Linden Foods and also runs his own, small -scale beef finishing enterprise. “James dedicates a huge proportion of each working day to ensuring the very best welfare for every animal on his farm,” said Keith Williamson, from Linden Foods, who nominated Brannigan for the award. “His stockmanship is enviable and he has been one of our most consistent and top producers for years now.” Pat McGlade, a pullet rearer for Skea Eggs, was commended for his proactive approach to bird welfare and use of technology to improve the performance of his business. Originally working on his family’s dairy farm, he decided to diversify

the family business and establish three juvenile chicken rearing houses in 1996. He now rears a large number of hens each year for Skea Eggs and provides local egg producers with high quality, 16-week-old birds. Steve McLean, head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S, said: “Pat is committed to rearing high-quality laying hens, but it is clear that he is also focused on maintaining excellent standards of bird welfare. His use of technology to improve the performance of his business, the performance of the birds in his care and the biosecurity on farm, deserves to be acknowledged.” Arlene Devine was crowned the winner in the Young Producer category by proving herself to be an integral part of the team at the Dawnfresh Rocks Lodge trout farm. “By utilising computer software to help monitor fish growth rates and stocking levels, Arlene is able to free up time which she can then spend observing her fish stock, checking on water quality and combating potential sources of stress to fish,” said Scott Wilson from Dawnfresh, who nominated Devine for the award. “Arlene has found the perfect balance between control of data and animal husbandry and is able to rear fish above and beyond RSPCA and M&S Select Farm standards.” The award for Farm Resilience is jointly awarded by the Prince’s Countryside Fund and M&S. This year, the award

Rosaleen and James Brannigan, and Peter Kennedy.

BALMORAL SHOW REVIEW for Northern Ireland and Ireland was picked up by Damien Tumelty, who together with his partner Jackie Gibson, has developed and diversified his family farming business. Since taking over Castlescreen Farm in Co Down from his uncle four years ago, Tumelty has adapted the existing beef finishing enterprise to focus on producing pedigree Dexter cattle; rearing cattle on farm before butchering them in a new, purpose-built butchery and selling meat directly to customers at farmers’ markets. Tumelty is currently in the late stages of constructing a farm shop at Castlescreen

and is looking at the possibility of developing the farm’s website to sell produce online. McLean said: “Damien is dedicated to securing the long-term success of his family business and is focused on producing food in an environmentally friendly way, whilst also maintaining high standards of animal welfare. Developing a diverse and sustainable business takes a lot of hard work and Damien has had to be very driven to make the changes that he has at Castlescreen Farm. We wish him and his family all the best in the years to come.”

All M&S regional winners are entered into the Champion of Champions award against regional award winners from Scotland and England and Wales, with the chance to win a free place on the coveted M&S Agricultural Leadership Programme at the Cranfield School of Management, worth £4,500. Runners up included: Excellence – Barry Hayes, a free-range egg producer, Co Tyrone; Innovation – Walter Johnston, a mixed farm business, Magherafelt; Young Producer – Daniel Maxwell, a pullet rearer, Co Tyrone; and Farm Resilience - Charles Crawford, a beef producer, Co Fermanagh.

LMC SUPPORTS THE LIVESTOCK COMPETITIONS AT BALMORAL

Duncan McDowell, right, from Newtownards, and his Balmoral Show Interbreed Beef Champion Beef Shorthorn cow, with, from left, Danny Wylie, judge, and LMC Chairman Gerard McGivern, sponsor.

Will Smith, centre, and his reserve Balmoral Show Interbreed Beef Champion Limousin heifer, with, from left, LMC Chairman Gerard McGivern, sponsor, and Danny Wylie, judge.

James Aiken, Dromara, and Harold Dickey, Ballymena, winners of the Sheep Interbreed Pairs Championship at Balmoral Show, with Ian Stevenson, LMC, sponsor, and Pat Greaney, judge.

Jason Watson, Rasharkin, and William Tait, Omagh, reserve in the Sheep Interbreed Pairs Championship at Balmoral Show, with Ian Stevenson, LMC, sponsor, and Pat Greaney, judge.

Neil Fleming, from Clough, Ballymena, winner of the both the Overall Sheep Young Handlers’ Championship and the junior section of the competition at Balmoral with his Suffolk ewe lamb, receiving his awards from Terry White, LMC, sponsor, and Hilary Workman, judge.

William Jess, from Annahilt, Hillsborough, reserve in the junior section of the Sheep Young Handlers’ competition at Balmoral Show with his Zwartbles sheep, receiving his award from Terry White, LMC, sponsor.

Mark Norris, from Coleraine, winner of the senior section of the Sheep Young Handlers’ competition at Balmoral Show with his Zwartbles sheep, receiving his award from Terry White, LMC, sponsor, and Hilary Workman, judge.

Harry Sinclair, LMC, sponsor, and Richard Bartle, judge, with the Beef Shorthorn winning Interbreed Team of Five championship, from left, Lisa Dowd, Margaret Edgill, Richard McKeown, Tommy Stauton and Duncan McDowell.

BALMORAL SHOW REVIEW

WINNERS OF FRESH INNOVATION AWARDS RAISE THE ‘STEAKS’ WITH SUCCESS

Paddy Doody, sales & marketing director at Henderson Group addresses guests at the Awards breakfast.

Ross Irwin, Irwin’s Bakery, Young Agri Food Innovator, is pictured with Fresh Foods Director Neal Kelly and Awards host, BBC NI’s Jo Scott.

&G McAtamney, the Ballymenabased father and son butcher’s, have taken home the Overall Supplier of the Year award at the annual Henderson Wholesale Fresh Innovation Awards 2019. The awards took place for the seventh year at the Balmoral Show, with K&G McAtamney also taking home the Own Brand Supplier of the Year award for their contribution of over 85 products to Henderson’s enjoy local, The Kitchen and the exclusive for SPAR and EUROSPAR products under the K&G McAtamney brand. The exclusive K&G McAtamney fresh butchery products include pre-packed beef, pork and chicken products and are available in 45 stores in Northern Ireland. The company has experienced incredible growth since partnering with Henderson Wholesale in 2013, creating 38 new jobs locally. The speciality producers also supply to other SPAR wholesalers in England and Wales, thanks to their relationship with SPAR NI, and now supply 80% of their fresh meat, creating a further 12 local jobs in the process. Neal Kelly, fresh foods director at Henderson Wholesale, said the company were displaying everything that is great about local food producers, farmers and growers in Northern Ireland: “K&G McAtamney are very worthy winners of their awards. The innovation they have displayed to create products for our own-brand ranges, as well as our exclusive partnership brand of joints, steaks and fresh meat cuts is second to none. The fact that other SPAR partners 22

Excellence in Product Innovation winner, Lorna Robinson of Cloughbane Farm Foods, is pictured with Neal Kelly, John Hood of Invest NI, and Jo Scott.

Overall Supplier of the Year and Own Brand Supplier of the Year winner, K&G McAtamney, is pictured with Jo Scott and Neal Kelly.

in England have decided to source their meat from a Northern Ireland producer says so much about the thriving industry here.” Other winners at the awards and breakfast included Gilfresh for their CSR and sustainability programmes in the Tomorrow Matters award, Hovis for Excellence in Regional Delivery and Cloughbane Farm Foods for Excellence in Product Innovation. Ross Irwin continued Irwin Bakery’s winning legacy from 2018 after his Uncle Brian took home the Outstanding Achievement to the Agri-Food Industry award, by being named Young Agri-Food Innovator for 2019, and Richardson’s Quality Butchers in EUROSPAR Lagan Valley, Lisburn were named In-Store Butcher of the Year. The awards took place on the penultimate day of the Balmoral Show, the heart of the agri-food and business community in Northern Ireland, of which SPAR is a platinum sponsor. Paddy Doody, sales & marketing director at Henderson Group, says it is important for them as a local company to support local farmers and

growers: “Being at the Balmoral Show is hugely important to us as a brand and as a company; we get essential face time with those at the front line of the industry, which gives us a chance to provide even more innovative and value products for our shoppers. “Local is an important and consistent message which runs throughout our company and we intend to continue growing our local credentials and ensure we’re delivering a provenance promise to every local community.” The Henderson Wholesale Fresh Innovation Awards were independently scrutinised by a panel of experienced judges including food writer, Sam Butler; Head of Food Technology at CAFRE, Joy Alexander; Irish News Business Editor, Gary McDonald and Dr Lynsey Hollywood, Ulster University Business School’s Agri-Food Business Development Centre Manager. Michele Shirlow MBE, CEO of Food NI also joined the panel for the first time this year. For more information about the Henderson Group, its companies and brands, visit www.henderson-group.com.

FRESH SUPPLIER Q&A

GORDON McATAMNEY, K&G McATAMNEY

TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS My father Kieran and I established K&G McAtamney almost 20 years ago in 2000, and we continue to run it together today. My grandfather had a butcher’s shop in Kilrea where my father learned the ropes, which he quickly passed on to me. We opened our premises to create a new concept, offering the customer everything they need for a gourmet meal, freshly prepared onsite by our in-house team of chefs. We now have 30 dedicated staff working in our deli store in Ballymena and 90 staff in our wholesale business, and we’re delighted to still be growing and diversifying as consumer trends change. WHEN DID YOU BEGIN YOUR PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HENDERSON GROUP? We started working with the Fresh Team at the Henderson Group in 2013, supplying to their fresh own-brand ranges of meat and poultry. We are now

supplying over 85 products to their SPAR enjoy local and The Kitchen ranges, as well as our exclusive K&G McAtamney prepacked beef, pork and chicken products for SPAR and EUROSPAR. WHY DOES IT WORK SO WELL? We have a lot of similarities with the Henderson Group, from our family business roots to our collaborative ethos. Neither companies are afraid to test the waters and see how we can diversify even more to deliver to shoppers and retailers on their changing demands. Freshness, provenance, taste and quality are our top priorities and, with Henderson Group, we’re able to be creative and deliver to a wide network of stores in local communities. WHAT GROWTH HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SINCE WORKING WITH THE GROUP? Since 2013, we have been able to create over 50 new jobs locally thanks to our

continued business with the Group, and, through this partnership, we also now supply to other SPAR wholesalers in England and Wales. We started supplying a few products for the own-brand ranges in SPAR and EUROSPAR and this has now grown to 85 products, with more in the pipeline. WHAT’S NEXT FOR K&G MCATAMNEY AND HENDERSON GROUP? We have just won both the Own Brand and Overall Supplier of the Year awards at the Henderson Wholesale Fresh Innovation Awards at Balmoral Show, which is a fantastic recognition of the hard work and collaboration between our companies. Our plan is to continue to build this partnership to the very best it can be by committing to the Henderson Group’s fresh agenda and supplying only the freshest, local meat and poultry for our customers.

MY LIFE IN THE GROCERY TRADE CLAIRE HALE, MARKETING EXECUTIVE AT DALE FARM

BRIEFLY OUTLINE YOUR EMPLOYMENT HISTORY While studying Marketing at Ulster University, Jordanstown, I worked with Dale Farm as a placement student where I supported the marketing team across a variety of projects and day-to-day tasks. It was a fantastic learning experience and introduction to the industry. After graduating with honours (Marketing) from Ulster University, I returned to Dale Farm as marketing assistant, before taking up my current role as marketing executive.

WHAT ARE THE BEST & WORST PARTS? When growing up, Dale Farm was a brand that was always in our fridge freezer (especially a Pear Picking Porky or two) and now I am excited to be working with such an iconic, local brand. One of the best things about working at Dale Farm is the supportive workplace culture which encourages professional development and creativity. Like any fast-paced marketing department, it can be challenging to prioritise tasks and respond to changing demands.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? I am responsible for successfully delivering the Ice Cream marketing strategy for both the Dale Farm Ice Cream and Mullins Ice Cream brands. It is a busy and diverse role, that involves planning and implementing NI and RoI integrated communications campaigns across various consumer touchpoints and managing brand profiles specifically across social media channels. I am also responsible for organising and delivering consumer sampling events and trade shows. My remit also encompasses new product development for ice cream, with responsibility for product development, packaging design and production.

BRIEFLY OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY I get into the office at 7.30am, and start the working day by catching up on emails and identifying and prioritising key tasks. Every day is different, but can consist of internal meetings to monitor progress on current projects and planning ahead. I am currently delivering two major NI and RoI campaigns for the Dale Farm Ice Cream brand which aim to build brand awareness and encourage trial of our products. Whilst an exciting time for the brand, both campaigns require a substantial time commitment. On other days, I get the opportunity to travel across the island of Ireland to meet with various agency partners, trade customers and sales representatives.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER? The highlight for me so far has definitely been winning then 2019 Lorraine Hall Young Marketeer of the Year award, along with scooping the Best Brand award for Dale Farm Ice Cream. Both these awards give recognition to the commitment and contribution from the team. WHAT IS THE BEST THING ABOUT THE LOCAL RETAIL INDUSTRY? For me, it is important to encourage consumers to shop local. Dale Farm is the UK’s largest farmer-owned dairy cooperative, which has 1,300 dairy farmers. We take pride in producing a range of dairy products that families know and love. WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? I like to keep fit with classes after work during the week. However on the weekend I love nothing more than a leisurely brunch with friends. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW I wouldn’t say I’m an adrenaline junkie, but I did once bungee jump off a bridge into a glacial ravine in Canada. Whether I would do it again is another question. I have also had a go at zip lining and whitewater rafting.

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

MASHING THE COMPETITION AT THE ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS From left, Clare Forster (Mash Direct), Trevor McCrum (Hovis Ireland), Lance Hamilton (Mash Direct), Martin Rice (sponsor PRL In-Market Solutions) and Chris Keenan (Ulster Grocer).

high standard of entries saw Hovis Ireland and Mash Direct share the top accolade of Best Marketing Campaign at the 31st annual Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards on May 10. It represented a double win for Mash Direct, which picked up the award for its Peter Rabbit campaign but was also a collaborator in the winning Hovis entry for its new ORMO range. Highly commended was White’s Oats for its Taste the Journey campaign, with Best Marketing Campaign (sponsored by PRL In-Market Solutions) among 10 categories awarded during the Grocers’ Ball, an annual gala evening held at the Culloden Hotel to raise funds for grocers’ benevolent fund GroceryAid. New award Best Digital Marketing (sponsored by mxb) went to Musgrave NI for Centra Live Well with Henderson Wholesale highly commended for its 12 Deals of Christmas campaign, while the two retail groups shared highly

commended for Best New Product Launch/Relaunch. Musgrave NI also picked up highly commended in both Best Brand for Frank and Honest and Best In-Store Consumer Sales Promotion for its SuperValu and Centra in-store Lapland competition, and was named winner of Best CSR Initiative/Charity Partnership for SuperValu Superstars and Best Green Marketing, again for Frank and Honest. Henderson Wholesale’s Elf on the Shop Shelf took top honours in Best In-Store Consumer Sales Promotion (sponsored by Aqua Twist), while its SPAR NI campaign Blooming Great Tea Party in aid of Marie Curie was highly commended in Best CSR Initiative/ Charity Partnership (sponsored by Hunky Dory’s). And Henderson Group’s Jade Manning and Stephanie Tares were joint highly commended in the Lorraine Hall Young Marketeer of the Year award (sponsored

by Kestrel Foods), won by Claire Hale of Dale Farm, which also picked up Best Brand (sponsored by Henderson Food Machinery) for Dale Farm Ice Cream. Also picking up two awards on the night was Mackle Petfoods’ Naturo brand, winner of Best New Product Launch/Relaunch (sponsored by Derry Refrigerated Transport) and highly commended for Best Export Marketing, which was won by Thompson’s Tea and sponsored by Invest NI. Food NI, meanwhile, sponsored the Best Artisan Campaign category, won by Natural Umber with Harnett’s Oil highly commended, while Best Green Marketing (sponsored by NI Trucks) saw Coca Cola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland highly commended. The Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2019 were judged by marketing experts Albert Titterington, Norman Maynes and Emma Cowan.

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

BEST ARTISAN CAMPAIGN • SPONSORED BY FOOD NI ✷ WINNER: NATURAL UMBER

M Alyson Magee, Ulster Grocer, and Sarah Matson, Natural Umber at the Balmoral Show 2019.

ichele Shirlow, chief executive, Food NI, said: “Supporting the Best Artisan Marketing Campaign is important to Food NI because it celebrates the outstanding achievements of our smaller food and drink companies here and further afield. Overall, the awards demonstrate the close relationship between professional marketing and business growth. I congratulate Food NI members National Umber on winning the artisan award and Harnett’s Oil on its commendation. And congratulations also to other members Dale Farm, Mash Direct, Thompson’s Teas and Henderson Group on their awards.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Natural Umber has developed an excellent product and won a lot of awards, leading up to the Great Taste Golden Fork, and they’ve been able to build on that, using social platforms very well and building growth. The brand’s use of testaments works well with its natural image, and overall its marketing strategy has led to up to 60% growth and progressive increase in market share and distribution. Natural Umber has attracted five-star ratings across social channels such as facebook and google, and over 100 retailers are selling the product.”

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Michael Mackle, MD of Natural Umber, said: “We are thrilled to have been awarded Best Artisan Campaign at the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, celebrating so many brilliant local producers. Since launching in January 2018, we have worked hard to establish Natural Umber organic apple cider vinegar, made in Co Armagh, across the UK and Ireland, supporting independent stockists and maintaining five-star online reviews. We are therefore extremely proud that our hard work has been recognised.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • HARNETT’S OIL JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Harnett’s Oil is a farm-based business, growing its own ingredients, and has played on that farm base, developing a product range with good branding. It has attracted good PR through, for example appearing on BBC1’s The Farmers’ Country Showdown, creating a solid marketing base on which to build.” Jane Harnett and and Roger Wilson of ABC Council.

BEST BRAND • SPONSORED BY HENDERSON FOOD MACHINERY ✷ WINNER: DALE FARM ICE CREAM Claire Hale and Nigel Cairns, Dale Farm; David Henderson, Henderson Food Machinery; and Alyson Magee, Ulster Grocer.

avid Henderson, owner of Henderson Food Machinery, said: “Our congratulations go to Dale Farm Ice Cream for their win on the night with Frank and Honest highly commended. Henderson Food Machinery was honoured to be sponsor of the Best Brand for a fourth year running at the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2019.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Dale Farm already led the Northern Ireland ice-cream market but rather than just sitting there, the brand has engaged in a multi-faceted campaign making the most of the strength and personality of its brand assets. As a result, Dale Farm Ice Cream achieved 7.5% growth in its local market, growing its market share across both c-stores and supermarkets, and doubled its sales in the Republic of Ireland market.” 26

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Claire Hale, marketing executive, Dale Farm, said: “Dale Farm’s win for Best Brand at the 2019 Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards is a testament not only to the great work of our Dale Farm Ice Cream sales and marketing teams over the past year, but a company-wide drive to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can offer our consumers. On-going innovation is core to our Dale Farm Ice Cream growth strategy, coupled with sustained creativity in the marketing of our ice cream products across multiple platforms. We have exciting plans in place for the year ahead across the island of Ireland, with ambitions to take an even bigger scoop of the ice cream market in 2019.”

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

HIGHLY COMMENDED • FRANK AND HONEST JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Faced with a product they knew to be too basic for increasingly discerning coffee consumers, Musgrave created the Frank and Honest on-the-go coffee brand, taking it from zero to number one in the all-Ireland market in two years. Quality was central to the brand growth strategy, which combined use of world-class technology and a compostable cup with the ambition to create a brand rivalling the likes of Starbucks and Costa. Use of social media was key to reaching the target audience.” The Musgrave NI team.

BEST CSR INITIATIVE/CHARITY PARTNERSHIP • SPONSORED BY HUNKY DORY’S ✷ WINNER: SUPERVALU SUPERSTARS

Brendan Gallen and Desi Derby, Musgrave NI; Chris Keenan, Ulster Grocer; and Martin McClinton, Hunky Dory’s.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Musgrave has built on its longstanding partnership with Action Cancer and SuperMums initiative by rolling it out into SuperStars to represent everyone making a difference in their community. Representing the single biggest PR campaign for Musgrave in 2018, SuperStars gained a high profile across print newspapers, radio, in-store and social media with winners recognised at a gala ball.”

artin McClinton, sales manager at Northern Snack Foods, said: “Congratulations to Musgrave NI for its SuperValu Superstars campaign, winner of the Best CSR Initiative/Charity Partnership at the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2019, and to highly commended entry SPAR NI’s Blooming Great Tea Party in aid of Marie Curie. This year’s awards mark a seventh year of category sponsorship by Northern Snack Foods brand Hunky Dory’s, which is proud to lend its support to marketing initiatives extending beyond commercial gain to benefit local charities and communities.”

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Stephen Bogle, brand manager for SuperValu NI, said: “We are thrilled to win the Best CSR Initiative for our SuperValu Superstars campaign. With 35 stores in rural towns across Northern Ireland, SuperValu is literally positioned at the heart of the local community. At SuperValu, the brand stands for Real Food, Real People and the SuperValu SuperStars helped recognise and celebrate the Real People in local communities who really go above and beyond the call of duty to help and support those in need.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • SPAR NI - BLOOMING GREAT TEA PARTY IN AID OF MARIE CURIE JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Henderson Wholesale encouraged SPAR stores to join in The Blooming Great Tea Party, a four-hour event raising funds for Marie Curie, driving consumer awareness of the province-wide event with a significant marketing push, achieving impressive results with 240 stores participating and £75,000 ultimately raised.” The Henderson Group team.

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

BEST DIGITAL CAMPAIGN • SPONSORED BY MXB ✷ WINNER: CENTRA LIVE WELL

K Brendan Gallen and Desi Derby, Musgrave NI; Allie McAuley, mxb; and Chris Keenan, Ulster Grocer.

aren Carmichael, MD at mxb, said: “We’re delighted to see Centra Live Well win Best Digital Campaign with the online and offline experience jam-packed with added-value content. We’ve big heart for this campaign because it’s marketing with purpose. Designed to help us all make better choices to be our best selves. And executed brilliantly on those platforms where we’re most open to influence and most likely to share within our peer groups. Well done to Henderson Wholesale who were also Highly Commended within this category.”

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Jennifer Morton, brand manager for Centra NI, said: “We are proud to win this award, which recognises the success of our digital-first Centra Live Well campaign. This was more than a marketing campaign for Centra; it permeated the business and fundamentally changed the way the brand operates and its offering. The 10Week Plan achieved over 1,000 sign ups and thousands took part in six Run Together events. Working with our retailers, we brought the online experience to life in-store, helping our customers to make better choices with an extensive range of 700 healthy lines.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Excellent and focused, Centra Live Well is a classic marketing campaign, delivered digitally, and is well researched with a logical sequence and very well presented. Centra has developed the Live Well theme, getting four local ambassadors on board, and fully integrating the campaign. As well as achieving good metrics, such as a 64% increase in fresh food sales, the campaign is enhancing the Centra brand. Creating a club out of your customers is a smart move, and Centra has successfully targeted consumers interested in healthy eating and losing weight.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • HENDERSON WHOLESALE – 12 DEALS OF CHRISTMAS

Conor Towland and Lucy McCormack

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “What has been achieved is impressive; they’ve set objectives and largely fulfilled them. Using a wide spectrum of innovative and more traditional digital channels, Henderson Wholesale has been able to attract people into stores for deep discount deals and convert it into a more regular shop. The campaign had good reach, video views, likes and subscribers and, backed by a multi-channel approach, achieved good metrics and return on investment.”

BEST EXPORT CAMPAIGN • SPONSORED BY INVEST NI ✷ WINNER: THOMPSON’S SPECIAL EVERYDAY

ohn Hood, director, Invest NI’s Food & Drink Division, said: “Invest NI is delighted to have sponsored the Best Export Marketing Campaign category in this year’s Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards. Always a fiercely contested category, this year was no exception with an impressive 11 entries deemed worthy of shortlisting. Congratulations again to the very worthy winner Thompson’s Family Teas and Mackle Petfoods, who were highly commended. Both companies successfully demonstrated just how innovative local companies are in developing and executing successful marketing campaigns which deliver increased export sales.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Thompson’s Tea undertook a fairly dangerous exercise to remove the Punjana brand from the GB market, where consumers were unfamiliar with its Pick Punjana Tea jingle, and replace it with the Thompson’s Family Tea brand name. In the words of one judge, they essentially delisted themselves and went in with a new brand. Thompson’s executed a smooth transition by stating the change on every pack and offering quality reassurance. The Thompson’s Special Everyday campaign was very successful, offering good imagery and highlighting the brand’s awards and it worked.” 28

Camille Thompson and Jamie Thompson, Thompson’s Tea; John Hood, Invest NI; and Alyson Magee, Ulster Grocer.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Jamie Thompson, of Thompson’s Tea, said: “We were, of course, delighted to receive the award for Best Export sponsored by Invest NI at another fantastic edition of the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards. With the success that our Punjana brand has experienced in Northern Ireland, it was a somewhat nerve-wracking decision to replace this with a brandnew Thompson’s offering in England. However, we have been thrilled with how the market has responded to our Thompson’s Special Everyday and it was lovely to receive this recognition at the magnificent Culloden Estate & Spa.”

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

HIGHLY COMMENDED • NATURO BUILDING ON SUCCESS JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Naturo’s well-researched campaign in the Netherlands took an existing product and used considerable investment to market it very successfully, cleverly linking in with a major Dutch supermarket and Tourism Ireland’s Dutch customer base.”

The Mackle Petfoods team.

BEST GREEN MARKETING • SPONSORED BY NI TRUCKS Brendan Gallen and Desi Derby, Musgrave NI; Chris Keenan, Ulster Grocer; and Gary Bridge, NI Trucks.

✷ WINNER: FRANK AND HONEST COMPOSTABLE

ary Bridge, sales manager at NI Trucks, said: “It was a privilege to sponsor the Best Green Marketing award and present it to Musgrave Frank and Honest Compostable, with Coca Cola HBC highly commended. NI Trucks works to ensure we are as green as possible; it is reassuring to know that IVECO is the only manufacturer that offers you reliable sustainability in every class. With around 25,000 natural gas engines manufactured and over one billion kilometres driven since 1996, IVECO is Europe’s leading manufacturer of natural gas commercial vehicles.”

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Brendan Gallen, head of marketing, Musgrave NI, said: “Frank and Honest was the first national coffee brand to introduce fully compostable cups and lids so it’s hugely gratifying to receive this award in recognition for this initiative. This award demonstrates the strength of the Frank and Honest brand as a brand that’s committed to sustainability. The successful roll out of Frank and Honest and the compostable cups initiative is also a testament to the hard work of our retailers and store managers across Northern Ireland, who have embraced the initiative.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Nicely presented campaign. It’s a hot subject, and Musgrave has tapped into it, knows its market and has gone after it. They have done a lot of research, and come up with a pithy, focused campaign challenging fashion designers at Ulster University to create a garment using their compostable coffee cups, which are sourced in Ireland with no air miles. Clever use of language brings a smile for consumers, and links nicely with the Frank and Honest brand.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • COCA COLA HBC – COMMITMENT TO CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT WASTE JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Coca Cola HBC’s commitment to improving its carbon footprint is comprehensive, achieving impressive results and worthy of the Highly Commended award in this category. It has created a solid foundation on which to build in terms of communicating its efforts and progress to consumers.”

The Coca-Cola team.

ADVERTORIAL

CELEBRATING AN ICONIC NI BRAND

ale Farm has been a household name in Northern Ireland for generations. Its award for Best Brand for Dale Farm Ice Cream at the recent Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards underlined its much-loved status amongst consumers and trade alike. Accolades such as this are not something Dale Farm takes for granted. Its ongoing success is a result of constant product innovation, people development and, of course, best quality milk from its farmer members across the UK. AN EVER-EVOLVING PORTFOLIO Dale Farm constantly reviews its product offering and flexes to stay ahead of consumer trends and behaviours.

For example, Dale Farm Ice Cream has launched a suite of new lines and products into its portfolio for summer 2019, with a major marketing drive to support its rollout. As well as multimedia advertising, a specially commissioned Dale Farm Ice Cream van will be appearing at popular events throughout the island of Ireland to drive product trial and brand awareness. New products hitting the freezers this summer include retro Fruit Salad flavour Helter Skelter, guilt-free Mini Fro-Yos and decadent Rapture Chocolate Orange. A further example of how Dale Farm regularly reinvigorates its brand offering is long-established yogurt range, Spelga. The yogurt brand has both undergone an image refresh and been enhanced from a nutritional perspective, with 100% of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin D now included in each 125g pot. A new addition to the range is Dale Farm Delightly Greek style yogurt – 0% fat with no added sugar and available in 450g pot or a four pack in a range of flavours. A BRIGHT FUTURE With no plans to stay still, Dale Farm will continue to focus on building great brands that meet the ever-changing needs of today’s consumer – and remaining true to its heritage of great tasting, local dairy. “Provenance and quality continues to remain a priority for retailers and consumers,” said Nick Whelan, Group chief executive, Dale Farm. “We have local farmers producing milk, travelling a short radius to our factories, where we manufacture, package and dispatch our dairy products. Our provenance and product journey with its guaranteed quality is enormously valuable.”

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

BEST IN-STORE CONSUMER SALES PROMOTION • SPONSORED BY AQUA TWIST ✷ WINNER: HENDERSON WHOLESALE ELF ON THE SHOP SHELF

ohn Hamilton, director of Aqua Twist, said: “Aqua Twist was proud to sponsor Best In-Store Consumer Promotion at the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2019. Congratulations to both the Highly Commended promotion from SuperValu and Centra with their Lapland competition, and the 2019 winner, EUROSPAR’s Elf on the Shop Shelf campaign. Both companies ran exceptional instore promotions and we wish them continued success. Aqua Twist (DCS) looks forward to developing both new and continued business with both the Musgrave and Henderson groups.”

Conor Toland, Henderson Retail; Alyson Magee, Ulster Grocer; and Gary Taylor, Aqua Twist.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Conor Toland, marketing manager, Henderson Retail, said: “We are thrilled to have received recognition from the esteemed Ulster Grocer judging panel for our Elf on the Shop Shelf promotion. Our retail teams went above and beyond to deliver an exciting seasonal campaign which became a firm favourite with our shoppers, both big and small. We are looking forward to working with our store partners again this year to continue to delight our shoppers with fantastic in-store experiences.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “With the aim of driving footfall and repeat visits, the Elf on the Shop Shelf campaign was multifaceted with good linkage. Internal promotions incentivised team building, with a staff member winning an outing to the SSE Arena. The campaign operated off-line in store and on-line as well through the entry mechanism. Store owners received a tool kit to execute the competition, and the resultant metrics saw impressive growth in footfall, average basket spend and sales of campaign partner Golden Cow.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • SUPERVALU AND CENTRA IN-STORE LAPLAND COMPETITION JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Musgrave mounted a good in-store promotion, offering a trip to Lapland for children posting letters to Santa and their families. Linkage with Kellogg’s increased recognition, with finalists generated from every participating store and footfall increasing as a result.” The Musgrave NI team.

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN 2018 • SPONSORED BY PRL IN-MARKET SOLUTIONS ✷ JOINT WINNER: HOVIS BAKERIES IRELAND – ORMO

ussell Johnston, GM NI, PRL In-Market Solutions, said: “We were delighted to be able to sponsor the Best Marketing Campaign at the Ulster Grocer Awards this year. The standard of entry across the categories was exceptionally high and none more so than our own Award. Hovis/ORMO and Mash Direct were worthy winners, and we love being associated with the very best the Northern Irish FMCG Market has to offer. A great event with fantastic entrants and deserving winners.”

The Hovis Ireland team.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Trevor McCrum, Hovis commercial director (Ireland), said: “We are delighted that the Ormo brand was awarded joint winner of the Best Marketing Campaign category in this year’s Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards for the campaign - Great Brands Coming Together. This award is a perfect endorsement of the Ormo brand, one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic brands innovating and collaborating with local food brands Mash Direct & Ballyrashane. The award was only made possible by the energy, creativity and hard work of the entire Hovis Ireland team.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “ORMO took advantage of two macro trends, the rise of local products and food transparency, and very cleverly linked in with two wellknown local products, Mash Direct and Ballyrashane. The collaboration capitalised on the reputation, quality and local image of those two brands, pushing the message about local brands coming together. It also offered a hierarchy of brands with ORMO at the top, sitting on the shoulders of the other two brands, tapping into their reputation of quality. ORMO was able to use the other brands’ digital assets and social media, and the campaign was also backed with bold in-store activity. The metrics are phenomenal, as is ORMO’s share of distribution. This campaign turned the market on its head.”

✷ JOINT WINNER: MASH DIRECT – PETER RABBIT CAMPAIGN JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “A very strong entry, capitalising on the Peter Rabbit movie launch to try and get more young consumers eating healthy food, while increasing sales and enhancing the Mash Direct brand. It has very successfully achieved that using a range of formats including out of home, digital marketing, influencers and prize giveaways, resulting in sales growth of 11% in a very competitive market and generally impressive metrics across a wide range of formats. The campaign helped to elevate Mash Direct’s product portfolio awareness levels across the UK, and was strong in increasing overall turnover.”

Clare Forster and Lance Hamilton, Mash Direct.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Clare Forster, head of Marketing at Mash Direct, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to win Best Marketing Campaign at this year’s Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards for our collaboration with the Peter Rabbit Movie. It was a fantastic experience working with Sony Pictures to launch the new movie and gave us the perfect opportunity to engage with families across the nation to promote healthy eating. It’s a great achievement for the whole team at the farm and we are proud to jointly win this award with Hovis for their Potato Farls using our signature Mashed Potato and Champ.”

HIGHLY COMMENDED • WHITE’S OATS – TASTE THE JOURNEY

The White’s Oats team.

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “The White’s Oats campaign stood out because it used a different approach to achieve its objectives of increasing sales, market share and profile. The Taste the Journey campaign brought heritage and quality into a category driven by health and fitness, managing to bring those areas together and give them oomph, and its use of recipes is excellent. The campaign offers a modern way of thinking about oats, and seems to have achieved everything it set out to achieve from a creative campaign on a relatively small budget in terms of gross margin, sales growth, new listings and better penetration.” 37

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

BEST NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH/RELAUNCH • SPONSORED BY DERRY REFRIGERATED TRANSPORT ✷ WINNER: NATURO: CHEF’S SELECTION

atrick Derry, MD of Derry Refrigerated Transport, said: “Derry Refrigerated Transport was delighted to be involved with the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards 2019 and to sponsor the Best New Product Launch/Relaunch category. Given the judges’ comments, the competition amongst the category finalists was extremely close with so many deserving winners. Many congratulations to the winner, Mackle Petfoods, for their latest Naturo product launch. It is fantastic to see their continued growth and success. We were also delighted to see SuperValu Signature Tastes and SPAR’s enjoy local as highly commended.”

Elaine Hall and Laura Rafferty, Mackle Petfoods; Patrick Derry, Derry Refrigerated Transport; and Alyson Magee, Ulster Grocer.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Laura Rafferty, marketing assistant at Mackle Petfoods, said: “The Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards were a fantastic celebration of businesses in the grocery market coming together to celebrate success. Our entire team is delighted that Mackle Petfoods was awarded Best New Product Launch/Relaunch with our newest Naturo range, Naturo: Chef’s Selection. From NPD (new product development) to production, technical and sales and marketing, every department has worked very hard to create this innovative range and convey what the brand stands for. It’s a great result to be recognised for our hard work.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Mackle Petfoods has shown a lot of innovation in the marketplace, building a long-term reputation through its campaigns humanising pets. A lot of research has gone into the Chef’s Selection brand, which is very much in line with current trends towards healthy eating and superfoods, while offering quality at an affordable price. Excellent PoS material and digital marketing have driven the campaign, with Mackle demonstrating its commitment to continually pushing ahead.”

JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED • ENJOY LOCAL REBRAND JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “After research indicated a disconnect between consumers and the local sourcing of SPAR’s enjoy local products, Henderson Wholesale set about more clearly communicating both the quality and origin of the range. A rebranding saw ‘hyper-local’ provenance added on packaging, while the positive results of independent taste testing conducted by UU were effectively communicated in an above-the-line campaign, significantly boosting sales.”

The Henderson Group team.

JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED SUPERVALU SIGNATURE TASTES JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Musgrave has successfully tapped into indulgence occasions with its Signature Tastes range, and embarked on a marketing campaign to raise awareness of the quality behind the award-winning products. The campaign spanned PR, outdoor and print advertising, door drops, social media, online activity and PoS material; significantly boosting sales over Christmas, as well as raising general awareness of the premium own-label range.” The Supervalu team.

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

LORRAINE HALL YOUNG MARKETEER OF THE YEAR • SPONSORED BY KESTREL FOODS ✷ WINNER: CLAIRE HALE, DALE FARM

ichael Hall, MD of Kestrel Foods, said: “We are delighted to once again present the Lorraine Hall Young Marketeer Award. Lorraine was known to many as the inspirational driving force behind the Forest Feast brand, and the award recognises the same passion and drive amongst the up-and-coming marketing stars of the future that Lorraine herself showed throughout her exceptional career.”

Michael Hall, Kestrel Foods; Claire Hale, Dale Farm; and Chris Keenan, Ulster Grocer.

WINNER’S COMMENTS: Claire Hale said: “It’s an honour to be recognised at the 2019 Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards as Young Marketeer of the Year. As a young professional, having successfully completed the Dale Farm graduate programme, this award recognises the culture of creativity within Dale Farm which provides the tools and training to nurture fresh thinking young marketers. These opportunities, combined with resolve and ambition, have equipped me to succeed in a competitive market.”

JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Dale Farm nominated Claire Hale on the basis of her achievements, commitment and willingness to go the extra mile. With Dale Farm since 2015, Claire quickly progressed to assume brand responsibility for Dale Farm and Mullins ice cream in 2017, stepping up again in 2018 to successfully lead a major campaign and host a pop-up parlour; all while continuing a professional marketing diploma.”

JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED • JADE MANNING, HENDERSON GROUP JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Responsible for coordinating the marketing plans for the EUROSPAR and VIVOXTRA brands, Jade’s career highlights to date have included a three-week roll out of Christmas parties in almost 50 EUROSPARs to reinforce the brand’s reputation as a community supermarket, project managing 14 new EUROSPAR openings and serving as team leader in a Grand Canyon Trek in aid of Cancer Fund for Children.”

JOINT HIGHLY COMMENDED STEPHANIE TARES, HENDERSON WHOLESALE JUDGES’ COMMENTS: “Stephanie has been instrumental in creating the Tonight’s Tea campaign for SPAR, aimed at highlighting the versatility and range of dinner solutions available in stores. A SPAR Surprises flash marketing initiative presenting members of the public with gold envelopes featuring vouchers was followed up with social media support and a festive inSPARation campaign. Stephanie heads up marketing across 226 stores in the independent convenience channel, helping each develop their own marketing plan.”

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

MEET THE JUDGING PANEL ULSTER GROCER EXTENDS ITS APPRECIATION TO THE TEAM OF INDEPENDENT JUDGES LENDING THEIR EXPERTISE TO THIS YEAR’S ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS ALBERT TITTERINGTON Albert Titterington is the founder and managing director of the Great Game Fairs of Ireland, which in 2018 celebrated their 40th anniversary. The company is the organiser of the award-winning Irish Game Fair & Fine Food Festival, Shanes Castle, Antrim and The Irish Country Lifestyle Festival, Galway Racecourse and publisher of the Irish Country Sports and Country Life magazine (with over 100,000 readers per seasonal issue). In parallel Albert, prior to taking early retirement, was a full-time senior lecturer in Marketing & Business Strategy at Queen’s University Belfast for 22 years with research interests in green marketing, troubled tourism and international marketing. He published several academic journal articles and book chapters in these areas. Post-retirement, Albert was an Internet lecturer on the University of Liverpool’s international MBA programme and a senior consultant with various international consultancy companies completing assignments in Cuba, Indonesia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and France for the main donor organisations such as the World Bank, EU, Asian Development Bank and the British Council. He has also carried out several local consultancy assignments in the retailing, food and hospitality sectors.

NORMAN MAYNES Norman is currently head of marketing & business development for Translink with responsibility for brand management, advertising, promotional activity, e-commerce/ social media and market research for its group of companies (Metro, Ulsterbus, Goldline, NI Railways, Glider and Enterprise). He was project manager for the New Rail Service Programme which transformed rail services in Northern Ireland and he played a key role in the development and implementation of the multiple-award-winning Metro bus service in Belfast. Norman led the joint DfI/Translink team for the Glider brand development, naming and marcomms activity. He has been with Translink since it was formed in 1995. Prior to this, Norman was the marketing and business development manager for Northern Ireland Railways. Before joining NI Railways, he worked for Short Brothers/ Bombardier where he was the senior technical services executive involved in the international sales and marketing of the Skyvan, 330 and 360 passenger aircraft. He graduated from Queen’s University with an MBA and has a MSc in Air Transport Engineering from Cranfield University following studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Ulster. He is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. He has served on the Executive Council/Board of the Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce for several years and was president from May 2010–May 2011. Norman is also on the Board of Visit Belfast and Belfast One.

EMMA COWAN Summerisland is the trading name for Emma Cowan, who has been self-employed for over 30 years. In that time, she has written for and edited over 15 different publications spanning b2b and consumer titles in a wide range of sectors, from construction to hospitality, tourism, retail, food and drink, equestrian and child development. Emma is a self-taught designer and has published two titles of her own, as well as designing a range of publications for clients. As a designer, Emma has worked on publications, corporate materials and packaging and has won a Gold European Design Award for one packaging project. Emma has concurrently worked in marketing consulting and PR, with clients spanning the public and private sectors and a wide range of businesses, from earthworks to hairdressing and from managed IT services to dentistry and legal services. She has also worked as a confidential PA, event management consultant and ghost writer/editor. 40

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

OVER £35,000 RAISED FOR GROCERYAID AT GROCERS’ BALL O

ver £35,000 has been raised for industry charity GroceryAid at this year’s Grocers’ Ball, held at the Culloden Estate & Spa on May 10. Among the biggest industry events of the year, the Grocers’ Ball is organised by the GroceryAid NI Committee, chaired by Musgrave NI’s Trevor Magill and featuring representatives from across the local retail and food and drink sectors. The Grocers’ Ball is among a number of events organised by the GroceryAid NI Committee, with further fundraising activities set to include a Golf Day at Belvoir Park Golf Club on August 1, Summer BBQ at The Tipsy Bird on August 23 (TBC) and Sunday Lunch at Deanes at Queens on November 18. Funds are raised at the Grocers’ Ball through ticket sales, the star prize (see below), general raffle sales and an auction held on the evening. The Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards are held during the evening, which includes a drinks reception sponsored by Schweppes 1783 (Coca Cola HBC) with other principal sponsors of the evening

The GroceryAid NI Committee: from left, back row, Aidan Fisher, Jim McAlea, Alan McKeown and Mark Gowdy; and front row, Jonathan Mawhinney, Chris Keenan, Bronagh Luke, Trevor Magill and Bryan Sterling.

including Allied Bakeries, Henderson Group, Kerry Foods, Musgrave NI, PRM Group, SHS Group and Tesco. Alongside a five-course meal, entertainment on the night was

provided by Lucy Robinson, Acoustic Soul and Big Kahuna with guests also taking home the infamous Grocers’ Ball hamper, packed by PRM Group. The Singing Waiter also made an appearance.

LUCKY STAR PRIZE WINNER IS VEGAS-BOUND Peter Henry, GM of Allied Bakeries, presents the star prize to Lorraine McAfee, financial director of Kestrel Foods.

ingers are always crossed around the room at the Grocers’ Ball when it comes to drawing the winning ticket for

the Allied Bakeries-sponsored star prize, and this year was no exception with the lucky winner destined for Las Vegas.

The Sunblest envelope star prize included flights from Dublin, five nights in a deluxe room at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on Las Vegas Strip, return private car transfers, Madame Tussauds tickets and a 70-minute Grand Canyon flightseeing trip. A big fundraiser on the night for GroceryAid, guests competing for the star prize each place £20 in a Sunblest envelope, and this year the lucky entry drawn as the winner belonged to Kestrel Foods Financial Director Lorraine McAfee. “I was absolutely stunned to win the star prize at the Grocers’ Ball,” said McAfee. “Needless to say, I am really looking forward to jetting off to Las Vegas with John (my husband) later in the year.” Peter Henry, GM of Allied Bakeries, said: “Allied Bakeries Ireland are once again delighted to support GroceryAid with the Star Prize at the 2019 Grocers’ Ball. I hope Lorraine has a wonderful time in Las Vegas.” 41

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

INDUSTRY TURNS OUT IN STYLE FOR THE GROCERYAID GROCERSâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; BALL 2019

Doherty & Gray

Henderson Food Machinery

Holywood Partnership

SHS Group

Savage & Whitten

Coca-Cola HBC

Jim McAlea, right (GroceryAid NI Committee) and party

MCE and Ulster Grocer

Musgrave NI

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

Retail NI

Boost Drinks

Mash Direct, Food NI and Cavanagh Free Range Eggs

Hovis Ireland

Host Claire McCollum

PRM Group Whiteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Oats.

Trevor Magill, chairman of GroceryAid NI Committee

ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS

Musgrave NI

The Singing Waiter

Dillon Bass

Singer Lucy Robinson

Dale Farm

Acoustic Soul

FOOD & DRINKS NEWS

FOOD NI STEPS UP PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR OUR AMAZING FOOD AND DRINK PRODUCERS BY MICHELE SHIRLOW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FOOD NI

e’re right in the middle of what is proving to be another immensely popular agri-food show circuit. The shows, of course, play a crucial role in helping to increase awareness of the originality, variety and outstanding taste of locally produced food and drink, our biggest manufacturing industry and one with immense potential for faster and sustainable growth. This awareness benefits the companies, offers significant opportunities to retailers in terms of innovative products and to consumers to support local enterprise and thereby assist overall economic progress. Balmoral, which traditionally starts the season of farm shows across Northern Ireland, saw interest in locally-produced food and drink in the Food NI Food Pavilion greater than ever. This year we have been able to promote Northern Ireland winning World’s Best Food Destination at the International Travel and Tourism Awards. Food NI had upwards of 100 companies, all innovative processors, in the pavilion over the four days of the hugely

successful event. A number of our companies took the opportunity to sample new products and obtain valuable feedback from shoppers. There were over 30 buyers from retailers scouting the pavilion for potential products. This year there was a growing number of vegan and vegetarian food ranges from companies such as Finnebrogue. It seemed that most of the 100,000 people attending the show were in the pavilion at some stage to enjoy the thousands of original products on display and to meet the people behind their development. The RUAS at Balmoral, of course, is Food NI’s most significant promotional event for the food and drink industry here. And it’s been growing steadily in size and popularity over the past few years. Local food, I am delighted to say, was also prominent in many of the other areas throughout the showgrounds, especially those from all the main retailers. And it was immensely encouraging to see so many local food and drink producers showcased in these excellent presentations. However, there are many additional food and drink promotional events across the country which Food NI supported in the past and continues to do so. Enhancing the reputation of local food and drink is, of course, what Food NI was created to do. Our activities have enabled us to develop a pool of promotional and marketing expertise within the organisation as well as close and respected working contacts with a wide range of industry organisations here including local councils and government departments such as DAERA and the Department for the Economy and bodies, especially Tourism NI and Invest NI. Our relationship with Ulster University has involved providing opportunities to marketing students to gain practical experience in the food industry. An excellent example of these positive relationships is our work with Invest NI on delivering Taste the Greatness presentations at food and drink shows in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland including major expos such as Scotland Speciality Food and Drink, Fine Food North in Harrogate, Farm Shop and Deli in Birmingham, the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh and at the iconic Borough Market in London. Good business for our companies has resulted from these presentations. We’ve worked closely with Tourism NI over many years on major initiatives including the immensely successful Year of Food & Drink 2016 and are currently involved in helping to ensure the success of the planned Taste the Island all-Ireland food and drink promotion with Failte Ireland from September to November. It’s clearly going to be another very busy period for Food NI and the wider food and drink industry here… a period which I believe will see opportunities continue to grow for local producers.

ADVERTORIAL

DEEP RIVERROCK LAUNCHES ITS FIRST 100% RECYCLED BOTTLE NORTHERN IRELAND ENVIRONMENT AGENCY WELCOMES THE MOVE FROM DEEP RIVERROCK; THE FIRST MAJOR WATER BRAND IN THE REGION TO MOVE TO 100% RECYCLED PET

THEFACTS... • From June, Deep RiverRock will introduce its first 100% recycled PET bottle range, across its full PET portfolio. • Following a £3.25m investment in sustainability initiatives and PET facilities, Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland has championed innovation at its state-of-the-art Lisburn plant to support this industry-leading move. • Marking a significant milestone in the brand’s commitment to design more sustainable packaging and encourage greater recycling, Deep RiverRock will also ‘recycle’ its logo with an impactful 100% Recycled Bottle message front-of-pack.

roud Northern Irish water brand, Deep RiverRock has announced that every bottle within its PET portfolio will be made from 100% recycled PET plastic* from June 2019. The move sees Deep RiverRock become the first major water brand distributing across the island of Ireland to produce a 100% recycled bottle. As all Deep RiverRock bottles are already 100% recyclable, this new development truly supports the brand’s commitment to protecting the environment and to play a value-adding role in communities. Deep RiverRock’s investment in recycled PET supports a circular economy, keeping resources in use for as long as possible. Recycled PET bottles are also one of the lowest carbon-dense packaging types to produce within the beverage sector. Deep RiverRock believes that PET bottles can, and should, have a longer life span when recycled correctly. Building on the recycling messages that have already been integrated on the bottle cap and across TV advertising, Deep RiverRock will now go one step further to inspire

more responsible disposal of waste. In a bold move, Deep RiverRock will ‘recycle’ its logo on all bottles with an impactful 100% Recycled Bottle message front of pack, which will in turn be amplified through an integrated marketing campaign running from the end of June to September 2019. The campaign, which will encourage consumers to think twice about recycling their PET bottles, will include investment in TV, video-ondemand, and out-of-home advertising, PR, social media, in-store activations and experiential. Deep RiverRock’s parent company Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland has been widely recognised for its leadership in sustainability and has recently fulfilled a Prosperity Agreement with the Northern Ireland Environment Agency. The Agreement recognised Coca-Cola HBC for its achievements in reducing environmental impacts while creating prosperity and well-being opportunities in the region. Welcoming the announcement, Northern Ireland Environment Agency CEO David Small said: “I’m delighted to welcome this landmark development from Deep RiverRock and Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland. “We have successfully partnered with Coca-Cola HBC from 2016 through a Prosperity Agreement, which has resulted in extensive carbon, energy and waste reductions throughout the company’s supply chain throughout this period. “This latest investment in recycled PET further supports a circular economy and it’s examples of innovation like this from Deep RiverRock that put Northern Ireland on a sustainable path which is essential if we are to achieve our ambition of

becoming a leader in this area and helping create a living, working, active landscape valued by everyone.” This milestone announcement from Deep RiverRock is part of parent company Coca-Cola HBC’s commitment to create a World Without Waste. World Without Waste is Coca-Cola’s global strategy that sets out a vision to design more sustainable packaging, to collect and recycle the equivalent of every can or bottle they sell by 2030, and to partner with NGOs, customers and stakeholders to help clean up the planet. The strategy has been supported with a £3.25m investment in Coca-Cola HBC’s Knockmore Hill plant in Lisburn, Co Antrim to facilitate sustainability initiatives, including the establishment of recycled PET facilities and light-weighting capabilities. Mark Haughey, plant manager, CocaCola HBC’s Knockmore Hill facility in Lisburn, said: “We’re very proud to introduce Deep RiverRock’s first ever 100% recycled bottle range from our plant in Lisburn. At Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland, all of our products are already 100% recyclable but we have been working tirelessly to make our packaging more sustainable, and to encourage actions that inspire recycling and the responsible disposal of waste. “This change across our Deep RiverRock PET portfolio highlights this commitment to taking meaningful action throughout the business and is just one of a number of actions we are taking as part of our commitment to creating a world without waste.” Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland’s wider sustainability work includes its 15-year long investment in the Clean Coasts programme, inspiring and supporting volunteers to keep our coastline litter-free. It has also consistently reduced its water, waste, and energy use within its supply chain, and has been recognised for leadership in sustainability at home and abroad. *excluding cap and label 47

ADVERTORIAL

AND THEY’RE OFF MOY PARK HITS THE ROAD WITH MARVELLOUS TASTE TOUR From left, Estelle Robinson, Moy Park commercial manager; Andy Rea, chef and proprietor of Belfast Cookery School and Mourne Seafood Bar, Belfast; and Ellen Mullen, Moy Park brand marketing executive.

oy Park, Ireland’s number one chicken brand, has kicked off its Moy Park Marvellous Taste Tour, which will see the company travel throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland this summer. Top 15 UK food company Moy Park has embarked on a foodie road trip to introduce its branded breaded products to new consumers – and showcase breaded chicken in a new light. “It is our mission to highlight the 48

virtues of our branded breaded range - and in particular our breaded minifillet products, which are made with 100% chicken breast and coated in an innovatively created breadcrumb,” explained Estelle Robinson, Moy Park commercial manager. “Our NPD team has developed a savoury crumb, which consumers are familiar with from restaurants - the proof really is in the tasting, which is why we are taking the brand on the road this summer, so consumers can see for themselves. “The first stop on our taste tour was Balmoral Show 2019. Not only was this a brilliant opportunity to sample our breaded mini-fillet range, but also to introduce our first chef ambassador, Andy Rea, who is chef and proprietor of Belfast Cookery School and Mourne Seafood Bar, Belfast. “Andy has really embraced the somewhat unique brief of championing breaded chicken and will develop recipes which will show how this product is

more than just served with chips.” Andy Rea, added: “I’ve really enjoyed working with Moy Park to develop recipes using breaded chicken. Not a typical ingredient for me, I was keen to show how families can use the products in a different, but quick and easy way in their own homes – without it being too ‘chefy’ – or using a lot of ingredients they wouldn’t have or spend a lot of money on.” Throughout the summer the Moy Park Marvellous Taste Tour will visit retailers, as well as events in Blanchardstown, Cork, Offaly and Waterford, including the Tullamore Show and Waterford Harvest Festival. As well as sampling, Moy Park is also giving consumers the chance to win a Foodie Road Trip of their own, with an on-pack competition on its core Moy Park breaded mini fillet product range, Goujons and Nuggets, stocked in retailers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

FOOD & DRINKS NEWS

CONSUMER INSIGHT AND MARKET UPDATE BY JASON WINSTANLEY, MOY PARK SENIOR INSIGHT AND RESEARCH MANAGER FOODSERVICE TRENDS One of the truisms within the food industry is that trends which take root in foodservice tend to make their way – normally sooner rather than later, into grocery, so it’s important for grocery players to keep a keen eye on this sector. In May of this year, industry analysts MCA-Insight revealed their Top 10 trends for foodservice for 2019 and beyond1 - trends which range from the culinary through the sustainable to the impact of social media on dining out. It probably won’t come as a surprise that one of their trends is the continued rise in the growth of plant-based eating. Although a wholly vegan or vegetarian lifestyle remains a minority choice (only around 5-6% of consumers follow entirely meat free diets), there is no doubt that with a large number of consumers reducing their meat consumption, this is a trend which is here to stay. Foodservice is a sector which is responding to – or perhaps helping to drive – this trend; MCA found that spring and summer menus in 2019 have seen a 25% increase in vegetarian flagged items and a 54%

increase in those flagged as vegan, compared to the previous year. One of the drivers behind the rise in plant-based eating – along with health and animal welfare considerations, is a growing consumer awareness of the environmental impact of some farming practices. Indeed, environmental responsibility is another of the key trends which MCA highlights, noting that 14% of consumers are now ‘very likely’ to choose a restaurant based on its sustainability credentials. A not-unrelated trend is that for provenance and craft, with consumers keen to explore more artisanal, and often local, products. MCA also notes a growing trend for personal responsibility, with consumers now increasingly engaged with the choices they make with regard to their own consumption - a survey in November 20181 found that 35% of consumers consider themselves to be making healthier eating choices than they were a year ago. From a culinary perspective, MCA highlights Asian-based Adventurism, with a growth in international travel and

social media consumption leading to a greater willingness amongst consumers to try some less familiar Asian cuisines, such as Vietnamese and Korean. Such dishes often look very colourful and attractive, and ‘Instagrammable Dining’ is also called out as a trend, with Millennial and Generation Z consumers particularly active on this social media platform. MCA notes rises in both the number of social media-based promotions, and in the number of ‘influencers’ who are helping challenger brands in particular, to grow. More artisanal desserts, greater diversification in drinks, continued growth in the food to go market and a rise in consumption of out of home breakfast round out the 2019 trends. There is no doubt that the foodservice industry faces manifold challenges – Brexit-related consumer caution, over-saturation in some markets, rising input costs, to name but a few, but it still remains an important bell-weather and trend-setter for the industry as a whole. [Source: 1 – MCA-Insight Menu and Food Trends 2019; 2 - Moy Park meta-analysis of 8 data sets, January 2019)

ADVERTORIAL

BOOST HELPS TO DRIVE INDEPENDENT TRADE WITH SUMMER OF PRIZES

his summer, Boost Drinks is helping Northern Ireland’s independent retailers maximise soft drink sales with a new on-pack promotion across its best-selling 250ml Original Energy and Original Sugar-Free PMP variants. Boost Energy Original 250ml, which is NI’s best-selling soft drink* and the sugar-free variant, which holds the number three spot* will help entice even more consumers to

make a purchase in local stores. The promotional products will drive sales with an eye-catching, on-pack competition and PoS will also be provided to thousands of retailers nationwide to accompany the promotional cans onshelf. Running from 10th June to 20th October 2019, the promotion offers consumers the chance to win a trip for two to New York City, along with daily and weekly giveaways including BOSE Wireless Speakers and shopping vouchers. In order to enter, purchasers must simply scan the code from their can via Snapchat or online to find out if they’ve won. Boost will be supporting the summer-long competition with a huge New York-themed marketing campaign, starting in June. This will include local PR and promotional efforts along with advertising across national TV, digital and outdoor media platforms. Sixty lucky local customers will also be getting a taste of New York in their store when a cut-out of Lady Liberty herself will be setting up home and encouraging passers-by to pick

up a can of Boost and snap a selfie for Facebook in order to win official sports merchandise including New York Knicks, New York Giants and New York Yankee jerseys. The store that generates the highest volume of social media interaction and engagement in the first two weeks of the promotion will then have a chance to win a trip for two in NYC. Simon Gray, founder and managing director of Boost, said: “Here at Boost, We Love Local. That means supporting independent retailers is at the heart of our business and promotional activities. When designing this on-pack promotion we wanted to ensure we were offering an amazing prize, as well as generating excitement through our marketing activities. “We’re doing everything we can to spread the word about our on-pack promotion, encouraging consumers to visit their local independent stores and get their hands on the promotional cans. With last year’s on-pack promotion being such a success, we are confident that this year’s will be even better,”continued Simon. Boost Energy was established in 2001 after founder and MD Simon Gray saw the opportunity to offer consumers a great quality energy drink at a fraction of the price of other brands at that time. Two years later in 2003, Boost Energy was launched in Northern Ireland and now the company owns the top three selling soft drinks within the independent convenience sector which covers more than 1,100 independent retail stores, excluding the large multinational supermarket chains. Boost is available in various pack formats across seven core Energy flavours, as well as limited editions and Sports and Protein drinks. * Source: IRI Marketplace Data Symbols and Independents 52 weeks unit sales to 21st April 2019

ADVERTORIAL

FRANCHISEE OF THE YEAR 2019 - NORTHERN IRELAND’S GABRIEL McGEOWN TOPS 1 MILLION CARD SALES potential of the product and the method of supply,” explains McGeown. “I install the cards into the retailers on a consignment basis, which means there’s no outlay for them, and then they only pay for what they sell. It’s a win-win situation for them, so a no-brainer decision to to try the product in the first place.” Big name stores that Gabriel supplies include

f you’re looking for a card supplier that can get your sales going in the right direction, you could do worse than phone a man who’s just helped his customers sell one million cards in the last year alone. Gabriel McGeown has been providing high-quality greeting cards, gift bags and gift wraps from his Co Antrim base since 2008 and has it down to a fine art. On May 17, he scooped the top prize of Franchisee of the Year at Card Connection’s 2019 Annual Conference. The award was presented during a gala dinner by Managing Director Michael Johnson and Creative Director Kelly Courtenay. A delighted Gabriel accepted the prize, along with his Business Development Manager Peter Robinson. “I bought the Card Connection franchise because I could really see the

“I INSTALL THE CARDS INTO THE RETAILERS ON A CONSIGNMENT BASIS, WHICH MEANS THERE’S NO OUTLAY FOR THEM, AND THEN THEY ONLY PAY FOR WHAT THEY SELL. IT’S A WIN-WIN SITUATION FOR THEM, SO A NO-BRAINER DECISION TO TO TRY THE PRODUCT IN THE FIRST PLACE.”

Northern Ireland, meaning McGeown relies on a team of five staff and a fleet of five vehicles to cover the merchandising needs of such a large area. Key to his success is the quality of the product. “Card Connection are owned by UK Greetings, one of the biggest greeting card companies around,” says Gabriel. “So I’m constantly updated with brilliant brand new designs, which include cards featuring some of the hottest and most famous TV and film licences currently available. With the hundreds of cards in the ranges I can choose from, I carefully tailor each card display to produce the maximum sales from whatever space the store has available. As I can also provide display equipment free on loan, I often find that many stores soon want me to increase their card display size once they see the sales I can generate for them.”

Gabriel McGeown

Henderson Wholesale, Musgrave retail partners (Supervalu, Centra and Mace) and Nisa. As a top-performing franchisee for the Card Connection network, his operation now spans the whole of

IF YOU WOULD LIKE GABRIEL McGEOWN TO WORK HIS MAGIC FOR YOUR GREETING CARD SALES, THEN GIVE HIM A CALL ON 07595 762 687 54

AGRI-FOOD NEWS

UK FARMING UNIONS MAP OUT AN AGENDA FOR THE FUTURE

call for a policy environment allowing farmers, crofters and growers to grow and thrive was included in a document jointly published by the UK farming unions last month ahead of the European elections on May 23. UK farmers navigating change in Europe: An agenda for the future highlights six critical policy areas where action is needed to help deliver a profitable, productive and progressive farming sector: Brexit, Trade and Standards, Climate Change, Environment, Healthy Plants & Animals, and Science and Innovation. In the document, presidents of the Ulster Farmers’ Union, NFU Scotland, NFU, NFU Cymru state they want to engage with both domestic and EU27 politicians to highlight the importance of working with the industry. ‘However long UK MEPs are in post, it is important they understand and engage with UK farmers,’ reads a joint statement. ‘Our industry provides the quality ingredients for our safe, traceable and affordable supply of food and underpins the UK food and drink sector, worth £122bn. ‘Whatever the outcome of Brexit, we

From left John Davies, NFU Cymru; Minette Batters, NFU; Ivor Ferguson, UFU; and Andrew McCornick, NFU Scotland.

need a policy environment that allows farming businesses to continue to deliver benefits for the public such as high quality, affordable food and protection for our wildlife and countryside. ‘These ambitions are not only hugely relevant for the UK but also across the EU and they start with ensuring

FARMING PLAYS ‘IMPORTANT ROLE’ IN WELL-BEING OF PLANET AND PEOPLE, SAYS LMC

ivestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) has affirmed its commitment to supporting sustainable livestock production in the wake of Committee on Climate Change recommendations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to ‘net zero’ by 2050. “LMC works closely with industry and government partners on this issue and we are collectively focused on driving efficiency in all agricultural sectors in reducing carbon intensity per kg of output,” said Ian Stevenson, chief executive of LMC. “LMC is also an active member of the European Roundtable for Beef Sustainability (ERBS) and one of its key priorities is to decrease the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions in beef production. “It’s important to recognise the positive role that beef production can contribute to mitigating climate change through implementing reduction strategies and carbon sequestration.” A member of the Greenhouse Gas Implementation Partnership in Northern Ireland, LMC remains committed to help tackle the global issue of climate change.

that developments on Brexit prioritise the needs of farm businesses and the long-term prosperity of the agrifood sector. We must maintain our positive relationship with our European neighbours and work in partnership with them to develop an enabling regulatory regime that allows our sector to thrive.’

UFU CALLS FOR DAERA TO STREAMLINE CATTLE MOVEMENT PAPERWORK

lster Farmers’ Union is calling on DAERA to streamline cattle movement paperwork and remove the compulsory requirement for hard copies of the MC2 document to accompany cattle when travelling for sale or slaughter. UFU Animal Health and Welfare Chairman Desmond Fulton said, in cases where both parties are comfortable using APHIS online, an electronic copy of the MC2 document should be accepted. “As more farmers embrace APHIS online for animal movements it is important that we use this technology to reduce unnecessary paperwork and frustrations for farmers,” he said. “Where both parties are comfortable using APHIS online, it seems logical that an electronic movement document should suffice.”

AGRI-FOOD NEWS

UFU GIVES EVIDENCE TO UK CONVERGENCE FUNDING REVIEW U

lster Farmers’ Union (UFU) says agricultural output remains the fairest measure for allocating domestic farm funding across the UK and can see no justification for amending the current UK formula. The comments were made after UFU representatives, including UFU President Ivor Ferguson, met Lord Bew, chair of the current Review of Intra-UK Allocation of Domestic Farm Funding. The Lord Bew review was commissioned by the UK government last autumn following requests by the Scottish government and is gathering evidence on the allocation of convergence funding; specifically, how the UK government distributed additional EU farm funding, received in 2012, to devolved administrations. “We stressed in both our previous written submission and in our meeting that the primary objective of Pillar 1 of the CAP is to support farm incomes and the fairest, most equitable way of achieving this is to base it on agricultural output,” said Ivor Ferguson, president,

From left, James McCluggage UFU policy manager; Ivor Ferguson, UFU president; Lord Bew; and Wesley Aston, UFU CEO.

UFU. “This provides the fairest reflection of both the historic and current activity in the supported sectors undertaken in each region. “The UFU says the possibility of funding allocation adjustments could not come at a worse time for Northern Ireland farmers as Brexit approaches. Northern Ireland’s agriculture supply chain is

WILSON’S COUNTRY HOSTS CO DOWN SCHOOL CHILDREN

otato packing business Wilson’s Country has joined forces with a Co Down primary school to provide a group of children with the unique opportunity to follow the progress made by a commercial crop of ‘spuds’, from planting through to final harvest. From left, Daisy Forbes and Robyn Graham, P5/P6 group; The pupils involved attend Stuart Meredith, agronomist, Wilson’s Country; host farmer Derek Erwin, Glenn Stewart, teacher Loughries Integrated Loughries Integrated Primary School in Newtownards. Currently in P5, they will Primary School; and Ellie Palmer and Amy Edgar. have moved on to the next academic year by the time the venture is completed. The project entails three phases. The first was a presentation by Angus Wilson of Wilson’s Country in the class room. This was followed-up by a visit to a farm, managed by Newtownards potato grower Derek Erwin. The visit took place on May 14, and allowed the children to view a selection of the machinery used by Derek in planting and managing his crop. They also got the opportunity to inspect the seed he was using on the day in question. And, of course the children also got a ‘close up’ view of the actual planting process. “There is a growing disconnect between the general public and their sense of how the food they eat is actually produced,” said Angus Wilson, chairman of Wilson’s Country. “In our own small way, we are hoping to play a role in bridging this gap. We also wanted to make the project as enjoyable as possible for the children involved.”

deeply integrated with the Republic of Ireland and it is expected it could be more adversely affected than any other UK region. Any suggested reduction in the amount of agricultural support for Northern Ireland will cause widespread concern, particularly if farmers in RoI continue to benefit from robust support from the EU.”

ANTIMICROBIAL STRATEGY ADDRESSES RESISTANCE

five-year strategy has been developed in partnership by DAERA, the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency, outlining ways different industries can continue to progress the fight against antimicrobial resistance. The report highlights there has already been an overall reduction in the livestock sector of 40% between 2013 and 2017. The poultry and pig sectors have seen dramatic reductions in antibiotic use with a 79% decrease between 2012 and 2016 and 53% between 2015 and 2017 respectively. Ulster Farmers’ Union says farmers are playing their part when it comes to the fight against antimicrobial resistance but recognise there is more work to be done and the industry cannot become complacent.

MARKETING NEWS

GLENISK LAUNCHES DREAM HOLIDAY COMPETITION

lenisk is encouraging kids aged 5 to 12 years to create a new Glenisk character for each of its three Organic Bio Kids’ Yogurt packs, including Strawberry, Vanilla and no added sugar Banana &

Peach yogurts. Each month, one lucky entrant will be selected to win £1,000 towards their dream family holiday and will be shortlisted to have their Glenisk character feature on one of the three yogurt packs. These original characters, drawn inside the sleeve of the yogurt packs, can be a person, an animal, a food or a superhero. A great Glenisk character should be fun, colourful and will be a healthy hero for the planet. Yogurts are an excellent source of nutrients and vitamins to help support healthy growth and development. Glenisk’s range of Organic Bio Kids’ Yogurts (4 x 90g) are made using the freshest organic Irish milk, sourced locally from Glenisk’s pool of 50 organic farmers throughout Ireland, and organic fruit.

Glenisk says its yogurts taste delicious, have no bits and, most importantly, contain nothing artificial. No added sugar options are also available (Peach & Banana), with only naturally-occurring sugars from the milk and fruits, making for a tasty and healthy snack or lunchboxfiller. To enter, pick up a pack of Glenisk Organic Bio Kids’ Yogurt in-store, draw a character on the template inside the pack of yogurt and scan or take a picture of the drawing to upload to Glenisk.com/ happenings/create.

SWIZZELS RUNS FAMILY HOLIDAY COMPETITION FOR RETAILERS

NEW KETTLE & MORE RANGE LAUNCHED WITH TV CAMPAIGN C K ETTLE returned to TV in May with a series of adverts launching its new range KETTLE & More, said to be a category first by bringing together the brand’s hand-cooked chips with real slices of sweet potato, beetroot and apple. Each advert heroes one of the range and brings to life the real food ingredients by showcasing the seasoning and fruit and veg slices and the inspirational flavour combinations. The new range includes KETTLE Chips with Apple Slices and Norfolk Pork Sausage seasoning, KETTLE Chips with Sweet Potato Slices and Smoked Chipotle & Crème Fraiche seasoning, and KETTLE Chips with Beetroot Slices and Goat’s Cheese & Caramelised Onion seasoning; all available in a 100g sharing bag format. This latest TV campaign from KETTLE will continue the strong recent brand investment, and marks over £5m of ATL investment over the past 18 months. The range launch is supported by social media activity, large scale consumer sampling including Hello Fresh and Craft Gin Club, as well as PR and influencer outreach, all designed to target a large but relevant audience. “The ads do a great job of communicating the genuinely innovative proposition, and bringing to life our real food credentials,” said Kizzy Beckett, senior brand manager. “We’re confident that the adverts, alongside a targeted and contextual media plan, will drive awareness and trial of this fantastic range.”

onvenience retailers across Northern Ireland will have the chance to win a family holiday for four this summer with Swizzels. As part of the sweet manufacturer’s Fun in the Sun competition, retailers must text their name and wholesaler details to be entered into a prize draw to win an all-inclusive one-week holiday to the Canary Islands, worth £3,000. Swizzels is running the competition activated by wholesalers across the UK from June to September, promoted through pallet surrounds, pallet skirts, aisle fins and off-shelf displays in front of depot. The Fun in the Sun campaign will be supported by consumer PR and social media, driving shoppers to stores to purchase Swizzels products during the summer months. This will ensure the Swizzels brand is front of mind at a time when chocolate sales typically diminish as the weather heats up. “According to a recent survey, 76% of respondents say they buy sweets for long car journeys or family outings,” said Mark Walker, sales director at Swizzels.“Therefore the launch of our Fun in the Sun campaign will ensure Swizzels is owning the summer season for sugar confectionery in 2019.” 57

MARKETING NEWS

MACKLE PETFOODS LAUNCHES CHARITY PARTNERSHIPS ACROSS ISLAND OF IRELAND M

ackle Petfoods, the Co Tyrone-based owner of the Naturo, Brandy and Cat Club brands has launched its first official charity partnerships, worth almost £11,000, with six animal welfare and rescue organisations across Ireland. Limerick Feral Cats, Fairyglen in Roscommon, Animal Aid Donegal, North Dublin Cat Recue, Cats Aid Dublin and Lucy’s Trust in Co Antrim are all set to benefit from working with Mackle Petfoods. “We know how much our customers love and care for their pets, however not every cat or dog is lucky enough to have a home where they are well looked after,” said Laura Rafferty, interim marketing manager at Mackle Petfoods.

From left, Rob Durston, co-founder of Co Antrim charity Lucy’s Trust and Vic the rescue dog, pictured with Sinead Cotter, key account manager at Mackle Petfoods.

SPAR NI GOES THE EXTRA MILE FOR DEEP RIVERROCK BELFAST CITY MARATHON From left, Bronagh Luke, head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group; Sammy SPAR and Paddy Mageean, Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon.

PAR NI was partner of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon for the first time this year, bringing its SPAR Sports Club initiative to Northern Ireland on May 5. The SPAR Sports Club was created as part of SPAR’s sponsorship of British Athletics and has been enjoyed by over 4,000 track and field fans at the SPAR British Athletics National Indoors, Muller Indoor Grand Prix and the European Athletics Indoor Championships in the past few months. The initiative was part of the finish line hub and celebrations at Ormeau Park during the marathon event. Visitors and supporters were offered the opportunity to test their athleticism during the Speed Challenge to try and beat the elites’ speed on the track via a treadmill, and to warm up with a Speed Bounce Challenge to complete as many jumps as possible in 20 seconds. “SPAR is committed to bringing communities together and creating enjoyable, family experiences which can be seen from our continued support of the SPAR Craic 10K and SPAR Omagh Half Marathon,” said Bronagh Luke, head of Corporate Marketing at Henderson Group. “We’re delighted to have the brand partner with the event and to bring even more engaging ideas and activities to a packed, family day of fun.” SPAR NI also provided vital fuel stations along the route, offering orange segments and handfuls of jelly beans to runners along Lisburn Road and Ormeau Road. 58

“In recognition of the invaluable work animal rescue charities carry out, much of which is done by volunteers, we have selected six charities with whom we will support over the next year through donations of food, improving awareness of their work and hopefully taking some of the fundraising pressure off them so they can focus on looking after and/or finding homes for the animals in their care.” Lucy’s Trust, the Co Antrim-based Naturo charity partner, aims to support and educate members of the public with regards to how to correctly care for their dogs and they will receive a monthly donation of £550 worth of food.

McVITIE’S AND MENTAL HEALTH CHARITY MIND JOIN FORCES

cVitie’s has partnered with mental health charity Mind to launch a new campaign aimed at promoting positive mental health by encouraging people across the UK to get talking. The Let’s Talk partnership kicked off in May, with the unveiling of new consumer research from YouGov, commissioned by McVitie’s and Mind, revealing the nation’s talking habits and the importance of having meaningful conversations. As part of the partnership, McVitie’s will also support Mind with the opening of eight new Time to Change Hubs and training hundreds of new Mind champions in the UK. Supported by in-store partnerships with leading retailers and 7,000 convenience and impulse outlets, the campaign will include offering shoppers the chance to gift almost five million complimentary packs of biscuits to loved-ones, with the goal of giving people an excuse to get together and get talking over a cup of tea and a biscuit. Attention-grabbing in-store PoS will also be displayed to promote the message and remind shoppers why it’s good to talk. A variety of events and activities are planned throughout May and the coming months, including on-ground activations around National Biscuit Day (May 29), prior to in-store launches with major retailers in June, including Tesco, Waitrose, Co-op, Asda and Sainsbury’s.

BUSINESS NEWS

DOUBLE TRIUMPH FOR HENDERSON GROUP AT BELFAST TELEGRAPH BUSINESS AWARDS H

enderson Group companies have won two key trophies in this year’s Belfast Telegraph Business Awards held in partnership with Ulster Bank. Henderson Wholesale was awarded the Excellence in Marketing accolade, sponsored by Phoenix Natural Gas, for its Find Your InSPARation campaign which secured an increase in wholesale sales, additional annual customer shopping trips and further improvement in shopper perceptions. The Ulster University Business School backed Excellence in the Development of Management and Leadership was presented to Henderson Foodservice. The company’s HR team has developed a more effective future-proofed leadership and development strategy which has increased employee engagement and reduced recruitment costs in line with staff retention. Almost 500 business people attended the black-tie event at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Belfast, hosted by BBC NI presenter Mark Simpson. Winners’ trophies and

From left, Zoe Young, Andrea Scott, Rachel Gill, Ron Whitten, Sara Murphy and Brenda Mulligan.

highly commended certificates were presented to small and large businesses and organisations across 13 categories. The gala awards night also featured an economic review by Invest NI CEO Alastair Hamilton and a Dragon’s Den-style

MAJOR AWARD FOR SCHOOLFOOD PROJECT WON BY QUB A

leading academic from the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) at Queen’s University Belfast has been selected for one of only eight new major UK funding awards, and the only one in Northern Ireland. Professor Jayne Woodside, deputy director of IGFS, was awarded over £250,000 towards a project she will lead, GENIUS – Generating Excellent Nutrition in UK Schools. It aims to build a robust and unprecedented network to consider the entire food system across pre-school, primary and post-primary settings (including school dinners but also things like breakfast clubs and packed lunches) to influence the quality of children’s diets and reduce inequalities in dietary intake. The funding will be for 2.5 years and will enable 20 academic investigators across Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales to advance research into the nutrition of the UK’s schoolchildren in a policyrelevant manner and in partnership with stakeholders such as devolved departments of education and health, local authorities and catering associations. “There are different recommendations and standards for Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and England which can make the picture confusing,” said Prof Woodside. “This project will allow us to get a bird’s eye view, locating where the areas of good practice are and how some of these ideas might be applied elsewhere. It will put in place connections between all the diverse people and organisations involved in the provision and quality of school food and the subsequent overview we build will help prioritise further research questions and funding applications.”

elevator pitch with five entrepreneurial start-ups competing to win a £4,000 prize package. Voted by guests, the ultimate winner was Stephen Beck from Zero Waste Solutions.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME BENEFITS AGRI-FOOD SECTOR

NIFDA/Invest NI-led initiative, Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills, is continuing to support Northern Ireland’s agri-food companies as they face the on-going challenge of recruiting and retaining staff. A half-day seminar at Craigavon’s Oxford Island brought together experts in people development, higher education and recruitment to update on the latest schemes and apprenticeships opportunities which are available to attract talent to the sector.

From left, Julie Heaney, HR Graduate, ABP Food Group, Newry; Willard D’Barber, McConville’s, Portadown; Amanda McCrea, HR officer, Fane Valley; Harry Hamilton, NIFDA/Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills; and Joanne McMullan, Invest NI.

APPOINTMENTS

CAMELOT NAMES JENNY KESTREL FOODS APPOINTS BLOGG AS RETAIL DIRECTOR NEW COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR C P

remium snacking company Kestrel Foods has appointed a new commercial director to its senior leadership team working to develop brands Forest Feast and Acti-Snack, at a time of exponential growth in the business. Weir joins Kestrel Foods following his most recent role as group commercial director at Coca-Cola HBC. He brings with him more than 20 years’ business and commerce experience, including 16 of these spent at director and senior management level. Weir’s areas of expertise include developing and nurturing senior level relationships with key customers, having worked with household names such as Tesco, Musgrave, BWG, Hendersons, KFC, Supermacs and Applegreen. “With over 20 years of invaluable experience, Johnny has a wealth of business acumen and we look forward to having him on board as we further develop our own commercial growth strategy and aim for ambitious expansion in domestic and international markets,” said Michael Hall, founder and CEO. Weir said: “It’s a really exciting time to be joining Kestrel – a local company which has made massive inroads across the globe with some fantastic products. I’m looking forward to working with the team and developing the sales strategy with our customers across Ireland, the UK and further afield.”

amelot UK Lotteries, operator of the UK National Lottery, has announced its current head of retail operations, Jenny Blogg, has became retail director at the end of April 2019. Blogg has over 18 years’ retail experience, and brings to the position a wealth of knowledge, as well as proven retail and commercial acumen, based on experience across buying, field sales, national account management and category development. She has held positions at numerous leading UK and global companies, spending five years at Cadbury UK in various managerial roles, before becoming part of the multinational confectionery, food, and beverage company Mondelez International in May 2012. She joined Camelot in September 2017 as new business development and retail strategy manager, quickly rising up the ranks to head of retail operations in August 2018.

RED TRACTOR APPOINTS NEW HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS

n a move to strengthen its communications function, Red Tractor has appointed Rebecca Miller into the newly formed role of head of communications. Miller joins Red Tractor from Heineken UK, where she was head of media and sustainability and responsible for driving their communications response to the UK-wide shortage of Co2- during the hottest summer on record. She also led on Heineken UK’s Brewing a Better World stakeholder and sustainability strategy. A former staffer to Boris Johnson, Miller has also managed the communications for product and suppliers for retail giant Tesco. “With a background in retail, London

politics and working for an international cider, beer and pub business, she has been involved with some of the biggest corporate and news moments of the last decade,” said Jim Moseley, CEO, Red Tractor. “As the UK enters into this unprecedented period of uncertainty, there has never been a more important time for Red Tractor, one of the world’s leading food assurance schemes, to help British shoppers understand which food is produced to the highest standards of food safety, animal welfare and traceability.”

SHELFLIFE To see your product featured in Shelf Life, contact Chris Keenan at c.keenan@independentmagazinesni.co.uk or Tel: 028 9026 4267

TAYTO POWERS AHEAD WITH ‘THE BIG CHEESE’

conic local crisp brand Tayto has expanded its innovative, best-loved range after officially launching a powerful new and exciting snack product, The Big Cheese. Now available in all retail outlets across Northern Ireland as part of a high-octane experiential sampling campaign and supported by a maximum impact, fun and colourful TV and outdoor advertising drive, its new ‘Big n’ Cheesy’ flavour is already proving a big hit with consumers. Carefully produced, packed and shipped directly from Tayto Castle in Co Armagh, The Big Cheese snacks are around four times the size of a standard cheese puff and are available in a choice of three buyer-friendly pack sizes – a 10x18g multipack, a Big Sharing pack weighing 95g and a £1 pack weighing in at 65g. Made from puffed corn but with a ‘big cheese’ kick, the new Tayto snack perfectly complements an outstanding range of products already firmly established and already popular with new and loyal generations of Tayto brand lovers. Powered by a major marketing drive and a fun ‘Cheesy does it now’ strapline, Tayto has undertaken several dynamic brand sampling events at Kingspan

Stadium and at the Balmoral Show. Many more are planned over the coming weeks. “As our consumers change, we’re evolving too and we’re delighted that our newest innovations, new products and

messaging are resonating so quickly and so well,” Elly Hunter, Tayto’s marketing director, told Ulster Grocer. “This is a really exciting time for Tayto and I’m proud that our brands’ great tastes, fun and witty personality continues to grab consumer attention, build market share and create the impact it deserves.” Established in 1956, Tayto Northern Ireland’s parent company, Tayto Group Limited, is one of the largest crisps and snack makers in the UK and Ireland, producing more than five million bags a day across seven sites and exporting to more than 40 countries across the world. It is also the number one crisp brand in Northern Ireland*. With more than 360 staff and famous for its Tayto Castle and Mr Tayto visitor experience in Tandragree, Tayto remains a family-owned business with a product portfolio that includes Golden Wonder, Real Crisps, Mr Porky, Ringos and, of course, Tayto. Tayto, which is currently investing £1m in its brand assets and in new product development, recently launched its largest-ever TV, digital and promotional campaign, and revealed new-look recyclable and redesigned packaging. *Source: IRI Market Place

VOLVIC INTRODUCES L’MON FIZZY DRINKS RANGE V olvic, the UK’s number one bottled water brand*, has launched L’mon, a new range of zesty, sparkling drinks produced in the UK, combining at least 25% real fruit juice and spring water. Tapping into an ever-growing consumer health trend, each 330ml can of L’mon packs in all the taste of a traditional fizzy drink, without any of the nasties. Launching in three uniquely blended citrus combinations – Lemon & Orange, Lemon & Lime and Lemon & Grapefruit – the recipes use only naturally sourced ingredients, with no added sugar** and no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. “Now, more than ever, consumers are on the lookout for healthier products, which suit their busy lifestyles,” said Jacqueline Lane, senior brand manager for Volvic UK & Ireland. “Fizzy drinks continue to be hugely popular but are often seen as a less health

conscious choice, particularly if they are high in sugar or full of artificial additives. At Danone, we don’t think you should have to choose between the pleasure of a tasty fizzy drink and being health conscious, that’s why we created L’mon – to give consumers a delicious, sparkling refreshment they can really enjoy.” The launch of L’mon will be supported by a £1.5m marketing campaign launching end of July, across the UK and Ireland to drive product visibility and awareness. The campaign will feature nationwide outof-home advertising, social media and influencer activity and mass sampling. The range is available in Dunnes, SPAR, Mace, Londis and Costcutter from June, with more retailers to follow in the summer.

* IRI Marketplace MAT to 29.03.2019 **contains naturally occurring sugars

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AN EASY REFERENCE TO THE BEST FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Q&A TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I’m 32, married to Hannah and we have three children together. I started my career in retail management and spent a decade at Lidl NI, including seven years as part of the senior management team. Recently I’ve joined McKee’s based in Maghera as managing director. We’re a family business that produces over 70 quality items such as Scotch eggs, coleslaw and pies to over 150 supermarkets/convenience stores across Northern Ireland. WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE? A typical day consists of a balance between presence on the factory floor and our shop floor where I enjoy the buzz of both and then time spent in the office. Our people are our most important asset; I enjoy hearing and speaking with them directly. The time I spend with our management team is always solution orientated and how we can be better. I also try to spend some part of the day looking at how technology can help us; I never cease to be amazed at how there’s a machine somewhere for absolutely anything. WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? I’m very fortunate to have two. Being given the opportunity to become head of sales operations for Lidl NI at 25 years old and the responsibility that comes with that role, was both enjoyable and rewarding. I thoroughly enjoyed my 10 years there and it’s where I had the best possible education. The second highlight is my current role as managing director of McKee’s. Having the responsibility of leading such a successful family business with the tradition and reputation that it has, and with the challenges that lie ahead, is something I’m really enjoying. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? Whilst I enjoy getting into the detail of a topic, I also enjoy variety. Looking at buying prices one minute, then an HR topic the next, makes my job very interesting and exciting. I also enjoy the ability to be able to make things happen quickly. In a family business, we’re not tied to time-consuming approval processes or having meetings about meetings, we can get things done relatively quickly. I never turn down sampling or taste testing either. 66

IN THE HOT SEAT PAUL GIBSON, MANAGING DIRECTOR, McKEES

WHAT IS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT TASK? There’s never enough time in the day. Having an enjoyable job becomes very addictive and it’s difficult to say enough for today. Having a family makes that easier as the welcome you get when daddy comes home is unbeatable. WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? Surround yourself with strong people. Few things can be achieved alone, let alone in business. It’s easier to meet the objective when you have good people beside you. I’m very fortunate that at McKee’s we have very experienced and knowledgeable people are who experts at what they do. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST GRIPE? Aside from taxation, negativity. Seldom is something impossible and a positive cando attitude can get you far – it’s a very endearing characteristic. WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE? I’d love to be a maestro on the piano that said, I haven’t a note in my head! WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/ AMBITIONS? I’m determined to grow McKee’s in order to reach its full potential. We have a great tradition and reputation for quality that we’ll maintain first and foremost, then we want every household in Northern Ireland

to enjoy eating our products. WHOM DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Both my father and father-in-law. Both have a strong work ethic and have made something happen in their careers, starting with nothing. They both stick to their principles and do things right and also do the right thing. WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? There really is no place like home and I love Northern Ireland. In particular, the North Coast is a place I am fond of, it’s where I studied and where I met my wife. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD PRODUCT? I have three. For breakfast, a McKee’s Scotch Egg is a real treat. For a tea time meal McKee’s Lasagne is exceptionally moreish. I also could eat McKee’s Breadcrumb stuffing with almost anything – if my Christmas dinner had only turkey, McKee’s glazed ham, McKee’s stuffing and gravy I’d be happy. HOW DO YOU RELAX? I’m not the type to seek opportunities to relax; however, what I most enjoy outside of work is spending time with my family. We’ve recently had a baby, so we’ve forgotten what relaxation even is. I also enjoy getting as much running and swimming squeezed in along with a game of snooker, despite how bad I am at it.