Ulster Grocer

GROCER ™

At the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

AUGUST 2014

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CONTENTS

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16 14-15

17-25 13 – GOOD FOOD COMES FROM GOOD RAW MATERIALS: Northern Ireland is an important procurement area for Marks & Spencer, says Steve McLean, head of Agriculture & Fisheries at the retailer.

Contents

Editor: Alyson Magee E: alysonmagee@greerpublications.com Contributor: David Elliott Advertising Manager: Karen Graham E: karengraham@greerpublications.com Senior Accounts Manager: Michelle Kearney E: michellekearney@greerpublications.com Art Editor: Karen Donnelly Production Manager: Stuart Gray Accounts: Gerardine Carson Publishers: James and Gladys Greer

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14-15 – NEW NISA: A newly built NISAlocal in the Co Tyrone village of Ardboe is the subject of this month’s Store Focus. The McConville family demolished the previous property to create a modern, bright, airy and user-friendly shop.

16, 26-27 – SHOWTIME: UG previews the Food & Drink Show NI, now in its second year and to be held at the King’s Hall Pavilion in Belfast over October 24-26.

17-25 – FRANCHISE & FASCIA: Find out what’s on offer through partnership with the Henderson Group, Costcutter, Nisa, Today’s, Musgrave, Maxol and Subway.

28 – KINGDOM OF FUNGHI: My Life in the Grocery Trade this month features Eamon Murray, founder and managing director of Annaghmore Mushrooms, who has a lifetime passion for mushroom growing and added a new purpose-built pack house and company headquarters to his business last year.

33 – WONDERFUL WHEATGRASS: Jacquelyn Stewart, managing director of Squeeze Juice Café, is In the Hot Seat to tell UG about the drive and determination behind her successful wheatgrass juice brand, sources of inspiration and plans for the future.

34-35 – BACK TO SCHOOL PART TWO: It’s that time again, and UG offers a second update of the summer on the latest products marketed for school lunch boxes.

36 – A FOND FAREWELL: After almost 20 years with the SHS Group, Managing Director Michael Howard is set to retire at the end of the year. He is credited with helped the Group evolve from a traditional family-run sales and marketing company into a multinational business with 10 operating companies, 700 staff and an annual turnover of £400m.

8 • Ulster Grocer | JANUARY 2011

ULSTER GROCER

Volume 49, Number 7 August 2014

www.ulstergrocer.com

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COMMENT

Local focus vital for retailers and processors T

his month’s edition of Ulster Grocer offers a great snapshot of the local grocery sector, and its scale, from franchise and fascia groups to multiple retailers and farmers to distributors.

One common theme across the various trades feeding into the grocery sector is support for local food, and long may it continue. Investment in local food is strong; seldom a week goes by without announcements about site expansions, new start-ups or innovation targeting new markets.

The buoyancy of the food and drinks

market, while other sectors continue to struggle, has been well documented and news of continued growth in Northern Irish food and drink processing (see below) is welcome and not surprising. Meat and dairy represent the biggest sectors, with meat leading yearon-year growth. At the other end of the scale, meanwhile, are many artisan producers.

While international markets are becoming increasingly important for food and drink processors’ trade mix – sales outside the UK surpassed domestic sales in 2012 – it is important for the sector to retain its focus on

Solid growth continues in local food & drink processing

I

ndustry has welcomed recently-published statistics highlighting a 5% increase in Northern Irish food and drink processing sales to £4.2bn in 2012, with further growth of 7% to £4.5bn forecast for 2013.

Value sales outside the UK exceeded sales in the Northern Irish market in 2012, for the first time since the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) began publishing its reports in 1989.

All 10 sub-sectors featured traded profitably in 2011 and 2012, with beef, sheepmeat and milk products representing the largest sub-sectors collectively accounting for 50% of food and drink processing turnover. Sub-sectors making the greatest contribution to the total increase in value sales between 2011 and 2012 were, meanwhile, beef, sheepmeat and pigmeat.

GB continued to be the largest market for local produce in 2012, with sales valued at £1,711m or 40% of total sales, while exports to RoI represented 16%.

DARD published its annual report, Size and Performance of the Northern Ireland Food and Drinks Processing Sector, Subsector Statistics, at the end of July.

Featuring data on sales, exports and value added, the report also looks at employee numbers and performance indicators across 10 food and drink processing subsectors in 2011 and 2012, with provisional estimates for 2013.

Sales for the sector as a whole increased by 5.3% from £4,020m in 2011 to £4,234m in 2012, according to DARD, with provisional estimates suggesting sales increased by a further 6.7% in 2013 to £4,519m.

Employment in the sector increased marginally between 2011 and 2012, from 19,965 to 19,984 direct full-time employee equivalents, expected to rise again in 2013 by a further 2% to 20,390 workers.

The food and drink processing sector’s contribution to local manufacturing was stable at 26% of sales, 23% of external sales and 27% of employment, while its share of value added sales rose slightly to 17% and export sales reduced marginally to 24%.

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the home grocery market too. And it is equally vital for local retailers to ensure they are not only pushing local produce but pushing it at the right price and not one too low that will send processors scurrying in search of other, more lucrative markets. As highlighted by the UFU, many local farmers stand to lose subsidies under CAP reform and will need to see higher farmgate, and ultimately retail prices, for their produce if they are to survive.

Alyson Magee

Industry responds to latest DARD report “The local food and drink industry continues to grow with a strong drive and commitment to increase our national and international sales. The industry’s performance over the last 10 years of uninterrupted growth is impressive. We have seen an increase in sales and employee numbers throughout a difficult economic period – and significantly, for the first time since 1989, the value of our export sales was higher than sales within the Northern Ireland market. Despite the current challenges in the beef and dairy markets, the Executive’s recent decision to move forward with the Agri-Food Strategy Board’s Going for Growth report will help ensure that the industry’s growth will continue.”

Northern Ireland Food & Drink Chairman David Dobbin

“This is particularly welcome in a demanding and competitive global market place. The figures underline the importance of our local food and drinks processing sector and its contribution to the local manufacturing sector and wider economy. Growth in the food sector has been unbroken over the last 10 years and more.

This sector clearly has the potential to grow further.

The Going for Growth report will continue to play a guiding role in maximising the potential of the sector.

As I recently announced, the Executive has endorsed the industry’s growth aspirations, agreed government’s response to the report and given its backing to my proposals to allocate significant funding in support of agri-food sector growth.”

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill

“The growth in the agri-food industry will be of little comfort to those primary producers who are struggling to make a living as their profit margins are squeezed.

Beef farmers in particular are finding their backs against the wall as the price of beef remains at an unsustainable level and processors and retailers tighten market specifications. The reform of the Common Agriculture Policy and a move to single region, flat-rate payment means that many farmers will be seeing a considerable reduction in their Single Farm Payment over the coming years and they will ultimately need to see a better return from the market in order to stay in business. If the market does not start to deliver then the local high quality, safe and traceable raw materials that our processing industry need simply won’t be available which will have consequences for the entire agri-food industry.”

Ulster Farmers’ Union President Ian Marshall

NEWs

Butchery Excellence Scheme launched in NI N

orthern Ireland’s first Butchery Excellence Scheme was launched earlier this month, with the aim of helping butchers keep on top of legislative changes and their associated costs.

Butchers are said to face well over £3,000 annually to comply with new regulations, with cost Rhonda Montgomery, director of the Butchery Excellence Scheme is pictured and time pressures rising with Michael Divine from Chill Food Hall, Coleraine. significantly for many.

Created by Food Consultant Rhonda Montgomery, who has over 15 years of experience in the sector, the Butchery Excellence Scheme already has 30 members.

The Scheme’s services include technical support services, business support and discounted rates with associate members. Members will also be provided with a Quality Management System to ensure high standards of food hygiene and traceability, and the Scheme will help members achieve and maintain the best scores on the Hygiene Rating System.

Record income for first year of GroceryAid G

roceryAid - the charity supporting workers involved in the grocery, provisions, greengrocers or off-licence trades – has reported an ‘excellent’ financial year with record net income of just under £4.3m.

GroceryAid has published its annual review and accounts for 2013/2014, which represents the first full year of GroceryAid following the merger of Caravan and Sweet Charity in 2012.

Income totalled £4,274,887 for the year while expenditure on welfare support also reached a record high of £3,713,931, with GroceryAid supporting over 3,400 past and current industry employees, over 2,350 people receiving an annuity and a further 5,100 assisted through the GroceryAid Helpline.

House of Lords invites opinion on new EU Alcohol Strategy O

pinion on potentially tightening regulations around alcohol sales and promotions in the new EU Alcohol Strategy expected to run from 2016-2022, has been invited by the House of Lords Home Affairs, Health and Education EU Sub-Committee.

“The European Commission proposed the first Alcohol Strategy in October 2006,” said Baroness Prashar, chair of the Committee.

“It was designed to help EU member states to reduce alcohol-related illnesses and diseases amongst their citizens, and identified five priority themes to concentrate actions on for the next six years. These were: protecting young people, including children and the unborn child; reducing injuries and deaths from alcohol-related road accidents; preventing alcohol-related harm among adults and reducing the negative 6

impact in workplaces; educating people and raising awareness of the impact and dangers of alcohol abuse; and developing and maintaining a record of similar cases across the EU. “We want to investigate how successful the current Strategy has been at achieving its aims and, in light of this, make suggestions about the content of the new Strategy and how it might be more effective.”

In particular, the Committee is seeking opinion on whether there should be another EU Alcohol Strategy, if existing policies are in line with World Health Organisation and other frameworks, minimum pricing proposals and co-operation between member states.

The deadline for submitting written evidence is September 19.

NI companies short-listed in Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards M ore than 20 products from 13 different Northern Irish companies have been short-listed in the second annual Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards. They are among 180 short-listed products in 50 categories to reach the finals on September 11 in Dublin.

The Northern Irish contenders feature some of the region’s biggest food producers across a range of categories, bakers Irwin’s in Craigavon and Genesis in Magherafelt, Belfastbased Dale Farm and meat processors Dunbia and Linden, both based in Dungannon.

The listings also feature smaller producers such as Glenarm Organic Salmon, Unimush in Co Armagh, The Good Food and Wine Company in Coleraine, Quinn’s Gelato in Cookstown, DJ Ciders and Juices in Lisburn, Blackberry Hill Farm in Gilford and Pizzado in Portavogie.

“We see the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards as a marvellous opportunity to showcase the originality, innovation, variety and heritage of quality and safety that underpins the food and drink from Northern Ireland companies,” said Shane McArdle, event sponsor Shane McArdle.

“Several of our companies were successful in last year’s inaugural awards and subsequently saw business increase with major retailers in the Republic of Ireland, Great Britain and further afield including the United Arab Emirates, now buying speciality breads from Irwin’s Bakery. We expect to see further successes in this year’s event, providing a growth platform for both large and smaller producers.”

Open to food and drink producers, retailers and catering companies in allIreland, Q Awards are awarded across 50 different categories with an Overall Gold Q awarded to one stand out product, and represent collaboration between Food and Hospitality Ireland and the UK Quality Food and Drink Awards.

Costa Express can help you turn 1m2 of floor space into an extra profit stream for your business.

There is no capital outlay, installation is free and easy and consumables are provided.

All you need do is add milk and watch your profits rise.

To find out what Costa Express can offer you, contact:

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NEWs

Russian ban will create volatility, hit dairy exports N

orthern Ireland’s dairy sector is expected to see the greatest impact from the Russian ban on food imports from western countries imposed in retaliation for Ukraine-related sanctions.

Dale Farm has been exporting cheese to Russia during its winter months when domestic dairy production is not possible, with trade hitting the £10m mark at the end of 2013.

However, the ban’s impact on global food markets is perhaps of greatest concern for the Northern Irish agrifood sector, according to the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA).

“While Russia, in itself, may not be a major export market for many local food companies, this development still raises concerns for our industry,” said Michael Bell, executive director of NIFDA. “Russia is a huge importer of food and the net effect of these sanctions will be to distort global trade.

Large exporters of food to Russia such as USA, and some European countries, will now be forced to find alternative markets for their produce, which could result in over-supply within markets

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upon which our industry depends.

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill, meanwhile, said DARD would be monitoring the situation to keep exporters apprised of the Russian trade restrictions and offer support in securing alternative export markets.

“Russia represents a market of particular interest to our meat exporters, particularly pork producers,” said the Minister. “This ban could have potentially greater implications for the future growth of our exports given we may be unable to progress negotiations as we had hoped.”

Ulster Farmers’ Union President Ian Marshall also highlighted global volatility as the greatest issue expected to result from the ban, and the importance of ensuring Northern Ireland has a diverse portfolio of market opportunities.

Earlier this month, at a televised Cabinet meeting, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that a one-year ban would be imposed on imports of meat, fish, milk, fruit and vegetables from the US, Australia, Canada, Norway and the EU.

Tesco brings local food markets to shopping aisles B

elfast-based Neill’s Flour is among dozens of Northern Ireland producers who have been chosen to take part in a new Tesco initiative.

Over the coming months, Tesco Northern Ireland is running local food markets in its larger stores as part of the ongoing Tesco Karen Spence of Neill’s Flour at the first Taste Northern Ireland Tesco Local Food Market. campaign aimed at supporting Northern Ireland food and its producers.

Each event will feature up to 22 producers who will create ‘sampling streets’ in-store allowing customers to see, taste and get to know more about the products.

The first event was staged at Tesco Knocknagoney in Belfast, with 15 companies including Neill’s Flour displaying their products.

“The local markets are a great way for our customers to engage with producers and try some of their delicious products,” said Caoimhe Mannion, marketing manager for Tesco NI. “The markets are also a great opportunity for local companies to increase awareness and sales.”

RETAIL NEWS – INDEPENDENTS

Working together could give small merchants a £900m boost I

ndependent retailers and small merchants working together enjoy a significant sales boost, according to The Value of Collaboration, a report commissioned by American Express.

The report, compiled by retail specialist Conlumino, finds that by collaborating via activities such as joint marketing campaigns, loyalty schemes, local events, and joint promotions, small merchants can boost their sales by an average of up to £30,000 each annually, representing an average potential sales uplift for independent businesses of almost £900m across the UK. As well as evaluating the positive impact formal collaboration can have on sales, the report also explores the day-to-day cost savings small merchants can benefit from by lending each other a helping hand. Through things like minding each other’s shops, taking in deliveries, doing a bank run or providing loose change,

Call to ban chewing gum

U

K waste and recycling company BusinessWaste. co.uk is pushing for restrictions on the sale of chewing gum in Britain, highlighting the example of Singapore where it is banned altogether.

It costs the average district council around £2,000 per week to clean up after careless chewing gum users, according to the company.

Figures released by councils indicate authorities in respectable-sized towns have to budget in the region of £100,000 to remove gum from pavements, seats and other areas.

“All told, councils are having to spend millions of pounds each year on this problem,” said Mark Hall of BusinessWaste.co.uk. “And it’s like painting the Forth Bridge – a never-ending cycle of scraping gum from pavements.”

36 • Ulster Grocer | JANUARY 2011

independent businesses can save an average of £3,000 each per year in labour costs, equating to an average value of over £75m nationally.

In total, nearly three quarters (73%) of respondents said they are supporting each other in some way. This includes other activities such as discussing business challenges with their peers, comparing performance or discussing the trading environment.

“Whether it’s the local deli and off licence putting on a joint cheese and wine night, or an entire high street running a seasonal promotion, small merchants across the UK are clubbing together to improve their collective lot,” said Mark Roper, head of UK Merchant Services at American Express.

“It makes strong business sense, delivering tangible returns in terms of boosted sales and saved labour costs and it is a trend that is increasing. One in six respondents said they

plan to collaborate more in the next year or so.”

Neil Saunders, managing director of Conlumino, said: “Collaboration between independent businesses can have huge financial benefits. This inevitably has a very positive impact on the economics of running an independent high street business. At a time when so much of retail is highly competitive, it is fantastic to see how cooperation is creating sustainable success.”

Underpinning the evident supportive culture on high streets up and down the country is the fact that owners of small merchants make the effort to get to know other traders in the area.

The report finds that 59% of small business owners know at least half of their fellow local traders and close to a quarter (23%) know almost all of them, and are reaping the rewards for mutual benefit by recommending each other to their customers too.

Paypoint merges platforms for multi-channel future P

ayPoint has announced developments to reinforce its position as a market leader in multi-channel payments, merging its Internet payment service provider and mobile phone payment businesses, previously trading as PayPoint.net and PayByPhone.

The new business, known as PayPoint Mobile and Online, combines PayPoint’s expertise in online payments with PayByPhone’s consumer insight gained as one of the world’s most successful mobile payments schemes.

PayPoint Mobile and Online provides solutions that cover the entire end-to-end transaction, from engaging the consumer to processing the payment.

“Customers want to pay by mobile or online with a convenient, simple, seamless experience,” said Dan Salmons, managing director of PayPoint Mobile and Online. “As a result, many organisations are suddenly finding they need more sophisticated payment solutions that can keep up with the rapid changes in

technology, consumer behaviour and regulation.

“By combining our unrivalled expertise in mobile and online payments, we can manage payments from app to bank, making it simple for organisations to resolve their payment needs. Our modular platform means we can rapidly develop a wide range of solutions from home energy to urban mobility, online gaming to financial services. We believe we are that rare thing: a payments company that gets consumers, and a mobile company that gets payments.”

PayPoint Mobile and Online will also be instrumental to PayPoint Group’s move to develop a series of multi-channel payment propositions. PayPoint also announced a refreshed, dynamic brand identity for the group to reflect the new multi-channel positioning. All the group’s businesses will adopt a new logo, which has been designed to work effectively across all channels, modernising its identity from its traditional retail heritage.

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RETAIL NEWS – SYMBOLS

Musgrave launches new premium Signature Tastes range in SuperValu and Centra Stores

Musgrave Retail Partners Trading Manager Julie Cherry and Fresh Food Specialist John Kearney are pictured at the launch of Signature Tastes.

M

usgrave Retail Partners (MRPNI) has launched a new range of premium high quality ‘dine in’ meal solutions, Signature Tastes, within a number of its SuperValu and Centra stores.

The new products are part of the company’s own-brand range, and comprise 21 items incorporating 10 mains, seven sides and four desserts.

Fifteen SuperValu and three Centra stores are currently stocking the Signatures Tastes range before a further roll-out to a larger number of stores in August and October.

The dishes include Signature Tastes Italian Chicken and Smoked Bacon Pesto Bake, Duck Leg Confit in a Spanish Orange Sauce and Irish Turkey Breast and Ham with a Red Wine Gravy.

The range will also include a selection of premium sides and handmade desserts such as Signature Tastes Pommes Parisienne and Billionaire’s Dessert.

“We developed this particular range of

‘Dine In’ meal solutions on the back of key customer insights which showed that many shoppers are looking for a quick meal solution without compromising on quality,” said Julie Cherry, trading manager at MRPNI. “These premium products will offer both convenience and value to the customer, and with over 20 products in the range, we’re sure there is something to suit everyone’s tastes.

“We’ve seen steady sales of the Signature Tastes range since launch with some stores reaching sales far beyond our expectations.

The interest this has triggered with the rest of the SuperValu and Centra retailers has been extremely encouraging and we are looking forward to seeing sales soar further as we plan for our next launch to 22 SuperValu stores in August, and a number of Centra stores in October.”

FSB urges consumers to Keep Trade Local R esearch conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) as part of its Keep Trade Local campaign highlights the additional boost to the local economy when consumers choose local shops.

Local shops provide a lot more than the goods they sell, are part of the fabric of the community and have a role to play in stimulating the local economy, according to FSB. Further, consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the real ‘value’ of shopping where the assistant knows your name or face, and local shops not only provide convenience, high quality and locally-sourced fresh produce but in an age where fuel charges are consistently rising, it often makes more economic sense to shop at local stores.

“It is vital that people recognise that

by supporting their local shops and retail outlets,” said Karen Rennie, Western Branch chair of the FSB. “Research carried out by the FSB shows that, for every £1 spent locally, around 63p of that is channelled back into the local economy; this compares with just 40p if the same pound is spent with larger organisations. I would urge people to support the FSB’s Keep Trade Local campaign and use them don’t lose them.”

The Federation of Small Businesses represents the interests of the self employed and small business, with approximately 7,000 members in Northern Ireland, and provides practical business support to members such as a legal helpline as well as local and regional lobbying.

The research was undertaken by the Centre for Local and Economic Strategies on behalf of the FSB and is available on

Local traders are pictured in SuperValu Lisnaskea with Trade Minister Arlene Foster and Karen Rennie, Western Branch chair of the Federation of Small Businesses.

www.fsb.org.uk. Keep Trade Local stickers for local retailers are available by contacting Charlie Thomas on charlie.thomas@fsb.org. uk or 028 8676 9023.

Nisa highlights logistics progress N

isa has accomplished record deliveryon-time figures in excess of 96%, highlighting the continuing strength of its supply chain, according to the symbol group.

Further to this, Nisa has achieved a 98.2% availability rate through its central distribution network, ensuring that its retailers received excellent service throughout the key summer trading period. This has included top rate availability on all key lines, which have been heavily stocked to ensure Nisa retailers didn’t disappoint consumers, especially during the key sporting events.

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“With over 20,000 deliveries made each week, Nisa has recently invested a great deal of time and knowledge into its supply chain to ensure it meets its retailers’ expectations; especially through the recent transition away from Costcutter,” said Jonathan Stowe, supply chain director. “Nisa operates for the benefit of independent retailers and, in many ways, it is a shame that Costcutter retailers will no longer benefit from our sector-leading delivery service.”

Nisa has also implemented a strong

promotional programme over this time as well as the launch of its new Heritage own-label range which recently reported an uplift of over 50% compared to its previous range and will be worth £6m annually.

“Nisa knows how important good delivery service is to independent retailers and is constantly developing its supply chain to ensure it is the best in the sector,” said Stowe. “We have vast experience within this sector and are constantly working to improve on these already impressive service levels.”

RETAIL NEWS – multiples

Tesco invests £2.3m in Knocknagoney store refresh Store Manager Nicola Irvine

T

esco has unveiled its ‘next generation shopping experience’ at its flagship store in Knocknagoney, which has undergone an extensive £2.3m refresh.

The store, which overlooks the main Belfast to Holywood Road and first opened its doors

15 years ago, is one of the best performing of Tesco’s 55 stores in Northern Ireland and attracts more than 2.5 million shoppers a year.

As part of the eight-week refresh, Tesco has rolled out a number of fresh initiatives including the province’s first Beautyworld and a Virgin Travel outlet. Non-food areas have also been given a new upmarket department store look.

The project is part of a £44.5m overall investment in Northern Ireland stores this year by Tesco, with around £35m being spent on a new Extra store in Banbridge.

Thirty new jobs - nine of which will be in Beauty - will bring the overall number of employees at Knocknagoney to 460.

Store manager Nicola Irvine said she is immensely proud Tesco has chosen to commence the roll-out of its ‘next generation’ Extra store at Knocknagoney, which will include more than 1,000 lines of Northern Ireland-sourced food and drink from 80 suppliers.

“The changes have been significant and

Three local producers secure Asda contracts T

hree Co. Armagh-based food companies have secured supply deals with 16 local Asda stores totalling 45,000 units of vegetables, 7,000 bouquets and 5,000 bottles of cider.

Gilfresh Produce will Pictured are, from left, Sara Rafferty, Gilfresh supply ‘Tenderheart’ cabbage Produce; Shane Donnelly, Derrylard Nurseries/ Greenisland Flowers; Billy McClelland, quality and new season local leeks assurance manager and Susanna Hassard, buying to the retailer and Derrylard manager for Asda NI & Scotland; and Helen Troughton of Armagh Cider Company.

Nurseries will be supplying celery, two varieties of lettuce and colourful ‘stock’ flowers.

The Asda Buying Team has also signed a contract with Armagh Cider Company to supply its famous cider varieties Maddens Mellow and Carsons Crisp, as well as spiced mulled cider later in the year.

“Supporting and working with local companies is hugely important to everyone on the Asda buying team,” said Susanna Hassard, regional buying manager for Asda NI and Scotland.

“Our customers love to see NI products on the shelves and know we’re benefiting local companies and local employment. Northern Ireland, and County Armagh in particular, is a hotbed of quality producers and our new contracts with these three local businesses just go to show the fantastically high calibre of the companies producing fantastic food right here on our doorstep.”

Helen Troughton, of the Armagh Cider Company, said: “It’s great to see Asda championing local companies and we’re excited to see our products on more supermarket shelves around the country. We’ve always wanted to bring the unique flavour of Armagh Apples to the wider world and our new deal with Asda is a great step forward in that plan.”

8 36• •Ulster UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

with the addition of many new features including Beautyworld, we believe we are offering shoppers something completely new and different,” said Irvine. “This is now a location where, under one roof, they can do their ‘shop’, relax, chill and even pamper themselves.

“As well as the first Virgin Travel outlet and Beautyworld in Northern Ireland, we have added a Phone Shop and the province’s first Tesco Community room where local groups can meet. It really is a signature project.”

“The feedback already has been very strong and we’re delighted also to announce plans to host Tesco Northern Ireland’s first ‘indoor market’ featuring 16 local suppliers.”

In Tesco stores, all Northern Ireland food and drink including over 1,200 product lines from 90-plus local suppliers is labelled and promoted on shelf with the distinctive green and purple Taste Northern Ireland logo.

Local suppliers include Punjana, Dale Farm, Skea Eggs, Moy Park, Foyle Meats, Karro, Finnebrogue, Doherty & Gray, Wilson’s Country, Irwin’s Bakery and Allied Bakeries.

Asda lists award-winning Thompson’s Family Teas

A

sda customers are now able to enjoy the UK’s best ‘cuppa’, with Belfast-based Thompson’s Family Teas supplying its double gold award-winning Signature Blend tea to stores across Northern Ireland.

The family-run business, which has been blending tea Susanna Hassard from Asda is pictured with Ross Thompson and David Thompson from for over 100 years, enjoyed Thompson’s Family Teas. podium success with its Signature Blend tea at last year’s Great Taste Awards; as the only UK tea company to claim two gold stars.

“At Asda, we’re committed to supporting the local agri-food sector and have worked in close partnership with the Thompson family and their team over the last number of years, expanding our offering to meet our customers’ demand for high quality products,” said Susanna Hassard, local buyer for Asda Northern Ireland.

“Each year hundreds of products are entered into the Great Taste Awards to be judged by a panel of leading food experts, so for the Signature Blend tea to rank amongst the best is a fantastic feat. We’re delighted to be able to fill our shelves with the number one tea on the market – offering our customers the perfect tea drinking experience.”

Thompson’s Family Teas Signature Blend are available in all 16 Asda stores across NI at a special price of £2. The new line will complement the existing range of products supplied to Asda

by Thompson’s Family Teas including the company’s hero brand Punjana.

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RETAIL NEWS – multiples

Lisburn manager takes M&S Top UK Retailer Award

Ryan Lemon

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store manager from Northern Ireland has been awarded one of the highest accolades by Marks & Spencer after 19 years with the retailer.

Ryan Lemon, manager of the M&S Lisburn store at Sprucefield Shopping Complex, was named Store Manager of the Year for Premier

and Major Stores at the retailer’s latest Business Conference in London.

It is the first time the prestigious award has been presented to a manager from Northern Ireland.

“Ryan has shown marked leadership and dedication to his role, which has resulted in a very successful year for M&S Lisburn,” said Jonathan Glensiter, M&S head of Ireland.

“Visitors often comment on how informed and helpful the team is – recognising the excellent relationships between the Lisburn store and its customers.”

The 125,000-square-foot store, which opened its doors in 1989, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year and served over 5.5 million customers in 2013 alone. The premises at Sprucefield is the largest M&S store in Ireland, with Foods, Fashions, Home, Beauty, M&S bank and various food outlets.

“While I’m personally delighted, this award is recognition for the achievements of all the staff at M&S Lisburn,” said Lemon.

“The team is focused and has taken on new initiatives this year with a lot of energy and vigour, which is testament to the store’s success.”

Gilfresh Produce wins inaugural Tesco award for suppliers C o Armagh-based Gilfresh Produce, a family business dedicated to the growing, packing and processing of a wide range of vegetables, has become the first recipient of a new Growing with Tesco Award set to recognise outstanding work with Northern Ireland’s largest retailer every quarter.

Loughgall-based Gilfresh has been recognised for the excellent range of products it supplies, both under the Gilfresh brand and Tesco own-label, and its first class service.

Tesco’s Cliff Kells, left, presents a trophy to William Gilpin of Gilfresh Produce after the Co Armagh company became the first recipient of the new Growing with Tesco Award.

Finnebrogue expands M&S range to Posh Puppies F

ollowing the success of its Posh Dogs, the fastest selling new Grill product at M&S last year, Finnebrogue is also supplying Posh Puppies to the retailer this year.

Last year M&S sold 6 million individual Posh Dog sausages, supplied by Finnebrogue, and predicts sales will rise again this year.

The retailer expects to sell 2.5 million of the recently launched individual mini versions, Posh Puppies, aimed at kids or those looking for a bite-size hot dog this year.

12

Tesco lists Free-ist lines

Sophie McAuley of GM Marketing is pictured with colleague Gary Martin and Steven Murphy of Tesco.

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he Free’ist range of 13 sugar-free or no added-sugar products has been listed in 25 Tesco stores in Northern Ireland and a further 77 Tesco stores in Britain, in a deal expected to be worth an annual £500,000.

Created by Belfast-based GM Marketing, the range includes four types of cookies (choc chip, choc striped peanut, hazelnut and coconut) as well as four chocolate bars (smooth milk, hazelnut and rich dark plus white with strawberries) which are also gluten-free.

In addition, the company is supplying Tesco with two wafers (chocolate wafer bars and chocolate wafer sticks) and strawberry, raspberry and marmalade preserves, which are all 100% fruit with no added sugar.

“The Free’ist range has only just launched in our stores, but it is already proving extremely popular,” said Steven Murphy of Tesco. “We are very conscious that people are adopting a healthy lifestyle and are increasingly looking for sugar free or no added sugar products and the new Free’ist range fits the bill perfectly.”

Gary Martin, national account controller at GM, said: “We have already made a significant investment in developing the Free’ist brand and bringing it to market in response to ever increasing consumer demand for great tasting sugar free products.

“We will continue to invest in the brand going forward via further new product development supported by an integrated communications plan to let consumers know what new products we have available.”

GM Marketing, which employs 37 from its Belfast city centre base, first brought Free’ist to market last September.

Free’ist won the Best New Product Launch category in this year’s Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards.

Q&A

Good food comes from good raw materials Steve McLean, head of Agriculture & Fisheries at Marks & Spencer, tells Alyson Magee about Northern Ireland’s status as an important procurement area for Marks & Spencer.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WITH M&S AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO THIS LINE OF WORK? I joined six years ago and, before that, was chief executive of the Texel Sheep Society for 13 years. My wife is a partner in a family farm so I have a background in farming.

credible offer. You’re either at the discount end or the quality end, and we’re at the quality end but we offer value through our tiering.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? The buyers buy retail products, technologists look after the food safety offer and product developers look at how we can innovate. I am responsible for the raw materials we procure and the standards we require to supply into the processors. Fundamentally, my role is protecting the M&S brand, identifying areas for innovation and newness and ensuring we have suppliers matched to our brand aspirations.

HOW MANY NORTHERN IRISH SUPPLIERS FROM THE AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES SECTORS DOES M&S WORK WITH, AND HOW DO THOSE PARTNERSHIPS Steve McLean, head of WORK? agriculture at M&S. In Northern Ireland, we have longstanding relationships and chicken and beef would be the biggest sectors we work with. We have around 650 farms we take from, and we also have a dedicated milk pool in Northern Ireland. It certainly punches above its weight as a supplier and not just in raw materials but also ingredients for ready meals, sandwiches etc.

WHAT IS THE SOURCING POLICY AT M&S AND HOW HAS IT EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? Looking back to the basics of the company, it is well recognised that good food comes from good raw materials and good raw materials come from good farms. We’re in a very fortunate position in that a number of our M&S Select Farms have been supplying us for a number of years, and we believe we get the best raw materials. We would never pretend we’re easy to supply. We have our own audit standards to ensure we’re supplying our customers with the best quality, and we strive to ensure we never disappoint our customers ever. We have good relationships with the farmers and growers who want to supply to us, and support farmers in various ways such as Innovation funding and sponsorship of Balmoral Show. We have a lot of ongoing communication with farmers to ensure we’re in touch with issues they face, and we can work together for the benefit of the supply chain.

HAVE PREVIOUSLY NICHE CATEGORIES SUCH AS ORGANIC, FREE-RANGE AND SUSTAINABLE ENTERED THE MAINSTREAM FOR M&S CUSTOMERS? We have core values in our procurement policies, and it’s all things that our customers rightly presume. Therefore, we need to live up to their expectations and make sure we’re doing the right thing. Animal welfare is a given and having the right farms and the right standards is an absolute necessity. Our customers have different depths of purse, and we have to make sure we have the right variety on offer and make sure we’re giving a 8 36• •Ulster UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

wanting to spend more, and food continues to be in growth, which is good for business, suppliers and customers. Northern Ireland is a really important procurement area for Marks & Spencer, and its farmers produce the right quality of produce for us and customers value it, which is really important.

HOW WOULD A PRODUCER GO ABOUT SECURING A SUPPLY RELATIONSHIP WITH M&S? We always get a lot of contacts during the Balmoral Show. What you tend to see happen is suppliers come forward through the lamb groups or contact us indirectly through existing suppliers. Our supply base is pretty static in truth, and we work away with farmers through Linden Foods and Moy Park for example, but we’re always looking for new and innovative products and for suppliers who can fit that bill.

ARE THERE ANY DIFFERENCES OR CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH SOURCING FROM NORTHERN IRELAND? The make up of farms in Northern Ireland tends to be more part-time and smaller which is not an issue, just a reality. We like to support family farms; it’s something we think our customers would expect us to do and it fits in with Marks & Spencer’s Plan A. We do get the volume and quality we want. When I travel, I always think Northern Ireland has a huge amount to offer the British Isles in quality and provenance of products; there are no negatives.

DO NORTHERN IRISH PRODUCERS OFFER ANY NOTABLY HIGH QUALITY, UNIQUE OR OUTSTANDING GOODS? The protein sector in particular. We are very proud of our Oakham Chicken supplied by Moy Park, Aberdeen Angus beef from Linden Foods and Kettyle beef. Our M&S milk is sourced from Ballyrashane for the island of Ireland, including the milk served in our cafes and Dromona supplies our softer butter. We are in an interesting retail environment at the minute, and we are very fortunate that customers value the offer Northern Ireland gives, which is at the top end of the quality chart. We are seeing people who are affluent

WHAT OTHER ISSUES ARE THERE CURRENTLY IN THE FARMING SECTOR? There’s a lot of angst right now in farming communities over beef pricing, and it’s a complex issue. As a retailer, we don’t buy live cattle, we buy bits of carcases and you only have to look at the growing populations globally to see an increase in the middle classes and the demand that will come with that. There is increased volatility in the market, and we need to find ways to work together with farmers and processors to control that volatility, and to see if there are any models that can give a better degree of security and comfort.

13

STORE FOCUS

Nisa Ardboe The official opening of a newly-built NISAlocal in the Co Tyrone village of Ardboe is only the latest expansion of this family-owned business, as Brian McCalden reports.

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here has been a grocery retail business at Mullanhoe Road, Ardboe since WWII, and from 1947 it has been in the same family.

Patrick McConville and his business partner and wife Julie are the latest in a line of retailers, and perhaps the most dynamic to date.

Solar panels are to be installed on the roof soon, to help brighten the future for this go-ahead business which has seen dramatic changes over the last few years.

The couple were living adjacent to the previous small shop for decades, where they are bringing up their young family. They have now taken the major step of demolishing all the previous property, trading in portakabins for a time, and expanded the site to include some 20 car parking spaces and a new home for them next door.

The store has been completely rebuilt and expanded and is modern, bright, airy and user-friendly. On stepping inside, the customer is faced with a hot drinks’ machine, which proves very popular in the mornings.

Newspapers are clearly displayed and impulse buys sit comfortably along with the famous Mullins Ice Cream for the warmer summer days.

The store has been laid out to meet the exacting standards of NISA and Patrick is full of praise for the hands-on assistance provided in both the fitting out and the vital decisions on where to place each product group.

“I looked at the various wholesale options before settling on NISA and have found them to be exceptional,” says Patrick, and very 8 • •Ulster 3614 UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

much a ‘hands-on’ organisation too. “In the hectic days when we were fitting out and stocking the new shop, Pat, Paul and Noel were on hand and were especially helpful.”

Having been a fully ‘independent’ trader for many years, this decision seemed to be a tough call, but Patrick is sure he has made the right choice.

“I like their local model and their pricing structure is excellent with ongoing, very competitive promotions,” he says. “There are two frozen and chilled deliveries weekly as well as one ambient. The trucks are without fail on the doorstep early and I can order everything online through the NISA E-Positive system right up to two days before deliveries are due.

“The NISA Heritage brands are first class too, and would now represent about 20% of all my lines. The retail prices are low, and set at a level that I wouldn’t be able to match as just an independent trader, so that’s a major plus with a Spar forecourt operation as the competition in the village.

“I can still use local produce too and enjoy working with the likes of Diamond Meats and The Cake Shop in Magherafelt who supply all the fresh, pre-packed meats and home bakery products. I also use the excellent Mullins Ice Cream, and have a small hot food offering with a mini oven and heated display, which is popular in the mornings,” he says. “We also work with others such as Dale Farm, Tayto, Linwoods, Island Salad and Bramley Apple bakery products.”

The store has nearly an entire wall of

chillers, for a range of top quality, priceconscious products as well as a good frozen foods offering.

There is a fresh section for vegetables and fruit and several rows of ambient, all serviced by two scanning checkouts which incorporate the Lotto and a small tobacco product display and the mini oven and display for hot sausage rolls and savouries.

There are petrol and diesel pumps across the street too, but there’s only a long term plan to bring these onto the site as well due to the high cost associated with such a move.

HERITAGE Patrick followed in his father Peter’s footsteps, working in the shop as a schoolboy alongside his dad and mum, Mary. Patrick took over the full running of the business in 2002 when she passed away, some years after his dad died, in 1978.

The original small shop dated back to wartime, when the village was home to, first, an important RAF and USAF base and, later, an RAF training base for Korean War pilots.

That shop was closed over 11 years ago and transferred to portakabins where it successfully developed over the last decade.

Latterly, this meant a three-month period when the business went live on the NISA ordering system. “This was a vital part of the development and saw us fully integrating into the NISA ordering and was a great benefit for when we opened the new 1,600-square-foot store,” he says.

It was a major investment of more than

STORE FOCUS £250,000, but targets are being achieved and Julie and Patrick are happy that the business plan is taking off.

Jobs have been created too with nine full and part-time staff now at work, covering 363 days of opening, from 7.30am to 9.30pm and an hour less each way on Sundays.

There are long hours for the busy partners too, but they are happy with progress and the way the new building and facilities have been received.

There is a considerable focus on the local community as well. “NISA has a scheme to support charities that are close to individual stores and Ardboe is getting its share.

“Their ‘Making a Difference Locally (MADL)’ initiative means that donations are generated automatically when certain products are purchased and these funds are then available for the store to apply to local worthy causes,” says Patrick.

Patrick says he even gets some trolley shopping as the prices are so competitive: “About 10% would be a ‘full shop’ but really, the store is all about convenience.”

Julie says: “The way people shop now is different. There’s not just one big shop anymore, as people will drop in to buy essentials on several occasions each week.

For many, there’s no longer a big shopping experience at all, as they just use the convenience of local stores to meet their needs.”

Big stores are still competition though with a major Asda about ten miles away in Cookstown but, for now, NISAlocal is more than holding its own in rural Ardboe and this latest generation of the McConville family powers ahead… complete with high-tech solar panels.

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15

SHOW PREVIEW

Food and Drink Show NI Delivering Northern Ireland’s biggest consumer food and drink show is not a job for the faint-hearted. Ulster Grocer caught up with Judith Brannigan, show director of the Food and Drink Show NI, to hear how preparations are going.

WHAT MAKES THE FOOD AND DRINK SHOW NI DIFFERENT? Fundamentally, the show is the biggest local event for businesses that produce or supply quality food and drink-related products; whether it’s through retail, directly or on-line, to engage, inspire and sell to the end customer.

The feedback from our trade exhibitors and sponsors tells us that it’s all about the quality of the visitors that the show attracts. They’re people who are really interested in food and drink, who care about the provenance of what they buy and who enjoy meeting producers and traders face-to-face and discovering new products and the story behind them.

Of course the entertainment draw of the show is a major factor in its success. The Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre is of a scale and quality of presentation you’ll see nowhere else in Northern Ireland and features a line-up of TV chefs second to none. Our Open Kitchen is another show highlight with a day-long programme of demonstrations from local Northern Ireland chefs and local food heroes.

Judith Brannigan

LAST YEAR WAS YOUR FIRST YEAR. WILL 2014 BE MORE OF THE SAME? Well, when you’re able to attract just under 10,000 visitors to a fledgling show, we obviously got a great deal right. I expect ‘bigger and better’ is the expected response but, for us, year two truly will be bigger. The success of our first Show has given us a great base from which to build. For a start, just about every exhibitor and sponsor who was involved last year is back for seconds, which speaks volumes for the business they did over the three days.

When you’re working to get a new event off the ground, it can be frustrating. A lot of 16

people wished us well last year but held back from taking part because they wanted to see what we would deliver. I’m delighted to say that my phone has been busy with those same people now keen to come on board.

Delivering an event where producers do good business is one of the joys of running a show like ours, and this year we are delighted to be able to introduce a special artisan package to encourage smaller businesses to take part. This discounted package has only been made possible through the sponsorship of our ‘NI Artisan Village’ by Food NI and the funding they received from the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme.

WHO WILL BE YOUR HEADLINERS THIS YEAR? Anyone who saw James Martin on the Sunday last year will know how big a draw he is – every one of his demonstrations were sold out. James loved the show so much that this year he’s opening for us on the Friday, flying back to London in the evening to get ready for Saturday Kitchen and then coming back to Belfast in the afternoon to be with us for Sunday again. Simon Rimmer of Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch will also be flying in for three demonstrations on the Friday and John Torode of Master Chef will be on stage on both Saturday and Sunday with Rachael Allen making a return visit to the theatre on Saturday.

Together with the fantastic local chefs who will be delivering our Open Kitchen programme, this is surely a dream line-up that will deliver even bigger visitor numbers for our exhibitors and sponsors this year.

The Food and Drink Show NI will take place at the King’s Hall Pavilion, Belfast on October 24-26. For information about exhibitor and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.foodanddrinkshowni.com.

GUIDE TO FRANCHISE & FASCIA

Perfect partnership with the Costcutter Supermarkets Group Y

our local knowledge combined with Costcutter’s retail expertise is the perfect partnership. With unrivalled buying power, specialist advice and ongoing support, the retail group can tackle market challenges, compete against the multiples and ultimately help grow your business the way you want to.

Best pricing and power Costcutter offers the largest volume buying power in the UK convenience sector – worth £5bn, through its joint venture buying company, The BuyCo, whose sole purpose is to negotiate the best prices for its retailers.

Costcutter’s pricing is simple, transparent, fair and incredibly competitive. You can offer shoppers excellent prices because of Costcutter’s great wholesale prices, delivering strong margins for retailers.

There are no hidden charges, no surcharges, no membership fees and no low or missed order fees. It also offers competitive rebates.

Best brands and formats You want a store that shoppers trust and recognise, and that has your personal touch and is tailored to meet the needs of your community. Costcutter’s three powerful retail brands – Costcutter, kwiksave and Supershop – are famous for value and delivering a strong retail experience across a broad range of convenience formats, including high street, village, large urban stores, forecourts and CTNs. Best range and promotions Costcutter recognises and responds to the on-going change in convenience shopping, from distress purchase to regular grocery shops which is why it offers over 10,000 best-sellers so you can tailor your range, and offer the best promotions in the independent sector with over 300 deals every three weeks and free POS to ensure your promotions are unmissable and drive sales.

We also have an extensive list of directto-store local and regional suppliers so you can source local produce.

Big and local Costcutter’s own brand Independent offers high quality at great value prices. It is a great alternative to big brands across three tiers – Independent Trader, Independent and Independent Specialist – and has been created just for local shops, giving people more reasons to shop and stay local.

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Consumer marketing Costcutter builds awareness of the brands with marketing that is focused on your local community – building engagement and driving sales. It significantly invests in TV and press advertising, free POS, bespoke leaflets and is developing industry-leading digital marketing. Costcutter also boosts sales with major seasonal promotions and events.

Distribution In partnership with Palmer and Harvey, Costcutter delivers a personal, flexible and reliable service that allows you to just get on and run your business. Tri-temp vehicles

mean you can get all your goods in one easyto-manage delivery at a frequency that is right for your store.

Technology Its cutting edge Activ Technology systems, including ActivCPoS and ActivOC, have been developed in-house by retailers for retailers to make your ordering process hassle free.

We’re better together Costcutter has been championing independent retailers for the past 28 years.

Together with retailers, the group can make sure it is the independent retailer that triumphs.

Supermarkets Group

The right partner for your store Costcutter Supermarkets Group offers independent retailers a range of modern and progressive convenience store brands to suit your location, customer profile, size of store and your own business goals.

Retailers remain independent, whilst benefiting from industry best practice and access to superior buying power to protect your margin and offer competitive prices to your customers. With access to a new own brand range, market-leading category management tools, national, regional and store-specific marketing programmes and pioneering technology systems, we have the perfect package for your business.

To find out how we can work together to help your business grow, call 01904 486 543 or visit www.costcuttersupermarketsgroup.com

To find out more, use your smartphone or iPhone to scan this code using a QR code reader app.

Red Spot Reference: PANTONE 032c

Proud to be local

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21/05/2014 16:51

GUIDE TO FRANCHISE & FASCIA

Mutuality and flexibility are at the forefront for NISA Retailers adopting the Nisa fascia can tap into positive attributes such as value, local, standards, innovation, service and being part of the community, says Nigel Gray, business unit director for symbol. methods that we use in order to communicate that package and our brand strengths to the consumer.

The information that we have, and the way that we use it, within the development of our brand and category propositions means that we can offer much more customer-driven solutions to our retailers; be they independent, specialist or as part of the symbol group.

We have a support team that is both fieldand office-based which works with retailers to ensure that they are developing their businesses commercially and that ensures they are both aware of, and are therefore able to use, all of the tools that Nisa has to offer in order for the retailer to stay ahead of the competition.

ARE THERE ANY PARTICULAR CHALLENGES FOR RETAILERS CARRYING GROUP FASCIA? The challenge for retailers is about being clear, and then maintaining their point of difference and continually communicating that point of difference to their customer base in the increasingly competitive marketplace where price is being pushed as the ‘be all and end all’.

Where huge marketing budgets are being used to tell customers how cheap the multiples and/or the budget retailers are, the independent retailer has to play to their strengths of value, local, standards, innovation, service and being part of the community. The Nisa model can help them do all of that and is a model with a proven track record that they can therefore trust.

8 • •Ulster 3620 UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

HOW HAS YOUR FASCIA GROUP BUSINESS EVOLVED AND DEVELOPED OVER THE YEARS, AND WHAT ARE ITS STRENGTHS AGAINST COMPETITORS? Nisa will continue to use the strengths and points of difference that it has already established (mutuality, service levels, breadth of product range, flexible model) whilst, as a dynamic organisation, it is continuing to improve as it becomes much more customerfocused.

Nisa is fast evolving from being an efficient and effective supplier of product to a customercentric business development and support group. As we develop our customer insight capability, we are becoming much more targeted in our promotional package and the

HAVE YOU ANY PLANS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT? This year, we are simplifying the business to make it easy for Nisa retailers to grow and develop. We are going through the process of reinvigorating the Heritage own-label range.

It has an established and extensive range of own-label products but we are taking Heritage to the next step by developing it into a £500m brand.

Nisa has adapted by launching new store formats following detailed analysis and thorough research highlighting that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’. Research through consumer insight, examining shopper missions by location and demographics has informed the look and feel of each new format. Each format will feature a specific range tailored to the demographic and catchment area.

There will also be an increased focus on technology and IT innovation with a trial of a new consumer-facing app which will help drive customers to stores through the communication of promotions and product ranges.

ARE THERE ANY STANDOUT EXAMPLES OF LOCAL RETAILERS CARRYINg YOUR FASCIA? Nisa has 54 stores in Northern Ireland, which range from 600 to 6,500 square feet. The Fiveways Nisaextra in Newry, Co Down has been a member for almost 15 years. It excels in being a ‘one-stop-shop’ which has served the community of Newry for over 25 years, and has a recently-upgraded bigger and better supermarket. Customers love the awardwinning store, spacious aisles, range and value, deli, bakery, café, butchery, award-winning off-licence and 240 free parking spaces.

YOU CAONN TRUST US DELIVERY

Independent retailers can live or die by the quality of their supply chains and at Nisa we’ve built up one of the best in the business. With our partner DHL we offer flexible delivery patterns that suit the needs of our members, including tri-temperature deliveries where all stock is received in one convenient consignment.

Delivering to our members six days a week, you can trust us to deliver in full, on time.

For more information call 0800 542 7490 or email trust@nisaretail.com

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18/07/2014 14:15

GUIDE TO FRANCHISE & FASCIA

Supporting Today’s local retailers As part of a major UK buying consortium, Savage & Whitten Wholesale promises no strings-attached benefits to its partners.

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s a leading local wholesaler in its own right and part of the UK’s biggest buying consortium, the Today’s Group, Savage & Whitten Wholesale offers its retail partners carrying the Today’s fascia a wide range of competitive benefits.

Currently, almost 100 retail stores are members of the Today’s group in Northern Ireland, and Savage & Whitten hopes to continue expanding.

Central to the Today’s fascia concept is recognition of the importance of independence for retailers, giving proprietors the freedom to run their own store and bring their own ideas to the business.

Today’s offers a leading fascia without contracts, fees, hidden surcharges, onerous sales targets, minimum orders or demands.

A local Today’s team is on hand to help merchandise retailers’ shops to improve layout, and best use the Today’s fascia and diverse product range to deliver increased sales and margins.

Benefits offered to retail partners by Today’s include: • Free membership • Free signage • Free POS materials • Own label range • 4,000-plus ambient products available • Wide chilled and frozen product range available • Central billing • Next day NI-wide delivery service • Ongoing competitive pricing • Margin enhancer offers • One week special offers • Fully integrated EPOS system • Web ordering

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GUIDE TO FRANCHISE & FASCIA

Musgrave develops ownbrand and value offers SuperValu SuperValu lays claim as the only independent supermarket brand in the market which is both fully differentiated and supported. It provides independent supermarket retailers with a bespoke offer in terms of store format, range, pricing, promotions and marketing and offers a comprehensive and dedicated range of support services. SuperValu’s Real Food, Real People brand promise is at the heart of its retail offering, which focuses on delivering good, honestly priced food for today’s shoppers, directly into the heart of the communities in which they live. One key area of development is own brand, with over 1,000 quality SuperValu lines available which are, on average, one third cheaper than leading brand equivalents.

SuperValu’s extensive Prepared by Our Butcher range is freshly made in-store every day, with in-store experts there to give the very best advice to shoppers.

Centra Centra is a ‘full support’ convenience store brand which enables independent retailers

to achieve best-in-class returns. It is a bright, energetic brand, aiming to consistently deliver convenient solutions that make a real difference to shoppers and it is recognised in the industry for its cutting-edge approach to convenience retailing. Centra offers an extensive own brand range in a contemporary new design, as well as an enhanced Daily Basics value range which, on average, is 50% cheaper than the leading brands. The promotional mechanics across both the SuperValu and Centra brands are communicated in every promotional period through a variety of multi-media channels including Royal Mail-distributed leaflets, TV, radio, press and outdoor, with an increasing emphasis on online and social media.

Mace Mace is a ‘lighter touch’ convenience store brand for retailers who prefer a bit more independence. It provides a comprehensive supply chain, wide product range, strong value proposition and a modern and bright store environment. Mace also supplies a more basic range of supports, enabling retailers to serve

their local communities even better than ever and is the lowest-cost symbol in the market in terms of charges and fees. A continued focus for this year has been on the Mace wholesale offer - with a view to providing better wholesale pricing. This is supported by a range of simplification initiatives aimed at making Musgrave easier to do business with for Mace retailers, and offering differentiation from its wholesale competitors.

Maxol opens fifth local 24-hour automated service station fuelling dispensers which accept payment by debit card, credit card and Maxol fuel card. This is Maxol’s fifth auto24 station in Northern Ireland, and follows the successful and popular model pioneered at auto24 in Carryduff in 2011, and subsequently set up at Whitehouse on Shore Road, Hazelbank and Bridge End. “Automated service stations offer motorists a number of distinct Pictured at the opening of Maxol’s new auto24 service station on the Holywood Road, Belfast is Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group. advantages - fuel pricing is keener as there are fewer costs to pay, queues tend to be shorter as uel retailer Maxol has opened a new customers pay at the pump, parents find them Service Station at Holywood Road, convenient and, because the service station Belfast, marketed under its Maxol auto24 operates on a 24-hour basis, motorists can fill brand as a 24-hour fully-automated service up at a time that best suits them,” said Brian station providing Belfast’s motorists with all Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group. day everyday low fuel prices and pay-at-the“While we are delighted to be launching pump convenience. our fifth Maxol auto24, Maxol is still firmly Maxol auto24 has four pay-at-the-pump

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committed to our full service station format.

The automated format in this case has enabled us to make use of a previously closed site by taking advantage of state-of-the-art technology to offer this innovative new fuel solution to motorists in Northern Ireland.”

“As the fuel pricing is controlled directly from head office, the Holywood Road service station allows us to provide motorists with petrol and diesel at even more competitive prices. You can register on www.maxolauto24. com to receive advance notice by email or text of special offers and fuel price happy hour promotions. Over the next 10 days, our dedicated Maxol auto24 service team will be on-hand from 8am to 7pm to offer you assistance and demonstrate how simple and convenient the pay at pump service really is.”

Maxol is celebrating the launch of its new auto24 service station with a host of other customer promotions and activities to create a buzz around the official opening including free coffee and other special giveaways.

It recently introduced the concept in the Republic of Ireland, by opening its first 24 hour automated service station in Sutton, Dublin.

GUIDE TO FRANCHISE & FASCIA

Helping franchise partners every step of the way O

wning and running a franchise can be very rewarding, but starting out on your own can be a daunting prospect. Subway franchisee Stephen Coulter opened his first store in Belfast in December 2013. The opening day was the result of almost 12 months of researching, planning, training and preparation.

“I had been watching the Subway brand closely for a long time,” said Stephen. “Once I’d decided that I wanted to make a move from my management job in the restaurant sector, I started looking around at business opportunities, specifically franchises.

“In January 2013, I began the process of applying for a Subway franchise, spending time in Subway stores, talking to other franchisees and writing my business plan. The guidance and support I had from the regional development team was so valuable, I felt like they were there with me every step of the way, and I could call them to ask anything.

8 36• •Ulster UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

The support was probably the most reassuring aspect for me although I had decided to start Subway franchisee Stephen Coulter at his store my own business, I felt I was be able to design the layout of the store to meet in good company, and was being well looked the needs of my customers.” after.”

Stephen has enjoyed great success in the The next step for Stephen was to find a opening months of his first Subway store, and location for his new store. With a background has advice for anyone thinking of taking the in design – he has a degree in Interior step to becoming a franchisee.

Architecture from Glasgow Caledonian “It’s really hard work running your own University – he wasn’t put off by a blank business, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s canvas, and identified, with the help of the one of the best things I’ve ever done, and what’s regional development office, a newly-built more important, I really enjoy it. My advice 1,100-square-foot unit at Holywood Exchange to anyone considering buying a franchise is Retail Park in the north east of Belfast. simple; just do it - but be prepared to work “The location of the store is perfect for hard, and that means being very hands-on in what I wanted for my first store. It’s a new unit your store, especially in the early days.” on a retail park, which meant I had the most As the Subway brand continues to expand, flexibility you’re likely to have in terms of store it is always looking for new franchisees to design, layout and the equipment within the become part of its success story. store. This was important to me, as I wanted to

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Food & Drink

10,000+ reasons T

Show stoppers W

hat sets the Food & Drink Show NI apart is its dedication to providing a truly world class event that consumers want to visit, with big name chefs providing a draw that our foodie public simply can’t resist. The Food & Drink Show NI draws the crowds, entertains them and delivers enthusiastic customersto its exhibitors.

Returning to the Show for the second year running, this time to both open it on the Friday and close it on the Sunday is James Martin of Saturday Kitchen. Joining James in the Moy Park Celebrity Chef Theatre line up is Masterchef’s John Torode who will no doubt wow the crowds with his Australian inspired cuisine. Simon Rimmer of Something for the Weekend and Sunday Brunch fame, will be inspiring with dishes from his restaurant, Earle, hailed by the Observer as ‘the top celebrity restaurant’ to eat at. Also returning for a second year, Rachel Allen with her practical cooking style is sure to be a major attraction, especially for cooks who want to be able to recreate at home what they see on the stage.

he marketing opportunity of the year for food and drink companies in Northern Ireland is coming up again at the Food & Drink Show NI on 24 – 26 October in the King’s Hall Pavilion, Balmoral.

The inaugural Show in 2013 proved to be a massive success with the public and exhibitors alike and this year’s Show promises to be even bigger and better, with an action-packed programme of attractions to draw what the organisers confidently predict will be more than 10,000 consumers over the course of the weekend.

Leading Northern Ireland food company, Moy Park has come back on board to partner on the Celebrity Chef Theatre, which seats 700 people and will see television stars James Martin, John Torode, Simon Rimmer

and Rachel Allen delight and inspire audiences with their seasonal dishes using local produce.. Northern Ireland’s leading chefs and food heroes will take centre stage in the Show’s Open Kitchen demo area again showcasing their skills and knowledge of local produce.

Such an all-star cast is guaranteed to deliver audiences, who typically spend the best part of their day at the Show, visiting the stands, stands, stopping for coffee or lunch or a drink at the bar and taking in all the attractions to be enjoyed. With a captive audience who are there first and foremost to enjoy themselves delivered every day of the Show, there really is no better place to put your food and drink on the map. Whether you are a producer, a retailer, selling

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Show NI

to be there

directly to the public or online, the Food & Drink Show NI offers an unrivalled opportunity.

Testament to the success of last year’s event and the potential for 2014, the Show has received sponsorship under the Northern Ireland Tourist Board’s Tourism Event Funding Programme – a major vote of confidence in just its second year.

A high profile marketing campaign including tv, radio, press and outdoor advertising, publicity and media relations,

digital communications and social media channels will be rolled out from the end of August when tickets will go on sale.

A new consumer focused website for the 2014 Show at www.foodanddrinkshowni. com and will include profile for all exhibitors and partners.

That said, speedy booking is recommended to secure your spot at what promises to be the food and drink event of the year.

“

95% of last year’s exhibitors have already enquired again for this year, That’s got to be the strongest testament to the value of this event for food and drink companies.

Judith Brannigan, Show Director

Engage, inspire and sell

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he Food & Drink Show NI is unique as the only large scale indoor show in Northern Ireland that targets and delivers an informed, food-loving consumer audience. It provides food and drink businesses with an unrivalled opportunity to get in front of their end users. Last year, the Show attracted just under 10,000 consumers and this year it will surpass that figure to bring people with a real interest in food to the exhibitors’ tables.

Why Exhibit at the Food & Drink Show NI? If you are in the business of food and drink, this is the definitive event for you, providing you with a platform to engage with consumers in a unique and exciting way.

• To sell - ask last year’s exhibitors about the great business they did • To engage with consumers face-to-face and get their feedback • To launch or test market new products • To build brand awareness • To keep good company - introduce your products to top TV and local chefs

Artisan package

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onsumers love to discover new artisan products and this year, the Show’s NI Artisan Producers Village has been significantly expanded in area. Thanks to sponsorship from Food NI and the funding they received from the Northern Ireland Regional Food Programme, the Show is offering a discounted package to local artisans of £420 + VAT for a 2m x 2m stand. Local producers with a turnover of less that £300,000 p.a will qualify.

Exhibitors already signed up include: Food and drink producers; Food and drink retailers; Energy companies; Quality street food vendors; Cookery schools; Book vendors; Kitchen, appliance and accessories brands and: Government and not-for-profit organisations involved in food promotion, safety, waste minimisation and health.

Stand space in the main Exhibition area starts at £175 + VAT per square metre with the NI Artisan Producers Village package of a 2 metres x 2 metres stand available at £420 + VAT. To find out more about how you can get involved and the stand size and location options available please contact Judith Brannigan on 028 9089 1710 or at Judith@foodanddrinkshowni.com.

Show Partners

To book your space

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Sponsored by

My Life in the Grocery Trade Eamon Murray, founder and managing director of Annaghmore Mushrooms HOW DID YOU GET INTO YOUR CURRENT TRADE? From an early age, I was interested in growing fruit and vegetables and helped my dad with everyday duties on the family’s small mushroom farm. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t been involved in mushroom growing and I’ve had various jobs working in local mushroom farms throughout my career.

WHEN DID YOU SET UP YOUR CURRENT BUSINESS? With a lifetime passion for mushroom growing, I started my own business growing and distributing mushrooms in 1998. In 2006, we expanded to buying mushrooms from other growers and distributing their produce as well as our own.

WHAT DOES YOUR CURRENT ROLE INVOLVE? We have dedicated teams who oversee the growing process, select, grade, quality-check, pack and label mushrooms, and my role is to ensure that our process is streamlined, cohesive and in line with our customers’ needs. As adjustments to orders can occur throughout the day, I work closely with our teams to ensure that everyone is aware of the most up-to-date order quantities, timeframes and customer requirements. I also spend time talking to our growers and customers. One area of continual focus in my role is mushroom quality, as this is the very foundation on which our business operates.

WHAT ARE BEST AND WORST PARTS OF YOUR JOB? I can’t think of a ‘worst’ part of my job, but the best part is the satisfaction that comes from knowing that we play our part in providing

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customers with local produce of the finest quality.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE? There is no such thing as a typical day for me, as every day brings different challenges; however, there are factors that will always be constant in my working day and they are over-seeing product quality, and ensuring first rate customer service and that everything in the business is running the way it should.

PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? Having worked in the mushroom-growing business for years, it was a proud moment in 1998 setting up my own business and subsequently expanding it in 2006. We also marked a special milestone last October at the official opening of our purpose-built pack house and company headquarters. We have a hard working team here at Annaghmore

Mushrooms who pull out all the stops to make sure that we deliver the very best produce and customer service, and it was a proud day for everyone to recognise and celebrate how far we have come and to look towards the future.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? As mushroom growing by its very nature is a 24/7 occupation, time away from work is precious and I enjoy spending time with my family. I’m also a football fan and enjoy watching Formula One and playing the odd round of golf when I can squeeze it in!

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW That is a tough one … I could tell you a few things people may not know about mushrooms!

For example, did you know that mushrooms are neither plants nor animals, but have their own ‘Kingdom of Fungi’ classification?

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

Dunbia ranks among UK’s Top 100 companies

I

ncreased sales and continued expansion have contributed to Dungannon-based meat processor Dunbia securing a place in the Sunday Times Top Track 100 for a fourth year running.

Dunbia has climbed 10 places in the ranking to sit at number 78, following a 6% increase in sales since 2013.

“Dunbia has been growing steadily over the past number of years with a number of key acquisitions, most recently in Ayr in Scotland, which has consolidated our UK operation and put us is a very strong position

for the future,” said Jim Dobson, managing director of the Group. “To be rising through the ranks in the Top 100 companies and in the company of global brands such as Virgin Atlantic and JCB in the UK is a reflection of our ongoing and continued success.

“The foundation of our success is threefold. It is a combination of long-term business partnerships with some of the UK’s largest retail multiples, a true understanding and respect of and a commitment to our suppliers and a strategic expansion programme which has brought us our ongoing success. We plan to build on these principles to ensure future long-term growth for our company.”

Dunbia has 13 sites across the UK and Ireland, processing beef, lamb and pork for national and international markets. Headquartered in Dungannon, it employees over 4,000 people and is currently ranked in the Top 10 companies in Northern Ireland.

Dart Mountain launches new blue cheese D

art Mountain Cheese Company in Northern Ireland has launched a new cheese, Sperrin Blue, named after a nearby peak in the Sperrin range of mountains in the north west of Northern Ireland.

Sperrin Blue has been developed by cheese maker Julie Hickey from milk sourced from local dairy farms and is handmade in small batches using traditional methods, and aged for up to six weeks to maximise flavour before release. It is a semi-hard pasteurised cows’ cheese with blue veining and a natural rind, available in 150g, 1.5kg and 3kg formats.

Sperrin Blue is the third blue cheese to be launched in Northern Ireland in the past two years – the others being Kearney Blue, from Portaferry and Young Buck, the first cheese to be developed by Mike’s Fancy Cheese based at Newtownards.

Dart Mountain Cheese is part of Tamnagh Foods, a small business based at Park in Claudy, which also produces granolas, relishes and chutneys. The cheese business was established by Hickey, who has been involved in the local food industry for over 18 years as a chef and restaurateur, in June 2011.

In June 2012 the company converted a disused farm shed into a modern approved food unit, incorporating a modern production kitchen, cheese production area and cheese maturing rooms to facilitate the controlled ageing of cheese.

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Julie Hickey with her Sperrin Blue.

The artisan business recently agreed a distribution deal in Northern Ireland with Henderson Foodservice.

“We are committed to the principles of artisan production – carefully producing food with the minimum use of machines to maximise the natural flavours of the food,” said Hickey. “We are committed to the environment; we source locally to keep food miles down, ensure traceability and recycle to minimise our waste. Furthermore, we are committed to food integrity, sourcing directly from the farms in our region to guarantee the source of the food and to improve spend in our local community.”

The company is also a founder of the Sperrin Dairy Group, which seeks to encourage the development of a network of artisan producers in the wider Sperrins area.

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FOOD & DRINK NEWS

Consumer Insight and Market Update

By Jason Winstanley, senior insight and research manager at Moy Park

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sk consumers what’s most important to them when it comes to choosing food, and two areas usually dominate – the price and the expectation of the taste. Recent Moy Park research1 revealed that, for 35% of consumers, the price is ultimately the most important factor, whilst the taste of the product was key for 22%. However, the health credentials of the product ranked a strong third, with 18% stating that health was the single most important factor for them.

Those who shop in more premium retailers actually rate health as the most important consideration, but this is not unexpected; Mintel’s Healthy Lifestyles report2 showed that the prevalence of paying close attention to the health credentials of what is eaten decreases with decreasing household income. In other words, more affluent consumers are more likely to be aware of the health credentials of the products they are buying.

However, although health clearly occupies an important position in the consumer mind-set, there seems to be a disconnect between perception and reality. For instance, consumer usage data from Kantar Worldpanel shows that, whilst two-thirds of consumers aim to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, the reality is that only 11% are actually doing so3. On average, consumers are only eating around half the portions of fruit and vegetables per day that they should be doing. The disconnect also extends into the out of home market; in a recent survey Allegra Foodservice4 found that only 36% of casual restaurant brands are providing either full calorie information on their menus or ranges of low calorie options.

Although consumers are clearly less engaged with health than they would like to be, or than they perceive themselves to be, one area of the market which is growing very strongly is the free from sector.

At the end of 2013, Kantar Worldpanel sized the total free-from market at £346m, and growing at 18% versus the previous year, with gluten free and wheat free products accounting for over 60% of total free from sales5. Currently, the sector is dominated by wheat-heavy categories such as bread, biscuits, cereals and pasta, but there is certainly potential for the trend to spread to other food groups.

So, the learnings would seem to be that, whilst certain, targeted, sectors of the health market are in strong growth and clearly striking a chord with a particular set of consumers, the health credentials of food products in general are not registering to the extent that they could be. Given the perceived importance of health for the consumer, this currently looks like a missed opportunity for manufacturers, retailers and restaurant chains alike. Whoever can ultimately unlock the general potential of health within food to a greater extent than has so far been the case could potentially turn a missed opportunity into a golden one.

Source: 1 – Moy Park / Toluna survey of 500 respondents, July 2014; 2 - Mintel Healthy Lifestyles - UK - January 2013; 3 – Kantar Worldpanel Usage, 2012; 4 – Allegra Foodservice Menu and Food Trends, 2014; 5 – Kantar Worldpanel 52 weeks to December 2013 v previous year.

Foster announces 628 jobs and £170m expansion at Moy Park

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rade Minister Arlene Foster has announced a £170m expansion by Moy Park that will provide 628 new jobs across three sites in Dungannon, Craigavon and Trade Minister Arlene Foster is pictured with Janet McCollum, chief executive of Moy Park and Lord Morrow after announcing a Ballymena. £170m expansion by the company that will provide 628 new jobs across three sites in Dungannon, Craigavon and Ballymena.

“This investment, which will mean a £10.5m increase in wages and salaries annually for the local economy, is a huge boost of confidence in Northern Ireland as a European food production and manufacturing centre of excellence by a world leading company,” said the Minister.

“The expansion will further enhance Moy Park’s contribution to the local economy by enabling the business to achieve a substantial growth in sales, mostly to customers outside Northern Ireland, by 2018.”

The investment by Moy Park, part of the Marfrig Group, will include additional processing lines and the establishment of an Innovation Centre, which will drive new product development, as well as Financial Services - a new role for the Craigavon site.

The new jobs, 100 of which are already in place, include roles in management, supervisory, processing and financial shared services.

“We have been able to demonstrate to international investors like Marfrig that we will work with them to ensure Northern Ireland is the right European location to successfully grow their business,” said Foster. “Today’s announcement is a sign of Marfrig’s ongoing commitment to Northern Ireland. The new jobs are being created over a four-year period across Moy Park’s three sites in Ballymena, Craigavon and Dungannon, with a variety of roles available including 70 high value posts based in the new Innovation Centre.”

Invest Northern Ireland is providing financial assistance of £9.5m towards the expansion.

Marfrig Global Foods CEO Sergio Rial said: “We are committed to growing our operations in Northern Ireland and this investment, with support from Invest Northern Ireland, helps us to achieve that. We have had ongoing, positive engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive and have experienced a very pro-business attitude.”

Janet McCollum, CEO of Moy Park, said: “Moy Park started as a small farming company in 1943 and has grown into a top UK business with a £1.5bn turnover. We continue to have big ambitions and this investment will allow us to further grow our operations and create new jobs in Northern Ireland.”

Moy Park introduces ‘No need to wash’ labelling M

oy Park has introduced a front-of-pack label on all its Moy Parkbranded whole birds carrying the message no need to wash, following the Food Standards Agency’s campaign targeting consumers with the message Don’t wash raw chicken.

Moy Park whole birds are stocked across the island of Ireland with the brand having almost 50% penetration in the Irish marketplace.

“We are proud to be one of the first poultry companies to promote the ‘No 8 • •Ulster 3630 UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

need to wash’ message on the front of the pack,” said Ursula Lavery, technical director Europe at Moy Park. “Our research confirms that consumers know chicken is perfectly safe when cooked and prepared properly and that any unfriendly bacterial is killed during the cooking process. The aim of this label is to provide a clear message to consumers that raw chicken does not need to be washed in the home. We have also produced a video and leaflet for consumers on how to prepare and cook chicken safely.”

FOOD & DRINK NEWS

Kilkeel Seafoods to create 33 jobs K

ilkeel Seafoods is investing £933,000 and plans to create 33 new jobs with support from Invest Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund.

The business, based at Kilkeel Harbour, is expanding its processing operations for wholetail scampi for supply to Whitby Seafoods, its parent company in North Yorkshire.

The new jobs will be provided over the next two years, and Invest NI has offered support of £99,000 for the 33 new posts through the Jobs Fund.

“The decision to expand scampi shelling and processing operations in Kilkeel is the outcome of a strategic decision by the group to concentrate resources on supplying existing and potential customers, both retail and foodservice, with scampi sourced from UK and Irish trawlers and processed within our operations, especially here at Kilkeel,” said Daniel Whittle, managing director of Kilkeel Seafoods.

“It’s a tremendous endorsement in the consistently high quality of our products and also of the scampi from the North Channel and Irish Sea provided by our network of experienced suppliers.The investment being undertaken in our

operations in Kilkeel positions us for faster growth within Whitby Seafoods as the group responds to the developing market demand for locally sourced food.”

Kilkeel Seafood currently employs 140 people directly in Northern Ireland’s principal fishing port. It was formed in 2011 when Whitby acquired Rockall Seafoods, another local scampi producer following the acquisition of Middleton Seafoods in 1997, creating the biggest shelling and processing operation for wholetail scampi in the UK. “This is a very significant and strategic investment by Whitby which will strengthen the position of Kilkeel Seafoods within the wider business and is being made because of the quality of products processed at the port from scampi sourced from local and Irish trawlers,” said John Hood, food and tourism director at Invest NI. “The consolidation of scampi processing at Kilkeel is, therefore, a very important boost for the local fishing industry and the wider economy of the County Down coastal region, the centre of the fish processing industry in Northern Ireland.

“Support from the Jobs Fund will leverage almost £500,000 annually in direct

Pictured are, from left, John Hood, food and tourism director at Invest NI, and Daniel Whittle, managing director of Kilkeel Seafoods.

salaries and wages of the new employees as well as offering opportunities to a broad range of suppliers including local trawler owners and crews.”

Ewings expands its smoked fish lines N

orthern Ireland’s oldest fishmonger Ewing’s Seafoods is expanding its range of smoked products in response to growing demand from restaurants, retailers and consumers.

The family business is hoping to build on the popularity of its smoked salmon and pale smoked cod loins, which both won Great Taste awards last year with the cod loin named in the Top 50 Foods and the smoked salmon subsequently listed by Selfridges.

The new products just launched by the Belfast-based business are lightly smoked scallops and a honey-cured smoked salmon.

The company smokes fish in its own kiln over oak and beech wood chippings using historic family techniques. The cured salmon is salted and cold smoked in the kiln for around 10 hours to draw out the flavours before curing in honey. The scallops are smoked for about three hours.

“We’ve seen a considerable uplift in smoked fish particularly from chefs looking for different flavours for their menus,” said Crawford Ewing, commercial director. “It’s an area in which we have a lot of experience based on over 100 years in smoking fish.

“Having our own kiln also enables us to be innovative and to be able to offer customers different tastes. We’ve also been working closely with many of Northern Ireland’s chefs in the development of new tastes for them.

“The successes of our organic smoked salmon and pale cod loins in award competitions are also contributing to the demand for other smoked products. Feedback on the cured salmon and scallops has been extremely encouraging.”

Ewing’s Seafood was established in 2011 and now supplies a wide range of fresh fish including smoked salmon, cod loins and other fresh seafood throughout Northern Ireland, Great Britain and to the United Arab Emirates.

The company moved to a purpose built factory in 2000.

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FOOD & DRINK NEWS

Grace Foods appoints Robert Roberts as NI distributor of Encona Sauces G

race Foods UK, a leading UK supplier of Caribbean food and drink, has appointed Lisburn-based Robert Roberts as the exclusive Northern Ireland distributor for Encona Sauces, the UK’s number one hot pepper sauce*1.

“Roberts Roberts have a proven track record of building brands and we are confident they will play a leading role in ensuring that Encona Sauces realises its distribution potential in Northern Ireland,” said George Phillips, business development director for Grace Foods UK. “This is an exciting time for Encona, following a highly successful first half of the year which saw major investment in the brand, led by national TV advertising, along with innovative NPD. With Robert Roberts on board, we have no doubt that there are even greater things to come.”

Alongside the Encona spicy sauces range, Grace Foods UK boasts a broad portfolio of market-leading brands including nutritionally-enriched milk drink, Nurishment, and the Dunn’s River and Grace branded food and drink ranges.

Earlier this year, the company launched a four-month Hot vs. Sweet TV ad campaign for Encona, featuring real Encona Sauces’ fans.

The commercial highlights the versatility of the brand, demonstrating that, as well as a table sauce, it’s also ideal as a dipping sauce and marinade – and a great-tasting way to spice-up every day dishes.

“We are very proud to have been appointed

by Grace Foods UK,” said Joanne Beattie, brand manager at Robert Roberts (NI).

“Grace Foods UK is known for truly iconic brands, and we look forward to working with them on growing their presence in Northern Ireland.”

As well as Encona Sauces, the company will also distribute Grace Foods’ Nurishment, Dunn’s River and Grace branded products to all locally-supplied market sectors in the region.

To find out more, visit www.gracefoodsukgroup.com.

Sources: * 1 IRI UK Table Sauces (Chilli & BBQ) MAT 52 w/e 21st June 2014.

Costa Express machines bring convenience to garage forecourts S

omething new has started to arrive in garage forecourts throughout Ireland…

Costa Express machines have started to appear serving Gourmet Costa Coffee.

Using the same freshly ground Mocha Italia beans you’ll find in Costa stores and fresh milk in every cup, Costa Express is a great way for your customers to grab a quality Costa coffee on the go. The self-serve coffee bars are designed to be simple to use and maintain, and provide the same high standard of drink for every customer time and time again. Costa Express is the quickest and easiest way to ensure your customers enjoy a delicious, quality cup of Costa coffee every time.

The state-of-the-art Costa Express machines use precision grinding, tamping, temperature and perfectly steamed milk, to provide a

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quality cup of Costa coffee every time. With as little as 1m² of floor space required, it’s convenient for you as well, whatever the size of your premises. Telemetry allows Costa to monitor and develop your coffee business 365 days a year.

Costa works with partners to enable them to provide a quality Costa coffee for their customers. There’s minimal outlay as Costa installs your machine for free, and provides all of your coffee and consumables. A unique revenue share scheme means income is shared at an agreed rate and Costa is always on hand if you need it. All Costa Express sites have dramatically increased coffee sales and driven new customers onto customers’ forecourts so all you have to do is keep your machine topped up with fresh milk and watch your profits grow.

Q&A

In the Hot Seat Jacquelyn Stewart, managing director of Squeeze Juice Cafe.

TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I live in Warrenpoint, and have a son and daughter as well as a granddaughter and grandson. The wheatgrass keeps me looking too young to be a grandmother. In a previous life, I was sales manager for Halifax Bank of Scotland and then decided my life would be much better if I was growing wheatgrass! I am a positive person and I like to think I am fairly resilient towards any curve balls life chooses to throw.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE FOR YOU? Every day brings its own opportunities. I usually start the day taking my granddaughter to crèche; then, on the days I am based in the office, I do a walk about with the production team ensuring there is enough grass growing/ being juiced and discussing the orders in the production schedule. I then work on emails and place orders for supplies and answer queries from the team and customers until lunchtime. After lunch I check all the orders have been despatched, make phone calls, work on accounts, and plan for trade shows.

Alternatively I am out on the road meeting with potential wholesale stockists.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? To date, the highlights have been winning the Kraft Foods Leading Light Award in 2012 and, more recently, being short-listed for the Nectar Small Business Awards 2014 and Ulster Tatler Business Woman of the Year 2014 (still to be judged).

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? I still get a buzz from watching seed grow into grass and then producing the most amazing juice. Running an online business means that sales come in 24/7, so it is always nice to wake up and find you have received overnight orders for your product.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT TASK? At the moment, we are experiencing high levels of demand for the product. We have been very fortunate to receive some very positive media coverage recently and that has meant that the demand for the product trebled in the last month. Not everyone appreciates that it takes grass time to grow, no matter how much you watch it. However, it is not a bad place to be.

BEST ADVICE YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED? A wise person once told me to ‘keep your customers at the heart of every decision you make’. I try to stay true to this advice wherever possible.

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WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST GRIPE? As a bit of a control freak, I hate when I have no control over things my business is reliant on.

Couriers, postal service, suppliers, weather…

to become #WOW (Women on Wednesday) winners. She then promotes these businesses on her Twitter feed. Squeeze Juice Café joined the WOW winners on October 31, 2012.

WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO HAVE? I have an amazing talent for growing wheatgrass, LOL, but I would like to be able to sing.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? I live in a beautiful place, with the most amazing views of the Mourne Mountains and my house overlooks the golf course and Carlingford Lough so I would have to say Warrenpoint (when the sun shines). I was very fortunate to have an uninterrupted view of the Saga Pearl cruise ship when she docked in Warrenpoint.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/ AMBITIONS? The plan is to increase the wholesale offering through a number of independent health stores in the UK, ROI and NI and by increasing the number of distributors in Europe. I want Squeeze Juice Café to be the brand everyone looks for on shop shelves and online with a digital marketing presence fit for purpose.

WHOM DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Northern Ireland is full of women running their own businesses and juggling family life, who I wholeheartedly admire and applaud. Outside of NI, the person I most admire is Jacqueline Gold who is renowned for running a business by women for women. Despite her busy schedule, she still makes time every Wednesday to invite female business owners to tweet her their businesses and she chooses her favourite three

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD PRODUCT? I am a huge fan of Broighter Gold rapeseed oil, especially the lemon-flavoured oil, Abernethy Butter and fudge and Chocolate Manor bespoke chocolates; all made by my good friends and some of Northern Ireland’s most-motivated business women.

HOW DO YOU RELAX? I don’t think anyone who knows me well would describe me as the most relaxed person – I usually have too much going on in my head.

However, taking my grandchildren to feed the ducks and to the park on a Sunday is so special.

Heading off for a Spa weekend is just about perfect.

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BACK TO SCHOOL part two

Centra offers Back to School deals

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ith families throughout Northern Ireland getting ready for the new school term, Centra is offering a variety of Back to School deals with competitive prices for breakfast and lunch items, as well as a related Facebook competition.

Centra’s Facebook competition offers five people the chance to win a bundle of familyfriendly prizes. Launching on September 1, the prize bundle includes a family pass for Belfast Zoo and Titanic Belfast, a family cinema pass, a Polaroid camera and a £20 Centra voucher.

The local retail group is also offering a free Irwin’s Kit Bag for every customer buying three of the following Irwin’s products: Irwin’s Softee Loaf, Muffins 8 pack, Nutty Krust, Jammy Joeys or German Biscuits.

Further offers include Centra Orange Juice for 50p when bought with a 24 pack of Weetabix for £1.99, as well as Kellogg’s Special K and Rice Krispies for £2 and Centra’s Cornflakes for £1.39.

Lunchtime specials, meanwhile, include Centra’s £1 deals including Centra 4 pack of Plain Bagels, Florette Mixed Salad, Centra Bananas

For further details contact Robert Roberts (NI) Ltd. 028 9267 3316 or www.robert-roberts.co.uk

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6 pack, Centra Green Grapes and a selection of multi-pack biscuits including Time Out, Oreos and McVitie’s Hobnobs.

Other offers include Denny Wafer Thin Ham for 50p when you buy Dromona Mild Cheddar 350g for £2 and a 7 pack of apples for 50p when you buy an 8 pack of Apple & Blackcurrant Fruit Shoots for £2.

Also available are Denny Deli Style Ham for £1.09, Low Low Snack pack for £1.09, Cheestrings 4 pack for £1 and 3 Ambrosia Custard and Rice pots for £1.

BACK TO SCHOOL part two

Harvesting success in cereal bar category H

alo Foods is to re-launch its range of Harvest Cheweee cereal bars to help drive growth in the kids segment of the category (currently worth £62m) and position itself as the #1 choice for parents, buying for kids of all ages.

The re-launch will see the introduction of two new SKUS and a complete packaging overhaul to help revitalise the brand, making it relevant to modern families.

Each of the five flavours in the new range will be represented by a different animal, set on a simple blue background to increase stand out on shelf and enhance product appeal to both parents and children alike.

“Cereal bars are a perfect on-the-go snack, due to their portability and no-mess portion control,” said Jodie Cavaye, brand marketing manager for Harvest Cheweee. “Our research told us that mums are looking for permissible cues, but also want to know they’re getting something their children will actually enjoy*.

We’ve met both of these needs with a simple, yet effective carton design which clearly shows the permissibility of the whole rolled oats and wheat ingredients, together with the indulgence of the flavour variant. Inside the carton, children will find individually wrapped cereal bars printed in vibrant colours, complete

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with engaging animal facts offering a fun and educational snack-time experience.”

As part of the new packaging design, the new look will also see the introduction of a revised logo which more closely resembles the shape of a wheat grain, to reflect the harvest ingredients and highlight the product credentials to parents.

The two brand new SKUs to be launched as part of the revitalised range are: Strawberry Crush, with freeze-dried pieces of strawberry to create a sweet, tangy flavour and Rocky Road, packed with milk and white chocolate chips, marshmallows, biscuit pieces and raisins.

“More milk chocolate chip Harvest Cheweee bars are sold every year than any other kids cereal bar and our consumer research further confirmed that chocolate is a firm favourite with our core audience, but that they are always looking for new and exciting flavours **,” said Cavaye. “We’ve met that need with an indulgent twist on our classic milk chocolate and white chocolate variants.

“Additionally, consumer research also showed us that both existing customers and non-Harvest Cheweee customers were keen to see a fruit flavoured variant added to the range, with strawberry being the most popular choice. With a lower amount of sugar per bar, we feel the new Strawberry Crush cereal bar

is an important addition, giving balance to the flavour choice and offering an alternative to draw in new consumers.”

To support the launch, the brand is investing in ATL activity which will tie in with the Back to School period.

The revamped products, which include milk chocolate chip, white chocolate chip and toffee chip as part of the core range, as well as the two new flavours, will be on shelf in all major retailers this Summer, with an RRP of £1.69 per box (eight individually wrapped 22g bars).

* Nidus packaging research – January 2014 ** Fresh Insights Focus Groups – May 2013

35

PROFILE – SHS GROUP

A sparkling performance Retiring SHS chief executive Michael Howard tells Ulster Business editor David Elliott how the business has transformed itself to keep pace with a changing market place.

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ake a look at the Ulster Business Top 100 companies list over the last few years and there’s one company which has steadily climbed up the rankings year after year.

SHS Group is a familiar name to those in the retail and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector but might be better known to the rest of us through some of its more famous brands.

When you take a sip of Christmas staple Shloer, Elderflower revivalist Bottle Green cordial or even the more racier WKD then you’re dipping into the SHS Group portfolio; one which is made up of wholly-owned brands such as those mentioned above along with a plethora of other grocery names for which the company acts as an agent.

It was not always thus, however, as Michael Howard, the outgoing managing director of the group explains.

He arrived as finance director in 1995 after spells with Price Waterhouse – as it was then known – R&H Hall and linen exporters Moygashel.

At that time, SHS was predominately an agent for other company’s products and doing pretty well with a turnover of £50m.

Since then, the business’s focus has not so much changed as switched, with only 48% of the turnover taken up with agency business – selling the likes of Jordans, Ryvita, Nivea, Finish and Mars Drinks – and the other 52% on its own brand products.

Turnover has risen sharply to £400m in that time, and profits too, proving the decision to alter course was worthwhile, but how did it come about?

“In 1994 we were appointed agents for Caledonian Clear, a flavoured water which was competing with Clearly Canadian at the time,” said Howard. “It was so successful we ended up buying 75% of the company which owned Caledonian Clear called Beverage Brands.”

The founder of that company, Joe Woods, went on to invent Woody’s, a so-called readyto-drink alcoholic beverage, before coming up with WKD Iron Brew in 1996 and then WKD Blue in 2001, all highly successful for the joint owners.

“The early stage of my time at SHS was a journey in building the drinks business from 1995 to 2002,” said Howard. “By 2002 we had a hugely successful brand in WKD but, because Caledonian Clear had gone and Woody’s had also gone (apart from the export market) we were a one trick pony.”

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Michael Howard

“That’s when the shareholders made a decision to diversify and it was from then we changed our strategy to be a broadly-based FMCG business with both our own and agency brands.”

The company wasted little time, acquiring the iconic Shloer business, Merrydown Cider, Maguire & Paterson, British Pepper & Spice and Gordons Fine Foods.

The Merrydown acquisition is probably one of the most significant as it involved taking a public limited company into private hands; thought to be one of the first times a Northern Ireland company had attempted such a delisting.

And the acquisition of the herbs and spice business – British Pepper and Spice based in Northampton – was also a big achievement, particularly given it’s now turning over £50m a year.

That part of the company isn’t the only one with exposure to GB. Around £320m of SHS’s annual turnover comes from outside Northern Ireland.

“Essentially we’re running a GB business with a significant Irish arm,” said Howard.

“We have developed a model in GB where, with some, big brand owners look after the top eight or 10 accounts and we look after the rest of the trade and it’s proved very successful.”

And he said running an-own brand business alongside the agency business provides plenty of opportunity.

“There’s a wealth of synergies in having a foot in both camps. For example, we sell Merrydown as our own brand but we also represent Distell Group with Savanna Dry so we’re bringing two ciders to the market as a portfolio and sharing both the consumer insight, the marketing and the costs. It’s a pretty powerful combination.”

Such success in GB throws up the obvious question as to why the company remains based in Northern Ireland; one which Howard finds easy to answer.

“The company was founded here, it’s still owned by the two founding families, we’ve been successful here and the quality of the staff is second to none. There’s no desire to change it.”

As he looks back on nearly 20 years at SHS, Howard said he’s “thoroughly enjoyed” his time at the company, but feels it’s time to step aside.

“Part of the reason I’m retiring is because the business is in the perfect position for someone to take it to the next level. It’s not about revolution, but about evolution and continuing to do what we have done well, like increasing the export business and finding one or two acquisitions to bolt on.”

And as he approaches retirement, there’s little chance of Howard being at a loose end.

“Anyone who knows me, will realise that between rugby, cricket and golf that I’ll definitely not be too bored.”

DRINKS NEWS

Asda toasts new partnership with Hilden Brewery L

Owen Scullion from Hilden Brewery is pictured with Jill Berry from Asda.

isburn-based family business Hilden Brewery has secured a new contract with Asda to supply 15 of its stores across Northern Ireland with a range of locally-brewed artisan beers and ales in response to growing customer demand for speciality beers.

The contract marks the first time Hilden has ever supplied a multiple retailer, and will see Asda stores stocking eight of the most popular lines produced at the family-run

microbrewery from Titanic Quarter Beer to Hilden Twisted Hop. “We’re committed to supporting local suppliers, both large and small, right across the region and we’re delighted to welcome Hilden Brewery to the Asda family,” said Jill Berry from Asda Northern Ireland’s local sourcing team.

“More than ever, our customers are asking for more interesting and diverse products. Thanks to Hilden’s innovative approach we can meet this demand by offering our shoppers a great range of high quality beers and ales which are all hand-crafted locally.”

Owen Scullion, master brewer at Hilden Brewery, said: “We’ve worked hard over the last number of years to ramp up production and we’re delighted to now be in a position to supply our first supermarket and share our products with Asda customers across Northern Ireland.”

M&S OWN-LABEL WINES AMONG DECANTER WORLD WINE AWARDS

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arks & Spencer’s Eclipse Bio Bio Riesling from Chile won the International Trophy for dry Riesling under £15 at the 2014 Decanter World Wine Awards.

A total of 33 international trophies were awarded at DWWA 2014, representing just 0.22% of the 15,007 wines tasted by 224 specialist judges from around the world, including 66 masters of wine and 18 master sommeliers.

Sales of own-label still wine hit £1.24bn in 2013, constituting 22.6% of the UK still wine market, according to Mintel data.

“The better supermarkets are known for two things,” said Steven Spurrier, chair of the Decanter World Wine Awards. “They have a top team of buyers, often with more than one Master of Wine, and offer the best value to their customers. It takes the Decanter World Wine Awards to highlight these values by the awards they give to the wines.”

Crabbie’s targets RTD category

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nited Wine Merchants has launched a new Crabbie’s innovation, Crabbie’s Fruits, targeting the RTD category and aiming to stand out within the convenience sector and create differentiation from other RTDs with its natural ingredients.

Aimed at 22 to 26-year-old consumers, the new alcoholic fruits range is expected to appeal to drinkers seeking a sweeter product to enjoy with friends during summer occasions, both in and outdoor.

Crabbie’s Fruits will be available in three fruity variants, Zesty Lemon, Raspberry & Rhubarb and Black Cherry. Using natural fruit ingredients including up to 10% juice, the range is free from artificial colours and flavours and is available in 330ml bottles with a 4% ABV, to be consumed straight from the bottle.

Crabbie’s will be supporting the launch with a significant consumer campaign throughout the summer and beyond including PR, digital and social media activity, and a national sampling campaign.

37

MARKETING NEWS

New brand partnership with Tyrone GAA for Deep River Rock

Pictured are, from left, Ciaran McLaughlin, chairman of Tyrone County; Orla McKenna, brand manager, and Paul McDonnell, regional customer manager, of Deep RiverRock; Mickey Harte, team manager of Tyrone; and Robert Crabbe, sponsorships manager of Deep RiverRock.

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eep RiverRock and Tyrone GAA have announced a partnership which will see Ireland’s leading water brand becoming Official Hydration partner to Tyrone GAA. “Deep RiverRock is delighted to be involved with Tyrone GAA for 2014,” said Orla McKenna, brand manager for Deep RiverRock. “The teams have enjoyed considerable successes in recent times and we’re delighted to be part of that for the championship campaigns. Hydration

is critical for mental and physical performance and we’re thrilled to be the hydration partner to Tyrone, helping them stay hydrated thoughout the season.”

Deep RiverRock is also Official Hydration Partner to the Connacht Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby and Ulster Rugby Teams, and title sponsor of the Deep RiverRock Belfast City Marathon and Half Marathon.

GSK launches first heavyweight sports nutrition campaign in Ireland G

laxoSmithKline (GSK) has launched the MaxiNutrition brand in Ireland with a new product range, as part of a global brand renovation to make protein more accessible to consumers and drive category growth.

Alongside this, GSK is unveiling a new #FeedYourMuscles campaign aimed at educating consumers about the benefits of protein-based sports nutrition to their exercise and wellbeing regimes.

Previously known to consumers as Maximuscle, new MaxiNutrition has aired on Irish TV since April for six months, appearing on RTE and Ireland’s national, network and satellite stations, as the first sports nutrition brand to use TV advertising in Ireland.

This will be supported by further ATL activity across print, social media and digital. The MaxiNutrition product range will be distributed across a wide network of channels including grocery, convenience and pharmacy in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

“By launching the MaxiNutrition range in Ireland, we are able to drive consumer awareness, particularly amongst our core target audience of men aged between 25-35 who play sport but have yet to discover the

benefits that MaxiNutrition can offer them,” said Craig Read, marketing director of MaxiNutrition. “With the combined support of the #FeedYourMuscles campaign alongside the media burst, we anticipate growth within the sports nutrition category over the next year.”

Debbie & Andrew’s introduces new summer marketing campaign

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ausage brand debbie&andrew’s embarked on a new marketing campaign this summer, hosting a series of events and initiatives with a target of 250,000 samplings throughout the outdoor eating season.

The push featured a major on-pack promotion, road shows, Sunday Mirror/World Cup Voucher campaign, relaunched website and community micro-sponsorship programme.

Running from June to September, the summer on-pack competition offers consumers the chance to win a real taste of the countryside via a unique code on premium 400g packs linked to the website. Seven

38

winners will be announced weekly, with prizes reflecting country themes including boots, window boxes, herb pots, recipe books, chicken coops and Feather Down farm-stay weekends. Over the last 12 months, debbie&andrew’s competitions have attracted over 100,000 entries and a consequent uplift in brand recognition.

The debbie&andrew’s sampling stand, meanwhile, aims to reach 250,000 consumers at shows around the nation while its microsponsorship scheme will visit eight further rural events.

The debbie&andrew’s range is stocked by Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda.

MARKETING NEWS

Lidl sponsors Belfast Tall Ships 2015

Glens of Antrim renews TV sponsorship

Pictured alongside two of Belfast’s finest pirates are, from left, Glen Cinnamon of Lidl Northern Ireland, Belfast Lord Mayor Nichola Mallon and Dr Gerard O’Hare, chair of Belfast Tall Ships 2015.

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elfast Tall Ships 2015 has secured backing from Lidl Northern Ireland as its Host Port sponsor in a partnership worth an estimated £300,000.

The sponsorship was recently announced at a business breakfast event held in Belfast City Hall and hosted by the Lord Mayor, Councillor Nichola Mallon, alongside Lidl Northern Ireland Regional Director Glen Cinnamon.

“It is an absolute pleasure for us to come on board with Belfast City Council to become the headline sponsor of the Belfast Tall Ships 2015,” said Cinnamon. “It is our mission to make a difference in the communities we work in and there is huge enthusiasm within the company to be involved with a festival that will bring a real sense of vibrancy to the province.”

Dr Gerard O’Hare, chair of Belfast Tall Ships 2015, said: “The Belfast leg of The Tall

Ships Race is a massive undertaking for the city and Belfast Harbour, as the event will see an estimated 500,000 descend on Belfast’s historic port.

“Lidl’s sponsorship is a testimony to the work of Belfast City Council and Belfast Harbour, along with its partners in the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, Department for Social Development and many other key organisations such as Titanic Quarter and the Odyssey Trust.”

Belfast is the start port for the 2015 race, with ships from across the globe mooring in Belfast Harbour before setting sail for the Scandinavian cities of Ålesund, Kristiansand and Aalborg. It will mark the third time the city has hosted The Tall Ships Races, after 1991 and 2009, when 500,000 visitors were welcomed and the local economy was boosted by £16m.

Moy Park received a total of 15,000 entries for its all-Ireland ‘Win a trip to the 2014 FIFA World CupTM’ competition, which offered one lucky winner the chance to ‘wing it’ to Brazil to watch the FIFA World Cup semi-final between Argentina and Holland. The competition ran on all Moy Park products in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland from March to May and was supported by a fully-integrated marketing campaign. Greg Curran from County Meath is pictured with son Jason, having ‘scored’ the trip to Brazil, courtesy of Moy Park.

Pictured are Michael McKillop from Glens of Antrim Potatoes and Lesser Spotted Ulster presenter Joe Mahon.

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ocal agri-food business Glens of Antrim Potatoes has renewed its sponsorship of UTV’s Lesser Spotted Ulster programme, with the latest series returning to TV screens last month (July).

The Co Antrim-based company works with growers across Northern Ireland to bring a wide variety of popular and heritage potato varieties to customers – from Maris Pipers to Irish Lumpers – and regards Lesser Spotted Ulster as a perfect partner over the last six years.

“We’re thrilled to once again have this opportunity to support Lesser Spotted Ulster,” said Michael McKillop of Glens of Antrim Potatoes. “The sponsorship has always proved to be a huge success in terms of brand affinity, not least because many of our customers are big fans of the show.

“Each season, Lesser Spotted Ulster unearths special stories and unveils beautiful local scenery, giving viewers the chance to enjoy sights they may not otherwise get to see. We’re delighted to play a part in helping to bring the land and the people of Northern Ireland to life for fans of the programme – no matter where they are watching the show.”

Paul Hutchinson, senior sales director of UTV said: “We are delighted to have Glens of Antrim Potatoes as the sponsor of one of our flagship programmes on UTV. Their commitment to the series has been terrific and we are very pleased to continue the association.”

39

AGRI-FOOD NEWS

First Trust Bank launch AgriFood support programme or refurbishment, with the competitive package offering no arrangement fees, an attractive level of margin discount and flexible repayment structures.

Also launched is a new AgriFood Energy Efficiency Loan specifically targeting farms and agri-businesses introducing energy efficiency measures such as lighting, solar/PV, wind, biomass and hydro projects into their overall operations.

The suite of offerings also introduced a new Young Farmer Package offering three years fee free transactional banking for farmers aged between 18 and 45 years, as well as an attractive Farmer Credit Line to support seasonal working capital requirements alongside normal current accounts.

The programme of support will be delivered through a new team of 16 agri-food specialists based throughout the Bank’s branch network across Northern Ireland; each of whom have been chosen because of their close working knowledge and appreciation of the unique needs of agricultural and agri-food customers. Many are farmers or come from a farming background, while others have amassed years of experience of working with a wide range of farmers and agri-food businesses across the province.

“The importance of the agri-food sector to our overall economy is well known,” said Des Moore, head of First Trust Bank. “The recent Agri-Food Strategy Board Going for Growth strategy highlights the significance of securing and enhancing the food supply chain here to allow us to take full advantage of increasingly Thomas Morrow & Sons, a Newry-based company specialising in the growing, packing global opportunities in food supply. and distribution of cut and scented flowers, was one of the first to benefit from the new First Trust Bank £50m AgriFood Fund, to develop a new cold store, flower cutting “At First Trust Bank, we are very familiar with the importance of line and another acre of new glasshouse and polytunnel. Pictured viewing the new the farming community as the primary producers in that food chain facilities at Thomas Morrow & Sons are Des Moore, head of First Trust Bank (right) along with David Morrow (centre) and Eric Morrow. and want to support those progressive farmers who wish to develop and modernise their operations to take advantage of this massive irst Trust Bank has launched a new support package, including a range of funding initiatives designed to assist progressive farmers and opportunity.

“When taken together, we believe we have put together a range agri-businesses across Northern Ireland to expand and modernise their of competitive, innovative and attractive products and services operations. which should aid those more progressive farmers and other agriThe initiative includes an initial £50m AgriFood Fund to support investment in farm/agri-business growth, diversification, modernisation food businesses to realise their growth ambitions.”

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UFU discuss beef issues with Agriculture Minister U

lster Farmers’ Union President Ian Marshall headed a recent delegation of UFU representatives meeting with Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill to discuss the current difficulties facing the beef industry.

“Overall, it was a broad, all encompassing meeting and we covered a lot of ground,” said Marshall. “There are a number of challenges facing the beef industry at the moment, not least the collapse in the farm gate price over the last number of months.

“My impression is that Minister O’Neill recognises that there are serious concerns about the way in which some processors manage retailer specifications and that due consideration must be given to any proposals which can improve this in the future.

“We also raised the issue of disclosure in relation to the number of residencies an animal has at point of sale and that this information must be made available to ensure that farmers, who are both buyers and sellers, are not disadvantaged in the market place.”

Further issues discussed included the nomad cattle issue, involving the trade of cattle across this island of Ireland, and protection of the Red Tractor premium market; export opportunities to China; and ensuring AFBI and CAFRE have adequate resources.

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UFU warns against bank scam T

he Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) is warning the farming community to be vigilant following reports that fraudsters are obtaining farmers’ bank details and defrauding them.

“According to the banking sector, the number of fraudsters contacting farmers is on the rise and with businesses being affected, vigilance must be increased,” said Barclay Bell, deputy president of UFU. “The fraudsters are contacting farmers claiming they represent their bank and are using a number of tactics to trick them into disclosing their account details, with the intent of illegally securing and using the funds in that account. These unscrupulous individuals are very convincing and may have already obtained important information like who you bank with and other details regarding your account, which is why we are encouraging everyone to be vigilant.”

Banks will never phone or email asking for online password information, nor will they ever ask for an individual to make a payment over the phone using an online account. In addition, legitimate companies, including banks, will never ask customers for all of their security log-on details either over the phone or by email.

AGRI-FOOD NEWS

First piglets born at Dunbia’s Pig Innovation Centre

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key milestone has been reached at the Antrim-based Pig innovation Centre, a three-way partnership between Dunbia, Keys Farms and Sainsbury’s, with the arrival of the first piglets in new purpose-built free farrowing pens.

The sows and piglets will be closely monitored as part of ongoing trials, aimed at developing a sustainable higher welfare method of indoor pig production.

“This is a very exciting time for the Pig Innovation Centre,” said Gavin Hodgson, agriculture manager for Dunbia and the Centre’s

farm manager. “We have spent a year designing, building and implementing the new farrowing pens so that we can conduct detailed trial work into a range of areas of pig production. We have installed four different types of free farrowing pens, which will enable us to conduct pen, flooring trials as well as sow and piglet behaviour observation studies including laying, feeding, farrowing and nesting behaviour.”

“Additional research at the centre will feature key performance and welfare parameters including piglet birth and weaning weights, preweaning mortality, sow condition, weight and P2 score on entering and exiting the farrowing pen, sow feed consumption. We have invested heavily in the Innovation Centre with direct R&D support and commercial backing from Sainsbury’s to provide comprehensive data and recommendations to support future investment within our supply base.”

Philip Hambling, agriculture manager for Sainsbury’s, said: “I’m absolutely thrilled to see the first piglets born, and we look forward to many more successful litters from the farm. This is one of many progressive projects we are working on with our producers and farmers allowing us to develop and extend our products.

“We moved to 100% fresh British pork in 2013 and we hope this commitment will continue to encourage further reinvestment on our pig farms. This industry-leading project will help give our farmers the evidence base to guide future on-farm investment in a way that will improve both competitiveness and animal welfare.”

The project is part of Sainsbury’s £2.2m commitment to the future of farming through the Research and Development grant scheme.

The £1.3m Centre project also involves collaboration with industry bodies such as AFBI and Freedom Foods.

UFU challenge retailers on their lamb sourcing policies U FU has written to a number of major retailers challenging them on their lamb sourcing policies following their lack of commitment and failure to deliver on promises to source local lamb, which is evident from the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) Beef and Lamb watch initiative’s latest findings.

“Back in September 2013, the UFU Hill Farming Policy Committee conducted a survey across a range of supermarkets in Northern Ireland to assess the availability of local lamb on retail shelves,” said Ian Buchanan, chairman of the UFU Hill Farming Policy Committee.

“And while it was not an exhaustive investigation, the findings from our survey were very similar to the research currently being conducted on behalf of the Livestock Marketing Commission. To date, both LIDL and Sainsbury’s have again performed well in terms of supporting local lamb producers with both retailers only selling British and Irish lamb. We welcome their strong support for local

lamb production and would like to commend both retailers on their commitment to date.

“Tesco and Asda however remain the worst offenders with both retailers displaying high proportions of New Zealand or Australian lamb on their shelves at a time when the prime season for local lamb is well underway.

“Retailers would do well to make a real, tangible commitment to sourcing local lamb and supporting local producers rather than just making empty promises. We firmly believe that lamb producers in Northern Ireland are producing a high quality, fully traceable product in a unique rural environment which is valued by our local population and travellers from further afield. In order to protect this, retailer support is essential for local farmers which will in turn ensure that our countryside is preserved by farming families who have a strong desire to supply consumers with this excellent product.”

Rural Development Programme starting to take shape F

armers will be pleased to see the 2014-2020 NI Rural Development Programme (NIRDP) is starting to take shape, according to UFU. “The total £673m funding allocated for the NIRDP means that DARD can deliver a fairly comprehensive package and within this the NI Executive’s commitment to both match fund the NIRDP’s EU funding element and its promise of up to £250m to help deliver on the NI Food Strategy Board’s Going For Growth Report demonstrates that they are serious about the future of our agri-food industry,” said Ian Marshall, president of UFU. “From the outset, the Union has argued that the next RDP must

deliver on key priorities such as innovation and competitiveness if the agri-food industry is to realise its full potential and many of the measures the UFU has lobbied for have been included in the programme.

“We are still drilling down into the detail, but we are starting to get a clearer picture of what the next RDP will look like. The next step will be ensuring a smooth delivery of this Programme and to do that keeping bureaucracy to a minimum so as to maximise its effectiveness will be paramount. It is also essential that DARD ensure these measures are opened as early as possible in 2015 to allow farmers to start to avail of these schemes.”

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export NEWS

NI companies target US market A

group of NI food and drink companies has embarked on a new venture to break into the North American market as the next cluster of the Access 6 export programme launches in New York.

During a three-day tour, participating SMEs learned about the lucrative North American market through a visit to the Summer Fancy Food Fair and appointments with a variety of retail, foodservice and potential trade partners.

The New York study tour kick-started a year-long training programme which will see the SMEs work with channel partners and Access 6 mentors to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the North American export market.

Over the next 12 months, CocoMojo (Lisburn), The Good Food & Wine Company (Coleraine), White’s Oats (Tandragee), Armagh Cider Co (Portadown), Hughes Craft Distillery (Lisburn), Whitewater Brewery (Kilkeel), and Hercules Brewery (Belfast) will undergo bespoke training, mentoring and further market visits with the ultimate goal of securing business in North America’s retail and foodservice sector.

The US is the world’s largest national economy, with an estimated 2012 GDP of $15.6 trillion – 19% of the world’s total GDP. A highly fragmented yet fruitful market, the food retail sector predominantly comprises regional retailers and independent operations, with relatively few national operators. As a result, access to the market is often driven by scale and supply chain challenges. Foodservice meanwhile continues to grow, representing approximately half of all food consumption in the USA and is valued at $594bn.

“North America presents a very diverse market with fantastic potential for each of these food and drink producers thanks to their interesting and unique product propositions,” said Michael Bell, executive director of NI Food & Drink.

“It marks new territory for participating SMEs, so the training and mentoring provided by the Access 6 programme will offer invaluable insight into what could be a highly lucrative export opportunity. North America’s focus on provenance and premium quality is also relevant

Pictured are, from left, Michael Bell, executive director of NIFDA; Jack Hamilton of Mash Direct; James Mathers of Whites Oats; Niall McMullan of Hercules; Laura Jackson of CocoMojo, and Harry Hamilton, Access 6 project manager at NIFDA.

for NI food and drink companies. However with each different state demanding a unique approach, it is not without its challenges; making Access 6 a vital door opener for those looking to enter and gain a foothold in the market.”

North America is the last of six market-specific clusters to open its doors to some of the 90 food & drink SMEs from across Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland who are participating in the Access 6 programme. It follows previous launches in Brussels, Berlin, Paris, London and Stockholm.

Access 6 is an EU INTERREG IVA-funded programme delivered by Northern Ireland Food & Drink (NIFDA), Scotland Food & Drink (SFD) and the Irish Exporters Association (IEA). The initiative aims to provide 90 SMEs across the three border regions with training and mentorship to successfully supply and trade in a number of foreign markets including UK, France, Germany, North America, Benelux and Scandinavia.

Irwin’s sending traditional Irish breads to the Gulf Gulf states.

The contract, worth an initial six-figure amount, was announced

by Irwin’s Bakery Business Development Manager Brendan Lappin and welcomed by Invest NI Trade Director Dr Vicky Kell, during a visit to the company at Carn Business Park in Portadown.

“This is a very significant contract for Irwin’s with one of the biggest and most successful retailers in the Gulf, which gives us a solid platform for further growth in a very dynamic marketplace,” said Lappin. “It’s a Pictured are, Brendan Lappin, bakery business development manager at Irwin’s, with Dr Vicky Kell, trade director at Invest NI. market that we’ve been targeting for some time and is the result of ongoing ortadown-based Irwin’s Bakery has been discussion over the past 18 months, which assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to win followed meetings with LuLu in Northern its first export business in Abu Dhabi.

Ireland arranged by Invest NI. The bakery has secured a deal to supply “The Rankin Selection range will be on sale its Rankin Selection range of traditional Irish in an initial eight LuLu supermarkets within breads, including soda farls, potato farls, 24 hours of leaving the bakery in Portadown stone-ground wheaten, to the LuLu Group in - a significant logistics operation involving Abu Dhabi, one of the biggest retailers in the

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a distributor in Liverpool. The supermarket asked us if we could provide the bread as fresh as possible and we’ve been able to meet the challenge.

“As well as the Rankin Selection breads, we are providing Jammy Joey and Snowy Joey cakes from our Howell’s Handmade subsidiary. Initially all the bread and cakes will be available in eight stores but these outlets are strategically placed close to LuLu Group headquarters in Abu Dhabi. Our aim is to build the business steadily and to widen the customer base beyond the ex-pat community.

“Invest NI’s assistance to expand our international sales to Abu Dhabi has been tremendously important. Hosting visits to Northern Ireland from key procurement managers from supermarkets, such as LuLu, is proving to be a very successful initiative for companies such as Irwin’s, which are keen to grow sales outside Northern Ireland.”

LuLu Group has over 100 hypermarket and supermarket outlets in the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and India.

export NEWS

Invest NI is ‘propelling’ start-ups into the global marketplace I

nvest Northern Ireland has launched a call for innovative start-ups to apply for the 2014/15 Propel programme, aimed at developing businesses with the potential to succeed on an international stage.

Now in its fifth year, Propel is an intensive 12-month programme which helps participants to fast track their business ideas, develop intensive growth plans and Pictured are, from left, Niall Casey of Invest NI and Dungannon-based Orlagh explore global prospects.

McVeigh, a current Propel Programme participant who, along with her husband Applications are now open Fintan McVeigh, is developing their luxury handmade homewares business, Harch Wood Couture. to early stage, exportfocused businesses with an innovative product add to this success.” or service. The 2014/15 Propel Programme Propel provides participants with a series of will commence in November following a challenging business development workshops, competitive application process. valuable advice from local and international “The Propel Programme provides a dynamic business experts, introductions to potential culture and motivational environment for investors and one-to-one bespoke guidance creative, ambitious, early stage company teams through mentorship work. Participants are or individuals, who are working on a business offered dedicated shared working space at idea with international market potential,” said The HUB in Belfast’s Cathedral Quarter and Niall Casey, director of Skills and Strategy crucial financial support.

Solutions at Invest NI. Throughout September, Invest NI is running “The impact and value of Propel to local five Propel seminars across Northern Ireland businesses and the wider economy is clear. to explain what Propel has to offer, as well Since 2009, 85 new companies have raised as hear from past participants about how the over £5.3m of private investment through programme has impacted on business growth. the programme, creating over 250 jobs. The Full information about the Propel seminars standard of participants has been extremely and online application for Propel 2014/15 can high, which is reflective of the business talent be found at www.investni.com/propel.The in Northern Ireland today. We hope that the closing date for Propel 2014/15 applications is calibre of participants for 2014/15 will further Friday, September 26.

Broighter Gold grows sales and workforce

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roighter Gold in Limavady has been assisted by Invest Northern Ireland to accelerate the growth of sales here and in the Republic of Ireland of its unique range of award-winning rapeseed oils.

The growth in sales has also led to the artisan business recruiting an additional employee with assistance from Invest NI’s Jobs Fund.

“This is an immensely enterprising small business that’s now established as a driving force in culinary oils in Northern Ireland and increasingly in the Republic of Ireland,” said John Hood, director of food and tourism at Invest NI. “In addition, the company has a developing international business by means of its website and effective use of social media.

Indeed, Broighter Gold is an excellent example of how an artisan business can raise its profile and sales using both Facebook and Twitter very effectively.

“Invest NI has provided a range of support which the company has used to strengthen its competitiveness and overall business. Broighter Gold has followed up the advice and business leads from Invest NI assiduously and is now reaping the benefits of this professionalism.”

Broighter Gold Rapeseed Oil is now sold by upmarket retailers in the Republic of Ireland including Brown Thomas, Donnybrook Fair and Fallon & Byrne, all based in Dublin. Top chefs such as Clodagh McKenna and Rozanne Stevens are also cooking with Broighter Gold.

Heavenly Taste Organics nominated for top consumer award F

our products from Omagh-based baby food brand Heavenly Tasty Organics have been shortlisted to compete in the Maternity and Infant Awards this October in Dublin.

Heavenly Tasty Organics’ Tomato and Pasta, Lentil and Vegetable Soup, Spaghetti Bolognese and Minced Beef and Potato products will compete with top national brands such as Boots, Aldi and Organix in the Awards, which are organised by Irish parenting magazine Maternity and Infant.

Heavenly Tasty Organics was created in 2011 to fill a niche in the market for a fast food, 100% organic and ‘free from’ range for infants. It has already received a string of awards including Highly Commended in the Soil Association Organic Awards 2012, Gold, Silver and Bronze in the Irish Food Awards Baby Category 2013 and Best Export Opportunity in the Irish Food Awards 2013.

The brand is stocked at Tesco stores throughout Ireland and it currently exported to supermarkets in Dubai and UAE.

8 36• •Ulster UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

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BUSINESS NEWS

HighJump Software acquires Atlas Products International

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ighJump Software, a US-based global provider of supply chain management software, has acquired Atlas Products International, a UK provider of Software as a Service (SaaS)based business-to-business (B2B) EDI integration, secure data transfer, and e-invoicing solutions.

Atlas is a market leader in EDI and B2B integration with over 2,200 customers in the UK and Ireland and supplies Atlas Exchange, a secure document exchange providing a ‘connect-once, access-all’ network, securely linking retailers, manufacturers, suppliers and logistics service providers.

Atlas B2B integration tools provide transformation and translation of critical business documents on-premise or in the cloud, while a SaaS-based Supplier Portal synchronises trading network’s product catalogues and streamlines electronic invoice exchange and settlement.

“Atlas offers a unique set of solutions that allow companies to more efficiently transact business electronically and compete more effectively in a connected marketplace,” said Michael Cornell, CEO of HighJump Software. “This acquisition extends our global trading partner network, both functionally and geographically, and complements our existing HighJump B2Bi business which leads the market in Denmark and Nordic region of Europe and our TrueCommerce trading partner integration network in North America.”

Allan W. Gray, founder and CEO of Atlas, said: “This alignment with HighJump provides Atlas tremendous opportunity with additional resources to enhance and market our solutions.”

Co-Funder offers finance stream to NI businesses A

new business has been launched in Belfast with the aim of boosting opportunities for local companies and stimulating the economy by using a ‘crowdfunding’ concept.

With many local businesses finding it difficult to secure finance from the banking sector to invest and grow, CoFunder (NI) provides an online platform for firms to raise the money they need from a large pool of ‘funders’ on the open Pictured launching CoFunder (NI) are, from left, directors Gavin Gallagher, Aidan Doherty and Michael Faulkner. market.

And with interest rates currently offering of £2,500 in a single venture. savers very little return on their hard-earned Last year, the British government cash, CoFunder is laying claim as a viable committed £100m to the growing alternative for individuals or companies crowdfunding industry, which is set to create wanting a better return on their investment. a ‘new generation of funding’ in Northern Funders wanting to invest their money in Ireland according to CoFunder Chief local business via CoFunder can set their own Operating Officer Aidan Doherty. interest rates to beat inflation and ensure their “With the finance required by small return is significantly better than anything businesses to invest and grow their business currently on offer from the banks, building proving hard to come by from the banking societies or other financial institutions, sector, crowdfunding has been steadily according to the business. growing outside of Northern Ireland in CoFunder is Northern Ireland’s first recent years and this growth is expected to dedicated crowdfunding platform and the continue,” he said. first company of its kind in Ireland to receive “CoFunder (NI) aims to create a new approval from its financial regulator, having generation of funding in Northern Ireland by been given the seal of approval from the enabling creditworthy businesses with funding Financial Conduct Authority less than one requirements to connect directly to lenders month after the FCA published its rules and with available capital, thus removing the regulations for crowdfunding. reliance upon the restrictive lending practices The CoFunder model operates using an and high costs associated with bank funding.” online platform that enables established small The team behind CoFunder has previously businesses to raise funds (from £5,000 to launched SeedUps, the equity crowdfunding £100,000) through small contributions from platform for start-up technology companies a large number of ‘funders’ in the form of which has already registered more than 3,000 individuals or companies who can each invest companies across Ireland, the UK, USA and anything from as little as £100 to a maximum Canada.

ASOS fire demonstrates need for effective disaster recovery planning

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he recent fire at the distribution centre of leading British online retailer ASOS highlights the importance of having an effective disaster recovery plan in place across your organisation’s supply chain to ensure business continuity.

“The ASOS warehouse fire brings home the importance of having back up and disaster recovery processes in place across your organisation’s supply chain,” said Jonathan Gibson, head of logistics at supply chain consultancy firm Crimson & Co. “Ultimately, consumers’ sympathy for an incident such as this will only go so far, and if you are offline for a significant amount of time customer

8 • •Ulster 3644 UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

loyalty will waver and they will start to look elsewhere.

“Considering the scale of the fire, ASOS really have to be praised for their response and other retailers should be looking at this incident closely in order to ensure the same measures are taken across their supply chains.

“A lot of organisations feel that business continuity planning can be an unnecessary, costly exercise but in the face of disaster the cost of not having a plan in place could be devastating. It’s imperative that plans are regularly reviewed and practised to ensure that they can be implemented effectively during a disaster.”

BUSINESS NEWS

NI Chamber hosting Asda Food for Thought event inspire innovative, creative and international business through leadership and skills development.

Asda’s head of local buying for stores in Northern Ireland and Scotland will be on hand to advise businesses on the supermarket giant’s sourcing policy, and how it helps local firms to export.

Representatives from Irwin’s Bakery and Mash Direct will also share their growth journey and how they successfully secured contracts with Asda, which led to a significant export opportunity with the major retailer.

“Although the UK and Ireland are sometimes seen as smaller players in the agrifood sector globally, the presence of some significant trans-national corporations here, and the entrepreneurship that is so evident within our indigenous firms, enables us to punch above our weight on the world stage,” said Brian Telford, head of markets at Danske Pictured are, from left, Ann McGregor, chief executive of the NI Chamber; Michael McCallion, senior buying manager Bank. for Scotland and Northern Ireland at Asda; and Brian Telford, head of markets at Danske Bank.

“We need to take advantage of that ocal businesses are invited to come along and hear how to buy into reputation and build on the economic fundamentals to grow this multi-national retailer Asda at an upcoming event organised by significant export opportunity, and companies like Irwin’s Bakery and Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NI Chamber) at Mash Direct are an excellent example to other companies in the agriPark Inn by Radisson Belfast on August 21. food sector in Northern Ireland of how to do this.”

Exporting: Food for Thought is the latest in a series of events under Michael McCallion, head of local sourcing for Asda Northern Ireland NI Chamber’s Danske Bank Export First programme, which seeks to and Scotland, said: “Since opening in Northern Ireland in 2005, we have developed a strong and growing supply base and now work with over 100 suppliers, large and small, across the island of Ireland. Our aim has been to develop these relationships and provide opportunities for local companies to access new markets – which could mean trading with Asda on a national or international platform.

“We’re delighted that so many of our suppliers have achieved export success over the last number of years – from Irwin’s Bakery and Mash Direct to Finnebrogue and Thompson’s Family Tea – and look forward taffline Group plc - a UK and Ireland recruitment, outsourcing, to advising others about the opportunities to export with Asda at this training and Welfare to Work organisation providing people and event.” operational expertise to industry sectors including food, logistics, Registrations can be made via the NI Chamber website at www. manufacturing and agriculture – has secured one of the three Northern northernirelandchamber.com.

Ireland ‘Steps to Success’ contracts.

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Staffline secures NI Steps to Success contract S

The contract has been secured by the EOS division of Staffline, which is listed on the AIM (Alternative Investment Market) of the London Stock Exchange and expects to reach a target of £1bn turnover by 2017.

The Steps to Success contracts are Northern Ireland’s main adult employment programme, operated by the Department of Employment and Learning (‘DEL’), and similar to the Work Programme currently in operation across England, Scotland and Wales. The four-year contract includes an additional possibility of a two-year extension and will position EOS as the sole prime provider in the Northern region of the province.

The EOS delivery model will incorporate the use of Staffline’s innovative Employment & Training Centres and will include centres in Derry/Londonderry and Newtownabbey. The contract will be supported

by Staffline Ireland to create employer-led staffing solutions. The contract will also feature EOS’s latest innovation, a tablet-based mobile solution aimed at supporting customers in outlying areas who are less able to travel to the centres.

“We are delighted with our pace of growth in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland,” said Tina McKenzie, country director of Staffline Ireland and REC Director for NI. “Our Group is expanding and our continued growth plans are very exciting. Since investing here in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland 18 months ago, we have reached a multi-million pound turnover.”

8 36• •Ulster UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

Pictured at the recent NI Retail Consortium Policy Day are, Social Development Minister Nelson McCausland (centre), Consortium Director Aodhan Connolly and host Tughans Solicitors Senior Partner Phyllis Agnew. The day was attended by some of Northern Ireland’s leading retailers and topics discussed included the future of high streets and Business Improvement Districts.

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TOBACCO NEWS

New limited edition Amber Leaf packs launched J

TI launched new limited edition packs for the UK’s number one tobacco brand1, Amber Leaf, available across all channels for four weeks from August 1 on 12.5g crush proof boxes, as well as 10g, 25g and 50g pouches.

“For over two years, Amber Leaf has held the title of the number one tobacco brand in the UK, with an 11% share of the total tobacco market (including cigarettes)2,” said Jeremy Blackburn, head of communications at JTI. “Building on the success of last year’s ‘Handcrafted Moments’ campaign, our 2014 limited edition packs have been carefully created using one of Britain’s top letterpress artists to reinforce Amber Leaf’s quality and craftsmanship credentials. Retailers should look out for the new packs at their local wholesale depot whilst stocks last.”

Worth £2bn3 and growing at 9.2%4 YOY, the UK Roll Your Own (RYO) market is currently the biggest sector of the tobacco category by volume5. With one in three

existing adult smokers choosing to smoke RYO tobacco6, growth is expected to continue as existing adult smokers continue to seek out greater value for money.

The Amber Leaf range consists of three of the top five selling SKUs within the RYO category: Amber Leaf 12.5g, Amber Leaf 25g and Amber Leaf 50g7.

1 Nielsen Market Track YTD May 2014– combined cigarettes and RYO volume (excludes cigars) – RYO converted to sticks at 0.4g per stick 2 Nielsen Market Track YTD May 2014 – combined cigarettes and RYO volume (excludes cigars) – RYO converted to sticks at 0.4g per stick 3 JTI Estimates 2014 (Retail sales volume) 4 JTI Estimates 2014 5 Nielsen Market Track April 2014 – combined cigarettes and RYO volume (excludes cigars) – RYO converted to sticks at 0.4g per stick 6 TNS Omnibus MAT March 2014 7 Nielsen Market Track YTD May 2014

WIN a an IPad Mini Retina

JTI acquires leading e-cigarette brand E-Lites J

TI has reached agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Zandera Ltd, a leader in e-cigarettes best known for its E-Lites brand.

Founded in 2009, Zandera sells a well-known range of rechargeable and ready-to-use e-cigarettes in the UK. “We are very excited about this opportunity for E-Lites/JTI to address the needs of e-cigarette consumers,” said a spokesperson for JTI. “We are busy working with the E-Lites management team to develop our business plans. As we begin the transition into this fastgrowing product category, E-Lites will operate as a separate entity. We look forward to updating you about our progress in due course.”

JTI expects to complete the acquisition in the second quarter of the fiscal year 2014, following regulatory clearance.

Hamper with

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his summer, Brandy, Ireland’s number one Irish made dog food brand presents an exciting promotional on pack offer, not to be missed by retailers and customers alike. While your dog enjoys their Brandy dinner, by collecting 2 tokens from our promotional Brandy 6 Pack range (Loaf, Chunks in Jelly, Chunks in Gravy) customers can collect a cute Brandy Bernese Mountain Dog Cuddly Toy for themselves. This promotion runs on pack from July to the end of September and will be supported by an all-Ireland radio advertising campaign and a strong digital campaign.

To celebrate this exciting on pack promotion, we are also giving you the chance to win a Brandy Hamper to include an iPad Mini Retina to keep both you and your dog happy!

To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following question:

Q. What is the breed of the Brandy Cuddly Toy? Entries can be sent by email to: competitions@greerpublications.com or by post to: Mackle Pet Competition, Ulster Grocer magazine, 5B Edgewater Business Park, Belfast BT3 9JQ. Closing date for entries is 30th September 2014.

Terms and conditions apply. Prize may vary in colour. Judge’s decision is final.

No cash alternative will be offered.

/brandydogfood 8 • •Ulster 3646 UlsterGrocer Grocer| JANUARY | JANUARY2011 2011

www.macklepetfoods.com/brandy

appointments

People on the move

in association with

Unit A4, 17 Heron Road, Sydenham Business Park, Belfast, BT3 9LE. Tel: 028 9045 5040 • Fax: 028 9073 9058

Dunbia strengthens senior managment structure Tony O’Neill

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unbia, one of the UK’s leading red meat processors, has appointed former Moy Park director, Tony O’Neill, as Group deputy chief executive. In this newly-created role, which will become operational on September 1, O’Neill will hold responsibility for Dunbia’s UK and Ireland business.

“This appointment marks a significant advancement for our company’s growth, particularly as we continue to fully integrate a rapidly expanding business,” said Jim Dobson, chief executive of the Dunbia Group.

“Tony brings enormous experience of large company management and corporate governance. His professionalism will be utilised fully as we weld his knowledge and contacts to our wider management team, adding a new level of resource to our operational effectiveness. Tony’s experience of managing growth and change should enable Dunbia to extract maximum value from our component UK and Ireland business units at this challenging time for the red meat sector.”

O’Neill said that he relished the challenge

that lay ahead, having long admired the energy and entrepreneurship demonstrated by Jim and Jack Dobson in growing Dunbia to become the market force throughout the UK and Ireland that it is today.

“I am leaving a business accustomed to change and growth to join another equally dynamic business and I wish my former colleagues at Moy Park every continued success,” he said.

“I will be continuing to engage with Moy Park and the wider food industry through my chairmanship of the Agri-Food Strategy Board (AFSB) and in my NIFDA role as we work with the Executive to implement the recommendations identified in the AFSB Going for Growth action plan and enable Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry to exploit its full potential.

“Companies such as Dunbia are exemplars that others could follow, and I congratulate the Executive on taking their recent decision to provide growth funding to enable this to happen.”

Nick Johnson appointed head of Unilever Ireland

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ick Johnson has been appointed managing director and vice president (VP) of Customer Development for Unilever Ireland, succeeding Jill Ross in the leadership role.

Johnson has held various senior posts since joining Unilever in 2011, most recently as shopper marketing and category management director with Unilever UK, and took up the new role in Ireland in July.

Based in Unilever Ireland’s head office in Citywest, he will lead the company’s Irish sales and marketing team to ensure that Irish customers receive quality Unilever products at affordable prices. He will be responsible for Unilever’s business development in Ireland, working in close partnership with the company’s retail and wholesale customers.

Johnson joined Unilever UK in January 2011 as business operations director within Customer Development, and then assumed the role of category management & business operations director in July 2011. In October 2013, he took on leadership of Unilever’s Shopper Marketing function, whilst retaining the category management function.

Before joining Unilever, he held various senior positions in a number of global FMCG companies including Birds Eye, Procter & Gamble, Gillette and JTI/Gallaher.

Nick Johnson

RECRUITMENT, CONTRACTING & FIELD MARKETING CONSULTANTS 3O YEAR’S RECRUITING IRELAND’S TOP SALES & MARKETING PERSONNEL Unit A4, 17 Heron Road, Sydenham Business Park, Belfast, BT3 9LE. Tel: 028 9045 5040 • Fax: 028 9073 9058

47

shelf life

email: email. karengraham@greerpublications.com lauragirvan@greerpublications.com

SHELFLIFE

www.ulstergrocer.com www.ulstergrocer.com

To see your product featured in Shelf-life, contact Karen at karengraham@greerpublications.com or call (028) 9078 3235

A G Barr provides choice, quality and value T

he £7 billion soft drinks*1 category continues to show year on year growth with three key trends boosting sales – growth in shopper diversity, continued shopper focus on value and growth in convenience.

AG Barr is tapping into these trends with its ever-growing portfolio of topperforming brands offering choice, quality and value combined with pack and flavour innovation to meet the needs of the convenience sector.

The company has built long-lasting excitement around the soft drinks fixture by investing a record £12m in brand support in The Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, reinforcing its role as an ‘Official Supporter’.

With the momentum from the event set to continue stocking up on AG Barr’s top-performing brand portfolio is key.

IRN-BRU, the No. 1 flavoured carbonate*2, is a must-stock and

retailers are also being advised to stock IRN-BRU sugar-free, which is the No. 1 low calorie flavoured carbonate, delivering sales of more than £1 million every week.*3 Barr Flavours is now the UK’s biggest flavour range. Known for their great tasting, great quality products, the Barr range of price marked packs is a great way to deliver both quality and value for shoppers.

The launch of Barr Xtra Cola, which delivers a full-on cola taste with no sugar, has enabled retailers to make the most of the fast-growing low calorie cola market.

AG Barr has also launched a range of 4-pack cans in IRN-BRU regular and sugar free, Barr Cream Soda, Cola, Cherryade, Bubblegum and Lemonade to meet the needs of the growing convenience sector.

Sources: *1: Nielsen Scantrack, Value Sales, MAT to

21.06.14, Total UK Coverage *2: Nielsen Scantrack, Value Sales, Low Calorie Flavoured Carbonates, MAT to 21.06.14, Total UK Impulse *3: Nielsen Scantrack, Value Sales, Low Calorie Flavoured Cola, MAT to 21.06.14, Total UK Impulse

Cat Club re-launch T

Brandy 6 Pack Cuddly Toy on-pack offer T

his Summer, Brandy is launching an exciting on-pack consumer offer, which will feature on its Brandy 6 Pack range including Loaf, Chunks in Jelly and Chunks in Gravy 6 Packs. So while your dog enjoys its Brandy dinner, by collecting two tokens from promotional Brandy 6 Packs, customers can collect a cute Brandy Cuddly Toy for themselves. This promotion runs on pack throughout the summer and will be supported by a radio campaign and a strong digital campaign. Your sales will soar; their hearts will melt!

48 00

his August Mackle Petfoods is delighted to announce the re-launch of its cat food brand Cat Club. Cat Club is locally manufactured in Northern Ireland using only top quality locally sourced ingredients.

Made with Irish Meat, Cat Club is fully traceable from farm to can.

As part of this re-launch, Cat Club has added a New Poultry Selection Variety Chunks in Gravy 6 Pack to its range, to complement the current Cat Club Variety Chunks in Jelly 6 Pack. Cat Club’s carefullyprepared natural meaty chunks in appetising Jelly and Gravy have all the nourishment and essential vitamins and minerals to ensure all-round good health and lively energy for your cat, so you know you’re feeding them a tasty, nutritious meal they’ll love!

Cat Club has a proven sales record so the introduction of its new Gravy 6 Pack will guarantee increased sales. Cat Club is available to order now.

Cats love their Cat Club!

GROCERYAID Eventual winner Robert Bowers drives well off the first, he was to score 43 points from here.

Good turnout for GroceryAid’s Golf Day A good turnout greeted the annual GroceryAid/Sweet Charity Golf Day earlier this month, alongside favourable conditions before the vestiges of Hurricane Bertha passed by. Organised by David McWilliams in aid of the food industry charity, the event was a Stableford competition with prizes for the best teams across the manufacturer, wholesaler, retailer and visitor sectors.

United Biscuits Foods Division team – George Megaw and Adrian Moore with guests from Courtney & Nelson, Lloyd Graham and Darren Shirlow.

Musgrave Retail Partners team – Peter and James Spence, Tony Gracey and Trevor Magill.

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Mackle Pet Foods team – Brian Ogle, Robert Bowers, Richard Greenaway and Mervin Campbell.

Adrian Moore (left) with Best Gross winner Mark Windebank from Savage & Whitten.

Adrian Moore (left) presents the cup and trophy to Overall winner Robert Bowers, a guest of Mackle Pet Foods.

TOASTING A SUMMER OF GREAT RACING WEEKENDS

BE RESPONSIBLE. PLEASE DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE. WILLIAMS, MARTINI, MARTINI RACING, the Ball and Bar logo and the MARTINI RACING stripes are trademarks.