ShelfLife Magazine - October issue by Mediateam

LARGEST INDEPENDENTLY AUDITED GROCERY TRADE CIRCULATION IN IRELAND

October 2020

Functional future

Niall Phelan, CEO and founder of The Naked Collective, on why functional beverages are the way forward for market growth

Walmart exits stage left Where will the American giant’s UK departure leave Asda?

Tax attacks As the end of the Brexit transition period draws ever closer, Roisin O’Shea pinpoints the implications for Ireland’s food and drink exporters

CONVENIENCE RETAILING • OFF-TRADE • SUPERMARKETS • NEWSAGENCY • FORECOURT

ONLY A SUPERFOOD GIVES YOU SUPERPOWER

OPINION 3

ShelfLife October 2020 Vol. 27 No.10 Editor: GILLIAN HAMILL (01) 294 7776 gillian.hamill@mediateam.ie Staff journalist: JULIA O’REILLY (01) 294 7709 julia.oreilly@mediateam.ie

package 2021: a massive €18 billion spending muted welcome has greeted Budget ’s Will RTÉ by ed history of the State. Describ larger than any seen before in the would age pack a ﬁred in every direction” – such Goodbody as “a blunderbuss of cash 9 and id-1 Cov but in our current times beset by both normally be a cause for celebration ably been more cautious. Brexit, the reaction has understand r like ey available to a trustworthy borrowe With cheap and plentiful ECB mon , there are ever How er. rain no-b a crisis seems like Ireland, spending our way out of this towering debt a note of caution on our increasingly plenty who will nevertheless sound year will stand at €219 billion. mountain, which by the end of this taken by the considerations will of course be over On a day-to-day basis, such future note, we’re that On in the fast-paced grocery sector. daily adrenalin rush that is working ideas to of ty -packed issue of ShelfLife, full of plen delighted to bring you another jam in. draw days ent to your customers as the dusky bring a little indulgence and excitem

Contributors FIONNUALA CAROLAN BARRY WHELAN CAROLINE MCENERY ROISIN O'SHEA Head of business: IAN MULVANEY (01) 294 7766 ian.mulvaney@mediateam.ie Account manager MARK MORGAN (01) 294 7767 mark.morgan@mediateam.ie Circulation manager CRAIG KINGMA (01) 294 7774 craig.kingma@mediateam.ie Head of production LIZ O’ROURKE (01) 294 7781 liz.orourke@mediateam.ie Publisher: JOHN McDONALD (01) 294 7744 john.mcdonald@mediateam.ie

A note from the editor

Gillian Hamill Editor, ShelfLife magazine

Contents October 22

Printing: W & G Baird Ltd ShelfLife is a controlled circulation magazine, available to selected individuals with interests in the retail and wholesale grocery trade, who fall within the publisher’s terms of control. For those outside these terms, annual subscription is €98.00 including postage & packing. Managing Director JOHN McDONALD; Sales Director PAUL BYRNE Operations Director BILLY HUGGARD Published monthly by Mediateam Ltd., 55 Spruce Avenue, Sandyford, Dublin 18. A94 RP22 Telephone (01) 294 7776 Fax (01) 294 7799 ISSN: 1393 0753

Circulation audited by Audit Bureau of Circulations.

ShelfLife is a member of Magazines Ireland

COVER STORY 22

Powered by plants, people and purpose Niall Phelan, CEO and founder of The Naked Collective, outlines why functional is the way forward for the beverage industry

NEWS&ANALYSIS

ADVISOR

4 6 10 12 16 26 28 54

18 HR 24 Recruitment

News grid Seen & heard CSNA news BOI interview Store proﬁle: Spar Store proﬁle: Primo Brexit implications NOffLA news

MARKETING& CATEGORY FOCUS 30 32 40 44 50 56 60 62

Soup Irish brands Fuel No and low alcohol Newspapers Cash and carry insights Mixers Market movers

Recent additions to the CashGuard family, now enjoying peace of mind along with time savings and security that CashGuard cash management systems bring include; Daybreak, Tobercurry, McDonagh Western POS • MACE Ballybrit, Stationmaster POSHampton) CBE •• Centra Jordan (Castletymon and Johnstown) CBE • Centra McGreal, Quinn (Popintree, Silogue, XL, Mountrath, Tokheim POS • GALA Portlaoise, Ramsbottom, •• SPAR Broderick Mulhall, Croom Merit • SPAR Foley Tralee CBERetail Solutions POS •• SPAR Heaphy (Roxboro & Parkway Limerick) Stationmaster • CentraCarroll, Dunphy Rhode CBE POS Londis, Newbridge, Casey, Retail Solutions POS • SPAR, Raheny, Stationmaster •• GALA Mulrooney (Nenagh Portumna) • Londis DillaneRetail Abbeydorney SPAR Skibbereen, Connelly,&Tokheim POSRetail Solutions • Londis Casey, Limerick, SolutionsRetail POS Solutions Inside counter/ cashier facing

Outside counter To see all editorials, videos, pictures of each site installation visit www.cashguard.ie and/or CashGuard Ireland Facebook page.

NEWS

NEWSGRID Provision for small business in Budget 2021

Subway franchisee loses 0% VAT rate appeal

As part of Budget 2021, there is to be a new scheme offering businesses a grant of up to €5,000 a week if they have been forced to close or if turnover has dropped by 80%. A €3.4 billion Recovery Fund has been announced to protect jobs. In addition, the VAT rate for the hospitality sector will be cut from 13.5% to 9%, as done during the last ﬁnancial crash, in a boost for the struggling industry. The cost of a packet of cigarettes is now €14, with excise duty up 50 cents. Fine Gael Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe and Fianna Fail Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath

An appeal by a Subway franchisee that the bread it sells should attract a zero VAT rate, has been rejected by the Supreme Court. The case brought by Bookﬁnders Ltd, based in Tuam, Co. Galway, also argued that its teas and coffees should also not be liable for VAT. Under the VAT Act 1972, bread attracts a zero VAT rate. However, the court ruled that Subway’s heated sandwiches fall outside the statutory deﬁnition of bread due to their sugar content and found that the prepared tea and coffee offered fell under the 13.5% rate.

CSNA writes to government about non-maskers

BWG Foods’ Joanne Mellon honoured as a true industry hero

Vincent Jennings, CEO of the CSNA, has written to the government to highlight the issue of non-mask wearing customers. He says that the “extreme distress” provision category in the new regulations is being used by “non maskers” to enter shops and demand service putting staff and other customers in danger. Jennings suggested that those with genuine medical reasons for not wearing a face mask should carry some type of badge to signify their entitlement.

Joanne Mellon, BWG Foods’ logistics director, was one of a very exclusive group of honourees at the annual Fleet Transport Awards 2021 recently. This year’s virtual awards saw Mellon singled out for being one of the industry’s #StrengthInUnity Transport Heroes for her personal efforts in ensuring BWG Foods’ National Distribution Centre (NDC) supply chain operated seamlessly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

QUICK QUESTIONS WITH

Jack Hamilton

1. Best place for coffee? Trait Coffee in Comber, just down the road from the farm. Gary (the manager) always ensures that there is fantastic coffee.

2. Favourite movie? Blues Brothers. 3. Top book recommendation? Dan Barber, The Third Plate – it is a great book on the future of food and how we can build a more sustainable food system. 4. Which social media platform do you use most? Instagram. It is a great way to keep up with new innovations in food and get ideas for new products.

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Joanne Mellon

Buymie and Dunnes Stores partner

Devan Hughes of Buymie

Same-day grocery delivery platform Buymie has commenced a major new partnership with Dunnes Stores, with online deliveries now available to over 680,000 households in both Dublin and Cork operating across 24 Dunnes Stores. Users can download the Buymie app from the Apple iOS app store or from the Google Play store. Kantar’s latest grocery market share ﬁgures show the popularity of online grocery shopping continues, with online sales growing by 121.7% over the four weeks to 6 September 2020.

Local shopping increases Four in ﬁve shoppers in Ireland are now more likely to shop in their local communities than they were a year ago, according to new research released by Mastercard Ireland. At 58%, the most popular reason for the increased love for shopping local is to help local communities bounce back. A total of 29% said they are shopping locally to re-establish or form new relationships with local shopkeepers and independent stores.

JACK HAMILTON,

chief operating officer, Mash Direct 5. Best ad on telly? The ‘Eat Them to Defeat Them’ campaign from 2019 – a completely different way to think about vegetables.

9. First thing you would do if you were Taoiseach? Request an audience with the President’s Bernese mountain dogs.

6. Worst ad on telly? Any stock footage advert relating to the pandemic.

10. If you had to live in another country, where would you choose? The US as my wife is from there.

7. Favourite grocery shop? Wegmans in the US sets an incredibly high bar with their fresh range.

11. Greatest achievement to date? Marrying my wife.

8. What would you cook if you were to compete in ‘Come Dine With Me’ and would you win? I would cook a full Sunday Roast using the Mash Direct range as the sides. As a result I would probably be disqualiﬁed but would have more time to enjoy the wine and socialise.

12. Best website? The website for the 1996 movie Space Jam which is still live. Other than that, I spend quite a bit of time on Pocket. 13. Most annoying public ﬁgure? Sergei The Meercat. 14. Best piece of advice you ever received? “I will never look back and think about that

night that I had a really great night’s sleep.” 15. Biggest fear? It is difﬁcult to have a good answer to this question in the middle of a pandemic. 16. City or beach break? City break. 17. Top restaurant recommendation? Noble in Holywood, Co. Down is incredible. 18. Pop or rock? Rock. 19. Favourite time of the day? First thing in the morning. 20. What’s the last compliment you received? My dog, Carrot, greets me with huge excitement every day when I get home. It never gets old. ■

Pringles is the

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SEEN AND HEARD

Vitamin D deficiency is particularly prevalent in younger adults, new research shows New research from the Mercer’s Institute for Successful Ageing (MISA) and Trinity College Dublin shows that vitamin D deficiency is widespread across Dublin and surrounding areas in one of the largest studies ever carried out in Europe. The research which was partially funded by Avonmore, found that one in six people were deficient, rising to one in four in the winter and that the youngest participants in the cohort (18-39 years old category) had the lowest vitamin D levels

Grace Dalton (aged six) and Helena Scully, Mercer Glanbia Bone Research fellow at the TCD School of Medicine

with the 80+ years old, the second highest deﬁcient category. Vitamin D, also known as ‘The Sunshine Vitamin’, is important as it contributes to the maintenance of bone and muscle health and helps support a healthy immune system. In Ireland, we don’t get enough vitamin D from the sun between October and March. The study was partially funded by Avonmore and builds on a longstanding collaboration between MISA and Avonmore.

‘Only a superfood gives you superpower’: Fyffes tells consumers ‘Only a superfood gives you superpower’. That’s the theme chosen by Irish fruit importer Fyffes to front a new multi-discipline campaign, the aim of which is to draw consumer attention to the many health beneﬁts a banana provides. The new campaign will have a strong presence on radio, outdoor, social media, digital and trade advertising. Visually, the message is illustrated by a hand pictured holding a banana as it punches its way through a backdrop in a way that joins the ‘superfood’ and ‘superpower’ message.

The concept behind the creative is to build on the brand’s successful ‘Power of the Blue Label’ campaign where the core message was to inform consumers that, despite appearances, not all bananas are the same. Overseeing its implementation, Fyffes marketing manager Emma Hunt-Duffy says: “Our focus is to highlight the nutritional qualities of bananas. Rich in potassium and vitamins, the health beneﬁts found in bananas also come from their slow release energy, giving an extra boost to those with busy and active lifestyles.”

The new Fyffes campaign highlights the many health beneﬁts bananas provide

SuperValu is Ireland’s most successful supermarket at the ‘Oscars’ of the food world At the prestigious 2020 Great Taste Awards, SuperValu took home a massive 74 award wins making it, once again, the top performing Irish supermarket at the world’s largest food and drink awards. SuperValu’s wins include 46 products from the Signature Tastes range, solidifying its position as the number one premium range in an Irish supermarket. This year the always-popular SuperValu’s Signature Tastes Smoked Rack of Bacon was awarded three stars once again, making it one of the highest ranked products from an Irish retailer. The high-quality pork is sourced from

SuperValu’s Signature Tastes range scooped an impressive 46 wins

Irish Hampshire pigs reared by Luke Bogue in Cavan and the bacon is expertly hand trimmed by butchers at Oliver Carty, and gently smoked over beech and applewood. The Signature Tastes breakfast essentials all performed well at the blind taste testing. Irish Yogurts Clonakilty likewise always prove popular at the awards and this year was no different. The family-run business based in the heart of West Cork won stars across the board for its yogurts, including Signature Tastes Sicilian Lemon Yogurt and Signature Tastes Valencia Orange Yogurt.

Centra is top winning convenience retailer at 2020 Great Taste Awards Centra claimed 35 accolades at this year’s Great Taste Awards, making it the number one awardwinning convenience retailer in Ireland at the ceremony. Centra’s wins include 17 products from the Inspired By Centra range which helps make everyday moments special and includes something for everyone, ensuring that even if consumers are short on time, they don’t have to be short on taste or quality. Inspired By Centra conﬁrmed its position as the number one premium range in a convenience retailer with 17 awards, including Inspired By

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Centra Maple Syrup and Inspired By Centra Greek Feta, both awarded two stars. Other winners within the Inspired By Centra range included Rotisserie Chicken, Raspberry Jam, Butter Chicken Masala, Buffalo Mozzarella, Freshly Squeezed OJ and Mini Mince Pies, which all received one star awards. Centra is known for its convenience and plenty of products that make life easier scooped awards including Centra Gourmet Sausage Roll with Black Pudding, Centra Crème Fraiche and Centra Ham and Brie Quiche.

SEEN AND HEARD

Wide Eye Outdoor and Edge Media expand ‘Shelfie’ network into Circle K Shelfies are a network of digital point of sale advertising units, strategically placed on the retail shelf, at eye level and located in over 100 convenience stores. Shelfies, developed by Edge Media and now operated by Wide Eye Outdoor, allow brands to influence consumers at the exact moment of choice. The Shelfies network has expanded into the top 100 Circle K forecourt locations nationwide. This expansion of the Shelfies network to over 300 digital screens, offers an added dimension to the Wide Eye Outdoor digital out of home network, presenting advertisers and brands with a fantastic opportunity to boost sales

across impulse/convenience stores, communicating with an impressive audience of 4.7 million consumers. Consumers’ final purchase decisions are made in the last three seconds, with 83% of purchase decisions made in-store. No other format can get brands closer to the shopping decision than Shelfies. Previous successful brands that have advertised on the network have seen up to 30% growth in sales. If you are interested in displaying your brand across the Shelfies network contact Wide Eye Outdoor at contact@wideeyeoutdoor.com.

Shelﬁes are an ideal sales boosting solution for FMCG products

Centra is the leading convenience retailer at Blas na hÉireann 2020 Centra has claimed 36 accolades at this year’s Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards. Celebrating the very best of Irish food and drink, Blas na hÉireann are the largest food awards on the island with producers across Ireland competing to take home a Blas accreditation. The awards, announced virtually, saw Centra take home 11 gold, 14 silver and 11 bronze accolades. Centra’s wins include 17 products from the Inspired By Centra range,

expertly created to help make everyday moments special without compromise on taste or quality. Award winners within the Inspired By Centra range include; Rotisserie Chicken, Carrot, Orange & Turmeric Juice and Overnight Oats. Other key highlights include; Inspired By Centra Angus Striploin Steak, Made in Store Ham, Egg & Slaw Salad, Carmel Bites and Chocolate 5’ Cake.

SuperValu scoops 119 awards at the Blás na hÉireann awards SuperValu, Ireland’s largest grocery retailer, took home a massive 119 Blás na hÉireann awards at the recent virtual awards ceremony. SuperValu own brand and its exclusive brand producers picked up 53 awards, winning 14 gold, 23 silver and 16 bronze accolades. SuperValu Signature Tastes won 27 top-tier awards; the highest number of top tier awards won by any supermarket. Some of the gold winners in the SuperValu Signature Tastes range included Raspberry Conserve, Goats Cheese Bruschetta, Wholegrain Mustard,

Freshly Squeezed Orange Juice, Black Pudding, and Blood Orange & Vodka Pudding. In addition, SuperValu’s Food Academy producers picked up 66 awards – 21 gold, 23 silver and 22 bronze, including 2 Chef’s Larder Awards for Fancy Fungi Mushrooms – Grey Oyster Mushrooms and Skeaghanore Duck – Duck Fat. SuperValu’s continued success at the awards, with over 573 accolades in the last ﬁve years alone, demonstrates the group’s commitment to the very best quality Irish food.

The SuperValu Signature Tastes range won 27 top-tier awards

SuperValu launches new 100% recyclable and compostable packaging on new season potatoes Potato season is here, and SuperValu’s packaging is now 100% recyclable and compostable across six lines of own brand potatoes. Customers will ﬁnd tasty in-season Irish New Season Roosters and Kerr Pinks in paper potato bags that can be disposed of in either the green or brown bin. Plastic netting has been removed from bags and replaced with cotton netting to ensure 100% of packaging

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

can be recycled or composted. This change will remove a massive 380kg of plastic from circulation every year. Over 13,500 tonnes of potatoes are sold in SuperValu every year and this is another signiﬁcant move in SuperValu’s commitment to making 100% of SuperValu own-brand, fresh produce and in-store packaging recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. ■

CSNA NEWS

CSNA NEWS PSO levy increases: Act now!

PETER GAUGHAN, national president, CSNA

Update: Section 22 Alcohol Act

Since 1 October, the public service obligation (PSO) levy has increased by 137% for small businesses and 175% for medium to large businesses. We would advise CSNA members to take action now by contacting our CSNA Deals partner Get Solutions and availing of an energy audit on your electricity bills. Now is the time to review your electricity bills by ensuring that you are availing of the best rates available to you. Do not be paying more than you should be. Contact CSNA for more details on 045-535050.

CSNA members: Clear your bills and protect your cashflow with Linked Finance Linked Finance knows your business cashﬂow is precious, this year more than ever. If you have one-off payments coming up, such as a preliminary tax payment, insurance costs or professional fees, Linked Finance can help you fund the payment upfront, and spread the cost over the coming year. It’s easy, fast and Linked Finance has a very no hassle. simple application process Linked Finance’s new BillPay loan offers for its new BillPay loan the ability to spread the cost of a oneoff business payment over €5,000 over the next six or 12 months. The application process is very simple, with just three basic documents required, and no business plans or cashﬂow forecasts needed. When Linked Finance has your documents, the company can give you a fast credit decision in less than 24 hours. What’s more, all CSNA members can also avail of a 20% discount on their arrangement fees. Find out more and call CSNA today: It’s free and fast to apply.

A number of members have contacted our office with queries regarding letters from their local authorities in relation to their waste packaging compliance. CSNA must advise all members in receipt of such letters that it is very likely that their store does NOT have an obligation to join Repak. The entry point for obligation is not solely turnover (€1m), it is also based upon the weight of packaging sold to your customers, a very difficult calculation for retailers to certify. CSNA wishes to inform you that we can carry out an audit of your store’s turnover to calculate the weight and subsequently validate your lack of obligation to them. Further details from the office, please contact the office on 045-535050 / info@csna.ie.

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

The CSNA advises members not to undertake any work or enter into a binding contract for the supply of ﬁxtures and ﬁttings until a risk assessment of the planned changes has been completed

the insurance company of such material changes to the store. We will return to this important matter over the next few weeks. The main takeaway at this point is the importance of conducting a risk assessment on proposed changes to your alcohol-retailing area(s); you will also need to give health and safety considerations to the new cabinets behind the counter that you are required to ﬁt if alcohol is not available for self-selection.

Exclusive shop insurance scheme for CSNA members

CSNA members can avail of a free CSNA Repak audit

CSNA CONTACT DETAILS

Members will no doubt be aware that the structural and associated changes mandated by the Public Health Alcohol Act come into force in November. You will be expected to change the way that alcohol is presented to the public. The association suggests that, as would be the case with any changes you undertake in your store, an updated risk assessment to your ‘Safety Statement’ should be undertaken prior to expending resources. Any changes you undertake need to meet planning, building regulations, fire safety and general duty of care obligations. Do not undertake any work or enter into a binding contract for the supply of fixtures and fittings until your risk assessment is completed and gives you a clean bill of health to proceed in a certain direction. The Alcohol Act makes demands for change that need to be considered alongside existing legal and statutory obligations; you cannot, under any circumstances, put your staff, customers and suppliers in danger from injury. Insurers will continually look for ways to avoid paying out on claims; it will be prudent to seek the advice of your broker prior to commencing Section 22 structural changes as to the possible necessity to advise

Rising insurance costs? The association is delighted to announce that JDM Insurance Services has negotiated generous premium discounts from insurers, exclusively available to members of the Convenience Stores & Newsagents Association. To enable JDM to establish, maintain and indeed improve this arrangement with insurers, the team are relying upon your support by simply allowing them the opportunity to provide you with a no obligation quotation for your business. For more information, please contact CSNA on 045-535050. ■

If you have any queries regarding CSNA services or membership please contact the office in Naas, Co. Kildare on 045-535050 or by email to info@csna.ie/www.csna.ie

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A Keane edge

SuperValu Killorglin has recently completed a substantial revamp during one of the toughest trading periods in memory. Now on the other side of it, Peter Keane speaks to Fionnuala Carolan about the massive combined effort from his family, staff, Musgrave and Bank of Ireland to get this project over the line. your business would have changed. The offlicence and the grocery had an uptake but other parts of the business suffered. The forecourt and deli suffered big time in the early stages of lockdown.”

Kerry native

Peter and Siobhan Keane

eter Keane is one of the most highprofile retailers in the country and most definitely in Kerry, as he is the manager of the Kerry gaelic football team. It is no wonder that he was pulled off the delivery shift because it was taking him too long, as football fans delighted in bending his ear during those long lockdown days. Running a 15,000sq ft SuperValu and leading the Kerry football team must be extremely challenging and Keane says it has only been possible due to the enormous help and support of his family. “By and large I’m involved with football a long time and the shop a long time, so it just becomes part and parcel of having a very understanding wife and family,” he says. “If you don’t get support at home doing that, then no one could do it. I’ve three young lads in school and college and they have worked in the shop during the lockdown, which has been a huge help.” He believes that Covid has been challenging for everyone despite people thinking that grocery retailing was exempt. “The whole country is in the same boat and the whole world is in the same boat really,” he says. “Covid has been difficult for retail too because the mix of

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Keane was born and bred in Kerry and his family ran a hotel, The Ringside Rest in Cahirciveen when he was a child. He spent a number of years working in the bank before embarking on a life in retail when he took on the site in Killorglin 26 years ago. “We opened a 1,500sq ft Centra and a Statoil forecourt in 1994. In 2000 we quadrupled that to 6,000sq ft. And then in 2004 we changed brands to SuperValu. Because of our forecourt we’ve always had a very strong convenience business and due to our location on the ring of Kerry, there is plenty of passing trafﬁc especially in the summer.” Peter’s wife Siobhan is a chef by trade and works alongside him running the business. ‘Siobhan’s Bakery’ is one of the highlights of the shop and was expanded in the recent revamp. “We felt for a while that we needed to reorganise the shop and we said we should do that in conjunction with an expansion. Musgrave was supportive of that,” he says. “We were probably overtrading on the size of the shop we had so it was time to shore things up a bit.” Keane says that Michael Killoury, Paul O’Mahony and Veronica Sexton from Musgrave were extremely helpful during such a crucial point in the business.

Revamp The revamp began in November 2019 and was due to be ﬁnished by May 2020. All was going well until March when the whole country was brought to a standstill with the Covid-19 lockdown. “When Covid hit in March we were in the middle of the revamp. One wall of the building was gone so there was no choice but to keep going. It was too late to go back. In fairness, the staff were exceptional. They were trying to mind themselves and mind the customers. There were shelves to move on a regular basis and they did everything they needed to do so they were brilliant. We had builders in day and night. It was exceptionally difﬁcult but in fairness we had a very good builder and project manager, in Michael Ladden and Joe Le Blanc.”

As the manager of the Kerry gaelic football team, Peter Keane is a well-known face throughout the county

Bank of Ireland There was a collective sigh of relief when the builders were finally off site and the revamp was finished in September. Keane credits Bank of Ireland, especially Owen Clifford, head of Retail at Bank of Ireland and their local lender Siobhan Kissane with giving them the means to make the revamp happen and backing them all the way. According to lending data from Bank of Ireland, it loaned just over €100 million to family-owned SME retailers in 2018 and 2019 and says that its clients who invested in store revamps saw sales boosts of between 5-10%. Indeed Keane’s SuperValu has seen an uptake due to the completion of the revamp. “We doubled the size of the shop. We put in our own PK’s ice-cream parlour which has been a big hit and extended Siobhan’s bakery and dialled up our fresh food in general. It’s going very, very well.” With so much uncertainty about the future of the economy, Keane is happy to have completed his revamp and in essence future-proofed his business. Now all he has to worry about is getting Kerry to the next All-Ireland final! ■

The Keanes have seen an excellent reaction to their new SuperValu revamp, which has doubled the store in size

a e v a g i N L a a r b l D E e d n n o E W t ! Ex

BriNg oUt tHe bEssiE in you

OPINION

Dan’s Digest

With Dan White VieWs on the latest eConomiC & politiCal neWs

What Asda’s sale reveals about the UK supermarket sector At first glance, Walmart is emerging from the £6.8 billion sale of its majority stake in Asda with a slight profit on the figure it paid more than 20 years ago. However, the reality is considerably less rosy, writes Dan White

almart’s sale of Asda in the same week that Ocado’s stock market value temporarily overtook that of market leader Tesco, demonstrated the extent of the transformation wrought by online on British retailing in recent years. On 2 October, US retail giant Walmart announced that it had agreed to sell its UK subsidiary Asda to a consortium of the Issa brothers and TDR Capital “for an enterprise value of £6.8 billion, on a debt-free and cashfree basis”. The deal came in the same week that online grocery retailer Ocado brieﬂy overtook Tesco to become the most valuable UK grocery retailer.

Market implications So, what do the developments at Asda and Ocado tell us about the UK grocery market? Walmart paid £6.7bn for Asda in 1999. It was part of the American company’s push for global domination which also saw it snap up retailers in Germany, South Korea, China, India, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Central America. No doubt it seemed like a good idea at the time but Walmart, like many retailers before it, including many UK retailers, has found international expansion extremely difﬁcult to get right. What works in its home market of the United States doesn’t necessarily do the trick beyond its shores.

Difficulties overseas In 2006 Walmart beat an ignominious retreat from Germany. While the company didn’t disclose the losses it took on its German escapade, they have been estimated at up to €3bn by German retail analysts. Walmart also ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

regardless of who wins the US presidential election on 3 November, will US companies with large operations in China, including Walmart, be among the ﬁrst to suffer?

Less rosy reality

Walmart announced on 2 October that it had agreed to sell Asda to a consortium of the Issa brothers and TDR Capital “for an enterprise value of £6.8 billion, on a debt-free and cashfree basis”

bailed out of South Korea the same year. Other overseas markets have also proved difficult for the world’s largest retailer. In 2018 it sold 80% of its Brazilian operation to private equity firm Advent and took a $4.5bn hit on the transaction. Walmart has also unveiled plans to float its Japanese subsidiary Seiyu on the Japanese stock market, a move that would allow it to sell some or all of Seiyu over time. Also in 2018, with its attempts to enter the Indian off-line retail market going nowhere, Walmart outbid Amazon when it agreed to pay $16n for a 77% shareholding in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart. The one country outside the Americas where Walmart has enjoyed undoubted success has been China, where it has 435 stores. While cracking the world’s most populous market is undoubtedly a major achievement, one can’t help wondering about the sustainability of that achievement. With Sino-American relations set for an extended period in the deep-freeze,

Although the Asda deal has been dressed up to appear as if Walmart is coming out with a slight proﬁt on the ﬁgure which it paid more than 20 years ago, the reality is considerably less rosy. Firstly, Walmart is retaining a large but undisclosed stake in Asda. How large? Beyond saying that it “will retain an equity investment in the business, with an ongoing commercial relationship and a seat on the board”, Walmart wasn’t saying. There were a few clues, however. The Financial Times reported that TDR had raised £4bn of high-yield, AKA “junk”, bonds to help fund the Asda deal. If we assume that TDR and the Issa brothers chipped in a further £500m of equity, that would mean that Walmart retains a one-third shareholding in Asda. So, instead of the “enterprise value” touted by Walmart in its announcement of the deal, it probably received no more than £4.5bn. How much more will it receive when, in the fullness of time, it inevitably disposes of the remainder of its Asda shareholding? Only time will tell.

Determined to leave UK Walmart’s determination to exit the UK market has been clear since the botched merger of Asda with rival Sainsbury’s in 2018. By the time the deal was eventually shot down on competition grounds by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority the following year, it was clear to everyone that

OPINION

there was a “for sale” sign stamped very ﬁrmly onto Asda. With the 2019 CMA decision having ruled out a competitor acquiring Asda, the way was clear for a ﬁnancial buyer. While the deal has been dressed up as one of the Blackburn-born Issa brothers buying the UK’s third-largest grocery retailer, the reality is almost certainly somewhat different.

Issa brothers Founded in 2001, Zuber and Mohsin Issa’s EG Group operates over 6,000 forecourts in Europe, North America and Australia. It had sales of £20bn, operating (pre-interest) profits of £417m and an after-tax loss of £129m in 2019. Having expanded aggressively by acquisition in recent years, it had total net debt of £8.1bn and a further £1.26bn of lease liabilities on its balance sheet at the end of last year. EG’s net debt is the equivalent of 10.3 times EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxation depreciation and amortisation). For the financially uninitiated, that means that EG very, very heavily borrowed. Apart from the Issa brothers, who between them own 50% of the company, the remaining 50% of EG Group is owned by, yes you’ve guessed it right, TDR. Which means it’s very difficult to see the acquisition of Asda as anything other than a highly-leveraged buyout where the new

After falling back from its early-October highs, Ocado still has a Stock Exchange value of over £18bn

owners will be under intense pressure from their lenders to ride the supermarket chain hard and squeeze it for cash.

Under pressure How could it have come to this, where one of the leading UK food retailers ends up in the clutches of the asset-strippers? Food retailing in the UK ain’t the business it used to be. As in Ireland, German discounters Aldi and Lidl have carved out a large chunk of the market. The discounters now have a combined 14% share, up from 11.8% three years ago. A large proportion has come at Asda’s expense, whose market share is down from 15.3% to 14.5% over the same period. While the timing was coincidental, there

was something very apt about the Asda sale being announced in the same week that the market value of online-grocery retailer Ocado briefly overtook that of Tesco to become the UK’s most valuable grocery firm. This was despite the fact that Tesco’s annual sales of £56bn are 35 times greater than Ocado’s £1.6bn, which recorded pre-tax losses of £215m in 2019 compared to pre-tax profits of £1.3bn at Tesco. In fact, Tesco’s online sales of £3.3bn in the year to the end of February 2020 - it is forecasting online sales of £5.5bn this year – are twice Ocado’s total sales. Even after falling back from its earlyOctober highs, Ocado still has a Stock Exchange value of over £18bn. This compares to Marks & Spencer’s market value of less than £2bn. Ocado has processed M&S online food orders since last month. It also processes the online orders of Morrisons, the fourth largest UK food retailer. Morrisons has a market value of just over £4bn. With a market value more than three times that of M&S and Morrisons combined, this is only going to end one way. One day soon Ocado is going to make M&S and/or Morrisons an offer they can’t refuse and use its sky-high share price to purchase one or both of the retailers whose online orders it processes. Remember where you read it first. ■

eat. sleep. nocco. repeat. www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

STORE PROFILE

Juggling a store-wide renovation with social distancing measures is no mean feat. Owner of Spar Irishtown, Kilkenny, John Eivers caught up with Julia O’Reilly to discuss his busy few months

Retailer John Eivers who has been based at Spar Irishtown for the past 17 years, is clearly passionate about his business

Positive approach W

hen ShelfLife recently caught up with John Eivers, owner of Spar Irishtown, Kilkenny, the passion he has for his work immediately became apparent. “I’m passionate about retail,” he says, “about my job, this shop. I think in this business you have to be.” Throughout the conversation, that passion makes itself abundantly clear time and time again. “I’d been working in retail since I ﬁnished college,” he says. “All along I hoped I’d be able to put that knowledge into running my own business. I was working for John Prenderghast in Grand Canal Street and looking to franchise my own store when John Clohisey gave me the opportunity to franchise this site. That was 2003. Just two years later I bought the store and I’ve been here 17 years now. The Irishtown site has been part of the Spar brand for 21 years. Philip Cross, who is also a Spar retailer, built the store back in 1999. “Right away I knew I wanted to develop the store,” says Eivers. And develop he did. After making several changes throughout the years, the store recently underwent a full reﬁt.

STORE PROFILE

Retailer: John Eivers Address: Spar Irishtown Service Station, Vicar Street, Irishtown, Kilkenny Staff: 15, 11 full-time and four part-time Size: 1,580sq ft Opening hours: 7am - 10pm Monday to Sunday

Extreme makeover “We’d been planning the renovation for 18 months. We started what was supposed to be a ten-week job on 2 March. You know the rest - two weeks into the job, we go into lockdown.” Always the optimist, Eivers adds: “We were lucky we’d started the job though - that meant it had to be ﬁnished. If we hadn’t started, who knows if it would have gone ahead. We knew it would take longer than expected but we had all our ducks in a row, so it was just a matter of ploughing on.”

John Eivers and his team have built a reputation for great customer service, with shoppers knowing the team by name

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Completing a full store renovation in the middle of a global pandemic sounds like a tall order, and by the sound of things, it was: “We stayed open while the reﬁt was happening, so we were essentially operating with half a shop. On top of this, all our social distancing measures were in place. The shop was a little hectic, but we pulled through!”

The wow factor It was all worth it in the end. As one customer put it, the makeover has given the shop ‘the wow factor’. Customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive: “We’re delighted with the response we’ve had from customers. They walk in the door and we just see jaws dropping,” says Eivers with a laugh. The new designated off-licence section has gained many vocal fans, which Eivers is happy to hear since changing the off-licence to comply with upcoming legislation was one of the main reasons behind the revamp. “Our cosy new off-licence corner has changed the way people buy alcohol,” he says. “I’ve noticed that customers are now taking

Spar Irishtown has a broad deli selection alongside a ‘Grab and Go’ fridge with sandwiches, wraps and rolls which is proving popular

STORE PROFILE

their time to browse the drinks selection, whereas it used to be more of a quick grab and go. Clever design tricks have made the 1,580sq ft site feel more spacious than ever: “We took out the ceiling tiles, and two partitions, and now the shop looks twice as big. The difference that made is immense. “The space has been transformed,” says Eivers proudly. “You’d hardly recognise the shop.” What’s more, Spar Irishtown now boasts several new technological features, such as digital menu boards and safe pay for secure cash handling. Eivers also implemented electronic SELs. “We also wanted to try and develop the fresh food end of the business. We started doing a Grab ‘n’ Go fridge where we sell sandwiches, wraps, and rolls. It’s been going down well with customers. “I was also looking to get into scratch bakery, but not in a major way. When I spoke to the team at the BWG Fresh Food department, they suggested I try out tarts, scones and brown bread to see how we get on. That’s been working for us and our customers. Down the road, we might develop the range further.” Eivers is quick to thank Spar for their assistance during the reﬁt. “Spar were brilliant, particularly Peter Dwan. He gave us some excellent suggestions for the shop that we implemented, and we’re so happy with the outcome” He also thanked Robert Gough from BWG’s development team for all his support during the reﬁt, as well as Nicky

Spar Irishtown’s attractive new off-licence corner allows customers to take their time to browse the drinks selection

Maher of MGM Construction, who he says “made the revamp as seamless as possible so we could concentrate on retailing”.

Helping hand Eivers is grateful for the guidance Spar has provided since Covid-19 broke out: “Spar has been sending us relevant, practical information once or twice a week. It’s been a great help, especially while we were juggling the reﬁt with implementing new health measures. It really helped lighten the load. For me, that’s one of the great things about being with a brand, it can take some of the hassle out of things. They have resources that we don’t have, so they were basically able to say to us, ‘okay, here’s what you need to do lads.’ We feel we’re in safe hands.”

“Initially, we did have to reduce our hours slightly because we weren’t as busy, but the team was really understanding. That’s no surprise though, they’ve really pulled together and done themselves proud during a tough time.” When asked what makes his store unique, Eivers is modest: “I don’t think I have the answer to that,” he says. “I will say however, that we’re locally owned and managed so community is very important to us. We’re always striving to provide top class customer service. “I’m a hands-on owner and manager. I’m here a long time now so a lot of our customers know me and I know them. I hope that stands to us.” Eivers isn’t the only friendly face customers expect to see in-store: “I’m a firm believer in looking after people,” he says. “The bulk of my staff are with me 10 years. Bridget has been here for about 13 years.” After the refit, Eivers took on two new part-time staff, bringing the team up to 15, with 11 full-time and four part-time, but staffing changes are rare at Spar Irishtown. “Our staff aren’t turning over on a regular basis, which I think our customers like. They know our team by name, and I think that continuity is another reason for the store’s success.” After an action-packed few months, Eivers says he’s looking forward to enjoying the long-awaited refit. It seems looking forward is second nature to the store owner. Why? “In this business, you have to look on the bright side,” says Eivers, “if you’re always dwelling on the negative, you’ll never get anything done.” ■

Team effort

The Spar’s bakery selection offers an appetising range of tarts, scones and brown bread which has been performing well in-store

Running a successful store is a substantial team effort, and it’s something Eivers admits he’d be remiss to do without his wonderful manager Bridget Quinlan. “I’d be lost without her,” says Eivers. “She works the ﬂoors, she does all the ordering, she deals with the staff she does so much operationally. “When Covid-19 broke, Bridget made sure that we were on top of things. She created an environment where the staff knew exactly what they had to do to keep themselves and customers safe. She was brilliant.” As for the rest of the team, Eivers has nothing but kind words to say about his staff. “I have to say, throughout Covid-19 the team has been fantastic. We’ve given them training, and they’ve been provided with facemasks and shields.

Clever design tricks have made the 1,580sq ft site feel more spacious than ever

www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

ADVISOR: HR

Adopting best practice The HR Suite’s Caroline McEnery outlines the key employee rights, timeframes and considerations to take into account when arranging adoptive leave for a staff member CAROLINE MCENERY

managing director, The HR Suite

An employee who is taking adoptive leave must provide her/his employer with a certiﬁcate of placement, no later than four weeks after the placement occurs

nder the Adoptive Leave Acts 1995-2005, female employees and in certain circumstances male employees are entitled to time off when adopting a child or children. Adoptive leave is available to: • An adopting mother, that is any female who is adopting a child who is not the biological mother of the adoptive child. • A male employee who is adopting a child on his own. • A male employee is entitled to adoptive leave if the case arises where the adopting mother has died before or during the period of adoptive or additional adoptive leave. The adopting mother or the sole adopting father who is in employment is entitled to the following: ● A minimum of 24 consecutive weeks of adoptive leave from work; this leave begins the day of the child’s or children’s placement. ● Additional adoptive unpaid leave of up to 16 weeks; the employee must inform their employer at least four weeks in advance of taking this leave. Similar to maternity leave, it is possible to receive a social welfare payment for the initial 24-week period of adoptive leave for the majority of cases. If the employee has enough PRSI contributions, they will then be entitled to Adoptive Beneﬁt from the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection (DEASP). This payment is available for employees and those who are self-employed.

Sick leave

CONTACT THE HR SUITE:

If you require further information or advice on HR, please do not hesitate to contact The HR Suite’s consultants on (01) 9014335 or (066) 7102887 or email the company at info@thehrsuiteonline.com.

If an employee becomes unwell while on adoptive leave, the employee can inform their employer they are ill and can successfully request to be taken off adoptive leave and placed on sick leave. This is in exceptional cases.

Annual leave and public holidays Employees who are on adoptive leave are on protected leave and will be entitled to any public holiday which may occur during their time off. This means that they must be given either an extra day’s pay, or a set day off within a month, or an extra day’s annual leave for any public holiday which occurred during their leave.

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Absences on adoptive leave do not breach continuity of employment, and qualify as reckonable service for the purposes of redundancy agreements and payments.

Adoptive classes An employee may be entitled to paid time off from work to attend any pre-adoption meetings or classes which the employee is obliged to attend. Written notiﬁcation of dates and times of classes must be supplied to the employer not later than two weeks before the dates of the classes concerned.

Postponement of adoptive leave The employee’s adoptive leave usually begins the date the child has been placed in the adoptive parent’s care. However, if the adoptive child becomes sick and is placed in hospital before the employee’s adoption leave or additional leave begins, the employee can request that the leave is either postponed or delayed.

Returning to work Adoptive leave is protected leave. When an employee is returning from adoptive leave, they have the right to return to the same position with the same contract of employment. If the position is no longer available due to the progression of the company, the employer must provide the employee with suitable alternative work. The terms and conditions of the new position must not be ‘less favourable’ than those of the employee’s previous position. If the business is sold while an employee is on adoptive leave or additional adoptive leave, rights on returning to work stay the same under the new employer. An adoptive parent returning to work from adoptive leave has the same rights to return to work as those who have taken maternity leave. The employee must also give the employer four weeks’ notice of the intention to return. Bear the following points in mind: • An employee seeking adoptive leave must give their employer written notice of a minimum of four weeks before the expected placement of the child. • An employee who is taking adoptive leave must provide her/his employer with a certiﬁcate of placement. This must be given to the employer no later than four weeks after the day of placement. • An employee must inform their employer, in writing a minimum of four weeks before the employee’s intention of taking the additional adoptive leave. • The adoptive employee must inform their employer in writing at least four weeks in advance of the date they wish to return to work; this includes adoptive leave and additional adoptive leave. ■

SPOTLIGHT

Reducing shrinkage following structural separation of alcohol With the Public Health (Alcohol) Act due to come into effect imminently, Tom Dunlea of Mercury Systems, outlines the security measures that can help retailers keep their highvalue alcohol products secure, when they can no longer be stocked behind the till

Mercury Systems has partnered with Sensormatic technology, which it has found delivers “superior, reliable performance and consistent anti-theft protection”

The BottleLox security tag has been designed not to spoil the appearance of products, as well as being quick and easy to apply

he new Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 comes into effect from 12 November 2020, with implications for all retailers in displaying alcohol products and maintaining the volume of sales, while adhering to the law. Most retailers have been preparing for this law for some time, Covid notwithstanding, with many store owners having to rethink store layout and accessibility to meet the requirements of the act, which aims to separate alcohol from other grocery items. What does this mean for retailers in terms of security? Given the options set out by the act, the retailer may decide to have a greater selection of high value product which previously would have been behind the till, available on open sale. Additionally, the off-licence section will no longer be as visible within the store. These factors pose signiﬁcant additional shrinkage risks in many retail settings. How can retailers deter thieves without losing revenue? A huge struggle for every store owner is how to prevent theft without putting customers off buying products, or even revisiting the store. Alcohol is one of the most targeted retail products for shrinkage, causing millions of euro of lost revenue annually throughout the sector. A reputable security solution is key to reducing this loss.

Mercury Systems has extensive experience in assisting retailers to protect vulnerable products, and thus reducing loss. In business since 1996, the company has seen many changes take place in retail and has been able to adapt and maintain the security required to match the shifting retail setting. Tom Dunlea, from Mercury Systems, is keenly watching these developments. “With this act coming into play, many retailers are drawn to display alcohol openly in the limited space available,” he says. “To try to maintain sales, some retailers will even be tempted to display spirits and high value wines on open sale. Depending on store size, they may not have a choice if they want to continue supplying alcohol, but we see a risk of greater theft coming out of these changes and retailers need to bear this in mind when it comes to store security.” Mercury Systems sees that some store owners are still sceptical about using security solutions, such as bottle tags. These can be tricky for staff to put on and may not look aesthetically appealing on shelves. However, without some form of deterrent, shop owners may be setting themselves up for more loss than gain as the November deadline approaches. “Over the years that we’ve been providing solutions to stores around Ireland, we’ve seen what works and what doesn’t,” Dunlea says. “If we recommend a solution to a store, we want to make certain it’s the right one for the store size, number of staff and that best practice can be applied to make sure the solution is used properly – to ensure it is going to work in that premises.” For alcohol, Mercury supplies BottleLox, which is designed not to spoil the appearance of products, as well as being quick and easy to apply (and remove). Feasible for all retail sizes, it works with or without an EAS system, meaning investment isn’t required to get up and running straight away. “BottleLox is very affordable and has a proven rapid return on

investment, even for independent retailers,” Dunlea adds. What other shrinkage solutions are available? For the past five years, Mercury has been using Sensormatic technology which it has found gives superior, reliable performance and consistent anti-theft protection. After investigating all options worldwide, Mercury partnered with Sensormatic, attracted to its many benefits as a go-to solution for customers. “One of our Dublin-based customers, actually ran an eight-week trial of EAS tagging on his deli product recently,” Dunlea says. What security products were used? Mercury supplied Sensormatic Ultra Post Antennas, Sensormatic Power Deactivators and Sensormatic AP Security Labels. Before the trial, shrink value was €350 per week in one location and €150 in a second store trialled. All product over €3 in value was tagged with a security label for the eight weeks. Is the return of investment worthwhile? Shrink value was reduced by 89% in one location, with a return of investment of 16 weeks. The second store reduced shrinkage by 87.5%, with a return of investment on the Sensormatic products of 35 weeks. “It’s very compelling evidence of the success of EAS Tagging in reducing shrinkage,” says Dunlea. “It’s one of the reasons we partner with Sensormatic, we can stand over their products and therefore, we can stand over our solutions,” he continues. “Items are secured discretely and effectively.” With the pressure of the pandemic and the Christmas season ahead, store owners don’t need to be facing losses. More pressure than ever is on them to keep the retail environment safe, while maintaining stock and ensuring staff and customers are satisfied. Mercury Systems is confident that tailored security systems offer the solution retailers need. ■

For more information: Tom Dunlea, Mercury Systems Web: www.mercurysystems.ie | Telephone: 087 114 9878

www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

20 ADVERTORIAL

Group chief salutes Gala performance

With over 22 years in business, 170 Gala convenience stores and 35 Your Stop stores, Gala has established a thriving convenience retail group that spans the entire country. The events of recent months have seen convenience retail, and indeed all business, face its greatest ever challenge with the arrival of a global pandemic. ShelfLife speaks to CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond, on how the group has performed in 2020, and the challenges that lie ahead Q: Covid-19 has been one of the greatest ever challenges for business. How have Gala stores performed? A: Our stores have been exceptional. They quickly pivoted, adapting their offering, prioritising the elderly, vulnerable and key workers, all whilst ensuring that their doors remained open for their communities, and providing a safe environment for their teams. We are enormously proud of our retailers - the innovation that they demonstrated, their flexibility and their willingness to go

CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond

above and beyond for their customers has been incredible. ‘Senior Sundays’, home delivery, order and collect services, and even donating meals to the elderly and vulnerable; these are just some of the measures that Gala retailers introduced in March and April. Across the board, our stores have been trading well, with the exception of a number of city centre stores where footfall is still down and a downturn in fuel sales for forecourt stores during the first four months of lockdown.

Gala Retail announced a further four-year extension of its platinum sponsorship of Special Olympics Ireland in early 2020. Pictured are (l-r) Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail; Special Olympics ambassador Michéal Ó Mhuircheartaigh; Special Olympics athlete Emma Johnstone; Special Olympics ambassador Keith Wood and Matt English, CEO, Special Olympics Ireland

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelflife.ie

Q: How did the team at Gala HQ support retailers through the pandemic? A: At Gala HQ, the team supported our retailers throughout this period, developing a dedicated Covid-19 section within our internal Grow retailer website. We issued almost 100 pieces of specific Covid-19 communications over the past six months, keeping retailers updated with regard to guidelines from the government and HSE, as well as communicating important information on operations, hygiene and social distancing, designed to protect both staff members and customers. Our field sales team remained on the ground, supporting retailers throughout the pandemic, providing reassurance and much-needed support to retailers at a time when they needed it most. We worked hard to develop a Shopify platform that was based around a ‘click and collect’ model which retailers could choose to adopt, and we helped our stores to implement this within their business. It goes without saying that throughout this process, we worked with our member wholesalers and suppliers to ensure the supply chain was secure and to minimise any interruptions for our retailers. Their

ADVERTORIAL

We believe social media and technology will play a greater role in everyone’s life moving forward, and we will continue to develop our marketing efforts in these areas. relationships with local Gala retailers gave our wholesalers a unique understanding of the level of support needed at a local level, and they delivered for each and every one of our stores. Q: How have your marketing plans been affected? A: Like everything this year, through being ﬂexible, adapting our approach and accepting that change is the only thing guaranteed, we’ve essentially restructured our marketing efforts to make them relevant for now. Just this month, our annual trade fair and conference moved online. A virtual trade fair, including supplier videos and PowerPoint presentations, introducing new products, deals and offerings from suppliers, was developed to ensure that our retailers received those same value offerings as in previous years. Our Gala Retail Inspiration Awards have moved from a black-tie formal awards event to a cross-station promotion across Virgin Media, featuring on shows including Ireland AM, The Six O’clock Show and The Elaine Show. We felt that it was extremely important to continue with these awards, as now more than ever before, we’ve witnessed so many inspirational acts from people in our communities. We have donated a prize pot of over €20,000 to the awards, gifting 26 county heroes for their inspirational acts with Blue Book vouchers for luxury staycations. Our CSR commitment to Special Olympics Ireland remains as resolute as ever, especially in a time when all charities are facing enormous shortfalls in their fundraising efforts. In early 2020, we announced a further four-year extension of our platinum sponsorship of Special Olympics Ireland, supporting the incredible work that the organisation delivers for athletes and their families throughout Ireland. During the summer, we were determined to work within restrictions to create a new concept to fundraise for Special Olympics and hosted Ireland’s ﬁrst-ever virtual golf week, raising much needed funds for Special Olympics Ireland. We will be supporting Special Olympics’ ‘Can’t Stop Now’ fundraising campaign in October and we will be introducing another fundraising initiative before the end of the year.

Q: There have been many challenges over the past six months but have there been any highlights? A: Although the past six months have been incredibly challenging, there have been some standout moments, which as a group, we will remember with huge pride. The camaraderie of the entire Gala family, the tireless work of our stores to ensure the vulnerable and elderly had all the essentials that they needed and the ﬂexibility and team effort of all at Gala HQ to support our stores during this time has been tremendous. We have also had several new Gala stores open, which is always a highlight, but in the current climate, is to be celebrated. King’s Gala has just opened an incredible, state-of-the-art forecourt and store in Wicklow town, and in Adare, Moynihan’s Gala has just opened its doors. Q: What lies ahead for Gala? A: Regardless of the macro issues surrounding Covid-19 and the economy, and the very real possibility of further interruption to our lives, we need to press on as an innovative convenience retail group. We’re determined to focus on what we can control, supporting our retailers as we navigate the everchanging climate. Maintaining a safe shopping experience for our customers and teams is the number one priority, and always will be. However, we are working on innovative new ‘own brand’ concepts that will help our retailers to offer even more choice

to customers, including enhanced ‘take away’ at home experiences. In-store concepts such as ‘Coffee Junction’ ‘New Street Deli’, ‘Baker’s Corner’ and ‘Galato’ have been incredibly successful, increasing sales and driving footfall. Coming soon is an in-store pizza counter where customers can enjoy premium quality pizza, fresh from the oven, available to buy by the slice or as a whole pizza, and we’re hoping to introduce more of these offerings in the coming months. All businesses face a challenging future, but we operate in food and essentials, and we’re grateful to be in a strong position, offering value and quality to customers and our communities moving forward, however, we are also calling for increased support from the government for our retailers and other SMEs as we continue operating in these challenging times. Q: How will you look back on 2020? A: The year when everything changed. We have never before witnessed such a seismic challenge, when all of our lives changed and with such haste. Our Gala retailers and all grocery retailers were on the front line, and the speed of their response was nothing short of incredible. We all pulled together, from our wholesalers, to our suppliers and the team at Gala HQ, in a bid to support our stores and strengthen the supply chain. This collective effort is our greatest strength and enabled our retailers to do what they do best, serve their communities at a time when the need was never greater. Our new behaviours will be in place for some time, and they may well have farreaching implications into the future. For many, 2020 will be the year that none of us would have imagined or will forget.

Virgin Media presenters Glenda Gilson and Laura Woods with Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail, at the launch of the Gala Inspiration Awards 2020

www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

INTERVIEW

Baring all Niall Phelan, founder and CEO, The Naked Collective

n track to reach €30 million in revenue by the end of 2021, The Naked Collective has high aims for its range of healthy ‘brews with benefits’, encompassing the Mude range of ‘mood boosters built around your day’ and So.Beer ‘no-compromise alcohol-free beers’. “The plan is to be in about 80% distribution in Ireland over the course of 2021,” founder and CEO Niall Phelan tells ShelfLife. Having already gained national listings across the BWG estate, Circle K and Tesco, the group is currently in discussions with several other Irish retailers, as well as “gradually rolling out” across the foodservice and wholesale sectors. The company’s ambitions are certainly not restricted to Irish shores, however. “We have an agreement reached for our launch in the UK which is imminent and we’re launching in Canada in January on So.Beer and into Italy this side of Christmas as well,” Phelan reveals. In fact, earlier this year, the entrepreneur was forced to beat a hasty retreat from a business trip in New York, when Trump announced the US travel ban. “When we landed home, we realised the full extent of [the Covid-19 crisis] over the first couple of weeks,” Phelan recalls. “We very quickly said, here’s an opportunity to spend time improving the products, bringing forward innovation around immune support and also rethinking the role of e-commerce in our business because we hadn’t planned to hit e-commerce in any major way until 2021.”

Impact of Covid-19 While ultimately, Covid-19 delayed The Naked Collective’s launch “by probably five months in total,” Phelan’s mentality is definitely ‘glass half-full’ (half-full of an isotonic super liquid, naturally!) Despite the setbacks, The Naked Collective’s first product hit the market in August, with an extensive rollout due this month. Indeed, Phelan has prior experience of setting up a new brand during challenging times; he set up Molson ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelflife.ie

With drinks that have been turbocharged with beta glucan to boost the immune system, The Naked Collective’s CEO Niall Phelan fills us in on his similarly turbocharged growth plans for the company ‘powered by plants, people and purpose’, established just over a year ago

Coors Ireland “right at the height of the financial crisis” and observes that “these challenges actually create an equal amount of opportunities for agile, flexible businesses who are able to adapt”. The pandemic has led to “an acceleration of a number of trends happening in retail,” Phelan continues, including a “shift to a simplification of ingredients, focus on health and wellness, and a real purpose-driven consumer. Those things are moving at a pace that we have not seen in consumer goods before so I’m optimistic that there’s opportunities for companies like us that are genuinely trying to become regenerative in our approach to the environment and community and really trying to produce something that’s good for you, as well as being functionally relevant to consumers.”

were going to fade away given that we were heading into difficult financial times. However, what we actually saw as a result of that survey was that firstly, under-35s were actively reducing their alcohol consumption. We saw that about two-thirds of them were looking for alternatives to alcohol when they were out socialising. In particular, we saw about 70% of them were looking for healthier choices in food and drink as a result of Covid and about 70% of them were also looking for food and drink that supported immune health. What’s more, 55% of consumers under 35, were actually saying due to Covid that ‘I’m willing to spend more money on drinks that would improve my health or wellbeing’, so definitely the relevance of the category and the focus of the consumer is accelerating towards those areas.”

Accelerating trends

Serious about sustainability

In fact, the company recently conducted With a Masters in Leadership and research in Ireland with 500 consumers, which Sustainability from the Robert Kennedy revealed some encouraging results. “We had College and University of Cumbria under his seen prior to Covid, a significant shift in the belt, Phelan is adamant that the company’s focus on health and wellness as a motivating commitment to sustainability is built on much factor to purchase beverages, to the point where it had become the second most important factor when consumers were choosing a beverage,” Phelan says. This position has strengthened post-Covid. “It was interesting,” he continues, “because we had conversations in the trade suggesting that environmental Niall Phelan with co-founder and CFO Catherina Butler who was concerns had become formerly the chief financial officer at logistics firm Primeline, less important and and previously served as financial controller at both United premium purchases Drug and Lifestyle Sports

INTERVIEW

sturdier foundations than merely paying homage to ‘buzz words’. “Carbon neutrality has just got to be a given, it’s not a target or an aspiration,” he says. The Naked Collective has subsequently been carbon neutral from day one, with the business being independently audited by Gold Standard Projects, as well as being a founding member of the Positive movement, “which effectively sets out a mission to become a regenerative business; one that gives back more than it consumes across every touchpoint of the organisation”. Sustainability drove the company’s decision to produce canned instead of bottled drinks, which the public recycle much more often. “Cans have a recyclable rate above 85% and are infinitely recyclable versus a plastic bottle of which there are 600 billion used a year globally with a recycle rate of 15% or less,” says Phelan. Proving that this commitment to the environment runs deep, the company has several policies “that people can find challenging,” he continues. “For example, you can’t claim a car allowance unless you’ve got an electric car or a plug-in hybrid with a certain efficiency. We only pay for receipts on vegan or vegetarian meals because on average, that’s 80% less carbon emissions per meal. If you want to work for The Naked Collective, you have either bought into these ideas or not and if not, it’s probably not the right organisation for you.”

Career path Phelan himself has enjoyed a diverse career and gone through “fundamental changes” in his own approach to life, with a “significant reduction in consuming alcohol” and a switch to vegetarianism and then onto veganism. Originally, he actually studied aerospace engineering, but quickly decided it wasn’t the right path for someone whose “interest in safety systems wasn’t really there” – a decision for which he quips many of his friends still thank him when they board a flight to this day. Phelan’s next step saw him join Richmond Marketing in the early nineties, working on Red Bull, and witnessing the brand’s rapid growth. He then spent four years at Nestlé between the UK and Ireland, predominantly on its Purina business. Next, he came back to Ireland and Richmond once again before moving to Molson Coors in 2008 and setting up its Irish business. “I did a big piece of work on leading the Scottish business and consolidating,” he says. “I set up the Emerging Markets & Craft Beer Division and led the acquisition of [Cork-based] Franciscan Well and [oversaw] the Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall and was then lucky enough to chair global craft beer strategy.” However, Phelan reached the conclusion that “the more senior I got in the multinational [sphere], the more I realized that’s probably not the space for me. I left and set up my own brewery, Rye River, back in 2013 and I led that business from the original

and they spend a lot of time on the back label of the product.”

Fulfilling consumer needs

The Mude range of ‘mood boosters built around your day’ has options that fulfil different need states throughout the day, including Sleep, Chill, Play, Work and ImmunoBoost

idea through to my exit in 2016.” Following this, Phelan set up his own beverage consultancy, and worked for a number of companies including BrewDog, and a Canadian brewer of cannabis beers, Province Brands. “I suppose during that period, I was hoping to find the next thing that would excite me,” he reflects. “Ultimately, I got to a place where I was lucky enough to meet Catherina Butler [The Naked Collective’s co-founder and CFO] and we very quickly realized, we had very similar thoughts and ideas on how to both set up and run a business, but also the things that we wanted to achieve in that business,” in terms of business culture and values.

Comfortable getting uncomfortable When asked how he would compare working with a multinational to setting up his own business, Phelan is clear-cut: “It’s very, very different; I’ve done it a few times now and I come from quite an entrepreneurial family so I probably take some things for granted. You lose a lot of the comfort that surrounds you, decision making has most definitely become much pacier and that also creates pressure because the results of that decision sit firmly on your shoulders. You’ve got to be able to embrace those things and as we look to hire people, it’s a conversation I often have with them. I’ve been very lucky; I’ve worked with some great bosses in my career and I wouldn’t be where I am without them. One of the key messages that stands with me is my former boss saying you’ve got to get comfortable getting uncomfortable, otherwise you’re not learning and you’re not growing.” Speaking of learning and growing, the in-store soft drinks fixture has remained largely unchanged in the past quarter of a century in Phelan’s opinion. “I’m sure the bigger guys in the category would disagree with this,” he says, “but if I look at the drinks fixture in-store now versus 1997/1998, there’s actually not a lot that’s changed. It almost feels like consumers have moved on, but we have the large drinks companies keeping pressure on carbonated soft drinks, and energy hasn’t really changed as a category. Consumers as we know have dramatically moved on since then

Hence, The Naked Collective strives to keep its ingredients “as simple as possible” and is currently on the fifth generation of its product, each time managing to remove more ingredients. “There should only be something in there if it’s doing something good for you,” says Phelan. “We don’t want to use sweeteners, stabilisers, preservatives and we don’t add sugar into the product, the sugar is naturally occurring.” The Mude range which provides options to fulfil consumers’ different need states – as outlined fully on page 35 - is meeting the contemporary consumer’s demands, according to Phelan. “The energy category hasn’t changed but the consumer has,” he says. “Social media and technology have fundamentally changed our need states as individuals, so no longer do we want to just be reactive to when we’re feeling tired when driving the car, but our stress levels have increased, our sleep is more disturbed and our focus has reduced; driven by how we almost live life in 140 characters these days.”

Quick action Mude offers a natural solution “that’s not cheap chamomile or ashwagandha or green tea from China in a powdered format that has no benefit; it’s organic, cold-pressed botanicals that have gone in there in very high quantities because we know you need that quantity for the science to have an actual effect within five to ten minutes.” The company is adopting a similarly efficacious approach to its expansion rate, currently employing just over 20 people. “Most of our team are based out of Leixlip but some are working now in Germany, Italy, Toronto, Chicago and Sweden, so we’re quickly becoming international and we have some announcements coming over the next couple of weeks around our next steps. As a business, it was still me and Catherina in February, so with over 20 people now, it feels like a bit of a whirlwind to get here but it’s been a fun journey so far.” n

The So.Beer range is available in both Alcohol-Free Lager and Alcohol-Free Grapefruit Lager varieties

www.shelflife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

24 ADVISOR: Recruitment

Mind the gap!

While it may be tempting to gloss over a gap in your CV, Excel Recruitment’s Barry Whelan outlines why any absence must be addressed, along with concrete examples of how to do so

BARRY WHELAN managing director of Excel Recruitment

www.excelrecruitment.com

hen candidates ask us for advice on writing their CVs, we would always advise to work backwards from their position today, all the way back though to their education. This waltz through time can often result in errors along the timeline, when the candidate isn’t sure how many years they may have worked in an early career position. Mistakes can appear where the dates don’t add up. With a little concentration, we usually get the chain of dates back on track and accurately recorded. However, many candidates may have actual gaps on their CVs which they can ﬁnd difﬁcult to account for and explain. Typically, these can be time out from employment whilst looking for a job, elected time out for a career break, or returning to work after a long absence, for instance while raising children.

The ATS scans your CV when you apply for a job. It adds your CV to its database, by automatically ﬁlling data boxes that measure your length of experience in a role to correlate with the position on offer. If the ATS scans an unknown gap, it can either consider this work experience, which is irrelevant for the role or highlight that you do not have the required experience to hand, rejecting your CV before a hiring manager even sees it. Applicant tracking systems are often

programmed to scan CVs and add work dates to determine how much experience a candidate has. They can also ﬂag and sometimes dismiss CVs with work gaps. By having a section on your curriculum vitae that ﬁlls in the gap with information, you are helping your chances of making it past the applicant tracking systems and initial recruiting screenings — and getting to an interview, which of course is your goal.

The full picture I am often asked how best to explain any lengthy absence. It does need to be explained. A prospective employer will want to know the full picture of your career and glossing over a gap can be detrimental to a successful interview. This can lead you to struggling to explain the absence and an employer spending too much time questioning it. When job hunting after an employment gap, the ﬁrst thing I would highly recommend is to have a section on your curriculum vitae that addresses the gap, for a couple of reasons.

Reasons to explain Firstly, and very importantly, a study by Fastcompany in the US compared job applicants who disclosed a reason for their work gap to those who did not. It found that applicants who provided a reason on their résumé and cover letter received nearly 45% more interviews than those who did not give a reason at all. Secondly, prospective employers may use ‘Applicant tracking system’ (ATS) software. ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Failure to explain a gap on your CV could lead to awkwardness in a job interview whereby you struggle to explain the absence

CV examples Here are a couple of examples of career break sections on CVs:

Professional Experience Planned Career Break, 09/2013 – Present An intentional pause to focus full-time on raising my family; Excited and energised to return to work. Stayed on top of digital marketing and industry trends via professional associations, online training, and keeping in touch with colleagues and mentors. Volunteered with our local school on a variety of successful fundraising drives, organising large-scale events.

Experience Career Break, 07/2013 – 09/2015 One of multiple roles made redundant due to a change in company strategy and cost pressures. Consistently received outstanding performance reviews from leadership and peers; parted on good terms with strong veriﬁable references. Other things you might consider adding to your CV include: • Any casual or formal education and training you have done while you have been away from work. • A ‘Technology Skills’ section that showcases the digital communication tools and platforms you are familiar with, as well as business-related programmes like Microsoft Ofﬁce. • A strong ‘Summary and Key Skills’ section at the top that highlights your most relevant skills and experiences for the job you’re applying for. ■

26 STORE PROFILE

Naseem Khan runs a Primo convenience store at Rosse Court, Balgaddy, Co Dublin. He speaks to Fionnuala Carolan about the importance of having the support of a good wholesaler behind your brand

Khan do attitude with Primo

The Primo at Rosse Court, Balgaddy has a vibrant and attractive external appearance

STORE PROFILE

Retailer: Naseem Khan Group: Primo Address: Rosse Court, Balgaddy, Lucan, Co. Dublin Staff: 08 Size: 3,000 sq ft Opening hours: 8am - 10pm Monday to Friday; 9am - 10pm Saturday and Sunday

e are beginning to see the Primo brand become more prevalent around the country which is a real feat considering there are so many strong convenient brands competing in the Irish market already. The overwhelming sentiment from Primo retailers is that the service is

top notch, the prices are very keen and the deliveries are always on time and carried out by professional staff. Naseem Khan had been running a convenience store in Balgaddy, Co. Dublin for the past few years and he recently rebranded to Primo. This change has already had a positive impact on his business because he feels like there is a real energy about the emerging brand and he enjoys a good working relationship with his dedicated account manager from Savage and Whitten. Khan is originally from Pakistan but has been living in Ireland for around 23 years. He is married and has four young children as well as extended family living in Ireland so this is deﬁnitely where he calls home. He never intended to be a retailer and got into it by accident so to speak. “I basically am a tailor by trade,” he explains. “I worked in the Wrangler company in Pakistan. When I came to Ireland, I worked with a number of different tailors including the renowned Michael Mortell and a company called Corporate Tailors making uniforms for different professions.”

Recession

Naseem Khan and his team have built up a strong local reputation for friendly service

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

When the recession hit in 2007, he was working with Corporate Tailors and one day, out of the blue the business just closed down. He outlines

‘First For Value’ aisle ends showcase competitive pricing and the strong deals available for consumers

the day he turned up to work to ﬁnd the company had ceased trading. “The company had just closed overnight,” Khan explains. “There was no one there that morning and after that I didn’t see anyone from my company again. I was owed wages but there was no money there to pay me.” Following this setback, he was fortunate to get into business with a friend. Together they ran a shop in Skerries, Co. Dublin for over ﬁve years. He enjoyed this time; it gave him a real taste for retail and he learned a multitude during this stint. “Skerries is a very nice area and we never had any trouble there,” Khan says. “I learned so much working with my friend and am so grateful for that.”

STORE PROFILE

Own store Khan’s interest in running his own store was piqued and he began to keep an eye out for a business that was suitable. He subsequently took over the Gala store in Balgaddy, Lucan. “This store had been here for 16 years and a number of owners had gone through this premises before me so there was an obvious risk taking it on,” he says. However, Khan has stuck at it despite experiencing a number of robberies in the early days and he now employs a full-time security guard, not just to protect the shop but he wants to make sure that his staff feel safe too. Over the past couple of years, he had started to buy more and more stock through Savage and Whitten due to the extra value and choice the wholesaler offered and on the back of this he decided it was time for a change of brand. He feels like the new relationship with Primo is a fresh start and has rejuvenated the business again. “We are in a good place with the shop now,” he says. “I work seven days a week to keep things running smoothly. I open up every day for 7.30am and work until around 3pm. It’s important to be present in your business.”

Facilities The Rosse Court store is 3,000sq ft and has a grocery, a deli and an off-licence. He has only recently installed the Cuppa coffee concept which is proving popular already. What sets him apart from other convenience stores is the in-house chipper, which means there is hot food available until closing time each day. “We do a lot of fried chicken, chicken and beef burgers and fries and it is

very popular,” says Khan. The chipper is open every day from 2pm -10pm and serves as a deﬁnite point of difference for his shop in the area. The store is part of an apartment complex with a day care centre next door so there is always plenty of footfall from early morning until late at night. There are also a number of schools in the vicinity. Morning trade can be brisk ‘First For Value’ messaging and special offers are prominent from the parents of the throughout the store school children. I ﬁnd them much cheaper than rivals. They Like every other retailer around the country, have the full range and some products you he had to close the deli and the chipper when might not get with other wholesalers, so it just Covid-19 hit in March. “That was a blow to works really well for me.” the business, but the off-licence sales did very Savage and Whitten is based in Newry, well and made up for this a bit.”

“We are in a good place with the shop now. I work seven days a week to keep things running smoothly. I open up every day for 7.30am and work until around 3pm. It’s important to be present in your business.” He employs eight staff and despite the fact that business was down due to the closure of the chipper and the deli, he juggled things in order to keep all the staff on by giving them different shifts. He wanted to make sure that all the staff were kept safe, so he put all the relevant safety features in place at the start of the lockdown.

Savage and Whitten

The Primo store makes it easy for local customers to get stocked up on essentials, with a wide range of household cleaning products available

Khan says that he feels very supported by the Savage and Whitten team. He heaps praise on his business manager for the group. “He is the best person to work with as he fully supports me and my team to consistently evaluate and evolve my store’s performance in terms of sales and proﬁtability,” he says. Of the wholesaler itself he says, “The prices are very good.

Co. Down and is the largest independent wholesaler in Northern Ireland at present, but we are starting to see the Today’s and Primo brands make real inroads in the south. Expect to see many more Today’s and Primo stores to open in the near future. The group has an ambitious growth plan and with its value offering and full central billing package, the wholesaler is deﬁnitely ticking a lot of boxes for convenience retailers at present. ■

The store’s off-licence department has performed well during the Covid-19 restrictions

www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

28 FEATURE

Roisin O’Shea

Preparing for the countdown to Brexit

As the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December draws ever closer, Roisin O’Shea, head of food and drink at Bank of Ireland, outlines important insights for Ireland’s food and drink exporters

ack in 2018, a commentator wrote that the Brexit withdrawal agreement negotiations were “the undefined being negotiated by the unprepared in order to get the unspecified for the uninformed”. Although a withdrawal agreement was concluded, the view on future relations remains unclear with potential for a free trade deal possible, though increasingly probable, with time fast running out. Regardless of the outcome of the negotiations, there will be significant changes for food and drink businesses that import or export from the UK or that use the landbridge through the UK to reach the continent.

Additional checks Even in the event of an agreement, there will be additional sanitary and phytosanitary checks on all goods of plant or animal origin moving to and from Ireland and Britain. Food and drink companies should have registration

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelflife.ie

in place now, both with customs and the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine. Reports emerging from the UK suggest that 40-70% of hauliers are not ready for the end of the transition period. This will inevitably result in significant delays and is something that should be built into any stock planning or service level agreements with customers. Should there be no agreement concluded, Irish exporters to the UK will be faced with some punitive tariffs on food. When Theresa May’s government published their proposed tariff list in 2019, they adjusted potential tariffs to take account of products where the UK was not self-sufficient, in order to avoid increasing inflation. However, the Johnson government took a much tougher line in their final proposal issued in May. In this new scenario, 40% of imports into the UK (compared to 13% under May’s proposals) will attract tariffs in the event of no deal. This will inevitably result in significant food inflation for UK consumers

with the British retail consortium warning of inflationary increases of up to 20%.

Tariffs for Irish exporters From an Irish perspective, the tariffs potentially add a bill of between €1.3bn and €1.5bn to our UK agrifood exports according to Minister Coveney. While the industry has been successful in opening up new markets, the UK still accounted for 34% of food exports in 2019. Beef: The UK proposals would add a weightbased tariff cost (£2.53/kg) plus a further 12% of the product value to imports into the UK. This would approximately double the cost of some lower value boneless beef exported from Ireland to the UK. Dairy: ICOS, which represents 130 Irish co-ops, has estimated the cost of UK tariffs on our cheese and butter exports at €287m – the equivalent of 3c/l on every litre of the country’s 8bn litre milk pool. Other meat sectors: Over 25% of Irish pork

FEATURE 29

is destined for the UK and will attract tariffs of up to a value of £131 per kg. Like pork, the majority of our chicken is consumed on the island; however, the UK represents 58% of our total exports of poultry. Some tariffs in this sector are particularly punitive, up to £2,313 per kg. These high tariffs apply to approximately 30% of our poultry exports – in particular, prepared meats. Horticulture: Exports to the UK in this sector are primarily focused on mushrooms. The UK is proposing a 12% tariff. This is a departure from the previous proposal of a zero tariff as the UK needs to import over 70% of its mushrooms. This proposal will inevitably lead to consumer inﬂation. Prepared food including confectionery, biscuits and bakery, pizza, juices, jams: These sectors have a signiﬁcant focus on the domestic market, and as such, in the event of a no deal could replace UK imports that would be subject to tariffs. They account for 22% of our total food exports and almost 61% of these sectors’ total export value is to Britain. Bakery and confectionery products would attract an 8% tariff in the event of no deal. Juice tariffs are 18% for apple and 12% for orange. Beverages including alcohol and soft drinks: This sector is not particularly exposed as only 13% of category exports are destined for Britain. Almost half of the value here would be tariff free – whiskey, liqueurs, beer and most spirits all escaping proposed tariffs. Soft drinks will attract a tariff of 8% and cider will attract a

volume-based tariff. Fish and seafood: Fish is only a very small part of our overall food exports to the UK (less than 1%), and from a ﬁshing sector perspective, the UK only accounts for 6% of our total ﬁsh exports. The main issue here will be what a no deal will signify in terms of loss of access to UK waters.

Cash flow consequences Many of the raw materials, in particular packaging, used in the Irish food and drink industry come from the UK. In the event of no deal, these products will now be subjected to additional tariffs on arrival in Ireland. Producers wishing to import from the UK, will need to pay these tariffs in order to get the product released. This may have a significant impact on cash flow. However, it is possible for businesses to delay the payment of the tariffs until the 15th of next month by obtaining a comprehensive guarantee from Revenue. A business needs to obtain a “guarantor’s undertaking” form from Revenue and then on the basis of the information in the form, fill in a credit application to your bank or financial institution. The process can take up to five weeks, so it is advisable to start now. Comprehensive guarantees from Revenue are also necessary should you wish to avail of other tariff exemptions for things like temporary admission (in the case of bringing in exhibition materials) or onward processing exemptions. They are also necessary for any

The UK is proposing a 12% tariff on mushrooms; a departure from the previous proposal of a zero tariff as it needs to import over 70% of its mushrooms

companies wishing to use the simpliﬁed transit procedure (involving two rather than four checks) for the UK landbridge. While the food and drink industry in Ireland has shown its resilience through the challenging times presented by Covid-19 thus far, the possible magnitude of impacts with Brexit is different. We would encourage businesses to take action now and get in touch with their banking relationship manager in order to ensure they are prepared for potential working capital issues as well as currency ﬂuctuations. ■

www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

Soup

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30 CATEGORY FOCUS Soup

Souper stars

s we head into the dark winter months, our thoughts instinctively turn to warm, comforting soup. Offering nourishment in a bowl, soup remains an important part of Irish cuisine. The category has been driven forward by growing health and wellness trends in recent years, as there is a strong perception among Irish consumers that soup, especially chilled soup, is a healthy, convenient, tasty food choice. According to Euromonitor, the highest growth and the greatest amount of new product development continues to be seen in chilled soup, which is the biggest category in value terms*.

(Source: Euromonitor, Soup in Ireland, November 2019)

Soup for the soul

Cully & Sully has put out a call for people to turn their used soup tubs into piggy banks in aid of Focus Ireland

This winter, Cully & Sully is asking the nation to turn their used soup tubs into piggy banks for Focus Ireland. The soup maker

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

has pledged to match the nation’s donations up to €10,000. The Cully & Sully piggy bank tubs will be available nationwide in supermarkets from early October. The food company will add up the piggy bank donations from 1 December, match the nation’s efforts up to €10,000 and give Focus Ireland some muchneeded funding in the run up to Christmas. For more information on the initiative, check out www.cullyandsully.com/focusireland.

Zesty freshness Since Avonmore created the chilled soup category over 40 years ago, the brand has brought many more firsts to the category as an innovator, not just in terms of product, but also packaging. This autumn, as soup season arrives, Avonmore is re-launching its premium soup range, with a striking new pack design and a batch of new recipes to boot. The first to join the range is a new Thai Chicken Soup, created by Avonmore chef, Barry Foley. Foley uses the best authentic ingredients to deliver a great tasting recipe. In a recent interview, Foley revealed a tip that he uses to elevate the soup’s flavour: “I use freshly squeezed lime juice at the end of the cooking process to give the soup a zesty freshness.”

The ultimate in warming winter nourishment, the soup category has received a boost in recent years as consumers continue to seek out healthy options, particularly within the chilled soups segment. Here, we take at what’s new in the highly innovative category

Avonmore is re-launching its premium soup range, with a striking new pack design and a batch of new recipes to boot

The new range also includes limited edition recipes, which will add to the options over the coming months. Avonmore supports its soups range across a mix of media and shopper activity. The brand supports its entire range throughout the year as sponsors of the weather on RTÉ television.

New creative for soup aired for the ﬁrst time in early October.

Goodness on-the-go Baxters has launched a new range of on-the-go Super-licious Soup Pots, bringing its soup expertise into a new format. The 350ml Super-licious Soup Pots range is available in four

The Baxters Super-Licious range is available in four ﬂavours - Thai Chicken and Coconut with Fiery Ginger, Creamy Tomato with Tomato Chunks, Minestrone and Smoked Bacon with Orzo Pasta and Pumpkin and Sweet Potato with Warming Spices

Soup CATEGORY FOCUS

Newspapers No & Low Alcohol Fuel The Sadie’s Kitchen brand hopes to expand centrally via Dunnes Stores in the coming months to deliver its immune boosting broths nationwide

Irish Brands

The ﬁrst to market, awardwinning bone broth brand Sadie’s Kitchen is continuing to deliver its ethos of ‘Convenience Without Compromise’ through growing

Cash & Carry

Immune boosting broths

its listings on its free-range Irish chicken and beef bone broth. The brand hopes to expand centrally via Dunnes Stores in the coming months to deliver its immune boosting broths nationwide. Founder, Sarah Kiely said: ‘’Dunnes have been a great supporter of the product and we are excited to help them meet demand for innovative and functional foods for our customers. Now more than ever, we are conscious of our health and looking for products that deliver.’’ Sadie’s Kitchen is currently developing a new range scheduled for early 2021. Kiely explained: ‘’It’s an exciting journey as a ﬁrst to market brand, we have spent the past four years educating the customer and retailers and now we have some really solid insights into how our broths are being consumed and look forward to bringing some exciting new products to market next year.’’ Sadie’s Kitchen is available at Dunnes Stores nationwide, health food stores, selected SuperValus and independent retailers. For more information, visit: www.sadieskitchen.ie.

Mixers

delicious flavours - Thai Chicken and Coconut with Fiery Ginger, Creamy Tomato with Tomato Chunks, Minestrone and Smoked Bacon with Orzo Pasta and Pumpkin and Sweet Potato with Warming Spices. Bringing convenience without any compromise on flavour, Baxters Super-licious Soup Pots are bursting with hearty goodness. Each product in the range can be easily microwaved and includes one of an individual’s five a day. The packaging is 98% recyclable. “We set out to create a modern and exciting range of flavours,” said Darren Sivewright, head chef at Baxters Food Group. “By putting a twist on some of our classic favourites, our Soup Pots offer something different that’s convenient, flavoursome and warming this autumn.” Baxters Super-licious Soup Pots retail for €2.49 and are available now in stores.

Soup

We are hugely EXCITED to reach B Corp certification and to become Ireland’s THIRD B Corp. www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

Soup

Irish Brands

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No & Low Alcohol

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CATEGORY FOCUS Irish Brands

Irish greats With the full economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis as yet unknown, 2020 is a year when it has never been more important to support homegrown Irish brands which are providing jobs and keeping our economy going. Fortunately, the taste credentials, quality standards and continual innovation by Irish brands make it an easy choice to support our homegrown greats, writes Gillian Hamill

n Ireland, consumers have a deep relationship with Irish food brands. Homegrown snacking, grocery and dairy brands are innately tied to Irish culture and society; they are brands Irish people have grown up with and still purchase every day. Each year, Irish brands consistently come out on top in the ‘Kantar 100 Master Brands at Home’

ranking published by ShelfLife. What’s more, the importance of supporting local, homegrown producers is fully appreciated by the retailers, who are proud to share their credentials in this area with shoppers. With that in mind, below we outline the heavyweight Irish contenders that deserve pride of place on shelves across the nation.

with Michelle Daly Lennon,

marketing manager, dairy, Kerry Foods

Q: How have you been innovative with your marketing to cut through all the ‘noise’ in the marketplace and attract consumers’ attention? A: We live in an ever-changing world where consumers have more access to information at the tips of their ﬁngers than ever before. Brands need to continuously evolve and connect with consumers in disruptive ways to ensure their share of consumers’ attention. At Dairygold, we put the consumers at the heart of everything that we do, ensuring only the highest quality products go to market and building campaigns that connect with consumers in their chosen space and in a relatable way. As a brand, we have worked continuously to build a memorable brand identity while staying relevant to the times. Since the onset of Covid-19, consumers are looking for comfort, that little moment of joy and escapism in their lives and our new campaign ‘Spread the Goodness’, delivers on that emotional need. We have aimed to recreate that uplifting feeling you get when you eat a slice of deliciously melty Dairygold toast - essentially aiming to bring a virtual hug right into people’s living rooms. Launched on 1 October, ‘Spread the Goodness’, features a young woman, Jess, who after enjoying her Dairygold toast continues through her day spreading ‘random acts of Dairygold Goodness’, inspiring others to go forth and make their world just that little bit good-er. A fully integrated plan will support the new TVC with in-store activity highlighting our ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

new look 100% recyclable pack and a digital campaign bringing ‘Dairygold Goodness’ to life and encouraging consumers to ‘Spread the Goodness’ wherever they can. Q. This October you are launching a new 100% recyclable pack. Can you tell us more about this? A: Consumers are striving to limit food waste, shop more consciously and buy more sustainable options. As the number one spreads brand in Ireland, we recognised the importance of evolving our packaging to meet consumers’ growing desire for sustainability. While our lid and tubs have always been recyclable, we needed to ﬁnd a recyclable solution for our coverleaf while ensuring there was no impact to the shelf life or quality of Dairygold. Our teams worked to ﬁnd a solution that would allow us to obtain a fully recyclable accreditation while maintaining our product integrity. We are delighted to share this with the market this month.

Dairygold’s new ‘Spread the Goodness’ campaign aims “to recreate that uplifting feeling you get when you eat a slice of deliciously melty Dairygold toast”

Michelle Daly Lennon

Q. How will Dairygold’s new packaging design increase the brand’s on-shelf standout? A: BSM (butter, spreads and margarines) is the second most auto-shopped category in grocery with shoppers only spending on average three seconds at shelf. After a number of years in the same packaging, Dairygold needed a shakeup in how we showed up on-shelf to ensure we were continuing to engage our shoppers. Our new-look 100% recyclable packs use colour to differentiate our range while at the same time injecting more life and personality into both the Dairygold brand and the BSM category. We have also retained our core brand semiotics such as our brand marque, churn and buttercups to ensure instant recognisability amongst our loyal shoppers. Q. How has the Covid-19 crisis affected the business? What are the key lessons you will take away from this challenging time? A: The need for agile ways of working, planning and innovative solutions has been highlighted over the previous six months. People are placing more emphasis on shopping more consciously, buying local and embracing trusted brands that prioritise quality and wellbeing. Dairygold’s Irish heritage, great-tasting products and dairy credentials mean that we are well positioned to meet these growing consumer needs.

Deliciously Dairygold. Recyclable Pack. Launching October 2020.

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Worth over €30m RSV, Dairygold holds 20% market share within the BSM category

Spread the goodness Dairygold is the market-leading butter, spreads and margarine (BSM) brand in Ireland, and has been a staple in Irish hearts and fridges for over 30 years. The brand is worth over €30m in retail sales value (RSV) and holds 20% market share within the BSM category. The long-term success of Dairygold has been built on the brand’s ability to continuously connect with consumers through its high-quality products and commitment to continuously evolving the brand’s communications platform. 2020 will see the launch of a new communications platform, ‘Spread the Goodness’, 100% recyclable packaging across the full range and special edition Christmas pack for the festive season.

Nutritious seafood in minutes Morgan’s Fine Fish, based in Omeath, Co. Louth is one of the longest established seafood companies in Ireland. The family business has been supplying quality seafood since 1860. The company has used its extensive knowledge to develop Morgan’s Seafood Kitchen, an exciting new range of low fat, high protein ‘ready to cook’ seafood meals.

Tapping into the ever-growing demand for healthy convenient offerings, the range was officially launched by weight loss expert Karen Daly of The Academy Masterplan and includes three tasty meals: Katsu Fish Curry, Spicy Lemongrass and Lime Seafood and Caribbean Prawns. Gillian Morgan, R&D product developer at Morgan’s Fine Fish explains the benefits of the range: “From the outset, we wanted to develop an authentic and exciting seafood product with clean label ingredients,” she says. “We wanted to make it easier for customers, who may not have the time to prepare and cook fish, to enjoy a nutritious seafood meal in minutes.” Morgan’s Fine Fish is the biggest employer in the Cooley Peninsula with 80 employees involved in sales and processing. The company is proud of its role in the local community which is why it was keen to partner with a local ambassador for the range. Following her own weight loss journey, brand ambassador Karen Daly from Dundalk, Co. Louth, is passionate about teaching people to eat better not less. “I have always encouraged people to eat more fish, but I know many people avoid cooking it at home,” Daly says. “Morgan’s Seafood Kitchen is the perfect solution. Cooked from raw in as little as

Morgan’s Seafood Kitchen includes three tasty meals: Katsu Fish Curry, Spicy Lemongrass and Lime Seafood and Caribbean Prawns

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four minutes, the meals are the ultimate healthy fast food!” Morgan’s Seafood Kitchen is available in select Dunnes Stores and from Morgan’s Fine Fish shop in Omeath. Priced at €4.99, each meal contains prime pieces of ﬁsh or prawns with fresh locally sourced vegetables, basmati rice and a tasty sauce. The range is packaged in the latest recyclable ‘Evolve’ trays. To ﬁnd out more and for live cookery demos from Karen Daly, make sure to follow @morgansseafoodkitchen and @mydalymasterplan on Instagram.

Most decorated craft brewery The Kildare-based Rye River Brewing Company is taking on the global giants of brewing. In September, it was crowned the Most Decorated Independent Craft Brewery in the world for the second consecutive year at the 2020 World Beer Awards. Reaching the top ranking in the world, Rye River Brewing Company picked up an astonishing 30 awards including one of only nine overall category winner awards for its McGargles Sean’s Export Stout, which was named World’s Best Stout in the Stout and Porter Category, beating out all other style and country winners. The brewery also picked up an additional three World’s Best in Style awards for McGargles: Dan’s Double IPA received the World’s best Double IPA title for the second time in three years, Rye River Miami JIPA was named World’s Best American Style IPA, and The Crafty Brewing Company American Style Pale Wheat Ale, brewed exclusively for Lidl

Ireland, was named World's Best American Style Wheat Beer. Rye River Brewing Company was founded in 2013, is based in Celbridge, Co. Kildare and is the proud owner of the McGargles, Rye River Brewing Company, Grafters and Solas brands. The brewery also brews The Crafty Brewing Company range of beers for Lidl GmBH. Speaking about the group’s recent success, head brewer Bill Laukitis said: “We are very proud of our beers and excited to see they are continually received well. It is a challenge to produce over 30 unique products on one site year-round, and an absolute honour that they receive such recognition on a global platform. It’s a true testament to the passion and dedication of our brewers and the whole team here at Rye River.”

Stars of the show Three of Ballymaloe’s Foods products have been awarded stars at this year’s prestigious Great Taste international awards, run by the Guild of Fine Food in the UK. The Great Taste Awards are known as the world’s most trusted food and drink awards. Ballymaloe Pickled Irish Beetroot was awarded two stars while Ballymaloe Original Relish and Ballymaloe Mayo were both awarded one star each. The beetroot used by Ballymaloe Foods has a strong level of connection to the farm – it is all grown locally in East Cork. General manager at Ballymaloe Foods, Maxine Hyde said the company is delighted with the accolades and they are especially welcome this year as the team celebrates 30 years in business.

Rye River Brewing Company scooped 30 awards at the 2020 World Beer Awards

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ImmunoBoost

Play Lacking energy? 40% of people report feeling the same during these uncertain times. Mude Play harnesses the power of organic green tea to revitalise body and mind, giving you a natural energy kick.

Work Along with a dip in energy, 42% of us have experienced decreased motivation over recent months. Mude Work is the ideal antidote: active ingredient, yeast protein, helps you ﬁnd focus when you need it most.

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With 69% of people putting a ﬁrmer focus on health and wellbeing in response to Covid-19, there’s never been a better time to discover Mude ImmunoBoost. Turbocharged with Beta Glucan and complex B vitamins, its clinically proven to boost immune health.

With innovation at the heart of the brand, Mash Direct has developed its Green Cabbage Bake - perfect for the changing seasons - to meet continued consumer demand in 2020

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This year Tipperary Water began its eco-friendly journey and launched a 500ml TetraPak carton. The carton is 88% plantbased, 100% recyclable in Ireland and has a lower carbon footprint than a standard PET bottle. This is due to the fact that it’s transported flat, filled and once used can be fully flattened and disposed of in the recycling bin. The launch was supported by an educational in-store, digital and out of home campaign to encourage consumers to ‘Twist the Cap to Change the World’, the purpose of which was to show consumers that if everyone makes small changes to add a little green to their everyday life, it will have a worldwide impact. The new eco-friendly carton was also used to support the new sponsorship of the Football Association of Ireland, to show customers and consumers that not only does Tipperary Water care about your health, it cares about the environment too. Tipperary Water reports it looks forward to continuing on this ecojourney through 2021 through new product launches and leveraging brand partnerships.

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The Naked Collective’s range of vegan, good-for-you soft drinks offers functional health beneﬁts built around your day. Made from only plants, vitamins and water (that’s it!), individuals can feel the physical and mental effects within ﬁve to 20 minutes of consumption. The range includes the following options:

oriented, farming company passionate about creating the highest quality vegetable and potato side-dishes. With six generations of farming knowledge, the Hamilton family carefully selects heritage varieties of vegetables, bursting with flavour and gently prepared into an innovative, nutritious range of convenient products. Mash Direct produces over 50 products that are 100% glutenfree and free from artificial colourings and flavourings and are available throughout the UK

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New eco-friendly carton

Mash Direct has won 23 Great Taste Awards

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Take control of your Mude

Mash Direct is an innovative farming enterprise, run by the Hamilton family, at their family farm in County Down close to the shores of Strangford Lough. The company grows and produces quality, convenient ‘ﬁeld to fork’ vegetable and potato side-dishes, boasting 23 Great Taste Awards, ranging from Mashed Potato to Cauliﬂower Bites. The team at Mash Direct pride themselves in values of a family

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The Naked Collective’s Mude range is made from only plants, vitamins and water

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Farm-fresh award winners

FROM FARM TO FORK

Chill It’s no surprise that 40% of people have reported increased anxiety due to the pandemic. Thanks to the soothing powers of ashwagandha plant, Mude Chill is the stress-busting solution we all need.

Sleep 34% of us are struggling with sleepless nights post-Covid. Take control of your dreams and get a head start on tomorrow with Mude Sleep, combining chamomile and valerian root for a truly restful slumber. *(Sources: PWC Global Insights Survey 2020; Glassdoor)

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Tipperary Water’s new TetraPak carton is 88% plant-based

GLUTEN FREE www.shelﬂife.ie | ShelfLife October 2020

and Ireland. All of Mash Direct’s vegetables have been grown in perfect soil conditions due to the optimum climate and being situated close to the gulf stream around Strangford Lough, on the six-generation farm in County Down. All products have very low food miles and are easily traceable from ‘Field to Fork’ whilst also coming in recyclable packaging, contributing to a low carbon footprint for the company.

Coffee a hit at home Coffee culture continues to boom across the country, but the people of Ireland have had to adapt their coffee consumption habits as a result of the Covid-19 restrictions. As a nation of coffee drinkers, the majority of coffee enthusiasts (83%) are now preparing their

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favourite cup of coffee at home, according to Bewley’s latest annual Coffee Consumption Report. “Our consumers are at the heart of everything we do, and we have been loyally serving them for the past 180 years,” says Jason Doyle, managing director of Bewley’s UK and Ireland. “Over the past number of months, we’ve seen a big shift in coffee consumption habits, with more people making coffees at home and with a big emphasis on dairy alternatives, particularly among the younger generation.” Bewley’s subsequently launched a new and improved online shop as well as Bewley’s Connect; an online platform that gives baristas and operators access to a host of tools they can access online to continue to upskill. *(Source: iReach Consumer Omnibus Survey conducted on behalf of Bewley’s. Field work completed September 2020 among 1,000 respondents aged 18+)

Hot stuff! Flahavan’s, a proud member of Love Irish Food and Ireland’s favourite porridge brand, continues to hold the number-one position in the hot oats category with more than 56% market share.

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Traditional porridge remains at the heart of the company’s business in Ireland, with large bag formats including Progress Oatlets and Organic Porridge experiencing the strongest growth in the first half of 2020 as a result of shifting consumer habits, including a rise in home baking as well as more time spent at the breakfast table due to changing work patterns. Kantar* indicates a strong consumer shift toward trusted food and drink brands during Q2 2020, with a 33% uplift in branded product sales versus the 17% uplift in private label food products. This highlights consumers’ desires for the consistent quality of trusted brands during times of uncertainty and change. With 82% of people predicting that the country will be worse off economically in 2021**, shopping local and Irish will continue to gain momentum in the coming months. Trusted Irish brands, such as Flahavan’s, are well-placed to weather the economic downturn as consumers endeavour to ease the impact of the recession on their own towns and communities, through making more informed shopping choices. Flahavan’s is ‘Not your run of the mill oats’ and the brand continues to support its product portfolio in communicating its differentiating message of superior quality, taste and provenance to Irish consumers through its TV, radio, OOH and digital media investments during key seasons. Its own channels – website and social; are used effectively to showcase the brand’s long history and heritage as well as highlighting the health benefits of oats and providing regular recipe inspiration on new and exciting ways to enjoy oats. *(Source: Kantar, 12 weeks to 14 June 2020) **(Source: B&A Consumer Confidence Confidence Tracker, August 2020)

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CATEGORIES ON

IRISH MADE Importance & Satisfaction 01 Milk

11 Natural Yoghurt

02 Fresh Meat/Butcher

12 Irish Whiskey

03 Burgers/Meatballs

13 Root/Green Veg

04 Fresh Beef

14 Potatoes

05 Deli Counter Cheese

15 Pre-packed Fish

Fresh Chicken

In-Store Bakery

Sausages/Bacon

Vegetarian Food

Fish Counter Fish

Pies/Pastries/Quiches

Cooked Meats

Sparkling Water

Butter and Spreads

Packed Cheese

Rank = order of importance of Irish made ☺ = satisfaction with being able to buy Irish made Data from survey of 16,492 Irish shoppers, carried out Nov 2019-March 2020. Data available for 91 FMCG categories.

Signature snacks Snacking brand Forest Feast has announced the launch of a new Signature Chocolate Nut range, tapping into the growth in demand for premium and indulgent snacks. The new range is handcrafted in-house, using oven roasted nuts coated in real Belgian chocolate. “Take-home chocolate is currently growing 15% YOY, with 98% penetration*, and we are seeing between 150-250%

Colm Rooney, Country Manager Ireland colm.rooney@shopperintelligence.com www.shopperintelligence.com

growth in our own chocolate ranges,” says Bronagh Clarke, marketing director at Forest Feast. “We wanted to bring something different to the confectionery category for consumers by reconciling the goodness of nuts with the indulgence of Belgian chocolate. “With more people spending time together at home, the range is well primed to meet demand from the current trend of in-home snacking,” she adds. “Each one has its own unique ingredient

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twist and they are all oven-roasted with their skin on, to give real depth of ﬂavour.” Launching with three variants, the range includes: Sea Salted Dark Chocolate Almonds (Gluten Free, Vegan); Belgian Milk Chocolate Brazils. (Gluten Free, Vegetarian) and Cookies & Cream Almonds (Vegetarian). Forest Feast Signature Chocolate Nuts are available now with an RRSP of €3.50/120g.

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Made with respect

Goodfella’s Pizza Pockets take only two minutes in the microwave!

snack that takes only two minutes in the microwave! A quick and easy way to get that same delicious, cheesy ﬂavour while on-the-go. Whatever the occasion, consumers can depend on the delicious Italian Americanstyle pizzas from the ‘original frozen pizza people’: ‘Goodfella’s, Made with Respect!’ ■

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which tap into younger audiences and their preferences. Given the now mainstream nature of vegan products as well as those with special dietary requirements, Goodfella’s felt it important to create ranges of both Vegan and Gluten Free that offer standout and deliver on quality. With its newest innovation, Goodfella’s Pizza Pockets, the team has created a tasty pizza

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continues to deliver tasty pizzas for all the family. The brand has a wide frozen pizza portfolio, whether it’s the Takeaway pizzas—perfect for those weekend nights in or the everyday Thin range that provides families of all ages with an easy but delicious meal solution. Goodfella’s Deep Pan range now has an even lighter, ﬂufﬁer base and new, more relevant toppings

Goodfella’s Takeaway pizzas are perfect for weekend nights in

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Goodfella’s Pizza, launched in 1993, remains Ireland’s number one frozen pizza brand. Produced in state-of-the-art facilities in Naas and Longford, Goodfella’s is proud to be made in Ireland and supporting Irish jobs. Goodfella’s Irish operations are handled from the company’s HQ in Naas, Kildare, where the commercial team works out of the same site as the factory and has been serving Irish customers for nearly 30 years. Goodfella’s is constantly striving to meet consumer needs and wants. Tapping into key trends and meal occasions, Goodfella’s has something for everyone and

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Light my ﬁre! With many more people now working from home as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, securing efficient, convenient and reliable home heating options that will keep the heating bills down, has become more of a focus than ever before, writes Gillian Hamill

s winter approaches, our collective national psyche is turning to thoughts of cosying up in front of comforting, roaring fires, at a time when home comforts are more essential than ever during this year of uncertainty. A perennial certainty, however, is that dropping temperatures will bring increased demand for fire lighting products. The leading fuel brands have once again brought their latest innovations to market, making it quicker and easier than ever for consumers to enjoy a heartwarming fire. Firelighters, coal, briquettes and other innovations are a key part of any retailer’s winter stock, and it’s important to deliver the right selection to suit your store and your customers’ needs. “Irish consumers are increasingly wanting to take a stronger hold of their energy management,” writes Mintel senior consumer analyst Brian O'Connor. “A high level of consumers want more information on their energy usage to help manage their bills, while a significant proportion of consumers noted interest in generating their own energy at home via renewable sources.” Reflecting the importance placed on securing value by Irish consumers, an ‘Ireland Utilities Market Report’ published in December 2018, showed that one in five consumers had switched electric supplier in the previous 12 months. The report also showed that a fifth of Irish consumers use some type of at-home renewable energy, with wood burners being the most used renewable. Spot-heating a homeworking space can also prove significantly

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more cost-efﬁcient than relying on central heating to warm a large open-plan room.

Comfort and magic Bord na Móna will continue to provide warmth to over a million people in increasingly sustainable ways. For decades, Bord na Móna has brought the comfort and magic of a real fire into Irish homes and today continues to lead the way in designing an innovative and convenient range of home heating solutions for Irish consumers. Briquettes, a traditional part of Irish heritage, consistently deliver a quality performance, are easy to light, with a high heat output, long burn time and are suitable for stoves and open fires. In recent times the business introduced the Nugget in a 10kg convenience size bag, offering all the great benefits of the original iconic Briquette and allowing consumers to enjoy a fast lighting warm fire. Confirming its commitment to the home heating category, Bord na Móna is expanding its sustainably sourced 100% natural carbon neutral wood log range.

Bord na Móna is adding a new Kiln Dried Birch Hardwood Log pack to the Premium Kiln Dried Ash, which is already known for its quality performance

“A high level of consumers want more information on their energy usage to help manage their bills, while a significant proportion of consumers noted interest in generating their own energy at home via renewable sources.” Brian O’Connor, senior consumer analyst, Mintel The company is adding a new Kiln Dried Birch Hardwood Log pack to the Premium Kiln Dried Ash, which is already popular for its quality performance. With less than 20% moisture, the logs provide a high heat output and burn longer with low ash making them the perfect choice for stoves, open fires and chimeneas. Kiln Dried Kindling and Air Dried Logs are also all available in convenient carry home packs, are easy to display, easy to store and all designed to meet the needs of the modern shopper looking for a fast lighting hot fire for a shorter night in. Many consumers are time poor and are seeking out more convenient fire heating solutions and the Bord na Móna high performing Firelog, Firelighter and Eco-Log Oak 8 and 16-pack format is designed to meet these

Bord na Móna’s Eco-Logs are 100% natural, made from sawdust and wood chips, are clean to handle and growing in popularity

everyday needs. This season the business is launching a new 16 Pine Eco-Log format, offering customers and consumers an even better choice. The Eco-Logs are 100% natural, made from sawdust and wood chips, are clean to handle and are growing in popularity and demand with shoppers. The condensed design is dry and easy to light, creating an odourless fast lighting ﬁre.

Bord na Móna’s Quicklog creates the perfect base to get a ﬁre going conveniently, cleanly and quickly

The extra fast lighting Quicklog is a great success with consumers, creating the perfect base to get a ﬁre established conveniently, cleanly and quickly, and now available to purchase in a take-home convenient box size of 10 Quicklogs. The full range of smokeless home heating solid fuel solutions are suitable for open ﬁres and stoves and consumers are assured of the highest quality products at a price that suits their budget. Bord na Móna provides a tailored after sales service, with point of sale solutions to support a great consumer shopping experience. For further information, contact your local business executive or the support team at 1850 744 755.

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Cosy WFH solution As customers look set to divide their working lives between the office and home this winter, Flogas Superser heaters are the perfect solution to spotheat the homeworking space. Cosy, portable and convenient, Flogas Superser heaters remove the need to turn on the entire heating system while working from home. Retailers are always seeking cost-effective solutions to help their customers to control their home heating bills and Flogas Superser heaters are a recognisable and proven bestseller. The contemporary and stylish Flogas Superser Radiant is also fitted with easy glide castors for trouble-free moving from room to room. “Flogas Superser heaters are extremely useful as an instant, economic and portable way to ‘spot-heat’ a room quickly, as many customers find it far cheaper than turning on the central heating for an hour or two,” says Eoin O’Flynn of Flogas Ireland, the exclusive distributor for Superser in Ireland and the UK. For more information, see www.flogas.ie.

Flogas Superser heaters are the perfect solution for cost-conscious customers looking to instantly spot-heat a room while working from home, available at www.ﬂogas.ie

Bring value home After the launch of the Homestead brand in 1986, the Firelighter range quickly became a stable product within the brand’s portfolio, generating considerable sales in this category. It is estimated that Homestead Firelighter sales account for 53%

The Homestead fuels range includes two SKUs of Firelighters, 30s and 60s and a Fire Log

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Keep them snug with Superser

Exclusive distributor for Superser heaters in Ireland In this chilly current climate, your customers will be looking for new ways to heat their homes this Winter. So why not oﬀer them a super snug alternative? Super economical, super-eﬃcient and exclusive from Flogas. Superser is the simplest way to heat any room in an instant. • The original mobile gas heater • Leading brand – highest quality

Superse r Exclusiv ely from Flo gas

• Modern Design with latest safety features

To order contact Flogas on T: 041 983 1041 | E: info@ﬂogas.ie | W: ﬂogas.ie/business/dealershop

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of the total ﬁrelighter sales within symbol groups and independent retailers, while rivalling the two leading brands in Ireland. The Homestead fuels range consists of two SKUs of Firelighters, 30s and 60s and a Fire Log which was introduced to the range in early 2005. Less than 70% of households now have open ﬁres and this is impacting the ignition sector. Private label products, including Homestead, still dominate the market with 67% value and 77% volume share, the brand reports. Homestead has remained loyal to its heritage and continues to ‘Bring Value Home’ to the consumer with a high-quality product that is produced is here in Ireland.

Zipped up warm! Zip has expanded its range over the past two years to include fuel as well as firelighters and firelogs. Customers now have a choice of Smokeless Coal, Kiln Dried Wood Logs and Irish Willow Logs, which are made from compressed, sustainably sourced coppiced willow. These products and Zip’s convenient firelogs are sold alongside ‘Ireland’s Favourite Firelighters’, >>

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with The Zip team

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A: During lockdown, demand for ignition products increased and it was Standard Brands’ responsibility to ensure the demand was met. At the factory we have an amazing team, but this team is made of ordinary people who were being asked to continue working in extraordinary times. Whilst the initial feelings of fear were understandable, outdoor meetings became the norm on site, calling out issues, explaining plans and structures, taking on board staff feedback and addressing issues. Cleaning 2-3 times a shift above the usual, screens between staff, new entrances and exits to the plant because people shouldn’t pass in close proximity to each other, and compulsory face masks and shields. All of these were embraced by the staff and their engagement was key, as well as listening to feedback. Staff could see the uplift in domestic demand for ignition products and they could see what this meant to people. The company also worked with local charities to ensure some of the most vulnerable in our society had access to warmth.

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A: Zip has over performed in the total fire care category and in each product segment individually this year. The biggest win was in the BBQ segment, where Zip has gained +8.9% value share of the total Irish market. This year has been a challenging one and shoppers turned to trusted brands and especially local Irish-based products. Zip Firelighters have been a household name in Ireland for generations and demand on all Zip fire care products, both firelighters and fuel, grew substantially this year as cosy fires and BBQs have been the mood-lifters for locked down consumers. Zip fire care grew 20.5% at the start of lockdown (Source: AC Nielsen: P4 w.e. 19th April) and throughout the summer Zip BBQ SKUs grew 2.5 times versus 2019! Thanks to our strong and reliable suppliers, longterm relationships with Ireland’s retail trade and our team dedication, Zip was able to supply additional stock to service the increased demand.

Q: How has Covid-19 affected the business this year and how have you overcome the challenges involved?

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A: At Zip, we have a three-pronged approach to innovation, but the customer is always at the centre of everything. We invest heavily in market research and NPD, and we’ve developed ways to heat homes whilst simultaneously becoming more environmentally conscious, for example our Firelogs and Irish Willow Heat Briquettes are all made from sustainably sourced coppice willow. Our charcoal products are either FSC-accredited or made from sustainably sourced coconut shell. Zip has built a reputation for performance and quality and the company is very proud of this. So, any innovation has to enhance the customer experience and we have an excellent team of marketers, engineers and procurement specialists that bring this all together and guarantee Zip stays ahead of the curve.

Q: How has Zip’s range performed during the past year?

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Q: How has Zip as a company continued to innovate to provide high performance products?

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The Zip Fire Bag offers the ultimate in convenience; simply grab a bag, pop it in the ﬁre, stove or range and light the bag

>> which are powerful, fast lighting and reliable, making it super easy for consumers to satisfy all their fire-lighting occasions. Having this full product offering means Zip is providing a one-stop-shop for both retailers and consumers. People are reverting back to the once a week shop and are sticking with retailers they know who stock the brands they know they can rely on. As a lot of consumers continue to work from home, the amount of fi fires res lit is expected to rise this winter. The introduction of the Zip Fire Bag offers the ultimate in convenience; simply grab a bag, pop it in the fire, stove or range and light the bag. The Zip Fire Bag will burn for up to four hours; it’s super easy to use, no mess, no fuss, just a warm cosy

Zip’s Individually Wrapped Firelighters are quick and convenient for consumers to use

ﬁre to enjoy. This winter, Zip is also launching its new Natural Firelog. This is made from the same sustainable coppiced willow, sourced locally here in Ireland, that Zip uses to produce its Willow Heat Briquettes. The new Zip Natural Firelog is as reliable as its predecessor, the Croi Na Tine Firelog. It’s fast lighting and powerful and will burn for up to two hours, leaving consumers time to sit back and relax. ■

The new Zip Natural Firelog is made from sustainable coppiced willow, sourced locally here in Ireland

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How low can you go!

The breadth and volume of new low and no alcohol brands has exploded as alcohol companies realise that people are willing to spend money on non and low alcoholic drinks in order to ﬁt in with their healthier and busier lifestyles

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t started about a decade ago with ‘Dry January’ and now there seems to be a push for sober October and a general consensus in society that taking a break from alcohol or indeed not drinking at all is perfectly ﬁne. We don’t have to be pregnant or on antibiotics or have some other convoluted excuse not to drink. It’s simply acceptable not to drink alcohol as a lifestyle choice and this is something to be celebrated. Thankfully there is a huge choice of new low and zero alcoholic drinks to choose from. Consumers have been increasingly becoming more health conscious and, as a result, lower alcoholic drinks have

with Spencer Matthews,

Spencer Matthews, founder and CEO of The Clean Liquor Co.

founder, The Clean Liquor Co.

Q: How much growth has The Clean Liquor Co. already achieved since establishment and what goals would you like to achieve by the end of 2021?

are the most followed page on Instagram in this space in the world and often use humour to convey our message in an otherwise confusing market.

A: The Clean Liquor Co. has rapidly established itself as one of the fastest growing no and low brands in the country, enjoying pole position in Sainsbury’s (the UK’s largest no and low retailer) since 23 May on a 12 week, rolling basis (IRI data). By the end of 2021 we aim to have national distribution across a number of different retailers and are working speciﬁcally on increasing household penetration - driven by above the line marketing communications.

Q: You have previously said that you prefer to use ‘clean’ instead of the traditional ‘no/low’ alcohol labels as it represents a more positive description. How do you see this ethos tying in with consumer trends focusing on greater health and wellbeing? Are you conﬁdent there will be strong demand in Ireland?

Q: What in your opinion makes The Clean Liquor Co’s range stand out from other low and no alcohol spirit ranges available on the market? A: We are the only “brand” in the category and have a more direct voice to the customer, through social media and other marketing. We

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

become more appealing. In the last few years, alcohol sales have taken a dip in large part because Millennials and Gen Zers are drinking less, while the World Health Organisation (WHO) reports that, worldwide, the rate of alcohol drinkers fell by nearly 5%. We can now choose between beer, wine, sparkling wine and spirits in the low and non-alcoholic category, so we are spoilt for choice. Check out some of the standout products we have chosen to highlight below.

A: The Irish are always on the ball and can recognise an exciting new market when they see one. “Clean” is a better way of describing this category. Who would want to be described as “not something...”? Q: What plans do you have in place to promote the Clean Liquor range in Ireland? Do you have many TV appearances lined up? A: We have featured on Ireland AM twice now and have appeared on Irish radio.

I look forward to coming to Ireland to promote the brand in person once the public believe it is safe to do so. Q: How do you ﬁnd working with Mark Gamble and his team at Union Distillers? Do you ever disagree on ﬂavours? A: Mark and his team are very professional and their opinion is always valued, though it’s no secret that at CleanCo we are always looking to push the boundaries of innovation and improve on our already excellent liquids. Q: You have described your work drive as “through the roof”. How has Covid-19 affected your plans for 2020 and how have you found solutions to the obstacles in your path? A: Initially we made several changes to our marketing strategy, focusing mainly on our message and direct-to-consumer sales. We are incredibly focused when it comes to achieving our goals. It’ll take more than a global pandemic to slow us down!

Available in Ireland exclusively from Findlater & Co

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46 CATEGORY FOCUS No and low alcohol

World’s greatest mimic Lyre’s, the world’s most awarded range of premium non-alcoholic spirits, is entering the Irish market with its portfolio of 13 nonalcoholic spirits. Named after the Australian Lyrebird – the world’s greatest mimic - Lyre’s spirits pay homage to the aroma, taste and appearance of the world’s favourite drinks. Made with the finest all-natural essences, extracts and distillates from the four corners of the globe, it’s a completely unique way for no and low drinkers to enjoy a sophisticated tipple their way. Whilst the category is expanding, the choice of products available to consumers is still limited, with most product launches focused on gin adjacent flavours that are heavily botanic and not reflective of what the world drinks. Lyre’s comprehensive product range provides the building blocks for bartenders or people at home, to create many of the world’s favourite drinks cocktails or single variant - in a non-alcoholic version. Whether it’s a whiskey and coke (Lyre’s American Malt and cola), gin and tonic (Lyre’s Dry London Spirit) or cocktails like the Negroni (Lyre’s Dry London Spirit, Lyre’s Italian Orange and Lyre’s Rosso Aperitif) there’s something for everyone. Available in 70cl at 0.0% ABV from www.lyres.co.uk.

An Atopia and tonic contains 75 times less alcohol than a gin and tonic

Perfect mixer Atopia is an ultra-low alcohol spirit at 0.5% ABV. The Atopia liquid was created to embrace moderation by Lesley Gracie, award-winning, master distiller for Hendrick’s Gin. Perfectly suited for mixing, Atopia Spiced Citrus is best served with your favourite tonic and an orange slice. If you’re looking for moderation, Atopia enables you to go out and stay out. An Atopia and tonic contains 75 times less alcohol than a gin and tonic.

Gracie wanted to create an accessible yet special flavour profile to elevate the moderated drinking experience. Gracie says: “Atopia is a special liquid that uses our distilling and blending expertise to create a new generation of spirits. Inspired by the more mindful lifestyle choices of today’s consumer, we’ve used our distilling heritage and expertise to ensure no compromise on flavour is experienced when drinking the ultra-low alcohol spirit. The flavour is full, from first taste to finish.” Moderation shouldn’t feel like a compromise. It should enable you to do more. Atopia embraces mindful consumption, whilst maintaining the quality of the occasion; whether it be in the comfort of your home or out with friends, wherever quality time together is truly precious. Whatever the occasion, consumers can #DrinkExceptionally with Atopia.

No compromise on taste Kopparberg Alcohol-Free is an extension of the premium fruit cider’s current offering. The range meets the evolving attitudes of consumers towards health, which has led to increasing demand for low alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks. Kopparberg has taken its most popular ﬂavours, Strawberry & Lime and Mixed Fruit and made them alcoholfree. The variants may be free from alcohol but there’s no compromise to the taste.

Kopparberg has taken its most popular ﬂavours, Strawberry & Lime and Mixed Fruit and made them alcohol-free

According to recent EPOS data, Kopparberg Alcohol-Free is performing strongly at +75% in value terms. Kopparberg AlcoholFree Strawberry & Lime, like its original equivalent, delivers a splash of fresh strawberries and a squeeze of tangy lime, minus the ABV. Kopparberg AlcoholFree Mixed Fruit captures the same unique taste of bursting blackcurrants and raspberries. The range offers a refreshing alternative for people looking for an alcohol-free alternative without compromising on experience and taste. It gives the ultimate fruit refreshment with 0% alcohol. *(Source: Collated ROI EPOS Data - 80% of Total ROI Scantrack - to week 36 2020 YTD Value)

How open are Irish shoppers to Low/No alcohol LAD? LAD Recently tried

44% Would buy again

79% Named after the Australian Lyrebird – the world’s greatest mimic - Lyre’s spirits pay homage to the aroma, taste and appearance of the world’s favourite drinks

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Data: survey of 16,492 Irish shoppers carried out Nov 2019-March 2020. Reports available in 91 categories.

Haven’t tried

56%

Would consider

48% Colm Rooney, Country Manager Ireland colm.rooney@shopperintelligence.com www.shopperintelligence.com

With modern alchemy and old world magic, a new era of spirits is born. Lyre’s are alcohol free homages to the greatest tipples of all time. These meticulously crafted non-alcoholic spirits are an homage to timeless classics, an exquisite mélange of the finest f lavours, evoking notes of fruits, spices and botanicals. They’re also rather delish. Libations!

Awarded 8 medals. Lyre’s Amaretti is the best and highest-scoring non-alcoholic spirit in the world and overall categor y winner in the 2020 Low or No Alcohol Spirits

10 medals including Gold medal for Lyre’s Aperitif Rosso

3 awards and overall category winner in the Best No & Low Dark Spirit category

11 medals including Gold medal for Lyre’s Orange Sec

LYRES.EU

ENTHUSIASTICALLY PEDDLED BY

Richmond Marketing

11 medals including Gold medal for Lyre’s Italian Orange

48 CATEGORY FOCUS No and low alcohol

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brewed with the same Peroni craftsmanship, passion and ﬂair. The taste is described as a rich and intense aroma of ﬂavours where citrusy and hoppy notes are followed by a delicate fruity aroma.

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Unrivalled taste, zero alcohol

Peroni Libera 0.0% is a lightbodied 0% beer, meticulously brewed with the same Peroni craftsmanship, passion and ﬂair

Free your spirit Peroni Nastro Azzurro is proud to bring you the most premium alcohol-free beer in the category, Peroni Libera 0.0%, with a rich and intense ﬂavour of fresh citrusy hops. Peroni Libera, meaning ‘free’ in Italian, empowers loyal Peroni Nastro Azzurro consumers and beyond, with the freedom and choice within their busy lifestyles, to opt for a 0% option to add a touch of Italian style, without the alcohol and without the compromise on the great taste or occasion. Using years of expertise and skill, Peroni Libera 0.0% is a lightbodied 0% beer, meticulously

McGuigan Wines pledges to make great quality wine accessible to everyone around the world for every occasion. This pledge to excellence has led the company to be named IWSC International Winemaker of the Year a record breaking fourtimes. And its commitment to alcohol free wines is no different. Now launching, is McGuigan Zero - a trailblazer in its category. The range offers an unparalleled alcohol-free experience both on the nose and palate, launching with shiraz, chardonnay, rosé, sauvignon blanc and sparkling. McGuigan Zero is created using state-of-the-art spinning cone technology. By drawing the wine into super ﬁne layers for efﬁcient vaporisation, alcohol may be removed at lower temperatures than ever before, thus resulting in a truly beautiful tasting product. The fruit has been sourced and selected specially for McGuigan Zero from premium vineyards in South Eastern Australia. The quality of the fruit and its adaptability to the alcohol removal process ensures that customers are drinking the best possible alcohol free wines. McGuigan Wines - Ireland’s number one Australian wine brand is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

BrewDog is on a mission to prove that alcohol-free does not mean taste-free

Tasty AF Alcohol-free gets punked up by BrewDog with alcohol-free beer, Punk AF, as part of the brewery’s mission to prove that alcohol-free does not equate to taste-free. Brewdog is now bringing a new alternative to the mainstream: a beer for those seeking a point of difference at 0.5% ABV. One that brings all the attitude of the ﬂagship and all of the ﬂavour, but none of the alcohol. Punk IPA was one of the beers that kickstarted the craft beer revolution and Punk AF is the next step in the brewery’s desire to brew a beer for every taste and occasion. Brewed with eight different

McGuigan Wines has been named the IWSC International Winemaker of the Year a record breaking four times

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hops from North America, New Zealand and Europe, Punk AF lives up to its billing in every respect. Juicy tropical fruit mixes it up with grassy notes and a hit of resinous pine, all sitting on a solid foundation of four different malts. The bitter finish belies its ABV, rolling in at 35 International Bittering Units (IBUs) to provide the perfect retort to those who push alcohol-free beer devoid of character. All in all, the brand’s message is a fitting one, that alcohol-free beer just got punked up: “This is Punk AF: the new saviour of alcohol-free”. BrewDog Punk AF is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam. If you think low alcohol equals low taste, then think again. As well as its Punked AF offering, BrewDog is serving up another hard-core beer with the alcohol left out. Nanny State breaks the curfew and slips under the radar. A brigade of specialty malts and North American hops sends bitterness to the brink and back. In fact, squeezing this many hops in, and the alcohol out, is a testament to BrewDog’s craft. Brewing a full-flavoured craft beer at 0.5% is no easy task but with a backbone of eight different specialty malts, Nanny State is sure to tantalise beer fans’ taste buds. Packed with loads of Centennial, Amarillo, Columbus, Cascade and Simcoe hops, dry hopped and sitting at 45 IBUs, Nanny State is ‘a force to be reckoned with’. It is distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

No and low alcohol CATEGORY FOCUS 49

Fuel Irish Brands Soup

Belle & Co is an innovative 0% alcohol free sparkling wine with less than half the calories of a typical sparkling wine. Belle & Co is zero alcohol, lower sugar, vegan and gluten free. Available in 75cl format Brut and Rosé in standard recognisable sparkling wine bottles with a mushroom cork. It’s a carefully crafted alternative to traditional alcoholic sparkling wine, great as an aperitif, just right with party nibbles or just whenever you fancy a bit of ﬁzz! The best part is its only 22 calories per 100ml - one of the lowest available in the market for zero alcohol. How is it made? Belle & Co is a fermented grape juice produced by a specialist, state of the art producer of fermented products. This innovative new bacterial fermentation of grape juice reduces sugars by 30% and produces the same acid bi-products of a yeast fermentation without the production of alcohol or carbon dioxide. The reduction in sugars and the production of acid

No & Low Alcohol

Alcohol, sugar and gluten free sparkly fun

RTM Beverages is expanding its range with a 50cl Noki & Co ‘Juniper Edition’ distilled non alcoholic Irish spirit. RTM Beverages is a Dublinbased drinks innovation company that is shaking up the fast growing ‘No-Lo’ categories. Early last year the company launched the Noki & Co. 275ml range of pre-mixed alcohol-free gin and tonic ﬂavoured drinks. “The reaction to our 275ml alcohol-free gin and tonic range has been extremely exciting. There has been a real gap out there for authentic alcohol-free solutions when people are out socialising but not drinking alcohol for any number of

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Belle & Co is zero alcohol, lower sugar, vegan and gluten free. The reduction in sugars and the production of acid bi-products ensures Belle & Co. tastes like a wine and not a soft drink

World-famous German wine brand, B by Black Tower is offering consumers a lighter and more affordable option to prosecco and sparkling wines. The highly refreshing B Secco White and Rosé 5.5% ABV deliver fizz, a light sparkling fi zz, with just 65 kcals per 125 ml, over 30% less than standard wines. With the brand positioned in a cool and premium way, B Secco provides the ideal combination of low alcohol and low calories in a semi sparkling version, with the benefits benefi ts of healthier living and a celebratory character, which makes it perfectly placed to capitalise on this major growth market opportunity, offering excellent value for money. The affordability, innovation and flavour of these low calorie sparkling wines should help attract new drinkers into the wine category, particularly during the celebrations over the Christmas, New Year and Valentines period. The sparkling range builds on the success of B by Black Tower’s 5.5% abv assortment, a Slimming World-approved wine brand, which has enjoyed great success over the past few years. The much celebrated ‘B’ Our Champion’ campaign - which rewards Ireland’s unsung heroes - also propelled the ‘B’ range into the hearts and minds of Irish consumers, seeing it assuming second place in the low alcohol category. With only three Slimming World ‘Syns’ per glass, and impactful branding, the B Secco range resonates with health-conscious, female millennials. According to Martin McDonald, Mosaic Beverages: “Consumers are becoming far more health conscious and, as a result, lower alcohol sparkling wines have become more appealing. Black Tower works tirelessly to continue to attract new drinkers, updating designs to keep the brand feeling contemporary, and has introduced new products in-line with trends emerging in the market such as low calorie and fruit infused ‘B Fruitiful’ wines and now a new no

Shaking up the no/ low category

reasons. Noki & Co. tastes like a real gin and tonic so designated drivers and non-drinkers can join in on a night out without the side effects of alcohol,” according to Stephen Dillon, founder of RTM Beverages. The latest innovation from the company is Noki & Co ‘Juniper Edition’, a 50cl distilled nonalcoholic Irish spirit. “As the name suggests our Juniper Edition is distinctly Juniper forward but is also complimented by other classic gin botanicals. Some people prefer to mix their own drink and our 50cl range is ideal for this.” Despite being just over a year old, Noki & Co. has enjoyed considerable success and is widely available in numerous shops, bars and restaurants throughout the country. Noki & Co 50cl ‘Juniper Edition’ is available to the on and off trade in Ireland now. For sales enquiries contact: RTM Beverages Ltd (01 9618922), e-mail: Hello@Nokidrinks.com web: www.RTMBeverages.com. ■

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alcohol ‘Deliciously Light’ range. What’s more, the lower price points and lower taxation ensure the wines are affordable to all consumers.” For sales enquiries, contact Martin McDonald, Mosaic Beverages on 087 908 0341.

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bi-products ensures Belle & Co. tastes like a wine and not like a soft drink. The fermented grape juice is transported to a specialist sparkling wine producer where green tea and dried tannin are added to create the mouthfeel of sparkling wine. CO2 is trickled in very gently. The bubbles of Belle & Co. achieve a streaming effect and elegant mousse. It is excellent value for money and proudly distributed by Barry & Fitzwilliam.

Noki & Co ‘Juniper Edition’, a 50cl distilled non-alcoholic Irish spirit

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50 CATEGORY FOCUS Newpapers

Newsworthy developments Despite the challenges which struck the newspaper sector at the start of the level 5 lockdown in March, newspapers continue to be a reliable source of information – a counterpoint to fake news, which readers can trust. Here, leading titles on the newsstands outline how they are working in partnership with retailers to drive sales

Mail delivers!

David Vaz, circulation manager, DMG Media Ireland, outlines how the Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday are currently performing In fact our revenues from newspaper sales for the last 12 months were only down by 2.5% against the previous year, with nearly €22m going through retailers’ tills; this as a result of cover price increases on the Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday in December 2019.

Covid-19 impact

David Vaz

Latest circulation ﬁgures The newspaper market has taken a hit due to Covid-19 with decreases across the board and DMG Media Ireland titles were no different. With nearly 10% of retailers either closed or suspended and some readers cocooning or working from home, the task of maintaining sales was a new challenge never before seen in this industry. Sales of the weekday titles were most impacted with double digit decline in sales against last year. However, both Saturday and Sunday saw a resurgence in sales with both recording better than expected sales post-Covid.

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Very early on during Covid-19, we realised that some of our existing readers would need to be cocooning and we undertook to contact nearly 1,500 retailers directly by phone and email throughout the country. Retailers were encouraged to start up local home news deliveries and we supplied them with free copies of the Irish Daily Mail for a sampling exercise, complete with an explanatory leaflet, all of which was to target cocooning readers. This resulted in nearly 20,000 copies being sampled with some positive results for retailers taking up this challenge. The professional approach by retailers looking after their customers was first class and showed how business and communities can work together during difficult times.

Readership demographics The Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday have slightly different gender proﬁles (male/ female - 55%/45% daily and 53%/47% Sunday) with both publications having a stronghold in the important ABC1 group, (ABC1 proﬁle - 47% daily and 46% Sunday). Growth was achieved in ABC1 readers of 9% and 21% respectively on the previous years.

Innovation This year in January we embarked on our Trade-In promotion, something that has never been tried before on such a scale. Readers of any title could trade in a copy of their old newspaper for a free copy of the Irish Daily Mail. With the support of a lively TV advert, this helped increase the awareness of the Irish Daily Mail and created a lot of interest amongst newspaper purchasers.

Beneﬁts of trade terms Over the last few years, the Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday have increased cover prices on a regular basis and this in turn has helped maintain retail sales

values, despite the fall in circulation. We will continue to communicate directly with our retail partners on promotional activity as having a strong relationship ensures good compliance and leads to improved sales.

Online content Along with our two national newspapers, the Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday, we are Ireland’s largest digital publisher. Our portfolio includes Extra.ie, Evoke, RollerCoaster.ie, OneFabDay.com and MailOnline which together reach over 3.6 million Irish adults every month.

Overcoming challenges DMG Media Ireland continues to invest in our products and both the Irish Daily Mail and The Irish Mail on Sunday have shown again that we have the qualities to interest our readers. Throughout this pandemic year, our coverage of the virus has been informative and has enabled readers to closely follow the government guidelines. We showed the strength of print at the start of the lockdown when newspapers increased sales, proving once again that real and quality news can ensure a positive future.

THANK YOU WORKING TOGETHER WITH OUR RETAIL PARTNERS SERVING THE COMMUNITY

CATEGORY FOCUS Newpapers

Down to business

Business Post

Lorcan Hanlon, commercial director at the Business Post, guides us through the newspaper’s latest developments Latest circulation ﬁgures

Covid-19 impact

The current combined print and digital circulation for the Business Post is 30,520. The Business Post has seen strong growth in digital subscriptions and newsagent sales channel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Covid pandemic has had a profound effect on every industry the world over and the newspaper industry was not exempt. When the initial lockdown set in, a host of important retail and distribution outlets were forced to shut their doors which immediately made supply a concern but against a background of #fakenews and lower levels of public trust in journalism, the high quality content that Irish news publishers have produced has re-invigorated the public’s appetite for factchecked, high-quality news and that is a huge positive for the newspaper industry. The breakdown of traditional channels of content distribution has accelerated plans for and

Readership demographics The Business Post appeals to an AB/ABC1 audience offering essential opinion, insight, and analysis for business leaders and owners across Ireland balancing the expert business and political journalism of the main title with high-end lifestyle content of The Magazine. We see this carry through to our digital audience, over 40% of whom are c-suites/ business owners/directors.

Lorcan Hanlon

investment in digital journalism models but print sales remain a vital part of our business model and will do for some time to come. As certain distribution points, most notably tourism and travel remain virtually closed, the

newsagent sales channel has seen strong growth and has played an essential part in industry support. When the crisis ﬁrst set in, we made a decision to put resources in place to ensure the level of quality journalism we were delivering did not falter and while others pulled back, we committed to delivering more content each Sunday and during the week through our digital channels.

Innovation Since the Business Post was acquired by Kilkullen Kapital, we have invested heavily in our technology platform, digital capabilities, and events management division. Late last year the Business Post was delighted to acquire Food & Wine, Irish Tatler and Auto Ireland magazine titles. >>

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F IRS T S U NDAY OF THE MONT H. YO U R DE L I CI O U S NEW E X T RA W I T H T HE BU S I NES S P O S T.

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Newspapers CATEGORY FOCUS

Irish press titles have always been a best-in-class example the world over. As content consummation changes at a pace never seen before it is up to the publishers to ensure that the quality of their output stays remarkably high and provides readers with a service and experience that they cannot get elsewhere. Irish journalism is a vital cog in our system and our economy so by committing to maintaining quality and standards, Irish publishers will stay relevant in both print and online contexts.

The below readership/ demographic ﬁgures are taken from the latest ROI TGI survey: At the Irish Daily Mirror, we have levelled our male/female split somewhat – our readership is now 54% male/46% female (used to be 60/40). What’s more, the number of 15-24-year-old Irish Mirror readers is up 66% YOY from 13.3k to 22.1k. We also gained readers in the 35-44 age bracket (7,700), as well as increasing our reader base slightly in Dublin (all areas) and doubling our reader base in Cork,

Covid-19 impact Like most other publishers, we noticed a marked drop in sales when the level 5 lockdown was announced by the government at the end of March, and the complete cessation of sport was a concern (a key sales driver for our paper). However, our print sales showed a real resilience and stabilised a few weeks into lockdown. Our editorial team produced brilliant newspapers during this period, keeping our readers informed and engaged with accurate Covid-related content, which gave us a solid platform to build from as we waited for the sport to resume. Our strategy has been to produce trusted and informative content, which keeps our readership engaged, and this

has been reﬂected in our sales performance during this difﬁcult period. We know that Mirror readers are loyal readers, which we don’t take for granted, and the challenge is to deliver this level of content on a consistent daily basis.

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Overcoming challenges

Readership demographics

up 121% YOY to 14k readers from 6.5k last year. At the Irish Sunday Mirror, we have also seen a huge increase in the number of young people reading the newspaper, and it’s still mostly read by females: 53% female (5% YOY)/ 47% male. Readers in the 15-24-year-old age bracket increased by 4% to 38,500, with an extra 15,000 readers in the 25-34 age group: an increase of 73% on last year! We grew our 55-64-year-old readership too (up 39%). Market share increased right across the island, bar Dublin, with Cork (all areas) seeing the biggest spike in readership. We now have 23,700 readers in Cork compared to 12,000 last year.

Irish Brands

In November 2019, the title rebranded to Business Post to reﬂect our consumer offering across a seven-day period rather than only being a weekend publication. The Sunday edition is the keystone of our offering to consumers and this is supported and complimented through daily content onsite.

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No & Low Alcohol

Strategically these titles were acquired to compliment the Business Post and add depth and breadth to our great business and politics content. After being delayed by Covid, October and November will ﬁnally see us launch new print and digital formats of these much-loved titles, to be distributed free with the Business Post. We have great belief in our print product and so we are really excited to strengthen our weekly offering to our readers.

The Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and Irish Sunday People were amongst the best performing titles in the market in terms of yearly decline against our competitors. We had been recording average yearly declines of -9% (Jan-Mar 2020) on the Irish Daily Mirror pre-Covid, and the obvious impact on sales for the remaining three months of the JanJun period saw the yearly decline stretch out to -12% (Jan-Jun 2020). The Sunday market bucked the trend from March and performed robustly during the Covid lockdown months, with the Irish Sunday Mirror (1%) and Irish Sunday People (2%) actually posting year-on-year increases in May for the ﬁrst time in years. In terms of Jan-Jun 2020 ABC performance, the Irish Daily Mirror stood at 24,225 (-12% YOY); the Irish Sunday Mirror at 18,480 (-4% YOY), and the Irish Sunday People at 6,657 (-5% YOY).

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Latest circulation ﬁgures

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Alan Kelly, audience manager, Reach Plc, outlines how the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and Irish Sunday People continue to innovate with “engaging, entertaining and trustworthy” content

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Reﬂecting the nation

Innovation We have a consistent strategy for top quality, high-value promotional offers that serve to attract new readers whilst also rewarding our existing loyal readership base. Our brilliant Slimming World magazines (January and June), have consistently driven sales, as well as our Premier League ﬁxtures mag, Wallchart and more recently our Weight Watchers series. The latest TGI Data for 2020 in ROI showed that the Irish Daily Mirror indexed higher in the 15-24-year old age group than all other daily newspapers: 15-24-yearold newspaper readers are 35% more likely to read the Irish Mirror than they are any other daily newspaper! We continue to develop and invest in our print and digital brands with the launch of our latest digital platform Cork Beo last year, which has witnessed phenomenal growth over the past year. We know that content is key to the success of all our print and digital brands, irrespective of the platform it is delivered on. We continue to listen to our readers, and seek to provide them with content that is engaging, entertaining and trustworthy. ■

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54 NOFFLA NEWS

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.IrI

Winner of Red Wine of the Year, Richard Moriarty of Findlater & Co.

WINe sh oW

he National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) has awarded its 20202021 Irish Wine Show Star Awards to 45 wines at its annual event on Monday, 5 October. Now in its twentieth year, the winning wines from the Irish Wine Show Star Awards will be available to consumers all over the country from NOffLA outlets. At the virtual ceremony, NOffLA again called on the government to reduce excise duty in Budget 2021. With wine consumption falling by 1.4% in 2019 and Ireland’s excise rates among the highest in Europe, NOffLA called for a reduction of 15%, in line with the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), to support the wider drinks sector. Speaking at the awards, Gary O’Donovan, chairman of NOffLA congratulated the winners. “This annual event allows us to celebrate some of the ﬁnest products sold by our highly-trained members around the country,” he said. “NOffLA members are committed to excellence both in terms of personal service and the high-quality wines that we offer.

-2 0 2

Winner of Wine of the Year, Joe Coyle of Liberty Wines

“However, this offering is under serious threat,” O’Donovan added. “Irish excise levels continue to impede the drinks sector in Ireland, particularly now when facing the economic challenges posed by both Covid19 and Brexit in the near future. The sector has taken an unprecedented hit in recent months, with pubs, restaurants and suppliers severely disrupted by the pandemic. And with increasing uncertainty as to when business will return to normal, a reduction in excise is now paramount to keep the sector aﬂoat. “The austerity-related excise increases from 2012 continue to hamper our sector. Along with DIGI, we have called on the Minister for Finance to reduce excise duty by 15% in Budget 2021, to provide a much-needed lifeline for our drinks sector colleagues. “NOffLA members are at the heart of our communities throughout the country. We serve as responsible and highly knowledgeable local retailers that contribute through direct investment and local employment. We are calling on the government to protect our local businesses

star aWarD WINNers 2020-2021

GoLD

Irish Wine Show Star Award winners announced

the IrIsh WINe shoW

aWa r D

45 Wines One Definitive Guide In the pre-Christmas period NOffLA members will promote the Irish Wine Show Star Awards 2020-2021 Collection as ideal Christmas gifts

that underpin communities all across Ireland.” In excess of 600 wines were submitted to the Star Award adjudication panel of NOffLA judges and independent wine journalists. Points were awarded on the basis of appearance, smell, taste and value for money criteria, and the winning 15 were selected as the best wines from key suppliers across a number of price categories. Each of the winning wines will be sold in NOffLA member outlets, of which there are more than 315 nationwide. The chosen wines will be recognisable by distinctive Award symbols on each bottle. In the pre-Christmas period NOffLA members will promote the Irish Wine Show Star Awards 2020-2021 Collection as ideal Christmas gifts, in a variety of special gift packs. ■

The 2020-2021 Gold Star Award winners are as follows: CATEGORY

WINE

COMPANY

Old World White

Under €10

Labouré-Roi Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Niche Vines by Counterpoint

Old World White

Under €15

Aveleda Alvarinho 2019

Mackenway Distributors Limited

Old World White

Under €20

El Coto 'Finca Carbonera' 875m Chardonnay 2019

Mackenway Distributors Limited

New World White

Under €10

Meerestein Chenin/Pinot Grigio 2019

Ampersand Wines

New World White

Under €15

Secret de Viu Manent Sauvignon Blanc 2019

Mackenway Distributors Limited

New World White

Under €20

De Loach Heritage Collection Chardonnay 2018

Liberty Wines

Old World Red

Under €10

Rioja Vega Semi Crianza 2019

Ampersand Wines

Old World Red

Under €15

Lopez de Haro Rioja Crianza 2017

Findlater & Co.

Old World Red

Under €20

Conde Valdemar Reserva 2012

Febvre & Co.

New World Red

Under €10

The Landings Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Ampersand Wines

New World Red

Under €15

Callia M Malbec 2019

Mackenway Distributors Limited

New World Red

Under €20

Willunga 100 McLaren Vale Shiraz/Viognier 2018

Liberty Wines

Rosé

Under €15

Care Solidarity Rosé 2019

Febvre Wines

Sparkling Wine

Under €25

Capçanes Cava Brut Reserva NV

Mackenway Distributors

Champagne

Under €60

Piper-Heidsieck, Cuvée Brut NV

Liberty Wines

Red Wine of the Year 2020-2021

Lopez de Haro Rioja Crianza 2017 RED WINE OF THE YEAR 2020-2021

Findlater & Co.

Wine of the Year 2020-2021

De Loach Heritage Collection Chardonnay 2018 WINE OF THE YEAR 2020-2021

Liberty Wines

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Delivering locally for you

At BWG Foods wholesale division, we continue to deliver for over 20,000 local businesses through our network of 22 cash & carry branches and our foodservice businesses. Please remember, we are here to support and serve you during this time of change, and have the flexibility to adjust to your evolving needs. Together we are much stronger.

BETTER DEAL

Your Local Wholesaler For Over 50 Years

C A S H & C A R RY

Making strides

In the fast-paced and demanding world of FMCG, retailers need wholesale and cash and carry partners they can rely on. Here, the leading players outline their offerings and latest developments

for cash and carry stores to drive and expand their businesses. The modern cash and carry store has taken a page from the convenience store retailer and these giant stores have taken on a bright and clean life of their own, with broad, open spaces, special offers and a personalised service that is as much about the experience as the deal. The major players in the market are driving each other forward, which is hugely positive for retailer and consumer alike.

o retailer can function without a solid and reliable wholesale operation in their area, and competition between these warehousing brands is just as strong as the c-stores. In the past, the idea that a cash and carry wholesaler was one that involved a dusty warehouse, crowded shelves and an industrial atmosphere, is a far cry from something customers might see today. Competition has evolved, and so the pressure is on

Value Centre closely monitors consumer behaviour and the latest trends to ensure it has the right product mix available at all times

Value Centre: Dedicated to helping customers succeed BETTER DEAL

Your Local Wholesaler For Over 50 Years

C A S H & C A R RY

FACT FILE Name: Value Centre, 4 Aces, Better Deal Number of branches nationwide: 22 Number of customers: Over 20,000 Number of lines in product listing: Over 10,000 Tagline: ‘Your Local Wholesaler’ Ordering options (website, telephone orders etc): Online, in-branch, telesales, dedicated sales developers Typical opening hours: 9am - 5.30pm Size-range of outlets: 12,000sq ft – 60,000sq ft.

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56 CATEGORY FOCUS Cash and Carry Insights

with Paul Bealin,

Paul Bealin

Q. How convenient is your offering for your customers, including in terms of ordering, payment and delivery? A. One of our greatest strengths is that, as Ireland’s largest national network of cash and carry branches with 22 locations around Ireland, we are always close to our customer base. Our local knowledge is what sets us apart because we care about what our customers need and want. We are committed to helping our customers succeed and work alongside them to achieve that end goal. Our award-winning e-commerce platform Shoplink can connect seamlessly to EPOS and is fully integrated and live with the supply chain. Customers can access Shoplink 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, enabling them to do business with us more efficiently and giving them back more of their time for other aspects of their business. With a ﬂexible delivery service, if the customer cannot come to us, we will do our utmost to ensure next day delivery. We also offer an emergency topup service for customers, something that has proven crucial over the last few months, where demand for certain products has skyrocketed.

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

sales director, Cash and Carry, BWG Foods

Q. How have you innovated to deliver the right product range for customers? A. Our business model is one based on meeting the needs of our customers allied with our expert team of buyers who closely monitor consumer behaviour and the latest trends to ensure we have the right product mix available at all times. This involves working closely with suppliers, in particular Irish suppliers, to ensure a market-leading range. We have seen buying behaviour change as a result of the pandemic. That has brought some challenges as well as opportunities and, combined with over 60 years of experience, being part of BWG Foods means we are strongly positioned in the market to evolve our offering at speed. The strength of our unique position in the Irish marketplace as part of a truly global organisation was truly evident at the height of the global pandemic and resultant Irish lockdown. While other Irish wholesalers struggled to meet demand in some lines, we were able to secure stocks of commodity lines, such as pasta directly from Italy, at a best in market price, to ensure our customers were never left short.

Being part of BWG Foods means that through our large store network of branded symbol stores we have the expertise, knowledge, and insight into what our customers want and that can sometimes transfer across different sectors. For example, we adapted our Retailer Covid-19 support and POS resource pack for our other customers, including the hospitality and licenced trade. We will be hosting a virtual Christmas showcase for our hospitality customers, an industry ﬁrst as we adapt to reaching out and connecting with our customers in new ways. As an added beneﬁt, we hosted a virtual festive-themed trade show for our XL retailers to review new product development in fresh foods and other categories to help plan and prepare for Christmas. Q. In terms of both pricing and promotions, how have you worked to ensure you are offering value-for-money for your customers? A. As part of a larger business, we can leverage our combined buying power to better serve our customers in every regard. We run national promotions every three weeks, with further tactical activity generally centred on seasonal

opportunities offering customers incredible value all year round. We have also used our industry knowledge to adapt our offering to reﬂect the changing needs of our customers during these unprecedented times. We are also making sure to provide for the traditional industry highpoints. Christmas, for example, is traditionally our busiest time of the year.

We are working tirelessly to meet those needs and part of this is ensuring each Value Centre branch has their own local deals for their speciﬁc customer base. Q. How have you ensured your services are safe for both staff and customers during the Covid-19 pandemic?

FACT FILE Name: Stonehouse Marketing Ltd. Number of branches nationwide: 23 Forecourt partners: Costcutter and Gala Central ofﬁce: Dublin

Wholesale partners: 20 independent family businesses Type of distribution network: Wholesale/cash and carry Website: www.stonehouse.ie Tagline: ‘The Independent Wholesaler for the Independent Trader’

with Tom Shipsey,

CEO, Stonehouse Marketing Ltd

Irish Brands

Tom Shipsey

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A. The health and safety of our customers and colleagues has always been our utmost priority. We have a National Covid-19 Management Committee appointed to co-ordinate a Covid-19 response plan to ensure appropriate procedures are implemented in all our locations.

Stonehouse: Convenience, ﬂexibility, and efﬁciency

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58 CATEGORY FOCUS Cash and Carry Insights

Q. How convenient is your offering for your customers, including in terms of ordering, payment and delivery?

opportunities. The system is simple to use and takes the guesswork out of understanding your customer needs.

A. Extremely convenient. We are on our customers’ doorstep. Our business model is convenient, ﬂexible, and extremely efficient. From a case to a container we understand our customer’s needs and requirements

Q. In terms of both pricing and promotions, how have you worked to ensure you are offering value-for-money for your customers?

Q. What innovation have you implemented within your offering/services to ensure you are meeting the latest consumer trends and have the right product range for customers? A. In 2018 we invested in the most up to date insights software from IRI Sales Out, a package used in all the UK wholesale and retail groups to understand customer trends, buying patterns and evolving taste, pack conﬁguration and range additions. We classify all Stonehouse customers into over 40 speciﬁc customer categories from retail to foodservice so can on a live basis pinpoint any sector, product category or region and analyse what is happening now, what are the trends and what are the

A. Our supplier relationships are probably stronger than at any stage in the recent past. 2020 is, and will continue to be, a challenging year. Because of Covid-19, suppliers and wholesalers have had to adapt to ensuring that the customer is getting the product they require. With more people working from home, the trend has moved from impulse to larger pack offerings, sharing packs, multipacks and fun sizes. Suppliers, realising that customers now want safety and convenience in their shopping journeys, have ensured that we in Stonehouse have these packs available for our customers at a price that is seen as value for money. The suppliers that have adapted to this new normal and worked with us have reaped the rewards. Our retail customers too, who

have adapted to new consumer trends, stocked the right products, and reﬂected a value for money policy, have seen turnover increase and customer loyalty deepen. Q. How has the business been affected by Covid-19 and how have you worked to ensure your services are safe for both your staff and customers? A. Covid-19 has affected our customers differently. City centre members have found it extremely challenging both in retail and foodservice. All foodservice members continue to ﬁnd it extremely difficult to predict how the virus will affect their businesses. With further restrictions and lockdowns in place, we see little opportunity for foodservice for the next six months. Retail shopping however has been extremely strong. Customers appear to welcome shopping locally and have embraced the changes well. Our sales across all grocery, alcohol and nonfood in retail has been extremely encouraging. Staff and customer safety are without doubt our biggest priorities. From the outset of the pandemic our members implemented a comprehensive Covid-19 plan, following all government guidelines.

Musgrave MarketPlace: Committed to supporting Irish jobs and suppliers FACT FILE Name: Musgrave MarketPlace Number of branches nationwide: 10 Major locations nationwide: Dublin (Ballymun, Robinhood, Sallynoggin), Cork, Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Belfast, Derry, Lurgan. Number of lines in product listing: Over 14,000 Ordering options: Online, collect, delivered, click & collect, telesales, business development managers Typical opening hours: 8am – 6pm Size-range of outlets: 35,000 – 75,000sq ft

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

Musgrave MarketPlace is proud to be the only 100% Irish-owned national foodservice wholesaler. Over 140 years ago, the Musgrave family set out values to guide their business and six generations later these values are still at the core of the business. The team at Musgrave MarketPlace believe in building long-term stable relationships, not being greedy, honesty, working hard and achievement. As a result of these values, the wholesaler is committed to supporting Irish jobs and sourcing from local suppliers, helping local charities, building a more sustainable future and investing in Ireland’s future food leaders.

Join a Winning Team at MACE. Now more than ever is the perfect time to team up with MACE. In addition to our fantastic new-look stores, the MACE team has partnered with one of Ireland’s most respected and high profile sporting heroes, Johnny Sexton, as our brand ambassador.

MACE we are constantly improving our in-store offering. Our bright, bold new store design is all part of that drive for excellence within the convenience retailing sector. Our food and beverage innovations result in quality fresh departments, which have been proven to drive significant profitable sales increases for MACE Retailers. Our friendly MACE staff has always been a differentiator for MACE. As excellent customer service is key to our past and future success. We call it ‘going the extra smile’.

So, if you’re looking to grow your business through working with a progressive team, great store design and store standards, get in touch with Andrew or Liam today.

To find out more, contact: Andrew McCann (Regional Manager North) amccann@bwg.ie / 086 041 4334 Liam Attridge (Regional Manager South) lattridge@bwg.ie / 086 852 1362

www.mace.ie facebook.com/MACEIreland

instagram.com/MACE_ireland

youtube.com/MACE_ireland

twitter.com/@MACEIreland

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60 CATEGORY FOCUS Mixers

In the mix!

As Covid-19 restrictions and uncertainty continue, many consumers are opting to relax in the comfort and safety of their own homes rather than venture out, and are subsequently keen to recreate ‘cocktail culture’ at home with the aid of premium mixers in their arsenal, writes Gillian Hamill

t the time of writing, Ireland nationally stood at level 3 in terms of Covid-19 restrictions and even if these are relaxed in the coming months, many consumers may still be nervous about venturing out to socialise as the pandemic continues. However, consumers will still want to recreate the quality cocktail occasion at home

as a means of enjoying a little affordable luxury during uncertain times. The rise of the humble gin and tonic in recent years has shown the demand is absolutely there for premium spirits with more exotic botanical compositions, as well as no and low alcohol alternatives (as explored on page 44 of this issue) – where the emphasis is resolutely on quality instead of

The next chapter Premium mixers brand, Thomas Henry was founded in Berlin as a start-up in 2010, when two young entrepreneurs were looking for the best mixers for their favourite drinks. They developed their product ideas together with some of the industry’s best bartenders and catering experts and implemented them after long trials and testing. Thomas Henry quickly became the number one for premium bitter lemonades in Germany, and Berlin where the Thomas Henry team is based, became the hub of the brand. Here the culture of Thomas Henry is very evident, the team is focused on innovation and creativity, using the local bartenders and their teams’ skills to ensure the range is constantly innovating and creating unique ﬂavours to meet the new trends in the market. This can be seen through the brand’s range development; since 2010, Thomas Henry has innovated its range to include ﬂavours such as

Mystic Mango, Cherry Blossom Tonic, and most recently the launch of Pink Grapefruit, which is the perfect ingredient for a Pink Paloma or with Ireland’s favourite Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin. Thomas Henry is now in over 54 countries worldwide and is featured in drinks across some of the best bars in the world. From Berlin, to London, Milan, Paris, New York and Dublin, its range has been featured in the top 10 of the 2020 drinks international report and has won the Great Taste award for both its Tonic Water and Ginger Beer. 2021 is subsequently set to be a big year for Thomas Henry in Ireland, with some key innovative ﬂavours

Thomas Henry is now in over 54 countries worldwide and is showcased across some of the best bars in the world

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

quantity, with consumers happy to pay a little more for the right flavour. Consumers want to match their G&Ts and other cocktails with suitably premium and flavoursome mixers to elevate the occasion further, and the leading brands have capitalised on this Instagram-friendly appeal. Ibec group Drinks Ireland|Spirits’ ‘Irish Spirits Markets Report 2019’ shows domestic spirit sales were being launched across the year, to further distinguish Thomas Henry from competitors. Launched here in 2015, this year, following its strong success in the on-trade in Ireland, Thomas Henry is launching into the takehome trade. The reason behind this is the increased demand by consumers to be able to make their favourite drinks at home, whilst keeping the quality they expect in their favourite bars. Thomas Henry will now have its unique range of flavours and premium mixers available to buy in four-packs of Thomas Henry’s award-winning Tonic Water, Elderflower Tonic, Cherry Blossom Tonic, Bitter Lemon, Ginger Ale, and Ginger Beer. Thomas Henry 750ml bottles will also be available in Tonic Water and Ginger Beer and new flavours to be added in early 2021, Pink Grapefruit in a four-pack and a few surprise flavours too. Thomas Henry is currently stocked across O’Brien’s, Molloy’s and leading independents.

Uniquely Irish The inspiration for the Poachers range of premium natural mixers was found in the ingredients grown on a centuries-old family farm located in beautiful County Wexford, Ireland. The team’s vision at Poachers was to create something uniquely Irish in its appeal and in doing so, the company uses high

up in 2019 and that the value of spirits exports from the island of Ireland continued to increase, up by nearly 16% to €1.17 billion. Domestic sales grew by 0.7% from 2.4 million to 2.42 million nine-litre cases. Read on to learn more about the mixers consumers will be stocking up on to make their favourite cocktails.

Poachers’ vision was to create a mixer that is uniquely Irish in its appeal

quality natural and indigenous ingredients across the entire range. Poachers says its focus has always been on lower sugar, natural finishes that don’t compromise on flavour. “We see the significant effort that a lot of producers put into making great spirits and we want to add to that and enhance it,” the group states. As the growth of gin and tonic continues globally, Poachers has also expanded its Great Taste award-winning range to cater for other premium long drinks. The company sees a great enthusiasm in the Irish consumer not only for more premium spirits but also a willingness to experiment with flavour and fun. As an Irish long drinks company, Poachers’ goal is to be part of that journey in a very highquality way. ■

PREMIUM MIXERS

THE BEST DRINKS IN THE WORLD IN THE BEST BARS IN THE WORLD AVAILABLE FROM:

EMAIL:

info@dalcassianwines.com

PHONE:

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62 MARKET MOVERS

Pringles

Sealed Air

Pop, play, eat, recycle: Pringles reveals new paper can

Sealed Air creates chlorine-free shrink bags for circular economy

Pringles has announced the trial of a new recyclable tube. Paper cans will be trialled with both a paper and a plastic lid, which are widely recyclable. The current tube is made of foil, paper board, metal, and plastic, meaning it’s difﬁcult to recycle through the existing household recycling system. People will, however, be able to put the new-look can in their home recycling bins. The new tube is nearly a year in the making, having been specially designed to protect Pringle’s hyperbolic paraboloid shaped crisp, and maintain long shelf life while ensuring the crisps remain crunchy. Launched in partnership with Tesco, the trial will run in a small number of the grocer’s stores across the UK. The trial will last for six weeks, after which point in-depth studies will be conducted to help Pringles understand the reaction of shoppers – including high-tech eye tracking analysis to show how people visually react to the new packaging on shelf. If successful, the company could roll out the new-look packaging across Europe. “At this stage it is too early to say whether we’ll roll out this new paper tube,” said Miranda Prins, vice-president, Pringles, “however, the information we collect will help us understand if people like it and if it works on the supermarket shelf and at home. This trial will help us create the Pringles can of the future.”

Sealed Air has developed chlorine-free vacuum shrink bags to help food processors and retailers improve food safety and sustainability in a circular economy. The new Cryovac brand OptiDure Bags (ODF4005) are made from a carefully selected range of resins to deliver a highly protective chlorinefree EVOH barrier. This is designed to extend shelf life, reduce waste, and safeguard food during distribution, storage, and retail. Total packaging material weight is reduced by more than half in the high-tech generation of multilayer, coextruded shrink bags, which enables operators to lower carbon footprints by up to 39%, compared to standard bags. Food integrity is further protected by the outstanding shrink qualities of OptiDure, as well as its strong abuse resistant material. Together, these prevent rips, tears and punctures, whilst the shrink bag’s reliable pleated heat seals stop leaks and seal-in freshness and ﬂavour. “The principles of a circular economy are increasingly becoming standard practice. Consumers across Europe are demanding less waste and better use of resources,” said Jos Van den Block, food proteins packaging director at Sealed Air. “They want cleaner, safer and more sustainable ways of living, which inﬂuences how they buy food. “Cryovac brand OptiDure Bags (ODF4005) have been designed for food processors and retailers to meet these market demands. The chlorine-free EVOH barrier offers excellent resistance to oxygen and other potential contaminants such as moisture, humidity and aromas. This protects food quality and safety, extends shelf life and minimises waste.”

Barebells

Nocco

Barebells launches functional snack bars full of flavour Swedish functional food brand Barebells has become a favourite among consumers who desire tasty, on-the-go snacks. The brand believes a truly functional snack bar should not have to compromise on taste, and so it developed a range of protein-enriched bars with a flavour-first approach. Its latest range of original recipe bars comes in seven flavours: Crunchy Fudge, Lemon Curd, Hazelnut & Nougat, White Chocolate Almond, Cookies & Cream, Caramel Cashew and Salty Peanut. Each bar contains 20g of protein per bar. Its vegan flavours, Vegan Salty Peanut and Vegan Hazelnut & Nougat, are derived from rice, soy and pea, and contain 15g of protein per bar. Available in Strawberry, Vanilla, Banana and Chocolate, its ready-todrink milkshakes contain 24g of protein and are lactose-free with no added sugars.

Nocco drinks help you perform at your best Nocco is a Swedish carbonated sugar-free drink enriched with vitamins, BCAA (branched-chain-amino-acids) and caffeine. One can of Nocco BCAA contains five different types of Vitamin B (folic acid, niacin, biotin, B6 and B12), to help reduce fatigue and exhaustion, plus vitamin D, which contributes to maintaining normal muscle function. Nocco BCAA is available in four flavours, Ice Soda, Passion, Tropical, and Red Berries. It also has three limited edition flavours, Limón Del Sol, Caribbean and Miami Strawberry. Nocco BCAA and limited-edition drinks contain 180mg of caffeine and 3000mg of BCAA. Available in two flavours, Apple and Citrus/Elderflower, Nocco’s BCAA+ cans contain 5000mg of BCAA and are caffeine free. All Nocco products are sugar-free, sweetened with sucralose and enriched with vitamins and BCAA (branched chain amino acids) to enhance recovery. Used by elite Irish athletes, such as Shane Ryan and Micky Smith, Nocco is known for helping active people perform at their best, both in the gym and in their day-to-day life. The brand has achieved year-on-year growth of 165% in the UK. (Source: Nielsen L52w to 19/09/20)

ShelfLife October 2020 | www.shelﬂife.ie

STRENGTHENS YOUR * IMMUNE SYSTEM

*Proven in more than 50 scientific studies, based on regular consumption of our unique blend of ingredients Clean Simple Ingredients because when did your mammy ever tell you to get more citric acid in your diet