ShelfLife June 2023 Issue

Star performance

Barry Little of SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin 6, named National Grocery Retail Manager of the Year 2023

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Demolishing ‘price gouging’ claims Excel Recruitment’s Nikki Murran says the government should stop admonishing and instead start supporting independent retailers who are coping with price increases

Appraising your performance

The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy explains how to conduct your performance appraisals procedure to secure the best results for both the business and employees

Editor GILLIAN HAMILL (01) 294 7776

gillian.hamill@mediateam.ie

Staff journalist

JULIA O’REILLY (01) 294 7709 julia.oreilly@mediateam.ie

Contributors

CAROLINE REIDY

FIONNUALA CAROLAN

NIKKI MURRAN

Head of business

IAN MULVANEY (01) 294 7766 ian.mulvaney@mediateam.ie

Account manager MARK MORGAN (01) 294 7767 mark.morgan@mediateam.ie

Circulation subs@mediateam.ie

Publisher JOHN McDONALD (01) 294 7744 john.mcdonald@mediateam.ie

Printing W&GBaird Ltd

ShelfLife is acontrolled 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.

4 6

Anotefromtheeditor

Wow!Whatraregoodweatherwe’vebeenenjoyingof late!Ihopeyou’veallbeendoingaroaringtradeinice creams,lollies,BBQessentials;arealtasteofsummer! Nomatterwhattheweatherthough:onething’sfor certain:Irishretailerswillbebusyatwork.Withthat inmind,thismonth’sissueisallaboutcelebratingretail managersandtheirteams’hardworkanddedicationwitha fullreportfromourrecentShelfLifeGroceryManagement Awards2023.

Enjoythisissue!

GillianHamill,editor,ShelfLifemagazine

28 ShelfLife Grocery Management Awards Supreme Champion! Fionnuala Carolan speaks to Barry about how the win has been the highlight of his career so far

NEWS

&ANALYSIS 4

14 SparStore Profile: Spar Clonskeagh is celebrating 40 years in business andmanager Anthony Walsh tells Fionnuala Carolan about the secret to their success

18 Centra Store Profile: Centra Arva is flourishing following its latest renovation. Owner Richard Keith speaks to Julia O’Reilly

PRIDE SPOTLIGHT

22 Nearby Store Profile: Philip Keegan of Keegan’s Nearby Carrickmacross talks to Julia O’Reilly about howNearby is the perfect retail partner

58 Food Focus

ADVISOR

62 Recruitment: Excel Recruitment’s Nikki Murran discusses how retailers are being unfairly blamed for price gouging

66 Marketing: Colin Gordon believes that it’s essential for marketers to keep consumers’ long-term satisfaction in their sights

MARKETING& CATEGORY FOCUS

42 Crisps and Snacks

47 Free From

50 Gin

52 Forecourt

59 Convenience

SuperValu launches new‘Wear With Pride’ Laces intiativefor Pride 2023

SuperValu has teamed up with GAAreferee and LGBTQ+ advocate David Gough and Cork Ladies footballer Hannah Looneytolaunch SuperValu’s ‘Wear with Pride’ Laces campaign forPride month 2023. As part of the initiative, rainbowlaces will be available to purchase in SuperValu stores nationwide forthe month of June,with proceeds going to support Belong To,LGBTQ+Youth Ireland.

Earlier this year,SuperValu launched the thirdyear of its #CommunityIncludesEveryone campaign, as part of its sponsorship of the GAAAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship Building on this important work to promotegreater inclusion, with the support of the Gaelic Players Association, the ‘Wear with Pride’ Laces campaign will also see all inter-county players gifted with SuperValu’srainbowlaces throughout the month of June

SuperValu’sPride laces areIrish-made by Atlantic WeaveLimited, aDonegal-based company.

Formoreinformation, followSuperValu across Facebook, Instagram, Tik-Tokand Twitter

GAA referee and LGBTQ+ advocate, David Gough; Gemma Begley, equality, diversity &inclusion manager for the Gaelic Players’ Association and Cork Ladies footballer and member of the LGBTQ+ community, Hannah Looney

NEWSGRID

The top news stories in FMCG and retail from across Ireland

Spar opens pop-up shop as part of 60th celebrations

As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, Spar has joined forces with the Thomas Ennis Group to open apop-up shop at Johnson PlaceinDublin 2, thattook justtwo weekstobuild. Theexternal fascia of the storeisareplica of the original 1963Spar sign, while inside the storehas been fitted out with aretrotheme completewith throwbackstoSpar’s origins including a collage mural of 1960s imagery alongside vinyl recordsand pop-art as part of the store decorations.

Shoppers returning to ‘little and often’ shopping: Kantar

Shoppers areturning to shopping little and often to help manage household budgets, according to Kantar.The latest 12 weeks’ data to 14 Mayshows shoppers retuning to storemoreoften, with visits up by 12% equating to an additional seventrips. This contributed an additional €574mtothe overall market performancealongside a significant increase in the average priceper pack which is up 13.7% year-on-year.Kantar’s latest data shows Dunnes holds the highest market shareamongstall retailers at 23.1% with growth of 15.8% year-on-year

Leading discount brand Pepco opens new store in Ireland

Afterlaunching five pilot stores in Ireland lastyear,Pepcohas celebrated another storeopening in The Square, Tallaght on 10 June.The opening of PepcoinTallaght comes after Dealz completely revamped five of its Irish stores, giving them top-to-bottom makeovers thatconverted them to the Pepco brand, creating an additional 60 jobs. Pepco has over4,000 stores across19European countries and is headquartered in Poznan, Poland.

Musgrave signs new fiveyear deal with Ballymaguire Foods worth €170m

Musgravehas announced anew deal with Lusk-based ready meal producer BallymaguireFoods, valued at €170 million. Thenew contract will continue to supply homegrown, Irish-made prepared meals and side dishes to Musgraveretail brands SuperValu, Centraand Daybreak. BallymaguireFoods is asistercompanyto Country Crest, founded by Michael and Gabriel Hoey. Formoreinformation on the deal, turn to page 10

Tesco Ireland launches new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) trial

TescoIreland has officially launched its new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) trial forPET plastic drinksbottles and aluminium/steel drinkscans at its TescoExtraStore at DonoreRoad in Drogheda. Ahead of DRS commencing nationwide in February 2024, the retailer is running twoin-store DRS demonstration trials, at Drogheda Extraand Malahide Expressstores. Thegovernment’s Deposit Return Scheme is being introduced to encourage more people to recycle drinkscontainers, such as bottles and cans.

Food on the Edge 2023 speakers announced

Food on the Edge,the two-daysymposium thattakes placeannually in Ireland, will return forits eighth year on 16-17 October Taking placeinAirfield Estate,Dundrum in Dublin, the event is forchefs and food enthusiasts all around the world who want to create abetter global network. Elena Reygadas, who wasrecently named World’s BestFemale Chef by TheWorld’s50Best Restaurant 2023 Awards, is the event’s headline speaker and the theme of this year’s event is ‘Storytelling’.

New GM of CocaCola HBC Ireland & Northern Ireland

Coca-Cola HBC has appointed Davide Franzetti as the new general manager of its island of Ireland operations. Franzetti has worked forCoca-Cola HBC Italy since2018, holding various roles including modern trade director and mostrecently sales director.Hereplaces Miles Karemacher who is to takeupthe role of general manager at Coca-Cola HBC Italy Prior to joining Coca-Cola HBC, Franzetti wasthe general manager forthe Italian division of the global brewer, AB Inbev.

Unemployment rate reaches all-time record low at 3.8%: Indeed

CSO data reveals Ireland’smain unemployment rate was3.8% in Mayona seasonally adjustedbasis, down from 3.9% in April and down from alevel of 4.2% 12 months ago.Meanwhile,the seasonally adjustednumber of people unemployedwas 103,300 in Mayand fell by 8,700inthe past 12 months. Jack Kennedy,senior economist at hiring platform Indeed, says thatwhile the latest data is “impressive”, employers in certain sectors will nevertheless“likely have some tough hiring challenges ahead”.

Over 700 attend open day at Excel Recruitment

Award-winning recruitment agencyExcel Recruitment wasthrilled with the response generated by its latest ‘open day’ recruitment drive, which sawover700 people arriveatthe agency’sHQinThe Capel Building in Dublin 7. From meeting and greeting with hundreds of candidates, to taking careoftheir recruitment needs, to simply running aslick and effortless recruitment initiativetohavethe right candidatesfor clients, ExcelRecruitment said it wasdelighted with the event’s success ■

For more details on all the above and the latest grocery-related news as it happens, visit www.shelflife.ie.

Excel Recruitment CEO Barry Whelan

Minister of State Ossian Smyth alongside Tesco Ireland’s communications director Rosemary Garth, country operations manager Darrin Honer and store manager Eoin Killoran

¤40,000 up forgrabs forlocal GAAclubs through Kellogg’sGAA Cúl Camps on-pack competition

Broadcasterand winner of series 6ofDancing with the Stars, Carl Mullan officially launched the 2023 Kellogg’sGAA Cúl Camps on-pack competition.

Kellogg, nowinits 12th year sponsoring Kellogg’sGAA Cúl camps, has launched its nationwide competition forall GAAclubs across the country to be in with achanceofwinning incredible prizes worth €40,000

Following feedback from previous winners, the prizefunds provide GAAclubs with an incredible opportunity to claim greatprizes through avery simple mechanic. All thatisrequired is to simply purchase apromotional boxofKellogg’sCoco Pops, Corn Flakes or RiceKrispies.

Using the unique on-pack code,found inside the box, log on to kelloggsculcamps.gaa.ie/ competition and nominate aclub of your choice.

Cash prizes of €25,000,€10,000 and €5,000 areavailable to win.

“Based on incredible feedback and very popular engagement levels, we aredelighted to officially launch the nationwide competition,”said Sarah Ferguson, Kellogg Ireland general manager “This on-pack competition provides people with agreat opportunity to raise vital funds for their local club and forthem to be the heroin entering. This year,your club needs you!

“Welove getting feedback from previous winners in terms of whatitreally means to them and the differenceitcan make,”Ferguson added. “Through our partnership with Kellogg’s GAACúl Camps, we arevery proud to support the grassroots of the GAA.”

Formoreinformation on the Kellogg’sGAA Cúl Camps visit gaa.ie/kelloggsculcamps

John Playerand Tobaccoland celebratelong-standing partnership and avery special occasion!

Velo Coffee Roasters has appointed TomGannon as a newnon-executivedirector

With years of experienceinthe food industry, Gannon brings awealth of knowledge and expertise to the organisation. Theteam arenow confident thathis systematic success acrossbrands such as RedBull, Fulfil and Cali Cali will accelerateVelo Coffee’sgrowth to the next level.

Velo is continuously pushing towardsgrowth and development. Theteam has grownevery year and theyare constantly working to build and improve the brand and the product. In this next stage forthe Cork roastery,the team plan to further expand the brand acrossIreland and internationally with TomGannon’s guidance.

To celebratethe recent 80th birthdayof Tobaccoland’s Jim Walsh, the executive leadership team of Imperial Tobacco John Player paid avisit to Tobaccoland’s Limerick headquarters to shareinthe special occasion.

Jim Walsh has worked in the tobacco sector for35years and his experienceand knowledge of Ireland’stobacco businessislegendary.Hehas been to the forefront of John Playerand Tobaccoland’slong-standing partnership overthe years.

“Jim is one of the country’sfinesttobacco minds who really understands the category,” said John Playermarket manager,Morgan Lee. “Both I, personally and manyofmycolleagues have learnt alot from Jim and we want to thank him for his friendship and Tobaccoland’songoing support forour businessthroughout his long career.”

Imperial Tobacco John Player’sleading brand, JPS, can be found in all Tobaccoland vending units acrossthe country.“Thesupport thatJim and the Tobaccoland team have given overthe years has contributed to JPS’sposition as the fastestgrowing value formoneybrand in the Irish market,”added Morgan. “The recent addition of JPS Gold has further fuelled this growth which has already achieveda1.45%* shareofthe VFM sector sinceits launch (*EPOS).”

Tobaccoland is one of the leading tobacco and vape vendor and wholesale suppliers in Ireland, with nationwide coverage.The family-owned companyhas recently brought to the market some dedicatedvape vending units where products such as John Player’snew disposable vape ‘Blu Bar’can be purchased. Jim’sgrandson, LukeCostelloe,leads businessdevelopment forTobaccoland’s vape business. Jim’sdaughter,Leslie,the managing director of Tobaccoland, said thattheyare delighted to work so closely with Imperial Tobacco John Player.

Describing the partnership with “Jim, Leslie,Declan, Lukeand the entire Tobaccoland team” as “anintegral part of launch plans,”Morgan Leeadded that its “excellent range of flavours will be available in all key HORECAsites serviced by Tobaccoland and acrossall retail outlets nationwide within the coming weeks”.

“Weare thrilled to welcome Tomtothe Velo Coffee team,”said the company’sRob Horgan. “Tom’s extensiveexperienceinFMCGand his proventrack record of success makes him the ideal candidate to help steer our growth. We areluckytobeable to tap intohis knowledge and experience.”

“I am delighted to join Velo and am looking forward to collaborating with the talented team heretodrive the companyforward,”said Gannon.

To acceleratethis growth, Velo has started working with Tennant and Ruttle as the brand’sdistribution partner

“It has been greattowork alongside the entireteam at Tennant and Ruttle.You can see their excitement about the brand, and we arealready seeing the growth acrossretail,”added Horgan. “We’reall looking forwardtoseeing whatthe rest of this year will bring.”

TomGannon joins team at Velo Coffee Roasters

Carl Mullan pictured celebrating the launch of the 2023 Kelloggs GAA Cúl Camps on-pack competition where atotal of ¤40,000 is up for grabs for GAA Clubs across the country

(L-R:) Luke Costelloe, Joe Flynn and Deirdre Healy (John Player), Jim Walsh, Leslie Walsh and Morgan Lee

Tom Gannon has now joined the team at Velo Coffee Roasters

Lily O’Brien’snamed Brand of the Year at Chambers Ireland InBusinessRecognition Awards 2023

Lily O’Brien’s has greatnewstoshare; having been named Brand of the Year at the Chambers Ireland National Awards ceremony, held on 26 May2023.

TheChambers Ireland InBusinessRecognition Awards areheld annually to recognise and reward exceptional businessachievement and innovation and celebratethe resilience, success and growth of Irish business. Atotal of 23 accolades were awarded on the dayacrossall industries and sectors.

Lily O’Brien’sresult marksafantastic achievement forthe brand to be recognized alongside major brands including Nestlé,An Post,Aramark and BordnaMona, to name justa fewofthe winners.

TheInBusinessAwardsmagazine is distributed to the Chambers Ireland network nationwide;

with 40 chamber branches across8,600 businesses acrossthe nation, it offers agreat way of reaching the wider businesscommunity

‘Weare proud and delighted to have won Chambers Ireland Brand of the Year,” said Michelle Vance, managing director,Lily O’Brien’s, of the brand’swin.

“This is afantastic accolade forthe Lily O’Brien’sbrand and atestament to the dedication and hardwork of the greatteam at Lily O’Brien’s.

“Thank youtoChambers Ireland forthe recognition, to all our businesspartners, customers and consumers who support us on an ongoing basis and to our team whose passion continues to driveusevery day,”Vanceadded.

Find Lily O’Brien’sonline at https://lilyobriens.com, Facebook at: www.facebook.com/LilyOBriens, Instagram and Twitter @lilyobriens

Slam-dunkasGala Retail kits out biggest-everIrish delegation ahead of Special Olympics World Summer Games

At the unveiling of Team Ireland’sfemale basketball team ahead of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Berlin, platinum sponsor of Special Olympics Ireland, Gala Retail,took the opportunity to gift family and friends of the team with new supporter merchandise

This year,outside of Germany, Ireland is the country with the largestdelegation, now surpassing 500,and retail partner Gala Retail has gifted almost1,500 official supporters’ merchandise to friends and family of the athletes who will be representing their country from 17-25 June

Gala representatives joined Special Olympics Ireland CEO,MattEnglish, and members of Team Ireland to present the supporters’ kits with the help of the Irish female basketball team that’sheading to the games.

In addition to kitting out volunteers, family and friends, the Gala Group’ssponsorship will help to fund the travel and participation of the delegation of Irish athletes who are travelling to Berlin.

Matt English, chief executive, Special Olympics Ireland, pointed out thatIreland has “become famous worldwide forour warm-hearted welcome and enthusiastic support, with large groups of volunteers and supporters traveling all overthe globe to support Team Ireland”.

He thanked Gala Retail fortheir “incredible support”and “making surethatour supporters

Drivesales through digital signage from Stacked

Did youknowthatdigital signage can significantly increase sales and improve communication with your customers?According to astudy by Digital Signage Today*, 80% of brands thatused digital signage sawincreases in sales of up to 33%.

Compared to static print advertising, digital signage is much moreengaging and versatile.It allows youtodisplaydynamic content such as videos, animations, and images thatcapture your customers’ attention and keep them engaged. It also allows youtoupdate your messaging in real-time,providing flexibility and relevancetoyour customer communications.

Digital signage allows youtodisplaytargeted messages, promotions, and other relevant information to your customers. Customers are morelikely to makeapurchase if theyare provided with relevant information, so the likelihood of asale is increased.

Stacked offers digital signage hardwareand softwaresolutions which aredesigned to help youtakeadvantage of these benefits. With its easy-to-use software, youcan manage and update your content in real-time,ensuring that your messaging is always fresh and relevant. Contact Stacked todaytolearn moreabout how its digital signage solutions can help youdrive

look the part”inaveritable “sea of green”.

Throughout the duration of the World Games, Gala Retail will be capturing #GalaSpecialMoments, sharing the experienceofthe athletes and supporters through aseries of short clips and videos thatwill featureonthe Gala Retail social media platforms.

This year marksGala’seighth year as a platinum partner of Special Olympics Ireland, and CEO of Gala Retail, Gary Desmond noted that“overthe pasteight years, our partnership and our relationship with Special Olympics Ireland has grown significantly”.

Indeed, “manymembers of the Gala Group from the management team to wholesalers and retailers have attended Special Olympics events, meeting the athletes and volunteers and forging relationships with the team behind Special Olympics Ireland”.

From 17 to 25 June 2023, 73 athletes from acrossIreland will be representing their country at the 2023 Special Olympics World Summer Games.

sales and improve communication with your customers.

(Sources: https://www.digitalsignagetoday.com/ and https://www.pickcel.com/)

Pictured with the Chambers Ireland Brand of the Year award are (front row L-R): Michelle Vance, Susan Flanagan, Evelyn Mc Loughlin, and (back row L-R): Orla Farrell, Kevin Keating, Barry Redmond, David Wright and Kevin Coleman

Pictured are (back row:) Team Ireland athletes, Jenna Carty, Emma Johnstone, Margaret Turley, Anita Forde and Deirdre Walsh with Gary Desmond, CEO Gala Retail and Matt English, CEO Special Olympics Ireland, with (front row:) Team Ireland family, Jean Johnstone and Tom Walsh

AtMACE, we’relooking forretailers who bring asmiletowork every day to join our amazing team.

Our new stores aredesigned to be both bright and welcoming, to placeyou at the heart of the community in which youserve. Speaking of service, our quality fresh foods and innovations meet the ever-changing needs of peopleand have been provento driveprofitablesales increases forMACE Retailers.

Youwill have the support of our experienced team around Ireland, along with award winning marketing to grow your business.

Introducing Donnelly Fresh: Fresh produceand fresh ideas delivered with afresh attitude

Theentrepreneurial Donnelly family firststarted their well-known enterprise back in 1979;comprised of three separatebusinesses –Donnelly Fruit and Veg, Wonderfoods, and Donnelly Farms –which have been providing the bestquality fresh foods to the market forover40years and employing over300 people acrossNorth Co.Dublin.

SinceApril 2023, the companynow has anew name, Donnelly Fresh with its three businesses nowknown as ‘Donnelly Fresh. Produce’, ‘Donnelly Fresh. Foods’ and ‘Donnelly Fresh. Farms’,bringing the three companies closer together,toshowcase the offering theycan provide as an overall businesstothe Irish market.

“With astrong commitment to quality, convenience, and sustainability,the team at Donnelly Fresh aredriven by our hunger for innovation and our progressivenaturealways ensures we strivefor better,” the companysaid.

“Weunderstand the importanceofahealthy

diet to Irish consumers and we have been creating exciting and bespokesolutions for Ireland’stop retailers and foodserviceoutlets through our mix of ownlabel and branded product ranges, giving our customers a competitiveedge.”

Thebusinesscovers afull spectrum of whatits customers, partners and suppliers need:

• Donnelly Fresh. Produce: Offering awide range of fresh solutions including state-of-the-art fruit ripening, logistics, customs and third-party services.

• Donnelly Fresh. Foods: Blending innovation and imagination Donnelly Fresh. Foods createsexciting bespoke solutions forIreland’stop retailers and foodserviceoutlets.

• Donnelly Fresh. Farms: At Donnelly Fresh. Farms, the team areona

Musgravesigns newfive-year deal with BallymaguireFoods worth ¤170m

Musgrave has announced anew multi-million-eurodeal with Lusk-based ready meal producer BallymaguireFoods,valued at €170 million.

Thenew contract will continue to supply homegrown, Irish-made prepared meals and side dishes to Musgraveretail brands SuperValu, Centraand Daybreak.

BallymaguireFoods’ extensiverange of exceptional quality foods offers shoppers lunch and dinner solutions in the form of prepared meals as well as soups and sauces. Musgravewants to continue to grow its range with BallymaguireFoods with newown brand healthy meals which arethe perfect solution forahassle-free,home-cooked tasty meal.

BallymaguireFoods, asistercompanytoCountry Crest, founded by Michael and Gabriel Hoey, is an award-winning food production company, which has wonamultitude of awardsincluding Blas na hÉireann, Irish Quality Food Awards, GreatTaste Awards, and Fingal Chamber BusinessExcellenceAwards.

Passionate about sustainability,BallymaguireFoods prides itself in sourcing ingredients thatare 100% local and arecarefully selected from trustedfarmers and suppliers, keeping food miles low. Its dedicatedteam of over250 people,including experienced chefs and producers, have been supplying the MusgraveGroup with food of the highestquality for13years and will continue to forthe next fiveyears.

Musgraveisworking closely with suppliers to collectively reduce environmental impact; BallymaguireFoods operates on 100% renewable energy,with awind turbine generating nearly half of its powerand the rest coming from other renewable sources.

Musgravehas also committed that100% of its ownbrand packaging will be compostable,reusable,orrecyclable by 2025. To date,96% of this ambition has been achievedbySuperValu and Centra. BallymaguireFoods has replaced 35 tonnes of unrecyclable black plastic with alternativesustainable packaging in line with this.

By bringing its three companies closer together, Donnelly Fresh is showcasing the offering it can provide as an overall business to the Irish market

mission to grow greatquality healthyand nutritious Irish crops in away that’skinder to the environment.

To find out more, visit www.donnellyfresh.ie and experiencethe full offering.

Irish consumers would buy moreIrish food and drink products if product-labelling wasclearer,according to newresearch released by Guaranteed Irish to mark Food &Drink month in June

Consumers would be encouraged to shop Irish if labelling included product details such as the exact location of production, or whereingredients aresourced, the research found.

Guaranteed Irish is calling on consumers to shop sustainably by choosing locally sourcedproducts and to look out forthe Guaranteed Irish ‘G’ when doing their weekly shop

Sponsored by SuperValu and Centra,Guaranteed Irish Food & Drink Month is an annual event with awide range of food-focused activities taking place, including events, podcasts, and promotions

all supporting Irish food and drink producers while encouraging consumers to buy Irish.

Recent research by Guaranteed Irish confirms that79% of consumers who buy from Guaranteed Irish businesses believe they aresupporting asustainable economy, with 69%agreeing that buying from Guaranteed Irish members helps reducetheir carbon footprint (Red CPoll 2023).

“Ireland’sfood &drink sector is avital industry which is worth over€2.2bn to the economy, so it’s crucial thatweencourage consumers to continue to buy locally sourcedproducts from Irish suppliers each week,”said Brid O’Connell, CEO,Guaranteed Irish.

“Supporting Irish food and drink producers is of the utmost importancetoSuperValu and Centra,”added RayKelly,marketing director of SuperValu and Centra.

‘Cracking sustainability in the face of rising costs’ is the theme for this year’s Guaranteed Irish Food &Drink Forum on 15 June in Cork, which features an expert panel of speakers and aproducer showcase Logonto www.guaranteedirish.ie forinformation.

Clearer labelling would help Irish producers boostsales, newstudy reveals

Edward Spelman, managing director, and co-owner of Ballymaguire Foods, alongside Ian Allen, managing director, SuperValu and Centra

Julie Dorel, head of communications, Musgrave; Maurice Gilbert from Ballyhoura Apple Farm; and Brid O’Connell, CEO, Guaranteed Irish

100% TOBACCO FREE, TOBA NICOTINE POUCHES NIC INE

Strategic FinTech partnership announced by SelfPay and Payzone

SelfPay,the European market leader with more than 10,000 self-servicepayment stations across Europe,has entered intoastrategic partnership with Payzone,Ireland’sleading and trusted payment solutions provider

Through the newpartnership,SelfPay will work to provide retailers and end users with a superior timesaving, innovativeand easy-to-use payment solution; ‘the Paystation’.

Self-servicetechnologies likeSelfPay have manybenefits including increased store efficiency, reduced staff costsand increased accuracy.These systems also help to serve customers faster,handle large queues, reduce wait times and provide added security to the user and retailers.

Retailers can also add additional revenue streams to their businesswhilstoffering extra services and increasing their sales. Morethan 100 payment services areavailable on the

InverEnergy rolls out HVOatselected forecourts

InverEnergy,part of Greenergy Group,is extending its supply offer in Ireland with HydrotreatedVegetable Oil (HVO) at selected forecourts. Inverisnow able to supply competitively priced HVOnationwide and support customers in reducing their net carbon emissions by up to 90%.

Thefirstthree forecourts have begun sales, with HVOnow available at InverFermoyin Co.Cork, InverJohnstown in Co.Kilkennyand InverCastletroy in Co.Limerick with further sites to follow. HVOfuel purchases can be made with Inver’sfuel card, which operates acrossthe DCI network.

‘Weare committed to providing our customers with arange of lowcarbon fuels thatwill help them reducetheir carbon emissions and help support Ireland’s decarbonisation targets,”said John O’Leary, managing director,Inver

“Making HVOavailable at forecourts marks asignificant step in meeting the rising demands forareliable supply of lowcarbon fuels closer to our customers,”headded.

Paystation, including mobile top-ups, bill payments, pre-paid utility payments, eflow payments, gift cards, gaming products, and game purchases, which will be easily accessible to all. SelfPay expects to roll out aminimum of 500 Paystations in high footfall locations, in Ireland by the end of 2023.

“We’rethrilled thatSelfPay and Payzone are collaborating. Through this partnership SelfPay will offer alarge range of services thatwill help customers budget effectively and promote financial inclusion. Our commitment is to provide quick, convenient, and secureservicetoall customers, making apositiveimpact,”said SelfPay Ireland and UK CEO Fiona Dowd

“SelfPay’s Payment Stations enhance Payzone’sservices and improve the user experience,”added Barry Keegan, commercial director,Payzone Ireland Ltd

“The partnership combines terminal expertise

SelfPay expects to roll out aminimum of 500 Paystations in high footfall locations across Ireland by the end of 2023

and all transactions, saving time forretailers and end users. This is amilestone partnership and the firsttime aself-servicekiosk can be used to paybills,”Keegan said.

‘We are committed to providing our customers with arange of low carbon fuels,” says John

Musgrave will use one million litres of HVO in 2023 across its fleet and plans to use three million litres of HVO by 2025

Musgrave,one of Ireland’slargestbusinesstruck fleet operators, has announced the roll out of HydrotreatedVegetable Oil (HVO) fuel acrossits network of almost500 vehicles. By 2030,half of the Musgravefleet will operateonalternativefuel, with an overall ambition forthe entirefleet to be net zero by 2040 HVOisacompletely fossil-free biofuel made from waste, by-products and derived products not intended forhuman consumption from the food industry; it can be used to powerdiesel vehicles and provides up to a90% reduction in greenhouse emissions per litreoffuel used.

Musgravewill use one million litres of HVOin2023acrossits fleet and plans to use three million litres of HVOby2025. By 2030,50% of its entirefleet will operateon alternativefuel, making Musgraveone of the largestusers of HVOinIreland.

Musgravehas also recently invested over€17 million upgrading its fleet of truckstothe mostfuel-efficient and lowest emission (Euro6) standard, further reducing its footprint.

Musgrave’sfleet of vehicles travel over35million kilometres ayear and completeover 20,000 deliveries acrossthe island of Ireland each week. As Ireland’slargestretail, wholesale and foodservicebusiness, the businessoperates aCentral Distribution network thatenables it to consolidate deliveries in the mostfuel-efficient manner

Musgravehas also reduced its mileage by 15.7million kilometres per annum by reducing supplier deliveries through backhaul; this allows Musgravevehicles to collect goods from suppliers on their return from customer delivery journeys.Italso utilises double deck trailers to increase efficiency.

Reducing fleet emissions is central to Musgrave’soverall ambition of reaching net zero by 2040

“Sustainability is at the heart of our businessand all thatwedo; reducing the carbon footprint of our transport network is amajor part of this,”said Musgravechief supply chain officer,LukeHanlon.

Musgraveannounces HVOfuel rollout to one of Ireland’slargesttruck fleets

O’Leary, managing director, Inver Energy

Howtocomply with the Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic Regulations

An Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme forTobacco Filters Containing Plastic has been operating in Ireland since5 January 2023. Thescheme is designed to coverthe costsfor the clean-up and safe management of tobacco filters containing plastic (i.e. cigarettefilters and ‘roll-yourown’ tobacco filters)when theyare discarded as litter or in the public waste system. Thescheme is underpinned by the European Union (Extended Producer Responsibility) (Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic)Regulations 2022 (SI 609 of 2022).

Theregulations placealegal obligation on those who supply Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic to the Irish market. Theregulations use the term ‘producer’. A‘producer’is essentially anyperson or companywho places Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic on the market in Ireland forthe firsttime (this

includes online sales). Overall, aproducer is anyone who imports Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic intoIreland foronwardsale

Thescheme is operated by asingle compliancescheme –the Tobacco Producer Plastic Filter Group (TPPFG)

If youare aTobacco Filters Containing Plastic producer,then youmust:

•Join the compliancescheme TPPFG: See www.tppfg.ie formoreinformation.

•Report the amount of Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic thatyou placeonthe Irish market to TPPFGeach year

•Pay the membership and producer fees to TPPFG.

•Not placeTobacco Filters Containing Plastic on the market unlessyou areamember of TPPFG.

TheEnvironmental Protection Agency(EPA) is

responsible forenforcing the legal obligations thatapply to producers under the Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic Regulations and will pursue those who are not meeting their obligations. Enforcement notices will be issued to non-compliant producers. Non-compliancemay lead to legal action up to and including prosecution. Moreinformation on EPA enforcement can be found at: EPA/single use plastics

This is only abrief description of the Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic EPR scheme.The full details of the scheme and the full range of obligations of producers areset out in the Tobacco Filters Containing Plastic Regulations (SI 609 of 2022). Further useful information is available on the EPAwebsiteand on the TPPFGwebsite(www.tppfg.ie).

Event of the season: Smooch IceCream partners with Hot Press Magazine to launch newBubblegum Blissflavour

Leading Irish icecream brand Smooch Ice Cream has kick-started the summer ice cream season with abang –partnering with Hot PressMagazine to launch its new summer flavour; Bubblegum Bliss. With a free,unlimited icecream bar,crowds flocked from all overthe country to try the newflavour and listentosome of Ireland’s mosttrending Irish music acts; the iconic Tullamoretrio Chasing Abbeyand Wexford pop artistSaige

Bubblegum Blissisavailable nowin selected Smooch stores acrossthe country with this event already sparking a noticeable increase in storefootfall. The success of the launch is suretoguarantee another busysummer season forthe Smooch brand, especially after its recent win at the national SFAawardsfor Best Food and Drink Brand. ■

Iconic Tullamore trio Chasing Abbey and Wexford pop artist Saige both performed at the ice cream event of the season

Spar Clonskeagh has undergone a makeover, but the local ethos remains the same. Manager Anthony Walsh spoke to Fionnuala Carolan about the secret to their longevity and continued success

At the heart of the community

The first thingyou notice when entering Spar Clonskeagh is thebright, airy feel of the space. Thenyou become awareofthe nice buzz of people chatting to each otherand youoverhear thestaffgreetingcustomers by name.Itfeels moreakin to astore in asmall village andnot in one of Dublin’s busiestsuburbs closetothe gatesofthe country’s largestuniversity, UCD. Within momentsofmeeting managerAnthonyWalsh,it’splain to seewhere this friendlyvibeemanatesfrom. Walshhas an easy-going demeanour andalthoughhedoesnot ownthe store, [it is ownedbyRay McInerney],heseems to treatthe business with as much care as if it were hisown

It hasalwaysbeenabusycommunity focused store butthe latest revamp whichstarted in June 2021 has givenbothstaffand management amassiveliftand Walshsays they arereallyproud of theresults.

“Pre-pandemic,the storewas gettingtired andBWG wasencouragingus[to do arevamp] as well so we sat down andwekindofsaidtoourselves we’regoing to spendthe moneybut we wanted to getgood valuefor thatmoney,” he says.Aninvestment of €400,000 and threemonthsofupheaval followed

“Wewantedtotransform thestore to make it a destinationwithqualityfresh food andamodernfeel. From thefirstday we metPeter WilliamsatBWG,he

bought into theideawithusand he couldsee the vision.Heunderstood thelocationand howitcould be transformed. We alreadyhad agood deli whichwas a real driver in thestore andwewantedtomaintainthe core business thatwehad butjustincreaseand modernise thestore,” explainsWalsh.“The shop has been meetingits targetsand,insomeareas,exceeding itstargets since.”

Engagement

Acustomerengagementexercisetheycarried out before therevampreapedrewards by givingthem valuable insights.“Weasked customers what theirlikes anddislikesabout thestore were andthatcan be alittle bitharsh to hear butyou have to take thegood with the bad,”headmits. “Anawful lotofthe feedback was positive,but they weren’tbackwardabout saying look,I can’tevensit in here andIdon’t like thatyou’renot stocking x, yorz.” Thisresultedinthemincluding a newseating area for20peopleand also increasing their gluten and free from ranges among otherchanges

An importantelementofthe business forWalsh is theperceptionofvalue so thevalue ends areveryvisible throughoutthe storebut also afresh fruitstand is front andcentreatthe entrance in order to highlight the Spar BetterChoices rangeand ethos.

No stone unturned

While therevampachievedaslick cosmetic make-over, they also didafullrewiring, replumbing,replacedthe floors andraisedthe ceilingsonostone wasleft unturned.“Wetookout thewholefacadeofthe front of thebuilding, so it wasahugebuild andthe big challenge wastominimisethe impact it hadonthe business andonthe customers,” says Walsh.“BWG and thedevelopment team were really good at just keeping us up to date with everything andmakingsurethatat alltimes we felt comfortable, even tailoring delivery timestomakesurethatthe storewould function right.

Gary Healy, our ROA(retail operations advisor) was fantasticand thatmadethe processsomucheasier.”

He also mentions BWG’smarketing team andthe greatsupport they provide on an ongoing basis.“Helen Lalor[Spar marketingmanager]isunbelievable. It’s like shereallyboughtintothe wholeconceptofwhat we were trying to do from dayone andwhenshe saw theplancome to fruition,she includedusinall the different promotionalactivity.”Therehas been alot of marketing activity over thepastfew months to celebrate Spar’s 60thanniversaryinIreland.Ontop of that,SparClonskeagh is celebrating40years so there’s plenty to shoutabout

Spar Clonskeagh has amodern, spacious feel

Anthony Walsh, manager, Spar Clonskeagh with owner Ray McInerney

All Insomnia Coffeee has been 100% Fairtrade certified since 2006

Keeping it local

It’s importanttoWalsh andMcInerneythatthe shop hasthe localfeeland they like to know customers by name if possible andalways aimtoknowalittle bit aboutthemand whetherfor instance“a person usually buys theIndependentorthe Times”.Walsh recently realized that one of hiscustomers wasMiriam O’Callaghan’s mother.WhenIenquiredastohow he worked thatout,hesaid Miriam came in to do her mother’s shoppingone dayand he knew from theorder whoitwas for!

Walshhas honedhis sharpcustomerservice skills over afew decadeswithhis career beginning back in 1995 when he startedworking with theSuperValu Caulfield GroupinTipperary town.Hequickly learned theold adagethat‘retail is detail’and thatyou had to look afterthe smallthingstobesuccessfuland says he haslearned so much from McInerneyoverthe years. “I have to sayRay’s like afatherfigure to me with all theguidanceand understanding.Youneed somebody thathas walked theroadbeforeyou anditjustmakes my jobreallyeasy,”heclaims.

He is also quicktoheappraiseonthe staff,ofwhich thereare 27 with 10 full-timemembers.“We have a very low turnoverhere,”saysWalsh.“Some of thepart-

timers have been workingwithmesince theirfirstyear in UCDand nowthey’re goingintotheir final year.It’s agood workingenvironment andwekindofbounce off each other.”Hesaid they worked outthattheyhave 120 years’ experience among allthe staff.“Youcan replacepeoplebut youcan’t replacethatexperience,” he quips.

Businessacumen

Walshstudied business foracoupleofyears in WaterfordITbeforehis retail careerbegan butinthe early2000s, he went back to college andgaineda business degree from theDBS while workingduringthe day. He explainswhy he decidedtodothat.“I hadall the attributesfor theday-to-dayrunning of theshop, butI wanted to understandmoreabout thebreakdown of the economic andfinancialsideofthe business.”

It hasservedhim andthe business well as balancing thebooks has become harder foreveryone in recent timeswiththe huge hikesinenergypricesand Spar Clonskeagh hasbeenaffected like everyone else but they have triedtocombat it by cuttingenergyuse wheretheycan.“We couldsee it from saythe autumn of 2022 andeveryone gotafright, butIsuppose we’ve got over theinitial shock. It’s made everybodyrethink allour energy usage. When we didthe storeup, we

replaced everything with LED lighting,and we’ve tailoredour timesofbaking, so we usethe ovensearly in themorning andthenweswitchthemoff,”hereveals They have also invested in newrefrigeration whichhas helpedtowards energy conservation.

Arealdriversince therevamphas been the installationofthe SmoochIce Creamstation inside the door.Walsh says that thesupplier Dairyglen hasbeen very proactivebyhelping with training andpromotions. “They’ve been very good to us,and we’vebeeninvolved in variouspromotionswiththem. Theyare really strong on Instagramand social media,”hesays

One thingthatisobviousinits absence is thelackof an off-licence or even awinecategorybut thereisa good reason forthat.“There’s an award-winning offlicencenext door,”heexplains.“Ray made agentlemen’s agreementwiththe Higginswho ownthe off-licence yearsand yearsago thathesells thefood andtheysell thedrink.Hehas neverbrokenthat. Forus, we concentrateonwhatwedowell. They’vemade themselves adestination fordrink no morethan what we’retryingtodowithour business,”hesays.And that right theredemonstratesthe typeofbusinessthatis beingrun here andwhy it hasremainedsosuccessful forsolong andisfirmly entrenched in theClonskeagh community ■

Whatever shoppers are in the mood for as asnack -whether that’s fruit or adelicious donut -the store has eveyone’s preferences covered!

Amouthwatering selection of treats is served in adisplay with afun, tongue-in-cheek message: “Roll over here and spend your dough!”

Friendly customer service is guaranteed at Spar Clonskeagh where the staff know many of their customers by name

Spar Clonskeagh’s deli has always been ahuge driver of sales

CSNA NEWS

THE CSNA: REPRESENTING OVER 1,500 RETAILERS NATIONWIDE

CSNA AGMprovesahuge success

The association was overwhelmed with the attendance at the CSNA AGM and would like to thank all those members that attended and contributed to what we can only describe as an informative and enjoyable meeting.

We have images from the AGM now available on the CSNA website and we hope that any members that couldn’t make this year’s AGM, will be able to join us next May for the 2024 CSNA AGM.

At the AGM we had aspot prize from the National Lottery for one attendee at the meeting.

Congratulations to Ray Ryan of Centra Portlaoise, who won the AGM prize of anight’s stay in Killashee Hotel, Naas and two tickets to the National Lottery Good

Alwaysprocess the cardtransaction firstbefore loading credit

With amajority of our customers now paying by credit card or with their devices, we would like to remind members that if you take payment for any utility that must be loaded on acard or similar, it would be agood idea to process the card transaction first before loading the card with the credit.

This way you won’t be out of pocket if the credit card declines.

Causes awards in October. We would like to thank the National Lottery for their generous prize and support. We were also delighted that Damien English TD was available

to attend our Annual Dinner on the night.

Please check out the next issue of ShelfLife for lots of photos from this fantastic event.

With

Departmenttointroducenew bill regarding licencing fortobacco and vaping products

The Department of Health has been given permission to introduce abill to provide for licensing and stricter access for tobacco and vaping products.

This could have (and most retailers and the general public would argue, should have), been done years ago, before the undeniable rise in young children fell under the marketing spell of influencers.

There is aworld of adifference between the provision of adevice that is designed to assist those adult smokers who wish to reduce/ quit smoking when compared with selling colourful and enticing products that contain an addictive substance, nicotine.

The bill will not restrict the range currently available but will most certainly, and quite rightly, make it acriminal offence to sell any nicotine-containing device to a person under the age of 18.

We know that most CSNA members have already, and for many years, had in-house rules regarding challenging for proof of age for vape products, and these rules will presently have alegal basis.

Given that all sellers of these devices will need to be licensed, this raises the prospect of ablack market developing, aprospect we must do everything in our power to prevent.

We can reflect on how easily the tobacco market for non-Irish duty paid products has morphed into 30% of all cigarettes consumed in Ireland (32 million packs) not being sold in our registered outlets.

When the association first

pointed out 20 years ago, the worrying trend of ablack market, it was literally restricted to acouple of areas in Dublin, including Moore Street. We were accused of being a front for Big Tobacco and ignored, with then Minister, now Tánaiste Michael Martin refusing to accept the danger inherent in allowing paramilitaries and criminal gangs free rein with this lethal product. We cannot allow history to repeat itself.

astrong attendance, the CSNA AGM was an enjoyable and informative event

The new bill will most certainly make it acriminal offence to sell any nicotine-containing device to aperson under the age of 18

CSNA TIP OF THE MONTH

CSNA NEWS

CSNA NEWS

GUS O’HARA National President, CSNA

Many retailers have migrated from lodging cash in their bank branch for avariety of reasons; time, insurance requirements, efficiency, and cost effectiveness to name but afew.

Avery important service is provided by cash-in-transit companies who collect and deliver to thousands of businesses throughout the country each working day, arranging for the electronic lodgement of our cash once it has been counted. Brinks is one such company; an internationally reputable company which we believe has agrowing problem in Ireland, namely, that they cannot get sufficient staff to fulfil their contractual obligations to effect credit for many of their retail customers.

Ordinarily, monies collected (Day 1) will have been credited into the retailer’s account on Day 3, but in recent times, this has slipped out to beyond 12 days. How is aretail customer with suppliers limiting credit to three or four days in some instances (petrol and diesel being one such example) supposed to

manage cash flow when there isn’t any cash going into the account?

Even with plastic card sales equating to as much as 60% of turnover, the cash element is still fully necessary to meet outgoings.

The association has written to the two most senior civil servants in the Department of Finance as well as to their immediate political overseer, Minister Jennifer Carroll-MacNeill, seeking urgent discussions on this matter as well as the perception from many retailers that we seem to be fish in abarrel when it comes

Counterfeit notes remain an issue of concern

At arecent meeting at the Central Bank, the association was informed that counterfeit notes and coins are still a problem. An update on counterfeit banknote detection in Ireland was given at the meeting. The Central Bank of Ireland trends on counterfeit detection are broadly in line with last year. The most commonly detected items are:

to financial services companies applying ahost of new and spurious charges to commercial customers. One example of this was arecent letter from AIB Merchant Services advising its customers of their intention to apply €114 (€9.50 per month) additional fees to continue to supply existing levels of service to customers who are already paying significant Interbank and other commissions to the same company.

We will keep you informed.

• €50 Inkjet counterfeit with physical thread and Chinese foil, which originates in Ireland.

• Movie Money/Prop Copy classes (mainly detected in both the €10 and €20 denominations).

It was confirmed that none of these classes appear to pose any difficulty for banknote handling machines, and members were reminded of the importance of authentication using an ECB approved banknote handling machine.

We would urge members to remind their staff to follow the store’s procedures for detecting counterfeit notes. ■

Anumber of enhancements have been made to the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (TBESS).

The enhancements are as follows:

• the extension of the scheme to 31 July 2023

• an increase in the monthly limit on payments for claim periods from 1March 2023 onwards:

• the €10,000 monthly limit on payments under the scheme has been increased to €15,000 per qualifying business

• the €30,000 monthly limit has been increased to €45,000 per qualifying business in cases where the qualifying business operates across multiple locations.

• areduction of the energy costs threshold from 50% to 30%, with effect from 1September 2022

• an increase in the Temporary Business Energy Payment (TBEP) amount from 40% to 50% of a business’ eligible costs from 1 March 2023 and

• an extension of the time limit for all claims to 30 September 2023. The TBESS guidelines have been updated to reflect these changes.

Aqualifying business can make claims for the September 2022 to July 2023 claim periods.

Revenue is automatically reassessing claims using the new 30% energy costs threshold. A business does not need to amend claims previously submitted to take account of the revised threshold. A business will receive anotification in their Revenue Online Service (ROS) inbox if any additional payment is due.

Please remind all staff to follow your store’s procedures for detecting counterfeit notes

Cash-in-transit delays have impacted some retailers’ cash flow management

Brinks’ cash-in-transit causing headaches to retail members: “staff shortages” aretoblame!

Governmentannounces enhancements to the TBESS

IF YOU WISH TO JOIN THE CSNA, PLEASE CONTACT THE ASSOCIATION ON 045 535050

OVER 1,500 RETAILERS

With afamily-run store dating back to 1900, Centra Arva in Co. Cavan certainly has arich local history. Today, the communityfocused store is flourishing following its latest renovation, owner Richard Keith tells

Julia O’Reilly

An exciting new chapter

Keith’s Centra in Arva,Co. Cavanhas along history,going all the waybackto1900. The storehas been in theKeith familyfor generations,and today, itsproud ownerRichard Keith is celebratingthe store’s latest chapter; its impressive newrenovation.

“It’sbeenalong journeybut we’resohappy thatit’s finishednow,” Richardtells ShelfLife.“The shop looks fantastic, andit’sbanguptothe newest spec.”

What wasRichard most excitedtochange?“The wholeshop,”hesayswithalaugh.“Itwas 1989 when it wasdoneuplast. It wasalwaysneatand tidy butparts of it were worn down.It’sbeencompletely reconstructed nowand allthe newelements have broughtustoanother level.”

Centra Arva maybebeloved forits history, butthe oldbuildingcreated severalissuesfor theteam:“The best thingwecould have done wasknock thebuilding to thegroundand startagain.But we couldn’t do that. So,weultimatelyknocked everywallinthe oldshopbarthe frontwall–down. It’s allpropped up with steel andthe wholeshopwas built aroundthatfaçade.”

Despitethe invasiverenovation, theteamluckily neverhad to closeshop:“Wewereabletokeepour

doors open becausethe buildingteamworkedinthree different sections. It didn’t affectthe shop at all.”

Musgravesupport

“Wegot fiercehelpfromMusgrave,” says Richard. “Between theregional manager, theregional supportteam, the marketing, andstore design teams-theywerejustbrilliant.Thefinance departmenthelpedusout massivelywith the banks andmadeitall as painlessaspossible. It’s been nerve-wrackingbut Musgrave gave us great reassurancethroughout.”

Thanks to therenovation,the store, whichisjust over 2,800 sq ft hasincreased itsfloorspace by 30%.

The store’snew groceryambientlayoutwhich has been macrospacedtomaximise sales is nowdelivering +30% sales growth year-on-year. Richardexplains that theshopusedtobepackedwithshelving, and some of theaisleswerejustone metrewide or less: “You nearly couldn’t bring acombiupthe aisle without hittingsomething, it wasthattight.”

“Now when staff arepacking theshelves,theycan have thecombionthe floor andit’sout of everyone’s way. It’s much easier to manageand it’s made aworld

of differencetoour staff.”

Plus,the newlyexposed ceilingmakes the environmentfeelevenmorespacious:“Beforethe renovation Icould touch theceiling, it wasn’t even eight foot tall.Theshopcould feel claustrophobic. Butnow, we’vedoubled theheightofthe shop.”

The addition of electric slidingdoors hasmadethe storemoreaccessibletoo:“It’s much betterfor people with wheelchairsorbuggies,aswellasour elderly customers.Weusedtohaveastepoutside thatcould be hard forpeopletomanage, butnow we have aramp whichmakes our shop accessible to everyone.It’s importanttousthateveryone whocomesintoour shop feelscomfortable and hasapositiveshopping experience.”

Sales boost

“Our newfruit &veg sectionisnow delivering +48% sales growthyear-on-yearand ourbakerysectionhas achieved+50% sales growth,”says Richard.

Coffeesales arealsoonthe up:“We startedselling Frank&Honest coffeeinour storeacoupleofyears back,but sincethe renovation,it’scompletelytaken off andsales areup64%.”

Since the store’s renovation, Frank &Honest coffee sales have grown by an impressive 64%

Local business, Cully’s Craft Bakery, was established in 1953 and has been providing the Keith family’s shop with fresh bread ever since

With alongstanding family presence in the town of Arva, retailer Richard Keith greatly values his local community

Meanwhile,Moo’d ice-creamhas seen asimilar uptick: “Wehavepeoplecomingintothe shop specificallyfor the whippedice-cream.It’sabig bonus, especially in the summertime.TheMoo’d category hasexperienced growth of 40%.”

The deli hasalsobeenperforming well.“Sincethe revamp,hot food sales have been betterthan ever We’reup50% at thedeli. Staples like breakfastand chickenfilletrolls areflyingout thedoor.”The deli also hasawideselection of healthyoptions such as fresh sandwiches andsaladswhich arealsoprovingpopular.

“Wewould have always said thatthe deli wasdoing well,which it was, butit’sjustexceeded our expectationsfor howitcould perform,” says Richard.

Itsnew seatingareahas contributedtothatsales boost.“It’s anotherstringtoour bow. We’regiving people theoptiontosit down andenjoy theirmeal, whichmakes thehot food more attractive to customers What we’reseeingnow is on Friday,pension day, we get afairfew of our oldercustomers in to sitdownand enjoyacoffee andascone andhaveabit of achat. It bringsmorecommunity to thestore.”

The secret to running agreat deli?“We’rebig into cookingsmall amountsoffood often,”saysRichard.“It makesall thedifferencewhenthe food hasbeenfreshly baked. Ourstafftakes pride in theirwork, andthat’s reflected in theperformance of thedeli.”

Centra Arva’s wider productrange is attracting more customerstothe shop.“We’reaone-stop shop now,”says Richard.“Inthe past we wouldhaveknown everysecond

person coming throughthe door,but nowwesee plenty of newfaces,and thosepeopleare becoming regulars now.

Cost increases

Still, like everyone,Richardhas been dealingwith rapidprice increases as of late:“It’s on everyone’s lips at theminute. We’reseeingprice increases nearly on adaily basis.”

Despitethe challengesRichardsayshe’sgratefulto have Musgrave fightinghis corner:“Musgravehas serious buying power, andtheyare outfighting theincreases as best as they can. Thatpeace of mind allows us to concentrateondeliveringthe best servicetocustomers.”

Family-run

Richardhas much to shareabout how theshop passed from hisgreat-great-grandfather’s hands to his.

“Itall startedwithmygreat-great-grandfather openingashopinArva. Hisson bought thebuilding next door andstarted ahardwareand groceryshopin 1900. When he passedin1930, hiswifetookher 16-year-oldson -mygranddad-out of school to help herrun thehardwareand groceryshop. He would’ve been,astheycalledhim around thetown, theboss man. He ranthe business on hisown untilhis son, my father,joinedhim in 1971.

“The most importantpersonofthe wholelot wasmy mother,Rosemary. Shereallyshowedmethe ropes. She startedout in 1979 andfor yearsweworkedsideby side untilshe wrapped up in early2020. Shewas the

head honcho.Noneofthe revampswould have gone aheadwithout her.”

Growingup, Richardsays he“lived over theshopand practicallyinthe shop.Weevenplayedthere.Wewere always helpingout,but we were probably causingmoreof anuisancethan anything I’dsay,”he adds with alaugh.

Community focus

Atruecommunity store, Richardand histeamsponsor severallocal charitiesand clubs.“Arva’sinaveryunique spot,” says Richard.“It’swhere threeprovinces -Leinster, Connaught, andMunster -meetsothere’s aboutfive football clubs in thelocal area.Wetry to support them with thelikes of sponsorship, billboardadvertising,and jerseys.”

Richardmansateamof21–14full-timers andseven part-timerswho he says play ahugepartinthe success of thestore

“Apart from beinggood at what they do,they’re loyalas youcan get,”says Richard.“One of our team, Anne-Marie iswithusover30years,andKatieismorethan20yearswith us.Withstaffingissuesrunningrampantrightnow, IknowI’mluckytohavesuchabrilliantteamworkingwithme.

“We’re on afirstnamebasis with our customers.I know it can seem nothingtosay hello to someone,but when we know theirnameand they go into other shops and barely getagrunt off somebody, it makesamassivedifference.”

Customer connection

Richardlearnedalot from hisgrandfather aboutbuilding good customer relationships:“Werecentlyhad achapin hislate30s in theshop. He toldmethatwhenhewas a kid, he used to come in everyFridaywithhis mam becausemygrandfather wouldgivehim sweets.

“You always remember good andbad experiences. We’vealwaystried to give thecustomerasgood an experience as possible withoutbeing over thetop,because customers seethrough thataswell.”

Lookingtowards thefuture, Richard’soutlook is positive:“Thingsare goingwell. Hopefullywe’ll continue to grow stronger andstronger in theyears to come. Thisshophas gone allthe wayfrommygreat-greatgrandfathertome, andhopefully it’llcontinuepast me as well.” ■

Centra Arva’s ice cream offering has increased by 40%, with the Moo’d concept driving sales

Centra Arva gained the exciting addition of afull off-licence during its renovation

An in-store display proudly highlights Centra Arva’s longstanding local roots

Reaching the Summit!

Following highly positivefeedback from attendees at the inaugural Wealth Summit event, Walfrid Private is planning to hostanexpanded version featuring an exciting array of renowned national and international speakers in November

The inaugural Wealth Summit organised by the Walfrid Private team was held at The Westin Hotel's Banking Hall on 11 May 2023, where it received high praise and commendation from the attendees.

The majority of attendees were impressed, by the exceptional serviceprovided by the team from Walfrid Private, the charming ambiance of the Banking Hall, and the delicious food served at the Morelands Restaurant and The Mint Bar

In addition to the luxurious settings and excellent culinary provisions, The Wealth Summit team provided aseamless and steady flow of people throughout the venue, allowing attendees to maximize their time and network efficiently.The Organising Committee deserves recognition for their impressive work in organising the event within eight weeks, an achievement recognised not only by the many speakers but also our CEO Richard Collins.

Insights and analysis

Amongst the attendees were numerous business owners from the retail sectorwho came away from the event with invaluable insights and analysis from the guest speakers who discussedkey topical business issues including Mergers &Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Taxation and Wealth Management.

During the event, the attendees were treated to avariety of entertainment from The Trinitones who opened the event, to David Owens,who provided music at lunch and the after party,adding to the atmosphere and sense of community within those who stayed on to network further in “The Reserve”.

Guest speakers provided valuable insights

Attendees at the inaugural Wealth Summit event gained invaluable insights and analysis from guest speakers across topics including Mergers &Acquisitions, Corporate Finance, Taxation and Wealth Management

and expertisetothe attendees, including Suzanne Jackson, Jim Power and Niall Quinn, who shared their knowledge on different topics, enriching the clients and benefitingthe entire event, adding value and recognitionto The Wealth Summit Tribe offering.

The team at the Wealth Summit would also like to thank main sponsors Walfrid Private, for their hard work and dedication throughout the Wealth Summit. The attendees spoke highly of them all. As proof of their success,the staff achieved many positive commentsfrom attendees post-event, further validating the team’sexcellent efforts.

As for recommendations for future events, the organizers suggestinviting more female presenters to reduce gender imbalance and to provide networkingopportunities between speakers and attendees, which could enable them to interact and share insights more effectively.The organizers suggestproviding tea/coffee breaks that coincide with midmorning and afternoon intervals. Finally,the organizers emphasize that significant sponsors should be invited to the Winter edition of the Wealth Summit in November 2023, to bring more value to the event, and raise its organizing team’sstature.

In conclusion, the Wealth Summit was a remarkable success through the tireless efforts of the Walfrid Private team, the high-quality of the speakers,and the luxurious and comfortable ambiance of The Westin Hotel’s Banking Hall. This event will inspire others to participate in future events that promise to be even more extraordinary

Feedback

The feedback we received from the attendees highlighted the exceptional value of both the insights shared by our esteemed speakers and the networkingopportunities available at the previous Wealth Summit. By participating in the event, they not only gained access to invaluable knowledgebut also tapped into a community where connections grew,and new possibilities arose. Moreover,the attendees expressed tremendous interest in joining us again at the upcoming Wealth Summit Winter Edition this November in the RDS, further

solidifying their enthusiasm for the exceptional experience and opportunities it provides.

Register forNovember

The next iteration of the Wealth Summit is scheduled for 15 November in the prestigious RDS in Dublin. This expanded version of the Wealth Summit promises to be even bigger and better with an array of national and international speakers lined up including Steven Bartlett, of Diary of aCEO and Dragons Den fame, Mike Greene who is a respected BusinessCoach and appeared on Channel 4’s“Secret Millionaire”. There will also be apresentation from ex RAF Tornado Pilot, Mandy Hickson, who will showcase the

importance of mindset and resilience when it comes to business ownership. There will be a host of other renowned and accomplished speakers on the day covering topics that are prevalent for business owners, entrepreneurs and those aspiring to be on the day.With such a diverse range of speakers,attendees can expect a wealthofknowledge and inspirationatthe event

Anybody interested in attending the event can express theirinterest by calling 01 458 4770, by emailing events@thewealthsummit.ie or by scanning the QR Code below.The team at The Wealth Summit will then contact you to discuss your interest.

By expressing your interest in attending, it does not guarantee entry to The Wealth Summit. ■

Keegan’s Nearby Carrickmacross in Co. Monaghan has been family-run since 1896. Here, owner Philip Keegan talks to Julia O’Reilly about price increases, the CSNA and how he found the perfect fit with Nearby

Family first

Afamily business to itscore, Keegan’s Nearby Carrickmacrosshas been in thecapable handsofthe Keegan clan forfour generations now.

BasedonCarrickmacrossMainStreetinCo. Monaghan, thestore first opened itsdoors back in 1896 andhas been passeddownthe linetothe store’s proudowner Philip Keegan from hisgreatgrandmother.

The shop retainsthatfamilial touchasKeegan, who spenthis summers growingupworking behind the counterofthe shop,tells ShelfLife:“It’s great, my kids do thesametoday.They’vebeenabletoput themselves throughcollege by workinginour shop.”

Family affair

Indeed,Keegan’ssisterSiobhan has been workingin theshopfor thepast15years,and hisbrother-in-law andpartner Michelle arealsointegraltoits operation.

“It’sfunny howthingsworkout,” says Keegan “Michelle wasactually hiredbymygrandfather when shewas 14. We allreallyunderstandthe community here.Weknowour customers well,and Ithink that’s been ahugeassettoour business through theyears.”

InitiallyKeeganwasn’tsurethatthe family business wasfor him:“I hadnoplans to getintothe business when Iwas younger. Iwantedtotravel. Aftergetting my business degree,I spenttwo yearsinthe US and

then worked as an auctioneer before eventually landing back at theshop.

“How it happened wasmyfatherannounced that he wasgoing to getout of thebusiness, andIthoughtI’d give it ago. Ileasedthe shop off himfor twoyears with an optiontobuy,and then Iboughtitoffhim.Itwas a roundabout wayofgetting back into thebusiness, but it was1994 when Itookoverand I’mstill here today andlovingit.”

Perfect fit

The storehad been with varioussymbolgroupsbefore it foundthe perfectfitwithNearby.“We’ve been with S&W Wholesalefor eightyears.Thesymbolgroup we were with previously wasn’t rightfor us so Iwas looking forachange. That’swhenIsaw apiece in ShelfLife that said S&W waslooking fornew Nearby stores.I rang them up andwehad averypositiveconversation. We’ve hadastrong workingrelationshipfor yearsnow.”

Keegan’s storehas sincechanged from theToday’s brandtothe newNearbybranding.“I’m very happy that Imade thechange. Ourvaluesreallyalign. They’re family orientated, they’restraighttalkers,and they’re easy to deal with.I’veevengot some othermembers of theCSNAtojointoo.

“S&W aregood to do business with.There’sno hidden costsand fees.Everythingisupfront.Inthis game youhavetobewaryofpeopletryingtotake

advantageofyou,sowhenyou findatrading partner that youtrust,itmakes it much easier to do business.”

Competitiveedge

Keegan runs atraditional newsagent. So,while it doesn’thaveadelioroff-licence, it hasdifferent offerings that give it arealedge

Itsofficeservicesare uniqueinthe town, he says: “We’re theonlystore in theareatoofferposter printing, personalised cards, andcopying,which makesusstand outfromthe crowd.”

Meanwhile,its vape offeringhas hugely takenoff. “Wegot into vaping earlyon, andwe’ve just watched it grow into ahugebusiness. Irecentlycut our magazine selectioninhalftofurther expandour vape selection. That’sbeenhugelyadvantageousfor us.Vapes are basicallysellingatthe same levelascigarettesnow,but themarginfor vaping is significantlybetterthan for tobacco products

Based on Carrickmacross Main Street in Co. Monaghan, this fourth-generation family store first opened its doors back in 1896

The Nearby Cuppa coffee offering serves a blend of Central American, Indonesian and African origins

Retailer Philip Keegan and his team are at the heart of their local community

Vape products

“There’s been alot of negative publicityaroundvaping recently,and rightlysowithregards to youngsters havingaccess,”notes Keegan.“We keep our standards high, andwe’ve always maintained an over 18s policy when it comestosellingthese products.But there’sno doubtthatkidsare accessingthem, andIdon’t believe it’s from traditionalnewsagents.”

Community store

Locatedright on Main St Carrickmacross, Keegan’s does itsbesttoinvolveitself with thelocal community

“There arealwayslocal groups thatneed assistance from thebusinesscommunity,sowelovetoparticipate as much as possible.We’re involved with theChamber of Commerce,our localTidyTowns, andour town festival thattakes placeinJune. We also sponsorour localschool’strade showsand magazines, as well as our localGAA andtennisclubs.”

Staffing

Keegan mans ateamofthree full-timersand nine parttimers andthankfullyhasn’tfeltthe stingofstaff

shortageslikemanyretailers.“We’vebeenlucky in that regard,” says Keegan.“The threeofusinthe family run theshopduringthe day, andour part-timers tend to stay with us forfour or fiveyears while they’rein college.That continuity is good forthe shop andgood forcustomers.”

The storehas also made huge savingsonits labour costssince changing itsoperating hours. It used to open from 8amto11pm, butswitchedto8am to 9pmduring Covid anditstuck.“Turnoverhasn’tbeenaffected by it,” says Keegan,“andcustomers have adjusted theirshopping patterns. It’s also givenusbettercontrol over wagesand betterqualityoflifebecause of it.A real win-win.”

Priceincreases

Hasthe shop been affectedbythe cost-of-livingcrisis?

“Wehaven’t been impacted in terms of sales,” says Keegan,“butofcourse we’venoticed howsignificantly thecostofproductshavegoneup. In one year alone, a bottle of Ballygowan forexample,has jumped from €1 to €1.35. Thingshavecome back under controlnow in many ways,but we’vedefinitely noticedahugeincrease in thecostofgoods

“We’re maintainingthe same margins, butobviously we have to pass theincreased pricesalong to customers. The increasescan be very significant, butpeopleare still consuminginthe same waybecause everyshopisdoing thesamething as us.S&W have been superb at guidingusthrough theprice increasesand offering competitivepricing on everyday essentials that we can

then be confidentweare passinggreat valueontoour customers.”

Making agood storegreat

ForKeegan,runningasuccessfulstore comesdownto twomainfactors.“Firstly,you need to enjoyworking withthe public.It’safront facing joband youneed to like interactingwithpeople.

“Secondly,you need to be constantly awareof changeshappening aroundyou and engaging with them.You have to be awareofthe marketplaceand your customerbase. Ourcustomerbaseisconstantly evolving, especially in today’sworld.You need to be awareofthe marketplace, what people want,and what people need.Ifyou tick both thoseboxes andyou have agood team workingwithyou,thenyou’redoing well.”

CSNA involvement

Lastly,Keegan, whoisactivelyinvolved with the Convenience Stores &Newsagents Association (CSNA), has plenty to sayabout theprosofbeing a member of thegroup

“I’m ahugeadvocatefor theCSNA,”saysKeegan. “The benefitsitbringsare huge,and they’renot just financial benefits-ofwhich thereare many -but the camaraderieitself is incredible.I have so many great peersthatI’vemet throughthe CSNA that Ican pick up thephone to whenever Ineed to talk through something, andthat’sbeenhugelybeneficial. I’d recommendjoining to anyone.” ■

As atraditional newsagents, Keegan’s Nearby Carrickmacross doesn’t have adeli or offlicence but it has different offerings that give it areal edge, such as its unique office services

The store passed down the family line to its proud owner Philip Keegan from his greatgrandmother

Retailer Philip Keegan says he would recommend joining the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA) to anyone, noting, “I have so many great peers that I’ve met through the CSNA”

Retailer Philip Keegan and members of the Nearby Carrickmacross team

Retailer Philip Keegan says of the store’s range of vaping products: “We keep our standards high, and we’ve always maintained an over 18s policy”

Helping hands, build great stores

ShelfLifeGrocery Management Awards 2023 honour the grocery retail industry’s finest managers

Ireland’s groceryretail industry gathered at Dublin’s RoyalMarineHotel on Thursday, 18 May, forthe 2023 ShelfLife GroceryManagementAwards, recognisingindividual management excellence in the sector

With 350 guests in attendance, 21 awards were presented, honouring the bestinthe many departmentsthatmakeuplocal conveniencestores andsupermarkets, culminatinginthe grandprize of ShelfLife NationalGrocery Retail Managerofthe Year.

LedbyMCShayByrne of RTERadio One’s Rising Time,the prestigious, independentlyjudged awards ceremony is supportedbyplatinumsponsor Bank of Irelandand carried outinassociationwith ExcelRecruitment

BarryLittleofSuperValuRathgar,Dublin 6, was namedNational GroceryRetailManager of theYear 2023. He waspresentedthe awardbyOwenClifford, head of Retail Sector at Bank of Ireland, the ShelfLife GroceryManagementAwards’ platinum sponsor.

The judges praisedBarry Little forhis positivity andexcellentcommunicationstyle,whichmotivates

histeamtocontinuallydelivertheir best, through valuingthe contributions of everyindividual.

Fittingly, thetheme of this year’s ceremonywas ‘Helping Hands, BuildGreat Stores’, chosen to reflect theimportanceofsuperbteamwork, inspired by an encouragingand motivationalmanager,in drivingexcellentin-store results.

“The qualityofthe participants in this year’s ShelfLife GroceryManagementAwardsprogramme is atrue reflectionofthe calibre that delivers some of thebestconveniencestoresand supermarkets in theworld to Irishconsumers.Irish retail grocery managers areexceptionaland wouldmeasureupto anyglobalstandard,”said John McDonald, ShelfLife publisher.

Owen Clifford, head of Retail Sector,Bankof Ireland, likewise spokeofthe importance of supporting andrecognising themanagerswho deliverthe world-classstandards of Ireland’sgrocery sector,noting:“BankofIrelandare delightedtoonce again be lead sponsorofthe GroceryManagement Awards.Theseawardsshowcase theexcellent

standardsand service deliveredbythe Irishgrocery sector.They also celebrate thesignificant contributionmadebypersonnel within thesector to theirlocal communitiesnationwide. Personally, it remainsaprivilege to support andrecognise all that’sgreat aboutthe internationallyrenowned Irishgrocery sector. ” ■

ShelfLife publisher John McDonald, Mediateam operations director Billy Huggard and MC Shay Byrne of RTE Radio One’s Rising Time, enjoying the night

Bank of Ireland’s head of Retail Sector Owen Clifford addressing the audience

All set for a great night at the Royal Marine Hotel!

ShelfLife publisher John McDonald praised retailers’ resilience during challenging times

Awards supported by Platinum Sponsor Bank of Ireland and carried out in association with Excel Recruitment

Supreme Champion Barry Little of SuperValu Rathgar received astanding ovation

Congratulations to our AwardWinningManagers

SupermarketManager of theYear(Large)

Doug Thompson, SuperValu Knocklyon,Dublin 18

SupermarketManager of theYear(Small)

BarryLittle, SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin6

Off-Licence Manager of theYear

Gavin O’Leary, SuperValuSwords, Co.Dublin

In-Store Bakery Manager of theYear

SineadDodd, Pettitt’sSuperValu SouthernCross,Bray, Co.Wicklow

ShelfLife NationalGroceryRetail Managerofthe Year 2023

BarryLittle, SuperValuRathgar, Dublin 6

SupermarketDelicatessen/ Food To Go Managerofthe Year

DominicKelleher, Herlihy’sCentra, Fermoy,Co. Cork

C-StoreManager of theYear(Large)

Rebecca Murphy,Herlihy’sCentra, Bishopstown, Cork City

C-StoreManager of the Year (Medium)

Simon Champ,Clifford’s Centra Shandon Street,Co. Cork

HR Manager of theYear

Patrick Shanny, Centra Blanchardstown,Dublin 15

Customer ServiceManager of the Year

SamanthaLanauze, Donnybrook Fair MorehamptonRoad, Dublin4

In pursuit of excellence

Ireland’s grocery retail industry gathered at Dublin’s Royal Marine Hotel on Thursday, 18 June for the 2023 ShelfLife Grocery Management Awards, naming Barry Little of SuperValu Rathgar as the Supreme Champion. He tells Fionnuala Carolan about the recent revamp he has overseen and how this award has been areal career highlight

Barry Little is busy merchandisingafresh food displaywhen ShelfLife arrivestoSuperValu Rathgarfor our interview. The shop has undergone ahugerevampinthe past fewmonths, and Little washeavily involved in theyear-long planning processthatprecededit. He is understandably proud of theresults,creatingabespoke offeringfocused on freshfood andrelying on customers in this affluent area to buywiththeir senses. Everything looksand smells exceedinglygood,sothey’ve certainlyachieved what they setout to do

Little says that thestafffeelagreat sense of pride in thestore andindeed in Little’s GMA win whichhas been areallynicecap to abusyand I imagine, sometimesstressfulyear.

“Wewereupfor theTeamofthe Year toobut to winthe overall Supremewas fantastic,” says Little “Itwas abrilliantsurprise.I looked at the categories andthoughtwehad agood chance of winning theteamaward from what we have done here butthe overall one, Ihadn’treallythought aboutit. It wasasurreal nightand I’mstill on ahigh!”

Journey

Lookingathis careertrajectory, he hascertainly not shiedawayfromnew challengesthroughoutthe years andhas worked across many of thebig boxretailers. Having been in retail sincehis late teens, he has gained valuable experience acrossthe multiples.“My first jobinretail wasstraightfromschoolasatrainee managerinDunnes,” he explains.“I’m from Drogheda butIwas shippedofftoKilkenny.Dunnes wasasteep learning curve. It wasatough introduction to retail, butitwas great,”herecalls

When he left Dunnes he joined SuperValuin Santry wherehespent eightyears as amanager. He subsequentlymoved on to Superquinn and afterjustayearitwas takenoverbyMusgrave.“I wasinBallinteer as an assistantmanagerand then Imoved to Swords to do arevamp. Ialsoworked in SuperValuBlanchardstown, andIwas in SuperValuLucan fortwo yearsbeforeIwas made managerthere,” he says

Little waspredominantly broughtinto SuperValuRathgar to overseethe revamp as his superiorsobviously felt he hadthe mettle to carry outthishighstakesrefurbishment andthe right

temperamenttomanage thestressofthisproject alongside theeverydayrunning of theshop.

Revamp

With therevampbehindthemand into the‘normal’ phaseoftrading again,Little acknowledges that they have createdsomethingveryspecial anditmakes fora really enjoyableshoppingexperience.“Everything is aboutgivingthe customerbackspace.Wehaveaclear aisle policy with no stands.Theproductssell themselves andthe staff have theknowledge andthe training to help whereneeded.There’sarealpremium look andfeelabout it,” he says The store’sperformance is reflectingthisasithas

rocketed over thepastfew months,accordingto Little.“Ourstore’s performance is reallystrong.It wouldhave been a12month stretchplanning and delivering therevampsoit’simportant how we tradeafter that andmaintain thestandards and luckilyweare beyond projections.”

In the wake of therelaunchthe store hasbeen inundatedwith visitors in theretailfield from as farafield as Dubai, Australia, Spain andHolland, so thatbringsits ownpressurebut Little says it’s greatfor the staff to be gettingpositivefeedback.“A revamp is hard andwhatweweretryingtosay to ourstaffisthatit’snot just thebricksand mortar, it’s more aboutthe productand thepeople. They

see an investment in them andthere wasalot of bespoke trainingthatwedid.Wehave haddeli suppliersinand producesuppliers in showing themsomethingalittlebit different that anormal storewouldn’tget,” he explains

Thereisnoonlineshoppingfacilityinthis Rathgar store although theyare consideringclick andcollect in the future. However, the focus is reallytoenticecustomers in.“We want to get people into the store becauseit’sanexperience. For example,wehave chefsonthe floor doingsteaks forBBQsand otherdemonstrations.Peoplebuy with their eyes.It’sarealfresh food emporium.”He says they’ve triedtopushthe boat outwith everything includingnew outdoorsignage andnew staff uniforms.“Westrivefor excellence at all times andconsistencyatall times,” he explains

At least60% of the storeismadeupoffresh food complemented by asmallambient offering. With freshfood comeswaste andLittlesays that it hasbeenone of the biggest issues.“Managing our wasteisprobablyour biggestchallenge butwe’ve investedand have an increased budget forthat. Nowweneed to decide,what’sworkedand what hasn’t andwhatdoweneed to scalebackon. It’s all amoveablefeast,”heexplains.

Motivating staff

Bringing thestaffonthe journeywiththemwas one of themainstrategiesofthisrevampand as aresult, staff turnoverisdown. Theyhave38staffintotal and many have been here foryears.“Staff here arelucky in thattheyare constantly beingupskilled. Does it encouragepeopletostay? Yes, we’vedefinitely seen a slowdown in turnoverbut it’s always hard in Dublin’s city centre to keep staff.You do getpeoplecomingand goingbut we’vehad asteadyshipbecause Ithink when yougivepeopleabit of ownershipofthings,

they arenot as inclined to jump ship as quickly,” he says.

The visits fromother retailerslooking to learn somethingfromthisshop,issomething that Little andthe staff have hadtoget used to.“When Ihear someone is coming,I know we’llbeokaybecause we have that standard andconsistencyand it’s takentimetoget therebut we arehere. It’s how we maintainwhatwehave butpushitonand bring it to the next leveland that’s hardbecause we areata very high level. Customers arefickle so if youtake thefootoffthe pedal, youcould lose it in a heartbeat,” he warns.

Little says that whileheloves beingaretail manager, the main challenge is the scaleof responsibility.“Ultimately the buck stops with you, ” he says.“Youneedtotrain yourself thatyou can’t be there all thetimeand youneed to empower people whoare theretomakedecisions in your absence andgoonthatjourney with you. Youcan’t do it on your own. My ownworkethic of wanting theplace to look andberight all thetime, feeds into them. They all know wheretheystand.Itcan be dauntingwhenitall comesbackontoyou though.”

Family reaction

Speaking abouthis family’s reaction to hiswin he says that hiseight-year-olddaughterMia wassimply thrilledabout it.Healsoacknowledgedthattodoa joblikethis, thereare sacrifices thathavetobemade at home.“As hard as thejob is forus, it is harder for thepeopleathome.Therehas been alot of sacrifice butIhaveastrong work ethicIgot from my parents so Icouldn’tbeanythingother than ahardworker,”he explains.

Aweekafter theevent,hesays he is still on a high andhumbled by thevolumeofwellwishes he hasreceivedfromcolleaguesand friendsinthe industry.“Iloveretailand therecognitionI’vehad over the past week hasbeenarealcareer highlight.”You getthe feelingthatLittleisonly getting startedand that thisaward hasmadehim moredeterminedthanever. Allthat’slefttosay is ahugecongratulations from all theteamat ShelfLife! ■

ShelfLife editor Gillian Hamill with Supreme Champion Barry Little and platinum sponsor, Bank of Ireland’s head of Retail Sector Owen Clifford celebrating the biggest win of the night

Hero of the Year 2023

Winner: Spar Ireland

What the judges said:

“This year’s winner has consistently contributed to the development of the conveniencestore businessinIreland; to retail standards; to the reputation of the Irish grocery retailing business, and to the wider trade in every one of its remarkable 60 years in Ireland.

We areproud to present the Heroofthe Year Awardto Spar on its sixtieth anniversary.This is a brand thathas been immensely important in the development of our grocery retailing industry and we aredelighted to paytributetotheir retailers and the head officeteam thatsupports them.”

AwardSponsored by Müller

Cash and Carry Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Keith Browne, 4Aces Wholesale, Portlaoise, Co. Laois

What the judges said:

“Whatreally stood out about this year’s Cash and Carry winner Keith Browne washis positiveattitude and encouragement which has helped deliver fantastic results, including asignificant increase in turnoveryear-on-year

Indeed, Keith Browne strives to set apositive example on adaily basis and uses his strengths to help the team achieve their goals. Sincestarting at 4 Aces, he has spent alot of time getting to knowthe staff and finding ways to support them to produce their bestwork. He is amanager who regularly communicatesclear goals, expectations and feedback to the team, and this approach has delivered dividends in spades.”

AwardSponsored by ExcelRecruitment

Customer Service Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Samantha Lanauze of Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4

What the judges said:

Customer ServiceManager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Maretta O’Toole,CentraKilkelly, Co.Mayo

• CliveCullen,Texaco/Centra, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15

• Conor Flanagan,Emo/Daybreak, Ennistymon, Co.Clare

• Kevin Forde,Daybreak Dungarvan, Co.Waterford

• Umair Majeed,Daybreak Ballinderreen, Co.Galway

• Mary Sammon, Brennan &McNally’s Centra, Co.Westmeath

• Dave Walsh,Londis DCU,Glasnevin, Dublin 9

• Crona Kenny,Top Oil Daybreak Garrycastle,Co. Westmeath

• Jane Mooney,Daybreak Williamstown, Co.Galway

• Darren Smyth,Herlihy’sCentraPatrick Street, Co.Cork

• Deividas Vasiliauskas, Herlihy’sGrand Parade Centra, Co.Cork

• Linda Mulvaney,Pettitts SuperValu, Bray,Co. Wicklow

• Rachel Stritch,SuperValu, Sundrive Shopping Centre, Dublin 12

AwardSponsored by ExcelRecruitment

Samantha Lanauze of Donnybrook Fair in Dublin 4isadeserving winner of the Customer Service Manager of the Year 2023 award.With over10,000 customers each week at Donnybrook Fair, Lanauzenavigatesthe challenges of our fast-paced industry with aplomb,while ensuring that everyone also has alittle fun during their dayatwork. She is likewise passionate about the professional development of her colleagues. Aqualified chef and personal trainer,Lanauze previously spent ayear in the USAmanaging abespokecoffee house,and her breadth of experienceshows

Lanauze’s‘customer-firstmentality can be seen in arange of initiatives such as acarry-out servicetocustomers’ cars. Forcustomers who areincapacitated, the team completetheir shopping and personally deliver it every week. They also design and makearange of hampers to customers’ specifications, such as gluten free,confectionery and fine wine selections. Overall, it’s clear to the judging panel thatLanauzereally does strivetogothe extramile forcustomers each and every day.

Mark Devery, national account executive, Müller, presents the Hero of the Year Award to Spar, represented by Barry Doyle, regional sales manager for Munster, Spar Ireland

Nikki Murran, director of Grocery Retail, Excel Recruitment, presents the Cash and Carry Manager of the Year Award to Keith Browne, 4Aces Wholesale, Portlaoise, Co. Laois

Hayley Rochford, senior recruiter, Excel Recruitment, presents the Customer Service Manager of the Year Award to Samantha Lanauze of Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4

In-Store Bakery Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Sinead Dodd, Pettitt’s SuperValu, Bray, Co. Wicklow

In-Store Bakery Manager of the Year, Sinead Dodd of Pettitt’s SuperValu, Bray,isanimpressivewinner,who clearly capitalizes on her 18 years of retail experience within the food industry.Dodd oversees afull scratch bakery which produces fresh bread (traditional and yeast), baguettes and award-winning sourdough daily.Run by ateam of 17 dedicatedbakers, confectioners and assistants, the team also produces fresh cream daily and avariety of cakes, not to mention serving delicious donuts. Dodd ensures the store’sskilled team areonhand to answerall customer queries and exceed their expectations, and thrives on building astrong and motivated team who can meet anycustomer demand, including a multitude of personalized creations.

AwardSponsored by ShelfLife

C-Store Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Sonya Carolan of Mace Blackbull, Drogheda, Co. Louthx

What the judges said:

Sonya Carolan,Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023, ensures her storelocatedonthe busy Dublin Road intoDrogheda, consistently offers a fresh, appetising offering throughout the day. The team proudly prepareall their food fresh in-store every day, and no matter the time of day, it’s always served with asmile,resulting in MaceBlackbull receiving excellent complementary comments online Sonya Carolan’snumber one priority is to praise staff fortheir achievements and use their strengths forthe benefit of the business, and this approach has resulted in adeli of which she can be rightfully proud.

AwardSponsored by Bunzl Ireland

Forecourt Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Helen Taylor of Daybreak Dungarvan, Youghal Road, Co. Waterford

What the judges said:

Helen Taylor,Forecourt Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023, manages an impressive deli in Daybreak Dungarvan comprising of 10 colleagues. All deli staff aretrained to HACCPLevel 3 and the deli has achievedQmark Emerald Standard, with Taylor also named Delicatessen Manager of the Year at the Grocery Management Awards 2019.The deli stands out from the competition through its range of fresh food made daily in-store and convenient click and collect service. Overall, consistent quality,choice, excellent customer serviceand strong teamwork arethe hallmarksofHelen Taylor’s management.

AwardSponsored by Bunzl Ireland

In-Store Bakery Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• John Tierney,Tierney’sCostcutter, Co.Clare

• Renan Sanchez,Centra2004, Ballycoolin, Blanchardstown, D15

• Claudai Monteiro,Brennan &McNallys Centra, Co.Westmeath

• Sinead Dodd,Pettitt’s SuperValu, Bray,Co. Wicklow

• Anna Arakaljan,Mahers Londis, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary

• Nicole McGuinn,Hegarty’sCentra, Bellaghy, Co.Sligo

• Margaret Sheerin,MaceBallinalack, Co Westhmeath

• Ber OCallaghan,Herlihy’sCentra, 3Patrick’sStreet, Co.Cork

• LukaszFilipiak,SuperValu Lucan, Co.Dublin

• AoifeNaughton,Burke’sEurospar Kinvara,Co. Galway

• Sarah McKinney,Brogans Eurospar, Belmullet, Co.Mayo

• Ann Fortune,Eurospar,Newpark Shopping Centre, Co.Kilkenny

• Aidan McGuane,SuperValu Castletroy, Co.Limerick

• Carmel O’Flynn,Londis DCU,Glasnevin, Dublin 9

C-StoreDelicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Catherine Markham,MaceThomas Street, Limerick

• Alicja Skwarek,CentraArklow, Co.Wicklow

• Firuta Frandes,Herlihy’sCentra, Grand Parade Co.Cork

• LauraKennedy,Casey’sLondis, Dock Road, Co.Limerick

• Philip Osman,MaceCastlepollard, Co.Westmeath

• Gosia Gwcwa,Mahers Londis, Clonmel, Co.Tipperary

• Magda Lupka,MaceBettystown, Co.Meath

• Ana Maria Ungureanu,Donnybrook Fair Stillorgan, Co.Dublin

• AgnieskaJezierska, CentraGirffeen, Co.Dublin

• Michelle Seery,Top Oil/Daybreak, Athlone,Co. Westmeath

• Marion Kinsella,Osbornes Daybreak, Ferns, Co.Wexford

• Annmarie O’Neill,Herlihy’sCentra, Oliver Plunkett Street, Co.Cork

• Dearbhaile McEvoy,Coolcotts Londis, Co.Wexford

Forecourt Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Sharon Fields,CentraKilkelly,Co. Mayo

• Renan Sanchez,Texaco/Centra, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15

• Joanna Wawer,MaceBallinrobe Co.Mayo

• Bernie Coldrick,Texaco/Centra Batterstown, Dublin

• Helen St.Ledger,Gala Clonroche, Co.Wexford

• SiveBardon,CentraRobinstown, D15

• Suzanne Clarke,Texaco/Centra Balbriggan, Dublin >>

Mark Morgan, account manager, ShelfLife magazine, presents the In-Store Bakery Manager of the Year Award to Sinead Dodd, Pettitt’s SuperValu, Bray, Co. Wicklow

Ray Murphy, sales director, Bunzl Ireland, presents the C-Store Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year Award to Sonya Carolan of Mace Blackbull, Drogheda, Co. Louth

Ray Murphy, sales director, Bunzl Ireland, presents the Forecourt Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year Award to Kevin McGrath, on behalf of the winner, Helen Taylor of Daybreak Dungarvan, Youghal Road, Co. Waterford

Shane Mellett,ALDI Castletroy,Limerick forbeing named Supermarket Manager of the Year.

ALDI Ireland who won Trading Team of the Year at the National Grocery Management Awards 2023.

Congratulations also to ALDI StoreManagers, Renata Liubertiene, SarahTurner and Donal Smyth who werealso shortlisted alongside Shane.

The ALDI team areproud of your fantastic achievements!

Supermarket Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Dominic Kelleher of Herlihy’s Centra, 36-40 Patrick’s Street, Fermoy, Co. Cork

What the judges said:

Dominic Kelleher, our Supermarket Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023, manages 24 people directly and oversees all the fresh departments within his store. What really stood out foruswereKelleher’s fantastic people skills. His clear encouragement of staff and willingnesstotaketheir ideas on boardiscommendable.Instead of micromanaging situations, Kelleher encourages his team to takeownership and responsibility forprojects. A highly motivated individual, in arelatively short time Kelleher has made significant career progression within the HerlihyGroup,and we congratulate him on his hardwork and dedication.

AwardSponsored by Bunzl Ireland

Off-Licence Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Gavin O’Leary of SuperValu Pavilion Swords, Co. Dublin

What the judges said:

Gavin O’Leary of SuperValu Pavilion Swords, Co.Dublin is the deserving winner of the Off-LicenceManager of the Year Award, who manages avery busysupermarket off-licencewhich has gone through acomplete refurbishment in the lastsix months. Demonstrating his dedication to the role; during the storerevamp,O’Leary movedtonighttime work forthree months, ensuring thatthe off-licencewas always well stocked and in perfect condition daily without anyimpact on product availability or customer access.What’smore, as well as ensuring consistently excellent customer serviceand driving sales forward, O’Leary’sstrong engagement with local suppliers and businesses has culminatedin the creation of abrand-newcraft beer exclusivetothe store.

AwardSponsored by Barefoot

HR Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Patrick Shanny, Centra/Pelco Group, Blanchardstown Corporate Park, Dublin 15

What the judges said:

Patrick Shanny,HRManager of the Year 2023, is based at one of Ireland’sfastest-growing retail groups, the PelcoGroup.His successes within the businesssincehejoined Pelcoare simply too numerous to fully outline here. However,togivejusta couple of examples, he successfully launched anew applicant tracking system, Rezoomo,and introduced anew colleague handbook and newways of working, including the introduction of family-friendly policies and additional leave.Congratulations to this most forward-thinking manager on all his and the team’s impressiveresults to date!

Forecourt Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023Continued

FINALISTS

• Catherine Byrne,Texaco/Centra Merrion Gates

• MayFong Kong,Top Oil/Daybreak, Junction 3, Co.Cork

• Anna Lickova,Top Oil/Daybreak, Newhall, Co.Kildare

• Elzbieta Bziukiewicz,Mace, Leitrim Village,Co. Leitrim

Supermarket Delicatessen

Food to Go Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Nadine O’Donovan,Centra Drimoleague,Co. Cork

• Micaela Canete,Donnybrook Fair, Dublin 4

• Martina Dogancic,Herlihy’sCentra, Patrick’sStreet, Co.Cork

• Roseanna Doyle,McCarthy’sEurospar, Co.Kilkenny

• Paul Davies,SuperValu Swords Pavilions, Swords, Co.Dublin

Off-LicenceManager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Craig Swift,MaceBlackbull, Drogheda, Co.Louth

• Kevin McGrath,Daybreak Dungarvan, Co.Waterford

• David Grendon,Pettitt’s SuperValu, Bray,Co. Wicklow

• Shane McNulty,SuperValu Ballinteer, Dublin 16

• Sean Macken,NearbyCabra, Co.Dublin

• Denise Cummins,Herlihy’sFermoy, Patrick Street, Co.Cork

HR Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Paula White,O’Ciobhain’sSuperValu Swords, ,Co. Dublin

• Darren Smyth,Herlihy’sCentraPatrick Street, Co.Cork

• Theresa Byrne,SuperValu Pavilion Swords, Co.Dublin

• LauraKiely,SuperValu Northside Shopping Centre,

• Janine McCormack,Sundrive Shopping Centre, Dublin 12

• Brid Folan,SuperValu Ballinteer, Dublin 16

AwardSponsored by ExcelRecruitment

Ray Murphy, sales director, Bunzl Ireland, presents the Supermarket Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year Award to Dominic Kelleher of Herlihy’s Centra, 36-40 Patrick’s Street, Fermoy, Co. Cork

Ian Mulvaney, head of business, ShelfLife magazine, presents the OffLicence Manager of the Year Award –sponsored by Barefoot –toGavin O’Leary of SuperValu Pavilion Swords, Co. Dublin

Alan Treacy, senior recruiter, Excel Recruitment, presents the HR Manager of the Year Award to Patrick Shanny, Centra/Pelco Group, Blanchardstown Corporate Park, Dublin 15

Stores honoured on national stage

CongratulationstoCasey’s Londis Castlebarand Londis KCRontheir success at therecentShelfLife GroceryManagementAwards.

Stephen Clifford, Londis KCR, Dublin wonSmall ForecourtManager of the Year.Pictured areStephen Cliffordwith Emma Gregory Sales Manager,Nomadic presenting the award.

Casey’sLondis Castlebar,Co. Mayo wonRetail Team of the Year.Pictured areKathryn Moloney, Aiden Hennigan, Katie Caseyand LauraKennedy of Casey’sLondis Castlebar with RobHorgan, Velo Coffee presenting the award.

Small C-Store Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Ben Chambers, Nearby Tinahely, Co. Wicklow

What the judges said:

Ben Chambers,Small C-StoreManager of the Year 2023, is truly at the heart of his local community Through an understanding and empathetic approach towardshis team, he has createdapositivework environment thathas retained staff members and motivates his team. Indeed, despitehis young age as astore manager,it’sclear thatChambers has a fantastic rapport with both staff and customers. Chambers also recently led the revamp of Nearby Tinahely to improve the customer experience, adding much needed services back intothe community of Tinahely

AwardSponsored by Salescare/Promate

Mid-Sized C-Store Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Simon Champ, Clifford’s Centra, 91 Shandon Street, Co. Cork

What the judges said:

Simon Champ of Clifford’sCentraonShandon Street in Cork is an outstanding winner,who truly cares about his manyregular customers who rely on the store. He credits his team with defining the storeand cultivating such agreat relationship with customers. We were also impressed with the work Champ undertook lastyear in planogramming the store, streamlining its range and introducing newproducts, with afirm focusonquality fresh foods. By continually working to the benefit of long-term staff fulfilment overshort-term businesscost, Champ has successfully raised storestandards alongside generating impressive numbers forthe business.

Large C-Store Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Rebecca Murphy, Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown, Cork City

Heroofthe Year 2023

FINALISTS

• PatGlasheen,Costcutter,N25 Burgess, Co.Cork

• Colm Dowling,Dowling’sGala, Killenard, Co.Laois

• Jane Mooney,Daybreak Williamstown, Co.Galway

• Mark Rya,MaceThomas Street, Co.Limerick

• Nicole Cashman, Herlihy’sCentra Patrick Street, Co.Cork

• Beata Turczyn,MaceLoch Gowna, Co Cavan

• Greg Kuderski,Herlihy’sCentra, Oliver Plunkett Street, Co.Cork

• Martin Burke,BurkeMaher’s Londis, Co Tipperary

• Asta Ramone,NearbyCastleblayney, Co.Monaghan

• Eddie Fox,NearbyAllenstown, Co.Meath

• Ger Coughlan, TopOil/Daybreak Kinsale,Co. Cork

Mid-Sized C-Store Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Darren Brennan,Brennan and McNally’sCentra, Co.Westmeath

• Keith Lynch,CentraTullyallen, Co.Louth

• Brendan Gibney,MaceBettystown, Co.Meath

• Nick Ye,Londis DCU,Glasnevin, Dublin 9

• Katarina Weizen,MaceBlackbull, Drogheda, Co.Louth

• Joe Wheeler,Caseys Dock Road, Co.Limerick

• Chris McVeigh,Casey’sLondis, Ballina, Co.Mayo

• PenyoShilev,Monread Fare, Co.Kildare

• Niall Clarke,Top Oil/Daybreak Garrycastle,Co. Westmeath

• Micheal Cummins,Cummins Daybreak, Galbally,Co. Limerick

• DeirdreStoneham,Top Oil/Daybreak, Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford

Large C-Store Manager of the Year

2023

FINALISTS

• Susan Doherty,Kelly’sCentra, Letterkenny, Co.Donegal

• Michael MacKessy,Broderick’sSpar Croom, Co.Limerick

What the judges said:

Rebecca Murphy,our Large C-StoreManager of the Year,isanextremely conscientious manager who capitalizes on her previous experiencetoprovide the bestpossible support and experiencefor everyone on her team as well as her customers. Some of Murphy’snumerous achievements to date include obtaining the QQI Level6Certificate in Leadership and Management from ILM, winning a ShelfLifeGrocery Management Awardin2020, reducing her store’sshrinkage from 2.2% down to 1.64% and increasing overall storesales.

AwardSponsored by Salescare/Promate AwardSponsored by PepsiCo

• Emily Gleeson,Dillons Londis, Fethard on Sea, Co.Wexford

• Ger Coughlan,Top Oil/Daybreak, Ballyvolane,Co. Cork

Eamonn O’Toole, executive director, Salescare, presents the Small C-Store Manager of the Year Award sponsored by Salescare/Promate to Darren Meaney on behalf of the winner, Ben Chambers, Nearby Tinahely, Co. Wicklow

Eamonn O’Toole, executive director, Salescare, presents the Mid-Sized C-Store Manager of the Year Award sponsored by Salescare/Promate to Simon Champ, Clifford’s Centra, 91 Shandon Street, Co. Cork

Anthony Murphy, customer business manager, PepsiCo, presents the Large C-Store Manager of the Year Award to Rebecca Murphy, Herlihy’s Centra Bishopstown, Cork City

Small Forecourt Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Stephen Clifford, Londis KCR, Terenure, Dublin 6W

What the judges said:

Stephen Clifford of Londis KCRinTerenure, Dublin 6W,isaworthywinner within avery competitive category.Hemanages avery busyforecourt and c-storelocatedatthe KCRcrossroads, which features aSubway,full deli, butchery,award-winning offlicence, an Insomnia Bean to Cup offering, and an extensiverange of fresh, ambient and frozen foods.

Anatural coach, Cliffordworkstoempowerinstead of micro-managing his team, and genuinely cares about each team member’s success and personal wellbeing. Aproductiveand results-orientated manager,Cliffordisanexcellent communicatorwho listens to his team and promotes their career development.

With aclear vision and strategy forthe team, Cliffordcapitalises on his technical skills to advise and support his staff members. Aprevious ShelfLife GMAs finalist, Londis KCRhas made the shortlistfor the ShelfLife C-Storeofthe Year Awardand has consistently wonthe Londis Retail ExcellenceAward

Small Forecourt Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Owen Kelly,CentraKilkelly,Co. Mayo

• Daniel Gherca, Geerah’sDaybreak, Mullingar,Co. Westmeath

• David Hogan, Emo &Daybreak Ennistymon, Co.Clare

• Kevin Forde,Daybreak Dungarvan, Co.Waterford

• PeterVarga,Casey’sLondis, Newbridge,Co. Kildare

• AlexDuPreez,Gala Clonroche, Co.Wexford

• LukeBergin,CentraGreystones, Co.Wicklow

• Ellie Nolan,Top Oil /Daybreak Croagh, Adare, Co.Limerick

• Umair Majeed,Daybreak Ballinderreen, Kilcolgan, Co.Galway

• Mohammad Selim Bepary, MaceOmeath, Co.Louth

• Angela McCormack,McCormack’s Mace, Co.Leitrim

AwardSponsored by Nomadic

Emma Gregory, sales manager/ country manager for Ireland, Nomadic, presents the Small Forecourt Manager of the Year Award to Stephen Clifford, Londis KCR, Terenure, Dublin 6W

RayMurphy, sales director,Bunzl Ireland, presents the Delicatessen Food to Go Manager of the Year AwardtoSonya Carolan.

Large Forecourt Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Brian Joyce, The Galway Plaza, Athenry, Co. Galway

What the judges said:

Brian Joyce,our winner in this category,manages an impressivemotorway servicestation based on the M6 Motorway,comprising of aTexacoforecourt with 14 pumps, plus additional HGVpumps, truck and bus facilities, aSpar conveniencestore and alarge spacious food court with well-known brands and its ownin-house deli and icecream concepts. Joyceand his team pride themselves in maintaining the highest of standards in hygiene,cleanlinessand presentation. Leaders in their field, Joyce’shands-on, approachable style is akey ingredient in the store’ssuccess today; creating apositiveculture which truly sets them apart.

AwardSponsored by Nomadic

Small Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Barry Little, SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin 6

What the judges said:

Barry Little of SuperValu Rathgar is ahugely impressivewinner,who continually leads by example through his hardwork and dedication. Barry Little has successfully devised and delivered apremium storeatSuperValu Rathgar during the past12 months. Amajor achievement which involved developing the team from scratch. Today, sales currently exceed businesscase projections with superb feedback from customers and high staff morale throughout the store. Without adoubt, Barry Little has clearly capitalized on his wide range of experiences overthe past20years in retail to deliver first-classresults.

AwardSponsored by Bank of Ireland

Mid-Sized Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Shane Mellett, Aldi Limerick, Castletroy, Co. Limerick

What the judges said:

Shane Mellett,our Mid-Sized Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023, manages Aldi in Castletroy, Limerick. Mellett and his colleagues have put ahuge amount of work intotraining and developing staff to ensuretheyhaveanexcellent work-lifebalanceand thattheymaintain apositive, friendly attitude in-store.While Mellett has been quick to emphasise the strengths and hardwork of his team; he himself has made an immense contribution. His significant progression within the companysincejoining in 2008 really stood out to the judging panel. Today, Aldi Castletroy is one of the mostsucessful stores in the Aldi network; huge congratulations on this fantastic achievement!

AwardSponsored by Glenhaven

Large Forecourt Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Yaseen Shaik,Texaco/Centra, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15

• Edita Nikitiniene,MaceBallinalack, Co.Westmeath

• Noel Jessop,CentraRobinstown, Texaco ServiceStation, Co.Westmeath

• Mindaugas Suipys,CentraBalbriggan, Texaco ServiceStation, Balbriggan, Co.Dublin

• GiedreArgustiene,TexacoNewtown, Dublin 17

• Stephen Walsh,Callan TopLondis, Callan, Co.Kilkenny

• Antonio Mujan,Top Oil/Daybreak, Junction 12, Newtownmountkennedy, Co.Wicklow

• Briege O’Kane,Top Oil/Daybreak Newhall, Naas, Co.Kildare

Small Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS:

• Paul Pike,Rooney’sCentra, Donegal Town, Co.Donegal

• Denise Cummins,Herlihy’sCentra, Patrick’sStreet, Co.Cork

• Aileen Howard,Brogans Eurospar, Belmullet, Co.Mayo

Mid-Sized Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS:

• John Daly,SuperValu Portumna, Portumna, Co.Galway

• MarcFlanagan,SuperValu Blackrock, Blackrock Shopping Centre, Co Dublin

• Donal Smyth,Aldi Mullingar,Mullingar, Co.Westmeath

• Renata Liubertiene,Aldi Donegal Town, Co.Donegal

• Sarah Turner,Aldi Tralee,John Joe SheehyRoad, Co.Kerry

• KarenKeenan,Eurospar, Carrickmacross, Co.Monaghan

Emma Gregory, sales manager/ country manager for Ireland, Nomadic, presents the Large Forecourt Manager of the Year Award to Brian Joyce, The Galway Plaza, Athenry, Co. Galway

Owen Clifford, head of Retail Sector, Bank of Ireland, presents the Small Supermarket Manager of the Year Award to Barry Little, SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin 6

Emma Cahill, brand director, Glenhaven, presents the Mid-Sized Supermarket Manager of the Year Award to Shane Mellett, Aldi Limerick, Castletroy, Co. Limerick

Large Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Doug Thompson, SuperValu Knocklyon, Knocklyon Shopping Centre, Dublin 18

What the judges said:

Doug Thompson,our Large Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023, manages aflagship storefor the SuperValu brand. Relaunched in March, SuperValu Knocklyon boasts on-trend, market-leading touchpoints. Alongside this, Thompson and his team’sexcellent customer servicedelivered dayin dayout, ensures customers keep coming back. Indeed, the team’senthusiasm delivers areal point of differencethatmakes SuperValu Knocklyon truly stand out from the competition. SuperValu Knocklyon is the fourth storeThompson has managed in four years with SuperValu; showcasing his ample strengths as amanager

AwardSponsored by Glenhaven

Retail Team of the Year 2023

Winner: Caseys Londis, Castlebar, Co. Mayo

What the judges said:

It goes without saying thatfor anyteam to win the Retail Team of the Year Award, theymusttruly be at the heart of their local community,and in this regard, the team at Caseys Londis in Castlebar,Co. Mayo are exemplary.Theyare heavily involved in their community and local initiatives in numerous ways.One fun idea which really caught the judges’ attention wasthe store’s Free Food Fridayinitiativewherebytheydeliver free food to local businesses, factories and sports groups on Fridays.Theyalso sponsor,support, and get involved with manycharities and groups locally each year, including Tidy Towns, multiple sports teams and groups, LauraLynn and Candle of Light.

AwardSponsored by Velo Coffee Roasters

Brand Marketing Team of the Year 2023

Winner: Tayto Snacks

What the judges said:

Thenominations forthe Brand Marketing Team of the Year Awardweremade by retailers and retail managers who were asked their opinions on which marketing campaign has been mosteffectivein driving sales this year –covering all marketing communications including above,belowand throughthe-line TaytoSnacks were aworthywinner and the team’sresults speak forthemselves. To givejustone example,flagship brand Tayto, Ireland’snumber one crisps and snacksbrand, kicked off the year in a strong fashion with its continued support of the Tayto Lentil Chips brand, which has delivered over€1million retail sales value (RSV) sincelaunch. Formoredetails on TaytoSnacks’ successes, turn to page page 42

AwardSponsored by BWGFoods

Large Supermarket Manager of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Doug Thompson,SuperValu Knocklyon, Knocklyon Shopping Centre, Dublin 18

• Chris O’Driscoll,SuperValu Castletroy, Castletroy,Co. Limerick

Retail Team of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• CentraKilkelly,Centra, Knockroad N17,Co. Mayo

• Blakes Centra,BlarneyFilling Station, Co.Cork

• MaceBettystown,Bettystown, Co.Meath

• TescoMaynooth,Carlton Park, Maynooth, Co.Kildare

• Mace,Blackbull, Drogheda, Co.Louth

• Broderick’s,Spar,Croom, Co.Limerick

• CentraArklow,Unit 2, Arklow, Co Wicklow

• Herlihy’sCentra,11Patrick Street, Co Cork

• Pettitt’s SuperValu,Bray, Co.Wicklow

• Daybreak Dungarvan,Co. Waterford

• MaceBallinlack,Mullingar,Co. Westmeath

• SuperValu Blackrock,Shopping Centre, Dublin

• SuperValu Castletroy –Bakery Team

• SuperValu Parkside,Portlaoise, Co.Laois

• SuperValu Rathgar,Orwell Road, Rathgar,Dublin 6

• SuperValu Pavilions,Pavilions Shopping Centre, Swords, Co.Dublin

• Donnybrook Fair,Co. Dublin

Brand Marketing

Team of the Year 2023

FINALISTS:

• John Player

• JTI

• Heineken

• Cadbury

• Tayto

• Monster/CCBI

• Bulmers

• Suntory

• Britvic

• Pilgrims

Barry Cahill, managing director, Glenhaven, presents the Large Supermarket Manager of the Year Award to Doug Thompson, SuperValu Knocklyon, Knocklyon Shopping Centre, Dublin 18

Rob Horgan, chief bean counter, Velo Coffee Roasters, presents the Retail Team of the Year Award to Caseys Londis, Castlebar, Co. Mayo, represented by Kathryn Maloney, Aiden Hennigan, Katie Casey and Laura Kennedy

Conor Hayes, Londis sales director, presents the Brand Marketing Team of the Year Award sponsored by BWG Foods, to Tayto Snacks, represented by Pat Reale, Jonathan O’Connor, Damien O’Reilly, Barry Coy and Seamus McLoughlin

Trading Team of the Year 2023

Winner: Aldi Ireland

What the judges said:

Thetrading team at Aldi continually work closely with Irish suppliers to deliver the bestquality produceatthe bestvalue forIrish consumers. The wealth of newsuppliers brought on boardannually and willingnesstoengage and test newproducts has positiverepercussions acrossthe industry

In moreimpressivenewsfor the retailer,wenote thatIrish shoppers have votedAldi as the most reputable supermarket in Ireland according to the new2023RepTrakIreland Report. Theannual RepTrakIreland survey measures the leveloftrust, respect, admiration and esteem consumers have for Ireland’slargestand mostvisible companies. The findings arefromacomprehensivesurvey of more than 5,500 members of the public during January and February 2023. Aldi scored consistently well acrosskey categories including Workplace, Citizenship and Products and Services, which reflect the retailer’s commitment to delivering value for customers, suppliers, staff and the wider community

We arealso very pleased to see Aldi had commented on the team’sdelight to receivethe GMAs award in recognition of the hardwork of its buying department, Indeed, the department has provided continuous support to Aldi’snetwork of 330 Irish suppliers, spending €1.1 billion with them in 2022. Significantly,Aldi has also invested morethan €8m in its Grow with Aldi supplier development programme since2018, which provides an opportunity forsmall and medium Irish food and drink companies to gain alisting in Aldi’s157 stores.

Supreme Champion –The National Grocery Manager of the Year 2023

Winner: Barry Little, SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin 6

What the judges said:

Barry Little is an outstanding, passionate,and positivemanager.Hehas seen his storegothrough amassiverevamp this pastyear and takeonanew identity of ‘premium retailing’. He did all this through determination and staff communication.

Our Supreme Champion 2023, Barry Little treats his team with respect and values employee suggestions thatcan drivebusinessgrowth along with providing afun and welcoming environment in-store.Hehas worked extremely hardoverthe years to grow and change with the needs of customers. Thejudges noted thatLittle places maintaining greatstaff relationships as atop priority in order to achieve excellence.

Trading Team of the Year 2023

FINALISTS

• Dunnes Stores

• TescoIreland

• Applegreen

• Gala Retail

• S&WWholesale

• MusgraveGroup

• Lidl Ireland

• BWGFoods

• Barry Group

• Circle K

AwardSponsored by Bank of Ireland

Caroline Reid, head of Client Services, Ireland, Shopper Intelligence, presents the Trading Team of the Year Award to Aldi Ireland, represented by Renata Liubertiene, Sarah Turner and Shane Mellett

Owen Clifford, head of Retail Sector, Bank of Ireland, presents the Supreme Champion –The National Grocery Manager of the Year Award to Barry Little, SuperValu Rathgar, Dublin 6

AwardSponsored by Shopper Intelligence

Snack sensations!

According to Williams &Marshall Strategy, the crisps market in Ireland is forecast to reach approximately €113 million (121.55 million USD) in retail prices, thus increasing at aCAGR of 1.29% per annum for the period 2020-2024. Read on to find out more about the brands that will help you maximise the huge opportunity for sales presented by the crisps and snacks category

Intoday’sbusyworld, manyconsumers eschewthe traditional three meals aday in favour of grazing when they’rehungry Indeed, aMintel report on Consumer Snacking Habits in Ireland, found 58% of Irish consumers aresnacking twiceorthree times aday,with only 16% saying thattheydonot snack on adaily basis (Source:Mintel, 2019).

Natural and healthyproducts continue to be of high importanceinsnackswith

Number one performer

Tayto,Ireland’snumber one crisps and snacks brand*, kicked off January with the continued support of the TaytoLentil Chips brand. Using amulti-platform approach, TaytoLentil Chips wasadvertised acrossTV, video-on-demand (VOD), social, and digital audio,while the brand also partnered with influencers across social media. TaytoLentil Chips has delivered over€1million retail sales value (RSV)* since launch and is nowakey brand within the evergrowing ‘Better forYou’ category

Lunchtime,akey snacking need state, is being targeted as Taytorolled out an ‘Add

consumers increasingly switching to sugarfree,lower-carb,vegan, plant-based and diet-specific foods as theybecome more focused on health. This is according to a Euromonitor report on SnacksinIreland from July 2022, which said snack sales have remained popular among Irish consumers boostedbyproducts with ahealthier offering, with vegan and natural alternatives gaining interest.

Thereport added thatsavoury snacks producers will expand their portfolio to include sharing packsand multi-packsfor retailers and manufacturers to maintain volume sales growth and capitalise on ahead of the BBQand picnic season. With so many products to choose from, ensuring youhave the right range acrossimpulse,sharing and better-for-you(BFY) formats will help optimise sales.

Some Crunch to your Lunch’campaign with radio advertising running forthree months acrosssome of Ireland’smost-lovedstations encouraging consumers to pick up apacket of Taytoatlunchtime.Tayto has also been supporting TaytoCheesatees and Tayto Occasions, key brands within its portfolio that appeal to consumers looking forsnacksfor fun sharing occasions.

Using insights citing taste as the key purchase driver forthe Taytobrand**, Mr Taytoisback on TV screens with anew abovethe-line (ATL) TV creativecampaign titled ‘Tayto:The True TasteofHome’, which will be on air throughout June and July.The

emotional hello and goodbye with alovedone at the airport is afeeling thatIrish people knowwell, but Mr.Tayto knows howtotruly welcome anyone home,and apacket of Tayto can be morepowerful than it seems! Thenew TV ad will be suretostrikeachordwith viewers, using both emotion and humour to connect. Thecampaign will focusheavily on TV,VOD,digital, and social. Thecampaign will also be supported with out-of-home (OOH), including atakeoveratDublin airport arrivals throughout June

Thesummer doesn’t end there, with Tayto’s latest limited edition hitting shops in June,and this newflavour is suretohaveconsumers wanting more. Thelimited-edition launch will be supported through PR and influencer partnerships. With Taytolimited editions known forgoing viral acrosssocial media, this campaign will driveincreased demand in stores.

No doubt Taytowill have even moregreat campaigns throughout 2023, so retailers are urged to stock up on Taytoand watchsales soar!

*(Source:Nielsen Scantrack sales MATMay 2023)

**(Source:Red CResearch July 2022)

Crinkled masterpieces

HunkyDorys is Ireland’snumber one crinkle cutcrisp brand, holding over21% market share and growing ahead of the market at 8.8%**. HunkyDoryskicked off the year with a rugbycampaign to capitalise on the 6Nations snacking occasion. Thecampaign ‘Bring Your

The Tayto ‘Add Some Crunch to your Lunch’ campaign will feature across some of Ireland’s most-loved radio stations

Squad to France’ waspromoted through in-store activations, social media and digital advertising to boostawarenessaround the competition and driveparticipation with consumers.

HunkyDoryshas recently launched anew permanent flavour to the line-up with the addition of HunkyDorysPrawn Cocktail. This newflavour has seen aresurgenceinthe crisps and snacksmarket and thatcoupled with HunkyDorys’ market growth*, means this is suretobeawinning combination. Thenew flavour is available in both sharing and impulse pack formats and the bright pink packaging is suretocaptureshoppers’ attention in-store! Thelaunch wassupported with influencer marketing, sampling, OOH advertising and will also be supported with in-store activations.

HunkyDoryscontinues to be supported

with ATLadvertising and viewers have seen the return of ‘Christie the Crinkler’totheir TV screens. In addition to the traditional TV creative, Christie decided to taketosocial media to “recruit”new crinklers to the HunkyDorys factory with the launch of afun Instagram filter TheHunkyDorysATL campaign has an estimatedreach of over3million people 2023 will be another exciting year forHunky Doryssomakesureyou arestocked up on these crinkled masterpieces which continue to set the paceinthe crisps category #GoHunkyDorysOrGoHome

*(Source:Nielsen Value Sales Crisps Market MATApr 2023)

Tasteabove all else

O’Donnells Hand Cooked Crisps arethe leading hand cooked crisp brand in Ireland and currently hold 11.7% value market share*

Over the last12years, Ireland has fallen in love with the premium quality and greattasting flavours of O’Donnells.

Theexperts have spoken, and O’Donnells is nowthe mostawarded crisp in Ireland! During the last12months, O’Donnells has been awarded 20 prestigious awards, highlighting the exemplary quality from Ireland’snumber one hand cooked crisp brand**.

This month, O’Donnells is excited to announcethe launch of twonew flavors in its Crinkle Cut range.Namely,125g Crinkle Cut Ballymaloe and 125g Crinkle Cut Sour Cream and Onion flavours. Thedeep groovesofthe furrowsploughed on the Seskin family farm arethe inspiration forthe O’Donnells Crinkle Cut Furrowsproduct. Theextradeep ridges capturemoreofthe outstanding taste and flavour thatO’Donnells consumers knowand

O’Donnells has been awarded 20 prestigious awards during the past 12 months

With over 21% market share and growing ahead of the market at 8.8%, Hunky Dorys is Ireland’s leading crinkle cut crisp brand

love.InApril, the O’Donnells Crinkle Cut Furrowsrange introduced anew design, highlighting the brand’sprovenance messaging and providing enhanced stand-out in-store

At O’Donnells, the team love the earth and through the brand’spackaging reduction programme,are committed to reducing its impact on the planet. O’Donnells has made significant reductions to the amount or film used in the range.Ithas removed22% of film from impulse and sharing pack formats and 38% from the multipack range

From this month onwards, O’Donnells will be livewith the ‘Taste Above All Else’ campaign, spanning acrossTV, VOD, OOH, digital, social and in-store.The campaign will be activated acrossthe summer months, driving significant brand awarenesswith consumers.

*(Source:Nielsen MATValue Sales April 23, 2023, Crisps)

**(Source:2022awards: fiveGreat TasteAwards, eight Free From Food Awards, six Irish Quality Food Awards and one Blas na hEireann Award).

Turn up the heat!

Pringles has added Mexican Chilli &Lime flavour to its fiery Sizzl’N range.The newspicy flavour joins medium Kickin’ Sour Cream, Sweet Chilli, hot SpicyChorizoand extrahot Cheese &Chilli.

Thecombination of juicylimes mixed with a kick of chilli heatisset to bring Pringles fans on asensorial journeytoMexico. Aiming to

Pringles’ new flavour taps into the demand for spice and heat

push snacking fans’ taste buds to the limit, the newflavour delivers ayin and yang taste sensation with its citrus zing and fiery chilli.

Thenew flavour taps intothe demand for spiceand heat, with chilli and lime being one of the topgrowing flavours in the category

ThePringles Sizzl’N range contains varying levels of heat, each building to satisfy all preferences. Therange contains no artificial colours or flavours to deliver the ultimate taste sensation.

“Our fans have come to expect bold and

The new Pringles Sizzl’N Chilli &Lime flavour has been designed for those who like to explore new, adventurous tastes with aspicy twist

exciting flavours from Pringles and the launch of Mexican Chilli &Lime is suretodeliver on this,”says Ann Rose Eng, brand activation manager,Pringles Ireland. “Our Sizzl’N range has been ahuge success and we can’t wait to see whatpeople think of this delicious addition.”

Forthose who want to step up the spice, Pringles Sizzl’N Mexican Chilli &Lime is available in supermarkets acrossIreland for RRP €3.49*.

*(Pricing is at the sole discretion of the retailer)

Manhattan Crisps have no complicated recipes or added ingredients –they’re just rich in flavour and intensity

Rich in flavour and intensity

Manhattan Crisps aresteadily becoming a household favouritewith the mostpopular flavour,Cheese and Onion, being referred to as “the black bag of crisps”. Aprominent featureinmanyshops and pubs throughout Ireland, Manhattan Crisps come in avariety of flavours suitable foravariety of people

With the growth of the product and increased demand, Manhattan Crisps are being stocked in moreand moreshops around Ireland.

With Manhattan Crisps, your customers can choose from Cheese and Onion (a firm favourite),Salt and Vinegar and SmokyBacon.

Manhattan Crisps aremade from the finest and freshestwhole potatoes all wrapped up forthe perfect crunch. Each crisp flavour is simple and true with no complicatedrecipes or added ingredients –justrich in flavour and intensity

All three flavours aresuitable forvegetarians while Manhattan’sSmokyBacon Crisps are also suitable forvegans. All flavours can also

be found in a35g bag while Manhattan’s Cheese and Onion and Salt and Vinegar can also be found in 150g sharebags.

Manhattan Crisps have growninpopularity considerably overthe pastcouple of years, with manypeople actively searching for locations wheretheycan purchase the ultimate flavoursome crisps –acompliment in itself!

AburstofValencia

Snacking brand Forest Feast continues to build its presenceinthe mindful indulgence category with the launch of Valencia Orange Milk Chocolate Dipped Almonds.

It will join the rest of the brand’sChocolate Dipped Nut line-up and be joined by another twoflavours -Salted Dark Chocolate Dipped Cashews and Belgian Dark Chocolate Brazil Nuts.

“UK and Ireland consumers arebig fans of orange,especially when paired with chocolate, and the love theyhavefor this flavour shows no sign of slowing down. We wanted to bring

The next generation of popped crisps

Snack brand Good &Honest is rolling out arange of popped crisps, aimed at the growing better-for-yousnacking market, in Ireland. Founded on the principles of using good ingredients, honestly made,Good &Honestiscurrently available in tworanges; Popped Crisps and Popped Veggie Crisps.

So,whatexactly makes these snackssogood and honest?

‘Good’ refers to the crisp bases. Made with 100% plant-based ingredients from unique combinations of vegetables, legumes and cereals including purple sweet potatoes, soya,chickpeas, black beans and green peas; these arepopped, not fried, fora satisfyingly crunchytexturethat’sfull of flavour

‘Honest’ refers to the all-natural ingredients. Free from artificial preservatives, colours and flavours, the range is lowerincalories, a source of protein, high in fibre, lowinfat and gluten free

this on-trend taste to the snacking category,” says Bronagh Clarke, marketing director at Forest Feast.

“Weproduceeverything in house,oven roasting our whole almonds, beforedrenching them in rich Belgian milk chocolate and adding aburstofValencia orange fora gorgeous creamy, zestytreat.”

TheForestFeastbrand has grown35% in the latest 52 weeks, putting its success down to its delicious products, creating added value in the category with aloyal consumer following.

Thenew products launched on 12 June into Sainsburysand WH Smith, followedbyother retailers and fine food wholesalers with an RRSP of €3.75 for120g. TheDark Chocolate Brazil Nuts areexclusively forAmazon.

They will be supported by in-store media, consumer press, sampling and social media.

Formoreinformation, contact national account manager Paul Ryan at paulRyan@forestfeast.com

The Forest Feast brand has grown 35% in the latest 52 weeks

Theresult is adeliciously different, healthier snack thatdoesn’t compromise on taste or texture.

The Popped Crisp range is vegan and available in three flavours: Sweet &Salty,Sweet BBQ, and Sweet Chilli.

The Popped Veggie Crisp range is lighter in style and available in three popular flavours: Salted, Sweet Chilli, and Sour Cream.

Therange is also vegan with the exception of Sour Cream flavour which is vegetarian.

These versatile crisps areagreat healthier choicefor snacking, sharing and dipping. Whatever your customers’ preference, Good &Honestisanexciting newsnack brand to discoverand enjoy.

Therecommended selling price* is €2.99 per 85g. ■

*(Retail selling priceisalways at retailer discretion)

Versatile Good &Honest crisps offer agreat healthier choice for snacking, sharing and dipping

Free to enjoy life

Health and wellbeing continue to have an impact on consumer choices, but according to BordBia, convenience remains apriority formanyhouseholds. Consumers want their food to be free from dairy,sugars and additives, but not free from taste and also available wheretheynormally shop.Plant-based food has nowgone mainstream and at lastthereare amultitude of companies catering forthis ever-growing category.Aisling Cullen of ThanksPlants

started up her businessinresponse to the lack of good quality meatsubstitutes available in supermarkets in Ireland. She sawagap in the market forvegan products thatwereboth meaty in taste and made from wholefood ingredients. “I turned vegan afew years ago and wasunderwhelmed by the choiceand quality of products available,Ialso found it hardtounderstand the listofingredients on the packets. Istarted experimenting at home and made my ownseitan sausages which

even morechoicethrough the addition of a plant-based offering to our portfolio Avonmoreistrustedbyconsumers to bring its farmer suppliers’ producetokitchen tables and our high-quality oatingredient is traceable back to Irish family farms.”

Avonmorehas been providing nutritious products to Irish families forover50years. Thelaunch of its newOat offering will address consumers’ desires forproducts in the plant spaceand further boostAvonmore’spresence in consumers’ shopping baskets.

Oaty goodness

Avonmore has entered the plant-based drinks sector with the launch of AvonmoreOat Drink made from quality Irish oats. Avonmore OatDrink is available in both Original and Barista options. Both arelactose free,low in fatwith no added sugar and aremade from Irish oats.

Theoatsused in AvonmoreOat Drink are traceable to organic oatfarms operated by parent companyTirlán’squality oats growers. The‘Original’ drink is fortified with calcium, while the ‘Barista’ option is specially formulatedtobefrothyand foamablemaking it asuitable accompaniment forcoffee drinks.

Speaking about the launch of AvonmoreOat Drink, Linda Sheehan, head of consumer marketing at Tirlán said: “Weare really excited to bring AvonmoreOat Drink to the market. Avonmoreisnow offering its loyalconsumers

AvonmoreOat Drink Original and Barista are available in 1L cartons in retailers nationwide Forfurther information, visit Avonmoreat: Instagram: @avonmore; Facebook: Avonmore Milk; Twitter:@avonmoretaste;and website: https://www.avonmore.ie/products/ avonmore-oat-drink.

Addsome bitetoyour breakfast

Gluten free fans and coeliacs around the country areinfor atreat as Flahavan’s launch its new Gluten Free Jumbo Irish Pure Oats Made using only the highestquality Irish oats and certified as gluten free by the Coeliac Society of Ireland, Flahavan’sGluten Free Jumbo OatFlakes arealarger,thicker oat flake-ideal forporridge with morebiteoran overnight oats with moretexture. Jumbo Oat Flakes can also be used as an ingredient in home-baking to makeflapjacks, crumbles or homemade granolas.

Flahavan’sGluten Free Jumbo Irish Pure

were really tasty and had the all-important meaty flavour and texture. Ialso knewexactly whatwas going intothem and ensured it was nutritious formeand my family.”

These small companies arenow being listed acrossall retailers as it has become evident thatthereisaserious appetitefor free from products and it doesn’t hurt their sustainability credentials either.The mainstream brands are also launching free from products to stay abreastofnew consumer trends.

Oats (600g) is an excellent addition to the brand’sexisting Flahavan’sGluten Free Irish Pure Oats (550g), which is positioned in the free from section of supermarkets and has built astrong following of loyalconsumers sinceits launch pre-Covid.

Gluten free by nature

Linwoods Flaxseed is anutritious and versatile ingredient and is gluten free by nature. Linwoods also uses strict protocols to ensurethereisnocross-contamination during processing or packaging and thatthis product is 100% organic, gluten free and vegan.

Linwoods cold original milled flaxseed blend is aversatile product popular formaintaining normal blood cholesterollevels and forits rich source of fibreand plant-based protein. When it comes to adding flaxseed to your diet, the bestway to do this is by eating cold milled

For some people, excluding gluten, dairy or meat from their diet is essential and for others it is alifestyle choice but for whatever the reason, there is ever more plentiful brands on the market catering to this preference. Fionnuala Carolan looks at what’s happening in the ‘free from’ category at present

The Avonmore Oat Drink is available in both Original and Barista options

Certified as gluten free by the Coeliac Society of Ireland, Flahavan’s Gluten Free Jumbo Oat Flakes are alarger, thicker oat flake

than whole flaxseed in your diet has proven much more beneficial for digestion

flaxseedwhich is wherethe seed has been blendedtoapowder-likesubstance. Including milled flaxseed rather than whole flaxseed in your diet has provenmuch morebeneficial for digestion.

In addition, Linwoods Cold Milled Flaxseed is prepared with greatcarethrough the brand’sunique cold milling processtounlock the benefits of the seed foreasydigestion and to ensurethe full nutrients remain intact.

Milled Flaxseed is agreat natural source of Omega 3Alpha-Linolenic Acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid which contributes to the maintenanceofnormal blood cholesterol levels. As our bodies do not produceOmega 3 thereforethis mustbeobtained from our food. One 20g serving of Linwoods Milled Flaxseed provides 4g of Omega 3(ALA) in our daily diet.

Vegan soft serve

Dairyglen’s vegan soft-serveice-cream is a greateco-friendly alternativetotraditional

Star starch

dairy soft-serve, with the same greattaste and usual creamytexturethatIrish consumers love from aclassic 99.Freefromdairy,gluten and nuts but with the same luxurious, creamyflavour of the classic Irish 99 youknowand love Not only does it expand your range as a business, and makeyou appeal to agrowing food demographic, but vegan soft-servehas a margin of up to 80% so there’ssignificant opportunity forproper growth as well. Based on oatorsoy milk, it’s hardtotell this plantbased mix from the dairy alternativeand with achoiceofpowder or liquid formats, Dairyglen has got something suitable for everyone.This mix is 100% vegan certified, easytouse,and ambient with along-shelf life. Formoreinformation call Dairyglen’shead officeat01286 5000

Fakeaway pizza

Pizza remains astaple in the weekly shop but Irish households aresaying no to greasytakeaway pizzas. Instead, the ‘fake-away’pizza is

made at home,with completecontrol over whatgoes on it. Your customers’ pizzas can be vegan, high protein, lowcalorie,sugar-free or simply,vegetarian.

Since2007, Italian masterbaker and founder of Pizza Da Piero,PieroDeVallier has used the long-fermentation processtocreatehis sourdough starter.This allows the gluten enzyme to break down the starch in the dough beforeitisshaped, flattened and baked, leaving it moredigestible

Piero’smini 5” and large 11” pizza bases are par-baked on astone oveninhis Dublin bakery.The fiveingredients of flour,water, extravirgin oliveoil, sea salt and yeast, contain no preservatives, sugars or additives. These light, crispysourdough pizza bases won’t sit in the stomach, the way others often do

Piero’spizza bases arevegan friendly,dairyfree and well-lovedbyIrish chefs and food writers. Pierowas thrilled to win gold at Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards in 2020 and again in 2022.

Pizza da Pieropizza bases provide the perfect meal forthe Irish shopper looking for afreefromalternativethatthe whole household can enjoy. Within tenminutes, your customers can have an authentic Italian pizza night, satisfying everyone with ahealthy, but tasty,pizza experience.

Tinfull of goodness

One of the topfood trends for2023istinned fish. Shines Seafood,based in Killybegs, Co Donegal is afamily-run companywhose products include wild Irish sardines and mackerel.

Italian master baker and founder of Pizza Da Piero, Piero De Vallier has used the long-fermentation process to create his sourdough starter

Meade Potato Starch,Ireland’snew must-have storecupboard ingredient forgluten free consumers, has recently reaffirmed its commitment to sustainability by introducing afully recyclable retail pack. Its sustainability credentials arealready high; it is made with surplus potatoes and offers savings on food carbon miles because, as the only product of its kind in Ireland and the UK, it can replace imported starch and cornflour

Lately potato starch is cropping up moreand moreiningredient lists thankstoits popularity with gluten free foodies as athickener forsauces and stews, acoating forfrying and abaking ingredient. Trendy Korean and Japanese cuisines use it to giveanon-greasy, light and crunchycoating when frying. Manychefs prefer it to cornflour because it is truly odourless, tastelessand colourless, adding good texturetorecipes.

Produced by Meath-based growers and packers Meade Farm, Meade Potato Starch recently wonaGold Medal at the Irish Quality Food Awards in 2022 and wasnamed the FoodserviceProduct of the Year in 2021.

According to Jonathon Fahy,Meade Potato Starch commercial manager: “BordBia’sBloom attracted consumers looking to expand their food horizons and to support Irish producers. Among them were home cooksfollowing agluten-free diet; we received ahuge amount of positivefeedback from this cohort at the show. Both people who have tried it already and those who had heardabout it from Coeliac Society of Ireland were excited about its possibilities as astore cupboardstaple to replaceflour and cornflour in cooking and frying, as well as an ingredient in gluten-free baking.”

Initially offered only to foodserviceand food manufacturers

Sardines in particular had fallen out of favour,but theyare an excellent source of Omega 3fatty acids, essential forgood heart and bone health.

Therange includes 106g tins of Wild Irish

customers in bulk, the 250g retail pack is available at selected Tescoand Evergreen stores and will also be available in Aldi from 22 June.Any interestedretail, foodserviceorwholesale customers can contact Jonathon Fahy at jonathonfahy@meadefarm.ie or call 046 905 3198.

Chef Brian McDermott did cooking demonstrations on the Bord Bia Quality Kitchen Stage and afterwards visited the Meade Farm stand. Here he is pictured with Meade Farm’s Lucy McDonnell and Paddy Matthews

Including milled flaxseed rather

Sheer Delite

Phoenix Delite Chocolatesoffers arange of free from products including quality chocolatesand chocolate bars which are also diabetic friendly and 100% vegan. They also offer no added sugar jams (strawberry, cherry and exotic), which arediabetic friendly,gluten free and vegan.

Also in the range is chocolate covered hazelnuts which are100% vegan, gluten free and palm oil free.The popular Yummy gummybears arediabetic friendly,gluten free and vegan and suitable forPKU.

Phoenix Deliteoffers bespokepackaging and can caterfor corporategifts ranging from chocolate boxesfor employees to gift hampers forcustomers and corporate clients. Formoreinformation, email pascale@phoenixdelite.com

sardines in oliveoil, sunfloweroil and tomato sauceand retail from €2.59. Themackerel comes in 125g tins in tomato sauce, sunflower oil and brine and cost €2.99 RRP.Theyare available in shops nationwide and online at www.shinesseafood.ie

Makeway formeatlessmeats

Nowit’seveneasier to get your hands on your favourite Thanks Plants products –meatlessmeats full of greatingredients. The Irish brand will have its range available in 157 Aldi stores nationwide from 25 May2023.

ThanksPlants is passionate about plantbased, vegan cooking, and wanted to come up with aproduct thatwas wholesome and flavourful. Honestingredients and cherished recipes. All products arehandmade in a professional kitchen in Dublin by Aisling Cullen and her team.

According to Cullen: “Weare so excited about this partnership with Aldi, who is really supportivetowards Irish brands. Plus, the fact thatplant-based food has nowgone mainstream is adream come true forme, the fact thatweget to have our products on shelves is huge forusand part of our plan for growth. We will be showcasing our Frankfurters, NoMoooo Burgers and Chorizo Crumbles in Aldi forthe next six months.”

ThanksPlants will supply the newChorizo Crumbles to Aldi and Supervalu stores. The ChorizoCrumbles areaplant-based meaty crumble alternativewhich can be a flavoursome addition as apizza topping, in a burrito, forbreakfastwith your scramble or on topofloaded fries.

TheThanksPlants range started with three types of sausages –Apple &Sage,Sundried Tomato &Herb and TheFrankfurter –made from asimple mix of seitan flour (a high protein flour), cannellini beans, vegetables and spices. Therange has nowexpanded to include Chipotle Salsa Sausages, NoMoooo Burger,and EverydayRoast.

The Promise of goodness

From its bakery in northwest Ireland, Promise Gluten Free prides itself on baking best-inclassand multi-award winning better-for-you baked goods.

Manybrands talk about ‘better foryou’ but very often this is not backed up in the product delivery when it comes to taste and nutritional content. Promise Gluten Free delivers ataste profile which consumers love and levels of nutrition farahead of the category.The companyisdelivering something breakthrough forthe gluten free category thathistorically has been poorly served.

Prior to the re-launch four years ago,the Irish gluten free market wasstagnant. Since then, Kantar data reveals thatthe value of the category has grownby50%, and this growth has substantially been driven by the Promise Gluten Free brand, with Promise’smarket sharegrowing fivefold in thattime

Promise Gluten Free launched its biggest ever marketing campaign earlier this year, called ‘Better Bread, That’s APromise’. Over the years Promise had received countless messages from happyPromise Gluten Free

consumers who’veshared their love for Promise Gluten Free products and the positive impact they’vehad on their lives. With the aim of reaching an even broader audience, the team came up with an idea -who better to test the qualities of Promise Gluten Free than the people who knowitbest?

So,inJanuary 2022, theyasked customers to provide feedback on whattheyenjoyed about the products and howtheyhad influenced their lives. Hundreds of people from all overIreland shared incredible stories about howPromise Gluten Free had transformed their lives and the campaign wascentred around sharing these real consumer stories with the rest of the world.

These stories have touched the lives of 3.5 million people through social media, with dozens of positivecomments and shares. The campaign also ranacrossradio,outdoor and sponsorships. 38% moreconsumers came into the Promise brand as result.

Promise Gluten Free has global presence, continuing to lead the growth in gluten free bakery,leading with breakthrough innovation and growing at 40%+ year-to-date (YTD). ■

Phoenix Delite can cater for corporate gifts ranging from chocolate boxes for employees to gift hampers

Vegan Hazelnuts

The gluten free market has grown 50% in the past four years, according to Kantar

Seeking gin-spiration!

Following Ireland’sflourishing ‘ginaissance’ in recent years, thereare currently at least37distilleries on the island of Ireland producing Irish gin, with over 70 brands. Indeed, Irish gin has experienced a number of years of very fast growth, where sales soared. In fact, between 2014 and 2020 the category grew by 184%, according to ‘The Irish Gin Strategy 2022-2026’ published by the all-island trade body DrinksIreland|Spirits, Thestrength of Irish gin lies in the fact it is very much apremium-plus product which has been established as aworld-leader in terms of quality and authenticity.This has and will be key to positioning the category internationally,

Gin to truly savour

The Copeland Distillery,locatednexttothe historic harbour in Donaghadee,County Down, is home to its award-winning Classic Irish gin (45% ABV) and Navy Strength gin (57% ABV).

Winning an Outstanding Gold award with 99

according to DrinksIreland|Spirits.

“Irish gin has been atrue national success story in recent years,”said Vincent McGovern, director of DrinksIreland|Spirits. “Our members employdozens of people across both urban and rural Ireland producing this much-lovedspirit and exporting to markets acrossthe globe.”

Demonstrating the strength of Irish gin, the Exports Performanceand Prospects 2022/2023 report from BordBia shows that gin exports grew at arateof€5m per annum overthe lasttwo years to €20m, with gin once again benefiting from the global premiumisation trend.

points out of 100,Copeland Irish gin (RRP: €39.99) wasawarded the BestContemporary Gin Trophyatthe International Wine &Spirits Competition 2022, the firstIrish gin to ever be awarded the trophy.

Distilled with 12 carefully selected organic botanicals, including unwaxednavel oranges and Sea Pink Maritima foraged from the Copeland Islands, the result is agin truly to be savoured.

To create the distillery’sunique Navy Strength gin, Irish gin is casked in Kentucky bourbon casksfor 120 days beforetransferring to Oloroso sherry casksfor 20 days.The result is agin packed with flavour,with apunch of juniper followedbysmooth caramel and spice. Perfect foranindulgent gin &tonic, garnished with asliceofapple or aNegroni.

Jones Navy Strength gin (RRP €48.99) was aWinner of TheGin Masters ‘Master’ Award 2021, the world’smosthighly regarded series of spirits blind tasting competitions and an IWSC Gold Awardin2020.

Available through Classic Drinks, more information can be found at www.copelanddistillery.com

Newresearch from SilksGin has also shed light on the preferences and habits of gin drinkers. An impressive49% of respondents emphasised the importanceofknowing where their gin comes from when making apurchase decision, with participants appreciating the craftsmanship and story behind the spirit.

When it comes to enjoying gin, the survey also revealed some interesting habits. More than one in three participants (36%) indulge in the belovedelixir on aweekly basis, with one in five(19%) relishing it acouple of times a week. Meanwhile,41% enjoyitoccasionally, savouring its unique flavours and characteristics wheneverthe mood strikes.

An oasis of unexpected delight

Justwhen lifeisfeeling likeitisincapable of surprise,you encounter an oasis of unexpected delight, thatis Hendrick’s.Itlooks likeagin, but in reality,itisanescape to all things refreshingly curious, with undercurrents

Copeland Distillery is proud to produce both its award-winning Classic Irish and Navy Strength gins

Hendrick’s Gin is made with infusions of cucumber and rose petals, alongside ablend of 11 botanicals, to produce a wonderfully refreshing gin

With gin growing by amammoth 184% between 2014 and 2020, today, aG&T is ago-to first choice for many shoppers in the mood for arefreshing alcoholic beverage. Ensure you don’t miss the mark by offering aselection of in-demand premium offerings

of crisp cucumber and wisps of rose.Every sip will refresh your senses and remind you… it’s always worthwhile to seek the unusual.

Hendrick’sGin is adelicious, super premium gin that’smade with anumber of unusual twists to deliver amostcurious drinking arrangement. Unlikeordinary gins, Hendrick’s Gin is distilled in Scotland in batches of only 500 litres at atime.Only Hendrick’sGin is made with infusions of cucumber and rose petals, alongside ablend of 11 botanicals, to produceawonderfully refreshing gin with a delightful floral aroma. Hendrick’sGin is crafted using twoutterly dissimilar stills, arare Carterhead and an antique Bennett copper pot still, to create adivinely smooth gin thatis simultaneously light and complex.

Hendrick’sisbestserved with tonic, iceand three thinly sliced cucumber rounds.

Hendrick’sGin is distributed by Richmond Marketing Limited in Ireland.

Forfurther information, visit www.hendricksgin.com

Landing in style!

Runway 28 Irish Craft Gin landed in Ireland circa 2020.It’sdistilled with classic botanicals, with justahint of pepper.This resonateson the palate as warm, strong, and spicy. This gin “forte” (42%) serves well with anychoiceof tonic, on the rocks, with asplash of lime

Sean Mac Dhuibhinse distils every batch of Runway 28 gin at Listoke Distillery, ensuring that the recipe is kept exact to formula, and small batch

Each batchofRunway 28 gin is distilled by Sean Mac Dhuibhinse at Listoke Distillery,who ensures thatthe recipe is kept exact to formula, and small batch.

While the Runway 28 gin recipe creators maybeaward winners, the Runway 28 gin label itself has been recognised forits unique presentation, and vintage aviation storyline, winning abronzemedal in the Irish Print Awards competition 2022. Thelabel creators, an Irish aviation family,wanted to evokethe golden eraofaviation, paying homage to a pioneering spirit, proudly flying the Guaranteed Irish logo and Irish flag. 2022 wasnot only agood year in terms of awardsfor TheRunway 28 Beverage Co,but also sawthe craft spirit find newroutes to market abroad, landing on the Island of TenerifeinApril 2022. Theexport routes continue with plans underway forlatesummer

export of this aviation inspired gin to Palma de Mallorca in August2023.

Forfurther information, visit www.runway28gin.com or www.listokedistillery.ie

Under starters orders!

Silks Irish Dry Gin is inspired by the colourful jockey silksworn at Bellewstown racecourse, which can be seen from the family-owned Boann Distillery whereitisdistilled in small batches.

SilksGin is composed with 14 distinct botanicals, which aremacerated for24hours beforeslowdistilling with vapour infusion in a 500ltr custom “Bennett”copper pot still.

Thesignaturebotanicals have been hand foraged from the Cooneyfamily apple orchards at the foot of the hill of Tara in Co Meath –apple blossom from the trees, honey from the beehives and elderflowerfromthe hedgerows.

This unique combination of botanicals and distillation technique createsafloral forward contemporary style gin with bright citrus aromas.

Perfect served in aclassic G&Twith aslice of redapple and superb in aclassic martini.

Locally sourced salt water and sugar kelp balanced with hand-picked fuschia and traditional gin botanicals combine to give the consumer atrue taste of the Wild Atlantic with both gin options

about this enigmatic spirit. They enrolled in gin school to learn the craft of distilling and blending.

Theresult is aspirit thatreflects the natural beauty of their homeplace. Ahand-crafted small batchgin, infused with wild Atlantic Sea waterand Ventry Harbour sugar kelp, ‘Saccharina latissimi’, and hand-picked fuchsia, the iconic flowerofWestCork, has been combined with traditional gin botanicals to create awell-balanced, easy-drinking gin.

BearaOcean Gin (ABV43.3%) is available in both 700ml and 50ml miniatureformats; infused with sugar kelp,fuchsia, Atlantic saltwater,citrus, juniper berries, orris root, angelica root, coriander seed and cardamom.

Meanwhile,BearaPink Ocean Gin (ABV 42.2%) is also available in 700ml and 50ml miniatureformats; infused with cranberry, rosewater, sugar kelp “saccharina latissimi”, fuchsia, Atlantic saltwater,citrus, juniper berries, orris root, angelica root, coriander seed and cardamom.

Silks Gin is composed with 14 distinct botanicals and distilled in small batches at the Boann Distillery

It wasrecently awarded “Ireland’sBestGin” in the Irish Whiskey Awards which follows a Gold Medal awarded by the Beverage Testing Instituteand 93 points at the IWSC Awards, SilksIrish Dry Gin is hand distilled at the Cooneyfamily owned Boann Distillery in the heart of the Boyne Valley.

Forfurther information, visit www.silksgin.ie, www.boanndistillery.ie and @silksgin on social media.

Ataste of the Wild Atlantic Way

TheBearaPeninsula is awild and unspoiled area likenoother.Aplaceblessed with timelessbeauty.Offthe beatentrack of the main touristroutes, the land has provided inspiration forpoets, writers and musicians overthousands of years.

Drawing on this inspiration, the family-run BearaDistillery,based in the Bearapeninsula, Co.Cork, produces both BearaOcean Gin and BearaPink Ocean Gin

Inspired by the beauty of their birthplace, the Bearapeninsula and passionate about all things gin, siblings, John and Eileen embarked on avoyage of discovery to create their own signaturegin.

Over 18 months theytravelled acrossthe globe,meeting distillers and gin enthusiasts alike, in order to learn as much as possible

“The coastal inspiration comes through loud and clear,and there’snodoubt this would makeagreat companion to seafood dishes,” according to TheGintoMyTonic.com.“Although we’venot the pleasureofvisiting the Beara Peninsula personally,wefeel likewe’vebeen transported therevia the flavour journey.”

Azestfor life

BombayCitron Pressé is anew creativegin expression inspired by the flavours of the classic TomCollins cocktail. It’s azesty spirit that’seasytomix, inspiring creativetwists on classic cocktails.

Capturing the real flavour and essenceof hand-picked Mediterranean lemons harvested early in the season, this gin presents the bright, zestful citrus notes at their mostvibrant.

Thelemons’ flavour is concentrated to create anaturally refreshing, fruits infusion. Instead of adding artificial additives and sugars, BombayCitron Pressé contains handpicked Mediterranean lemons, thatare handpeeled and concentrated to create a100% natural fruits infusion. It also has anaturally refreshing and sophisticatedflavour thatis easytomix and perfect forsummer cocktail occasions, from aclassic Pressé &Tonic, Ultimate TomCollins, or simply overice in a lighter Pressé and Soda.

With aRRP of €33, it’s currently stocked in Dunnes, SuperValu, Tesco, O’Brien’s and independent off-licences around the country ■

The family-run Beara Distillery produces both Beara Ocean Gin and Beara Pink Ocean Gin

Fuelling growth

Forecourt owners areconstantly adapting to newtrends and requirements to stay ahead of the curve. Between franchising, partnerships, and investments, the forecourt has changed intosomething moreallencompassing and profitable in recent years. Going forward, the need forcharging points within fuel station forecourts will be key for the ongoing growth of the industry.Indeed, by 2030,upto20% of all registeredvehicles in Europe will be electric vehicles (EVs), according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Theflourishing foodserviceaspect of forecourts will also continue to develop further with Ireland’sleading forecourt brands driving ever-greaterinnovation.

Forging ahead

In April, the 2023 Maxol Retail Conferenceheld at TheKClub in Kildareoutlined the brand’s plans forcontinued expansion. Maxol announced thatitwould to continue to grow the companyinIreland through the acquisition of established convenienceforecourt stores and the purchase of land adjoining existing sites to improve facilities and services forcustomers.

CEO,Brian Donaldson also revealed thatat the time,the companywas at an advanced stage of negotiations to acquireanumber of sites and parcels of land acrossthe country Thegrowth plans arepart of the Irish, familyowned forecourt and convenienceretailer’s recently announced 2023-2027 strategy, which will see an investment of €100m in its network overthe next fiveyears.

“Weare particularly interestedin businesses thatalready have astrong convenienceand food offering, as this is the direction in which our businessmodel has been moving foranumber of years,”said Donaldson. “Our five-year plan is to continue to evolveour businessmix, further reducing our relianceonfossil fuels and increasing our non-fuel revenues by focusing on key categories from coffee, food to go and grocery,whilstalso being recognised as a leader in quality advanced fuels and new energies formobility.”

NewEVhubs

Brian Donaldson likewise updatedMaxol’s retailers on plans to develop aseries of EV UltraRapid Hubs around the country,the first of which waslaunched in Maxol Kinnegar,Co Down in December.This marked the first dedicatedUltraRapid EV hub in Northern Ireland, completewith four high-speed chargers servicing up to six vehicles simultaneously,adding to the three other EV charging points Maxol has in placeinAntrim and Belfastunder the Maxol Recharge brand.

“Maxol Kinnegar has provided us with a blueprint forhow we will continue to transition the businessinline with the rise in lowand zero emission vehicles,”hesaid. “And now, I’m excited to be able to announcetodaythat proposals forEVcharging at Braid River in Ballymena, Maxol Newbridge and Maxol Ballycoolin, Co.Dublin areplanned this year.”

While challenges in relation to grid access and energy capacity prevail, Brian Donaldson said thathebelievedthe transition to EVs would continue and be asuccess,intime,but thatMaxol’sEVstrategy is to roll out services gradually,prioritising sites wheredemand is greatest

Brian Donaldson also reflected on landmark moments from the pastten years, which included a€225m investment in the business, the acquisition of 25 newsites, completion of

70 developments and the company’s centenary anniversary in 2020

Investment

Now, the companywill continue to develop its best-selling ‘hero’ categories, including its proprietary ROSA Coffeewith anew range of iced coffeedrinksand oatmilk drinks, and freshly prepared foods, as customer buying behaviours evolve. Brian Donaldson referenced hybrid working as adriver of businessfor its stores, the majority of which arelocatedin residential neighbourhoods.“Wherepeople are nowworking from home twoorthree days each week, we areservicing their needs from breakfastthrough to evening with different meal solutions,”said Donaldson.

Maxol has seen adirect correlation between the move to ahybrid working model and increased footfall in its stores with some exceptions –those sites thatare closestto Dublin city centrethatwould have traditionally benefited from commuter traffic, fivedays a week.

In addition to investments in acquiring new sites, foodservice, EV UltraRapid Hubs and technology,Maxol has planned to continue to upgrade to lowCO2 refrigeration, install energy management systems and use renewable sourcessuch as solar and heat pumps to reduceits carbon footprint.

With Ireland’s leading forecourt brands continuing to deliver world-class standards and innovation, here we take alook at some of the major developments and news driving growth within the sector

Maxol ServiceStation Carrigaline, Cork

Souhan’s Maxol ServiceStation Trim, Meath

WINNERS

Sheahan’s Maxol ServiceStation, Muckross Road, Killarney

Maxol ServiceStation Mitchelstown, Cork

Maxol ServiceStation, Dublin Road, Dundalk

Garvey’sMaxol ServiceStation, Newcastlewest, Limerick

Maxol ServiceStation Carrigaline, Cork

Dano’s Maxol ServiceStation, Mallow,Cork

Fact File

Name of operator:

Maxol

Number of locations nationwide: 241(112 companyowned)

Typical forecourt size: Sites can range in sizefrom0.08acres to 2.5 acres.

Head office: TheMaxol Group,3CustomHouse Plaza, IFSC, Dublin 1

Website: www.maxol.ie

Social media: @themaxolgroup

Tagline: ‘Atthe heart of it’

Circle K’snew own-brand EV chargers

Meanwhile,lastmonth, Circle Kannounced thatitislaunching anew range of own-brand electric vehicle (EV) chargers acrossits network overthe next twoyears. In total, Circle Kwill invest €7 million to install EV chargers at over30Circle Kforecourts across Ireland by 2025.

This investment enhances Circle K’sexisting network of EV chargers, which is already the mostextensiveacrossthe Irish forecourt and convenienceretail industry,through its strategic partnerships with ESB, IONITY and Tesla, with chargers locatedat42service stations.

Circle K’sfirsttwo own-brand EV charge points have opened at Circle KJunction 5, M9, Rathcrogue,Co. Carlow, and Circle KJunction

14, M8, Gortore, Fermoy, Co.Cork. These first twolocations will offer charging speeds of up to 300kW,with futurechargers to offer

Fact File

Name of operator: ValeroEnergy (Ireland) Limited (the companythatmarkets fuel in Ireland under the Texaco brand)

Number of locations nationwide: 150 servicestations

Head office: 1stFloor,Block B, Liffey ValleyOfficeCampus, Quarryvale,Dublin 22, D22 X0Y3

Website: www.texaco.ie

Tagline: ‘TrustYour Car To TheStar’

©2023ValeroEnergy (Ireland) Limited. All rights reserved. TEXACOand the STAR Tlogo are registeredtrademarksowned by Chevron Intellectual Property LLC. Used with permission.

150kW,giving EV drivers the ability to easily charge their vehicles quick and conveniently With EVsatthe heart of the Irish government’s plans to decarbonise the transport sector,asoutlined in the Electric Vehicles Charging InfrastructureStrategy 2022 –2025, Circle Kiscommitted to supporting this strategy through the enhancement of its ownEVcharging network and growing the EV charging infrastructurenationwide

“The announcement builds on our existing EV offering and confirms our ambition to support Irish motorists in their transition to electric vehicles, helping support the government’s EV targets. We areexcited to introduceour newhigh-speed, reliable, strategically placed charging points and look forwardtowelcoming customers to our locations,”said Gordon Lawlor,managing director of Circle KIreland.

“EV is something we have been extremely focused on foranumber of years,”he continued. “Being part of the Circle Kglobal

network means we have access to the very latest thinking and key developments on EV charging, especially from our colleagues in Norway who areleading the way in terms of electrification. This, coupled with our expertise locally,puts us in avery strong position to support our customers. We intend to use this expertise in the years ahead to continue adding chargers to our network.”

Ministerfor the Environment, Climate and Communications and Ministerfor Transport, Eamon Ryan praised the development, stating thatitwill “support the government’s goal of rapidly increasing the number of publicly accessible chargers acrossIreland and will help to giveevenmoremotorists the confidencetomakethe switch to an electric vehicle.” ■

Pictured at the launch at Circle K, Junction 5M9, Co. Carlow are Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications and Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan and Gordon Lawlor, managing director of Circle KIreland.

Bord Bia celebrates 10 years of ‘Trade Breakfast’ at Bloom

TescoIreland cuts prices on over 700products

Earlier this month, TescoIreland announced acampaign of pricereductions on more than 700essential products.

According to Tesco, an average price decrease of 10% has been introduced to a wide range of own-brand products and brands bought week-in, week-out –from grocery staples and family favourites to household and health and beauty products.

Tescodescribes the pricecuts as akey part of its commitment to givecustomers value on their shopping, complementing other value offerings such as Aldi Price Matchand exclusivedeals through ClubcardPrices.

“We’reworking hardtoinvestinhelping families, by cutting prices on hundreds of products,”said Joe Manning, commercial director,TescoIreland.

“Wealso work very closely with our suppliers to manage their input inflation and their cost pricepressures. As our costsare reducing from our suppliers, we arenow able to passthose savings on to our customers,”headded.

Tescoalso emphasised thatits price

Tesco says it is now able to pass on reduced costs from suppliers to its customers

cuts campaign came justdays after a major milestone forits innovative community support programme ‘Stronger Starts’. Sinceitbegan in 2021, the programme has provided one million free, fresh, healthy, and nutritious meals to primary school children and families who areatrisk of food insecurity.Children in 117 DEIS schools acrossIreland receivea pack containing fresh apples, onions, potatoes, and carrots every week.

PaneltoFoods secures ¤22 million contract with Lidl

Lidl has signed anew multi-million-euro deal with Longfordbakery,PaneltoFoods, valued at €22 million.

Thenew deal will bring Panelto’s premium baked breads to Lidl stores acrossthe island of Ireland and includes an export deal thatwill showcase its breads in morethan 950Lidl stores in GreatBritain and Northern Ireland.

Lidl Ireland has also helped to facilitate aworking relationship with PaneltoFoods and the Lidl International buying team with hopes of supplying the bakery’s goods to even moreLidl stores globally

Akey supplier to Lidl’sfamous bakery, PaneltoFoods opened its firstbakery in Co.Longfordin2005. In 2011, it secured its firstcontract with Lidl Ireland suppling panini breads and nowproduces arange of Lidl’smuch sought-after specialty rolls and sandwich breads. Sincethen, the 12-year partnership has evolved with the businessseeing consistent growth during thattime

Lidl Ireland wasthe firstcountry in the Lidl global network to develop an in-store bakery and is nowthe firstLidl country to launch apremium range of fresh baked breads under its Deluxeown-brand banner

Thenew range offers aselection of carefully crafted breads, made by master bakers, using aslowfermentation

technique,astone baked ovenand the finestofingredients. Customer favourites exclusively developed forLidl include the premium Sourdough Loaf,Rye Boule and unique Irish Oat&HoneyLoaf

BordBia recently celebrated tenyears of connecting Ireland’s mostprominent retail and foodservicebuyers with Irish food, drink and horticulture producers at its annual Trade Breakfastat Bloom.

As BordBia Bloom opened forthe second dayofthe five-dayfestival in the Phoenix Park on Friday, 2June,morethan 250 buyers from Ireland’sleading retail and foodservice companies attended the breakfasttomeet with the 100+ food and drink companies exhibiting at this year’s festival.

BordBia CEO Jim O’Toole said he was“delighted and encouraged to have such ahigh calibreof buyers” at the event.

Over 1million kg of food waste avoided through Aldi partnerships

To mark National Food WasteRecycling Week (6 –11 June), Aldi announced thatithas avoided 1.2 million kgsoffood from going to wasteinIreland through its partnerships to date with both FoodCloud and TooGood To Go,which is the equivalent of 3.8 million kgsofCO2 emissions avoided.

Sincepartnering with not-for-profit social enterprise FoodCloud in 2014, Aldi has donatedover 1.1million kgsofsurplus food from stores and distribution centres. Further,sincecommencing its partnership with Too Good To Go in January 2023, Aldi has already provided 50,000 ‘Surprise Bags’, containing food thatwould otherwise go to waste.

Conference to spotlight opportunities for Irish businesses in the Arab states

With export opportunities forIrish businesses to the Arab world growing year-on-year and export figures reaching arecordhigh in 2022*, the 2023 Arab-Irish BusinessForum is set to featurespeakers from the Arab states alongside Irish businessleaders conducting businessthere. Theevent will takeplace in the Mansion House in Dublin on Wednesday, 13 September 2023, with hundreds of delegates expected to attend.

Indeed, forthe firstquarter of 2023, morethan €86.7million** worth of Irish food and drinks products departed Ireland forMiddle Eastcountries with notable increases in butter,cheese and Irish chocolate

Fortickets, visit www.arabirishbusinessforum.ie

*(Source:CSO –goods, excluding services)

**(Source,BordBia /CSO) ■

Ciara Moran, senior buyer, Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland and Garry Walsh, commercial director, Panelto Foods

Catherine Swords, Ross Keogh and Louise Corbally of Keoghs Crisps

Rory O’Connell, account manager at FoodCloud, Rachel Nugent, corporate responsibility manager, Aldi Ireland and Patrick McKinney, key account manager at Too Good to Go

Business leader Souad Al Hosani

Kings of convenience!

work, convenience foods that can be ready in minutes will always be awinner with weary customers. With leading convenience manufacturers paying more attention than ever to nutrition credentials; consumers in many cases no longer have to make atrade-off between either ahealthy or quick option. Instead, they can enjoy both: “Winner, Winner: Convenient Dinner!”

Hectic, fast-paced lifestyles have made convenienceparamount among consumers, but that’snot to say shoppers areready to settle forlesswhere quality is concerned. Whether it’s prepared salads, chilled ready meals, or soups, products thatmakemealtimes simpler without sacrificing taste or nutrition areinhigh demand.

Research from Kantar Ireland found thatin the 12 weeksto20February 2022, shoppers

Cheese sensation

Established in Co.Wicklowbythe Cahill Family in 1986, GlenhavenFoods is best known forproducing quality frozen coated poultry forthe Irish and UK retail and foodservicemarkets. But in recent years, GlenhavenFoods has been rapidly growing its range and global reputation forproducing premium, high quality coated cheese products forthe international quick servicerestaurant industry,for which GlenhavenFoods has been shortlistedfor the Export Innovation of the Year Award2023.

This month sees the launch of its firstever frozen cheese bitedesigned specifically for the Irish retail market – GlenhavenJalapeño Cheese Bites

spent an additional €4.3 million on chilled convenienceitems such as pizzas and ready meals. In line with this, brands and start-ups have been embracing quality ingredients and recipes, while maintaining thatease of preparation and serving.

Kantar also reported lastmonth that shoppers areturning to shopping little and often to help manage household budgets. The latest 12 weeksto14May 2023 showed shoppers arereturning to stores moreoften,

with visits up by 12% equating to an additional seventrips. This contributed an additional €574mtothe overall market performance alongside asignificant increase in the average priceper pack which is up 13.7% year-on-year Thelittle and often trend could well prove fortuitous forconvenient options, perfect forthat night’s dinner or as aimpromptu healthysnack. Here, we outline some of the latest innovations and bestsellers within this category thatare catching shoppers’ attention.

ABarry and Emma Cahill, of Glenhaven &with

Q: What made youdecide to develop a coated cheese product?

A: “Innovation has alwaysbeen a cornerstone of GlenhavenFoods, before poultry we actually specialised in coated fish,”saysBarry.“Change and diversification is not something we’reafraid of.And as amajor Irish exporter,based in a country renowned forits world-classcheese and dairy,this seemed likeavery natural progression forus. And we areincredibly proud of the results, in fact we believe our newGlenhavenJalapeño Cheese Bites are quitepossibly the bestfrozencheese bites available in the frozen aisle today.”

Q: ‘Coatedcheese bites’ is agrowing category both in Ireland and abroad. Whydoyou think thatis?

A: “A lot of the growth in this area is down to the popularityofboth fakeawaysand hot snacking,”saysEmma. “Nowthat fakeawayshavebecome afirm staple, customersare beginning to experimentand

upgrade their fakeawaysbyadding in products likeour GlenhavenJalapeño Cheese Bites to create a‘Meal Deal’ liketheymightorder from their favouritepizza place, but at afraction of the cost.”

Q: Do youthink the hot snack trend is heretostay?

A: “Absolutely,” replies Emma. “And Ithink a major reason forthatisthe growing popularity of air fryers. Beforethe air fryer,ahot snack meantpreheating the ovenetc,itjustwasn’t convenient. Now, if someone is craving a

During abusy, stressful day at

Glenhaven has launched its first ever frozen cheese bite designed specifically for the Irish retail market –Glenhaven Jalapeño Cheese Bites

Barry and Emma Cahill of Glenhaven

delicious filling snack, theycan justpop our GlenhavenJalapeño Cheese Bites, Mini Chicken Balls or GlenhavenSouthern Fried Popcorn Chicken into the air fryer and their hot snack is good to go in sevenminutes –it’srevolutionary.”

Q: Do youhaveplans to launch anynew products into the Irish market?

Leading the way in nutrition

Nomad Foods is committed to serving the world with better food, and creating healthier products to empowerpositivechoices by consumers is at the heart of the business. This has inspired the delivery of an ambitious project to innovate and reformulate its Goodfella’s pizza portfolio to maximise its proportion of non-high in fat, sugar and salt (non-HFSS) products. From abaseline of <40% of its pizza recipes in 2019,88% of Goodfella’spizzas arenow non-HFSS, and 100% of its pizza recipes will be non-HFSSby the end of 2023.

100% of Goodfella’s pizzas are compliant with UK salt targets

A: “Yes, Glenhaven’sNPD and sales teams are continuously developing newand innovative products to anticipate ever-changing consumer trends,”saysBarry.“Thegrowing popularityoffakeaways and hot snacking for example,issomething Glenhavenasabrand has really leaned into.And in terms of cheese

little packets of delicious fruit arethe perfect addition to anylunchboxorcooler bag.

Green Isle Fruit Snacksare superior quality fruits thatare perfect forlunchboxes, ahealthy treatoron-the-go snacking. Made from 100% fruit, Green Isle Fruit Snackshelp people eat well without adding to the “todo” list.

“I’m thrilled to be taking part in Green Isle Fruit Snacks’ summer campaign,”says Green Isle ambassador Derval O’Rourke. “We’reall looking forwardtothe lovely weather and longer days,soI’ll definitely be packing Fruit Snacksinmybags when Iamheading to the beach or the park with the kids, or even for justwhen Iamonthe go.The packsare so handy,and we love both varieties in our house!”

Ideal foranyone thatisfocusing on making healthysnacking choices, each bag contains three easy-to-open snack packsand areone of an individual’sfive-a-day. Your shoppers can choose from juicymandarin segments or melon chunks. Thecarefully selected superior quality fruits arepicked at their peak and frozen at their freshest. Newadvanced

Ultimate in pasta perfection

alone,weare currently working on launching fivenew cheese products into the UK and Ireland this year.”

freezing technology ensures thatthe superior quality,taste and textureofGreen Isle’sprepared fruits areall locked in, delivering awonderful product with no food waste-justamazing ready to eatfruit when consumers need it!

“Weare thrilled with the feedback we have received sincelaunching Fruit Snacksearlier this year,” says Mairéad Walsh, Green Isle marketing manager.“Summer is the perfect time to pack them in your lunchboxesand cooler bags whilstonthe go this season. Fruit Snacksare high quality fruit, handpicked and ready when youare.Theycan be eatenfrozen or defrostedwith no mess. And in even better news,wewill be launching twonew varieties laterthis year.”

Thetwo products currently available in the range areMandarin Segments and Melon Chunks. Each Pack retails at €3.50 and contains three 80g packets inside; stored in the freezeraisle

Formoreinformation, visit www.greenIsle.ie, Instagram: @greenisle and Facebook: GreenIsle

88% of Goodfella’s pizzas are now non-high in fat, sugar and salt (nonHFSS), and 100% of its pizza recipes will be nonHFSS by the end of 2023

This is being achievedthrough health innovation and nutritional optimisation. Goodfella’sseekstomaximise the public health impact of nutritional improvement, focusing on salt and saturated fatreduction, as well as an increase in fibre. Adherenceto UK salt targets is afundamental element of Goodfella’spizzas product design, and, the companyisproud that100% of its Goodfella’s pizzas arecompliant with these.Additionally, long-term salt reduction is part of the company’swider nutrition programme,and it is thrilled to see howsignificant the progress has been in salt reduction acrossGoodfella’s pizza portfolio versus 2014.

Get activethis summer

Launched earlier this year,byIreland’s favouritefrozenfruit and vegetable brand, Green Isle Fruit Snacks arethe ideal item to pack when people aregetting activethis summer.Whether it’s heading to the beach for the day, going on ahike, hitting the park with the kids, or justgenerally being on the go but wanting ahealthyand refreshing snack, these

Pastalovers rejoice! Thereisanew product in your local supermarket freezerthatwill makeyour lifeawhole lot easier,whilstalso tantalising those pasta-loving tastebuds. Ottimo is the ultimate in pasta perfection, taking fresh pasta and freezing it, good to go at anytime of the dayornight –and it’s made right hereinIreland. With three varieties to choose from, it’s ready in four minutes -soyour shoppers can serveitup simply,orget saucy!

Forthose forwhom cheese and pasta are enough to makeyour mouth water, FantasticoFour Cheese Ravioli is the ideal choice. These not quitesquareravioli pockets arefilled with amouth-watering creamymix of four cheeses –whatmore could acheese loverwant? Looking fora hint of vegwith something indulgent? Spinach &Ricotta Tortelloni ticksall of those boxes. These fabulously tasty little pasta parcels arefilled with fresh spinach and acreamyricotta cheese.Fancysome mushroom?The Non QuadratoMushroom Ravioli is the one thatissuretosatisfy

Ottimo’s fresh frozen production process maintains the fresh pasta texture while keeping all of the nutrients locked in, meaning you can have ahigh-quality convenient meal without compromising on taste

those tastebuds –the ravioli pockets are filledwith mushrooms and simply seasoned withsaltand pepper Research has shown thatmanypeople purchase fresh pasta and laterfreeze what theydonot use.Why not freeze it at its freshestand cook from frozen foroptimum quality and flavour? This delicious Italian inspired frozen filled pasta is the perfect answerfor busypeople who want a delicious, convenient meal without the effort. Thefresh frozen production process allows Ottimo to maintain the fresh pasta textureand keeps all of the nutrients locked in, meaning your shoppers can have ahigh-quality convenient meal without compromising on taste.Itcooksstraight from frozen in four minutes and doesn’t leave anywaste –consumers can only use whattheyneed and put the remainder back in the freezer.

Ottimo is stocked in selected supermarkets nationwide priced at €3.50 fora300g pack and is brought to youby Green Isle ■

GlenhavenFoods operates from apurposebuiltfacilitylocated in Arklow,Co. Wicklow

THE HOTTEST THING TO HAPPEN TO

Following the government’s recent summoning of grocery retailers to discuss unverified “price gouging”, Excel Recruitment’s Nikki Murran shares her thoughts on how the government should stop admonishing and instead support independent retailers who are coping with price increases

There waswidespreadpress coverage last monthon8May announcing that thegovernment wassummoning groceryretailersto discuss“unverifiedreportsofprice gouging”.Excel Recruitmenthas been in partnershipwiththe groceryretailindustryfor over 20 yearsand is placed in asomewhat unique position of speaking with competinggrocers on anear-daily basis.

Absorbing cost increases

We reachedout to variousretailers to discusstheir thoughts on this supposed price gougingand founda consistent response across the sector.Mostretailerswerequick to pointout that they have been absorbing cost increasesoverthe past threeyears,withlittle to no pricehikes foralarge proportion of this time

From theoutsetofthe pandemic, when most of theworld waslocked in theirhouses, retailersranging from 16 to 65 yearsold were workingonthe frontline. As panic buying ensued andgrocery trips became thehighlight of households, stores sawanincreaseinsales However, along with this surge, thereweredipsinmargins as delis rapidlydeclined andconsumers

shiftedtoonlineordering. Rather than passingthese costsontothe customers, most food retailers absorbed them.

Additionally,whenhospitality reopened,a staffing crisis emerged. Many retailersexperiencedalarge exodus of employeeswho opted for Pandemic Unemployment Payments (PUP) rather than progressingtheir retail careers. Otherschose to pursueonline degreesorreturnedtotheir home countries. In this highlycompetitive employment market,entry-level staff ratesincreased in many retailers, andonceagain,thiscost waspredominantly shouldered by theretailersthemselves

Fast forwardayearlater,and retailersare nowjugglingthe impact of warcausing an energy crisis,spirallingsupplychain costs, andthe increasing cost of goods.At this point, many retailerswere striving to minimize theimpacton theirproduct lines while balancing theserisingexpenses.

Increased employment costs

In January2023, thegovernment implementeda7.6% increase in the minimumwage. Theyalso

announcedthe Sick LeaveAct, whichisfunded, in largepart, by theemployer. These twomeasures proved to be theproverbial straw that brokethe camel’sbackwhen it came to priceincreases

So,the consistent response we have seen from retailersis contempt.They feel contempt towardsthe same government that imposedthese costly measures,not to mentionthe impendingmandatory pension enrolment, onto retailers, only to announce afew months laterthat they aresummoning thesesame retailerstodiscuss food price increases.

Knock-on effect on hiring

Thissituation hasaknock-on effectonhiring. Fewpeopleaspire to join acompany or industry that is seen as greedyorunethical. Nearly allindependentretailers we have spoken with areeffusivein theirassertions that they have,at best,maintainedtheir margin over thepastnumberofyears.They emphasisethatthisaccomplishment washard-fought throughstrategic productplacement and department participation, rather than resortingtoprice hikes.

It begs thequestion: rather than thegovernmentmakingsweeping statements andaccusations, where is theirsupport forthisindustry?

Thisisanindustrythatsupported theeconomy andthe community in atimeofcrisis, an industry that ralliedaroundthe vulnerable to delivertheir shopping, often, at theirown expense.

Government deflection

The government’s response reads to many retailersasadeflection from theirown failings andlackof supportasthe countryfaces rising inflation andenergycrises. Notto mentionthe staffing crisis they fuelledwithamostlyunregulated Pandemic Unemployment Paymentsystem, minimumwage increasesand sick payschemes.

If thegovernmenttruly wants to help retailerstolower costs whichcan be passedontothe consumer,why notstart with a scheme wherebythose on social welfareare incentivized to work in theirlocal storetogain experience?Orinvest in better transportinfrastructure so those withoutacar canreach more retail jobs,which likely operateoutside of currentpublic transporthours? It seemsthatannouncing meetings to discussunverified claims wasamuchmoreeffective publicitymovethanactually implementing anyrealchanges that wouldmakeatangible impact. ■

NIKKI MURRAN Director, Grocery Retail Recruitment, Excel Recruitment www.excelrecruitment.com

‘Where is the government’s support for the retail industry?’

Driving performance through appraisals

By promoting open dialogue in atwo-way process, performance appraisals benefit employees, management and company objectives. Here, The HR Suite’s Caroline Reidy explains how to secure the best possible results

Conducting appraisalsisimportant foremployers to take into considerationand should be conductedonayearlybasis.The appraisalsprocess is advantageous to employees, management,and the companybecause it promotes open dialogue in atwo-way process whereall sideshaveanequal chance to discussthe job,work performance, objectives,and long-termgoals

When conducting an appraisal, assessinganemployee’sperformance in relation to importantgoals set outinthe priorappraisal is thefirst step.Animportant question that couldbeasked to theemployeeat theappraisal wouldbe“What went well?”.

Back on track

Even though certaingoals won’t have been achieved,it’simportant to analyzewhy this is thecaseand talk aboutwhatcan be done to try to bringthingsbackontrack.Itis crucialtoconsiderifcertain objectives canstill be salvaged with some creative thinking and suggestionsfromboththe employee andthe managerconductingthe appraisal.

The appraisal procedureshould notchangeinany way. The meeting should be announcedinadvance, andemployees should be giventhe relevant appraisal form to fill out aheadoftimeinorder to preparea review of theirown individual performance. Thisformallows the

employee to rate theirown competencies andtheir abilityto carryout theirrole. Consistencyin theprocess is ensuredbyadhering to theproperproceduresand using theappropriate performancereview formsfor allemployees.

The appraisal form should be examinedand graded by the appraiserfollowing completion by staff andsubmitted to management If required,the meetingcan be conductedvirtually,but both partiesmustbeforthrightand fair in theirassessments. During the meeting, theappraiser should write theirown evaluation of theemployee’s performanceafterconsidering how theemployeehas appraisedtheir abilities, performance, etc.

Thisgives theemployeeand the managerthe opportunity to discussthe appraisal form and identify theemployee’sstrengths andareas forimprovement.

Attainable goals

Settingattainablegoals forthe coming year,orashorter time frame, if necessary,isthe next step in theperformance appraisal process. These goalsshouldbe agreed upon by both sidesbefore thediscussioncomes to an end. It is crucialtomakesurethat workersfully getthe reasoning behind anygoals that arebeing set, especially if they differsignificantly from thosefromthe prioryear.To comply with government regulations, thereshouldbeatleast one meetingper year to examine the employees’ progress in meeting theirgoals

Benefits

There areseveral benefitsto conducting performanceappraisals within your company, forexample performanceappraisalsallow managers to deliverfeedback to employeesinaconstructive manner andallows theemployees to reflect on theirown performance, increasing theirself-awarenessand establishing goalsfor thefuture. The processoffers thechanceto determinetrainingneedsand to give workersachancetoadvance.It also enhances employee commitment, performance, andmotivation.

To conductthe review,the appraisermustpossess the necessary abilities, characteristics, andexpertise. It is importanttoask theappropriate questions. The

CAROLINE REIDY

Managing director

The HR Suite

Ifyou areanorganisation based in the Republic of Ireland and requirefurther information or advicerelating to HR, please do not hesitate to contact TheHRSuite’s officeon(066)7102887or email info@thehrsuite.com

managerconductingthe appraisal should allowtimefor theemployee to speakopenlyabout howthey view theirperformance and managers should providehonest andconstructivefeedback regardingareas forimprovement whilst also highlightingwhere an employee is doingwell. For example,managersshouldinvite discussion by usingphrases such as “How do youfeelyou aregetting along?”,“Do youfeelwellsupported in completing your tasks?”. Additionally,the appraiser should utiliseprobing questions, whichrevealthe employee’s feelings andattitudestowards theroleand organisation.For example,“Explain more abouthow youworkedon that project”.Employers and managers need to be awareofthe areaswhere personnelare strugglingmorethaneverbefore andcreateaplantosupport them if necessary

Constructive evaluation

Overall, in aconstructive evaluation review,success is acknowledged andencouraged; performanceinthe past is examined; theappraiser actively listens; thereisopenand honest communication; andactiongoals areagreed upon Crucially, theappraisal meeting represents just asmall portionof theprocess that should be ongoing allyearlong.Toget themostout of thecompany’s most valuable resource -its people -managers should providefeedback on a regularbasis ■

No more straining for meaningless progress

Ireadanarticle recently –can’t remember exactly whereitwaswhichwas asking aboutwhy Americansinparticular, butI guessall of us in essence, are constantly striving to advanceand continually improve. Theessentialthrustwas that maybewejustneed to be happyor contentwiththe currentsituation, rather than always lookingto advancetogrowtooutperformand winatall costs.

Psychology of growth

There’sawholeschoolonthe psychologyofgrowthand its importance to mankind, andI don’tmeantoundermine the essentialroleofthose who promotegrowthamong societies. Afterall,where wouldwebeifit wasn’t forcontinuousimprovement in science,inmedicine, or in technology?

Iamremindedofthe idea of the greatwhite shark. Themostfeared animal in themosthostile of all environments canonlysurvive if it continually movesforward;ifit stands still it drowns! Thevery environmentinwhich it rulesisthe onethatprovesfatal if it doesn’t continually advance. It’s alltodo with theway itsgillsare designed

wherebyitcan take in waterand thereforeoxygen. However, leavingaside thescience,the point is,advance or die.

Business expectations

“What’sthistodowithbusiness andmarketing?” Ihearyou ask. Well!It’smoretodowiththe expectationsofbusinessnow.It seemstomethatexternal stakeholders,particularlythe stockmarketparticipants, analysts, mediaand commentators,are lookingfor quarteruponquarter shareprice growth,marketshare gain,profit growth,margingrowth, efficiency improvement, an acquisition completed, ademergersucceeded Sharepricesmovearoundevenif arumour is heard: up if thenews is seen as“good”; down if“bad”. Butbusinessesshouldn’t be expectedtoperform in aperfectly linearupwardtrajectory.

Consumersdon’t behave that way; externalfactors impact them whichcan’t be predicted. Bloombergmay getloads of news contentabout aparticular companymissing itsgrowth numbers(usually profit growth) butthe requirementfor instant,

continuous growth usually leads to cost cutting(with marketing budgetsusually beingthe number onetarget),pricing or promotion tactics(part of marketing’s remit?), endlessproduct extensionsand SKUproliferation andthe like.Mostofthese responsesare supposed to be underthe controlofthe market Andso, thedemandfor striving hasamaterialimpacton marketing’scredibilityand operationalfocus.Short termism andtactics rather than strategy

prevail. Andthere is usually a marked reductioninfocus on the consumer

What’s right for the consumer

Constantly moving forwardisa worthy aspiration (especiallyif you’re ashark)but it needstobe anchored in thedomainofwhat’s rightfor theconsumer. Businesses canonlyreallyexplain thelong term andmoveawayfromshort term striving (orstraining)if marketersare fullyincontrol and ensure that thebusinessrevolves aroundthe long-termsatisfaction of theconsumer, notjustthe stockmarket. ■

‘Marketing is in trouble: Howwe gothereand 10 stepstoget us out’ by Colin Gordonisnow availableto purchase, publishedbyOrpen Press. To getyour handsonacopy, visit thefollowing: www.orpenpress.com

While external shareholders are increasingly driving continual short-term ‘progress’, it’s essential for marketers to keep consumers’ long-term satisfaction uppermost in their strategy, writes Colin Gordon

COLIN GORDON Marketing expert

The great white shark can only survive if it continually moves forward; if it stands still it drowns!

Premium placements for Lynx Africa included a takeover of Micromedia’s Camden Corner

Posterplan Ireland and Mindshare team up in latest broadcast campaign for Lynx Africa

Out-of-home(OOH) mediaspecialistPosterplanhas joined forces with Mindshareand Unilevertoelevate Lynx Africa to greatest of all time aka‘GOAT’status.

Having sold over 400 millionunits of Lynx Africa to date andbeing sprayedover21.5m* timesevery week,Posterplanand Mindshare worked closelywithUnilevertotruly cement Lynx Africa’s well-earned GOAT status

Theout-of-home campaign launched on 8May andisrunning until theend of June with multiple bursts. Thecampaignfollows Lynx’s newlyunveiledlimited-edition packagingfor itsiconicLynxAfrica variantand it will be seen on high-impactunmissableformats across Ireland.

As thekey insightwas to maintain relevancyamongst younger consumers, thecampaignwas placed in keyareas that indexedhighly with thebrand’s audience.Premium placements includedatakeoverof Micromedia’s Camden Corner. Thetakeoveriscomprised of both classicand digitalelements -alarge banner that wraps thetop of the buildingand adigital billboardatconsumers’eye level, driving engagement.

*(Source:KantarUsage, GB Male Deodorant&GBMaleShower% Weekly Occasions. June 2018-2022)

Highest-earning Irish athletes on Instagram revealed

Newanalysishas revealed Conor McGregor as themostinfluential Irishathlete on Instagram.

Thestudy conductedbyIrish betting experts Bettingtop10 Ireland, analysed themost followedathletesinthe country’s most popularsports. The Instagramprofilesthentracked thehighest-earning Irishathletes on Instagrambased on their averageearningsper sponsored post to reveal themostinfluential IrishathletesonInstagram.

Leadingthe list is Conor McGregor,withaverage earnings of €111,495 persponsoredpost on Instagram. Themixed martial artist hasamassedafollowing of awhopping46.2 millionfans with theaccounthandle @thenotoriousmma.

In second placeisBecky Lynch, whocan rake in €13,726 on averageper sponsoredInstagram post.The most followedIrish wrestler boasts 5.6 million followers with theaccounthandle @beckylynchwwe

BoxerKatie Taylor is in third place, earning, on average€1,931

QUICK QUESTIONS WITH PATRICK WOODS managing

3. Top book recommendation?

From abusiness perspective, StartwithWhy by Simon Sinek.

4. Which social media platform do you use most? LinkedIn.

5. Favourite influencer/content creator if you have one?

Ben Francis of Gymshark.

6. Best ad on telly?

Coca-Cola Holidays are coming!

9. First thing you would do if you were Taoiseach? Fix the housing crisis.

10. If you had to live in another country, where would you choose?

France; great food, great weather and great scenery.

11. Greatest achievement to date?

Captaining my club Madden Raparees to a championship in 2013, alife-long dream come through.

persponsoredInstagram post. Heraccount@katie_t86 has garnered538,000 followers who areentertained by herpunching rendezvous andtrainingcontent

Swinging into fourth placeis golfer,Shane Lowry, while Irish rugby’sConnorMurrayrounded outthe topfiveinBettingtop10 Ireland’sstudy. ■

1. Best series you recently watched on a streaming platform? Power.

2. Best place for coffee?

4C Coffee House &Kitchen in Armagh.

3. Top movie recommendation? Top Gun Maverick.

4. Top spot for awalk? Mourne Mountains.

7. Worst ad on telly? Something forgettable!

7. Favourite grocery shop? Any grocery or healthfood store that stocks Linwoods!

8. Your favourite dish to make at home? Tuna pasta bake.

12. Best website?

www.Linwoodshealthfoods.com

13. Do you prefer working from home or in the office/on-site?

In the office for the social side of things.

14. Best piece of advice you ever received? People won’t remember what you said, but they remember how you made them feel.

15. Biggest fear? Something bad happening to one of my children.

16. City or beach break? City break.

17. Top restaurant recommendation? Ultramarinos Quintin in Madrid, Fab!

18. Who is the last artist/group you saw live? Beyonce.

19. Best customer service you ever received? In our hotel in New York as kids, awaiter called Shawn really made the holiday memorable. He made an impression as it was 25 years ago!

20. What’s the last compliment you received? “You’re the best daddy ever”, quickly followed by “can Ihave some sweets?” ■

Anew study has revealed Conor McGregor as the highest-earning Irish sportsperson on Instagram, raking in awhopping ¤111,495 per sponsored post

director, Linwoods

Patrick Woods

Don’t mind if IBaileys...

If this month’s ‘My Favourite’ column celebrating NOffLA members’ favourite, Ray McCann of The Vintry Off-Licence in Rathgar, Dublin, reveals apenchant for atrue Irish classic

I’m not old enough to remember lifebeforeBaileys Irish Cream, but Ihaveadistant memory of my parents sipping dark, mysterious and exotic TiaMaria. Then... along came Baileys.My mother adored it. Out went the aromas of coffeeand rum, in came the smooth, creamy, velvety flavours of milk chocolate and whiskey:Baileys

Baileys wasintroduced in 1974 as the firstIrish cream liqueur on the market. Its formulation was based on the surfeit of alcohol from aloss-making distillery and asurplus of cream from the old ExpressDairies. Its initial formulation processtook all of 45 minutes. Therestishistory

It became our tipple of choice: asource of celebration forthe good times, and of comfort for the bad. We were very easyto shop foratChristmas. Thesense of comfort and well-being that Baileys conveyshas never

diminished forme. In spiteofits manynew iterations overthe years (Mint Chocolate,Crème Caramel, Coffee, Hazelnut, Pumpkin Spiceaswell as its Vegan-friendly Almande), the classic Baileys has neverchanged -and no preservatives are needed as its alcohol content preserves the cream.

Here, in TheVintry Off-Licence in Rathgar (RedbreastSpirit Specialistofthe Year 2023), our range of spirits and sundries continues to grow.And as the public’s tasteschange,we continue to evolvewith them. From vermouths and bitters, from Crème de Cassis to Crème de Cacao,syrups and mixers, Irish, Scotch, Japanese and American whiskeys, Gins and Rums, Tequila, Cachaça, Poitín, Grappa and Vodka. From St.Germain to Teichenné Butterscotch Schnapps, from Averna to Jäegermeister, and even acouple

of Baileys competitors Coole Swan and FiveFarms.

But some things will never change.Onthe night we lostour beloveddog Max, we raised a glass, laughed and cried, looked

at his placeonthe couch and remembered his manic delight when let loose on abeach. Baileys formeisasource of solaceand delight. And so no,I don’t mind if IBaileys

NOffLA Council members announced for 2023/2024

Your Council representatives for2023/2024 areasfollows:

1BARRYJim Costcutter,Kinvara,Co. Galway

2BOYLE Judith Boyle’sOff-LicenceKildareLeinster

3CULLEN TommyJus de Vine,Portmarnock S.C., Co.Dublin

Dublin

4DEVENEY Ruth Deveney’sofDundrum, Dublin 16 Dublin

5DUNNE PeterMitchell &Son, Thechq Building, IFSC, Docklands, Dublin 1Dublin

6HEMPHILL AmyMitchell’sWine &Spirit Merchants, Glasthule,Co. Dublin Dublin

7JONES Evelyn TheVintry,Rathgar,Dublin Dublin

8KELLER PatKeller’s Carry Out Off-Licence, Nenagh, Co.Tipperary

9MOLLOY RichardThe MolloyGroup,Dublin

10 MONAGHAN Phyllis TheCoach House Off-Licence, Ballinteer,Dublin 16

Munster

11 MC HUGH Cathal McHugh’sOff-Licence, Kilbarrack Road, Dublin 5Dublin

12 O’DONOVANGary O’Donovan’sOff-LicenceHQ, Little Island, Co.Cork Munster

13 O’REILLYBrendan DiceysBottle Store, Ballyshannon, Co.Donegal

Conn/Ulster

14 REDMOND JimmyJames Redmond &Sons Ltd., Ranelagh, Dublin 6Dublin

15 SHIEL John Londis, Malahide,Co. Dublin Dublin

16 SWEENEY Padraig Sweeney’sD3Dublin

If you have any queries regarding NOffLA membership or services, please contact our administrator, Reggie Walsh, at Block D, Unit 6, Nutgrove Office Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14, by telephone on 01 -296 2326, by fax on 01 -296 2451 or by email at info@noffla.ie.

NOffLA website can be found at www.noffla.ie. ■

Ray McCann

Cadbury Supporter &AHalf campaign launches FAICadbury Kick Fit with ambassador and ROI Caption Katie McCabe

The Cadbury Supporter &AHalf campaign has launched anew initiative, FAICadbury Kick Fit, which aims to raise awarenessand encourage participation in senior women’sfootball. Theprogramme is targeting over20grassroots clubs acrossIreland including Dublin, Wicklow, Kildare, Mayo,Cork, Limerick, Kerry,Clare, Tipperary,Longford and manymore; aiming to encourage over600 women to takepart.

Thepilot programme will run foreight weeksthis summer and is afun, non-competitivesocial programme forwomen to keep fit and create asocial group,while encouraging recruitment of coaches and players to clubs.

SinceCadbury’spartnership with the FAIbegan in 2021, over30 grassroots clubs have already benefited from Cadbury’ssupport.

“Cadbury Supporter &AHalf continues to see Cadbury Ireland takean activerole in the FAI’sstrategy to raise awarenessand grow the women’sgame in Ireland through acts of generosity,which is synonymous with the brand,”said managing director of Mondelez Ireland, Eoin Kellett. “Our retail partners arehuge supporters of our in-store promotions, thus allowing consumers to support women’s football. We encourage women nationwide to get out and takepart in Cadbury Kick Fit in their local area.”

Formoreinformation on Supporter &AHalf see cadbury.ie/supporter or follow@CadburyIreland. To registerfor FAICadbury Kick Fit, see fai.ie/domestic/take-partprogrammes/cadbury-kick-fit

Cadbury ambassador and Ireland

Women’s National Team captain, Katie McCabe with Pearl Slattery, FAI programme coordinator, Women’s Football and Eileen Leahy, brand manager, Chocolate Together Time –Tablets, Bevs &Bites

‘Discoverthe unseen’ with Nordic Spirit Watermelon

Ready to experiencethe taste of summer?

Thelimited-edition Nordic Spirit Watermelon flavour is back stronger than ever.Now your customers can experiencethe refreshing taste of the tropics in the new‘Strong’ nicotine strength.

Nordic Spirit offers 100% tobacco free nicotine pouches; the more convenient and discreet way to enjoynicotine with no smokeorvapour They can be used anytime,anywhere.

Thebrand advises stocking up nowwith Nordic Spirit Watermelon Strong, available foralimited time only *(18+. This product contains nicotine.Nicotine is an addictivesubstance)

SuperValu’sSignatureTastes Irish Strawberries signal summer’s return

SuperValu’sSignature Tastes Irish Strawberries have provedafirm favouritewith Irish customers, and the flavoursome fruit is nowback in-store.Only available at the height of the season, SuperValu’sSignature Tastes Irish Strawberries areknown fortheir sweet, vibrant flavours, and quality taste and texture. Thestrawberries areproduced by Keeling’sin North County Dublin, who have been operating and innovating in the fresh produceindustry since1926, and nowemployover2,700people With sustainability at the heart of their operations, Keeling’sgrow, source,and market high-quality produce, farming over2,000 acres.

This summer,SuperValu’s‘BestTasting Now’ campaign will inform customers of local and Irish produced food thatoffers premium taste and flavour when in-season. Grownfromthe premium Zaraand Lusa varieties, SuperValu’sSignatureTastesIrish Strawberries have won severalinternational awards.

Thecampaign is being undertaken due to growing consumer interest in seasonal, Irish produce. In fact, SuperValu expects to sell double the volume of SignatureTastesIrish Strawberries this season when compared to 2022.

“I am delighted to see our BestTasting Nowcampaign return to stores around Ireland, so thatwecan advise our customers of the fantastic local and Irish in-season product on offer,” said Ian Allen, managing director,SuperValu. “I look forwardtoenjoying manyofthese premium fruits throughout the season.”

Move ahead with the newLogic vape

Logic’s latest pod vaping deviceliterally moveswith your customers; the ‘MOOV’ technology lets them control it with simple hand gestures.

With the newMOOV technology,the person’s movement becomes the controls, and the devicespeaksback to them via haptic feedback. Nowall your adult customers can owntheir ownvaping experiencewith aSwipe,Flip or Double Taptoactivatefeatures and check battery levels.

To activatethe devicefor its firstuse,simply connect to the charger, swipe up to unlock the deviceand go

Alongside the newdevice, Logic is proud to launch its newWelcome Kit. This includes four intense flavours to discover: Classic Tobacco,Peppermint, Berry Mint and NewMango

Thebrand advises retailers to stock up nowand MOOVahead with Logic. JTI’sSalesforce and our customer services team is on hand to provide expert support and adviceabout the Logic range and help youmaximise vaping category sales. Youcan order Logic products through its web ordering portal JTI Engage,your local JTI trade marketer,bycalling JTI customer services on 01-404-5400,orthrough cash and carry ■

Denis Kenny, senior grower manager at Keeling’s