in FMCG

Daybreak to open 37 new stores

Daybreak has announced an €8.2 million investment in its store expansion programme for 2023. The investment will see Daybreak grow its nationwide presence with the opening of 37 new stores, from 300 currently The move will also support up to 500 jobs across local communities, bringing the total employment figure at Daybreak to almost 4,700. The expansion and investment programme will bring the Daybreak network to 360 stores nationwide by 2025.

Dunnes tops the pole

and retail from across Ireland

Spar celebrates 60th anniversary in Ireland

According to Kantar figures, Dunnes holds the highest share amongst all retailers at 23.2%, with growth of 13.4% yearon-year Tesco holds 22.1% of the market with growth of 13.6% year-on-year, and the strongest frequency growth amongst all retailers, up 12.8%. SuperValu holds 20.6% of the market and growth of 4.2%, with shoppers making the most trips in-store when compared to all retailers, an increase of 12.1% year-on-year Lidl now holds 13.3% share while Aldi holds 12.3% share of the market.

Month-long celebrations drive highest footfall since March 2020

Take-home grocery sales in Ireland increased in the four weeks to 19 March 2023, according to the latest data from Kantar, thanks to a month of celebrations including Mother’s Day, St Patrick’s Day and the Irish rugby team winning the Six Nations Grand Slam. Value grocery sales increased by 13.3%, up from 10.2% in February, as the average price per pack increased by 13.8%. In the 12 weeks to 19 March 2023, take-home grocery sales increased by 9.5%, contributing an additional €268m to the overall market performance.

Contactless payments increased by over 31% in 2022

Almost €17.9 billion in contactless payments were made in 2022, the highest level recorded since 2016 and a jump of 31.4% on 2021, according to the latest Payments Monitor Q4 2022 from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland (BPFI). Online and mobile banking payments also continued to surge with volumes doubling between 2006 and 2022. The last quarter of 2022 saw three million contactless payments per day valued at €53 million making this the highest daily contactless spend in any quarter since the data series began in 2016.

FoodCloud strengthens leadership team

FoodCloud has announced new appointments to its leadership team to help deliver a more equitable, inclusive, and circular food system by 2030 Sheena Forde has been appointed as partnerships director and Angela Ruttledge as public affairs and stakeholder manager, with Paula Doherty stepping down from the board to take an active role in managing the innovation strategy for the company. FoodCloud has joined the Global FoodBanking Network with funding from Irish Aid to research and pilot its technology solution with African food banks.

Aldi Adamstown opens with the creation of 30 new local jobs

Aldi’s nationwide expansion continued this month with the opening of a new store in Adamstown, Co Dublin, creating 30 new permanent jobs in the local area. Located at The Crossings at Adamstown, the store will be managed by Dmitri Sakovits. The new store is Aldi’s 25th to open in County Dublin, bringing its total portfolio across Ireland to 156 stores.

Spar ambassador and Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington has launched a €60,000 Spar 60th Community Fund to celebrate the brand’s 60th year in Ireland. The new initiative will see Spar invest €60,000 back into local communities to drive positive change and impact. Through the Spar 60th Community Fund, six local community clubs, groups or programmes will be rewarded €10,000 each, along with the chance to meet Harrington and take her on in a fun series of challenges. Applications will close on 30 April.

Limerick retailer loses €250,000 a year through retail crime

A family-run convenience store in Limerick is losing €250,000 a year, as a result of shoplifting and break-ins, its owner has said. The Gleeson family, who have five shops in the city are becoming increasingly concerned by shoplifting gangs, who often use electric bikes. “They hit at any time, running through the store grabbing anything they can and then speeding off on electric bikes on which they can easily negotiate traffic. They don’t seem to care and we are very concerned for the safety of our staff and customers,” company director Michael Gleeson said.

Tesco deputy manager loses ‘unfair dismissal’ over three cans of Red Bull

A Tesco deputy manager who lost his job after drinking three cans of Red Bull worth €9.45 which he did not pay for, has lost his claim for unfair dismissal. John Herd claimed he “forgot to pay” for the energy drinks on three separate occasions in October 2021, because he was “on the verge of being made homeless” and was not sleeping well as a result of his distress. However, Tesco argued that its “bond of trust” with Herd was broken and it was therefore reasonable to sack him from his €33,900-a-year post. This decision has also been supported by the Workplace Relations Commission. ■

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

50 years of the retail barcode: on 3 April 1973, retail industry leaders agreed on a single standard for product identification: the barcode This early collaboration led to the birth of GS1, the organisation with global reach that would facilitate industry collaboration and develop future global standards.

In the 1970s, the GS1 barcode transformed retail, ensuring that all items instore had a global and unique digital identity Since then, GS1 global data standards have powered more reliable and transparent supply chains.

Today and beyond, GS1 empowers industry’s digital transformation to ultimately benefit consumers and patients. New 2D barcodes will unlock new benefits for businesses, people and society

Barcodes – a digital thread connecting products and people

We see and scan barcodes every day of our lives. But how often do we consider where they come from, what data they contain or the beneficial impact they have on our lives, both professionally and personally?

From shopping apps and intelligent fridges to exploring a product’s traceability and sustainability credentials, the barcode and a product’s identity profile are an invisible thread that enables a digital link between consumers, retailers and producers, anywhere in the world.

With omni-channel commerce now expected as the norm, business and consumers alike want to know about a product’s availability online or locally, and to see real-time stock levels.

As trading partner and regulatory requirements evolve, there is an ever greater need to efficiently and accurately manage and share the hundreds of data attributes associated with each product. GS1 identification and data sharing standards and tools can help to do this efficiently and accurately

This month, GS1 is celebrating the 50th birthday of the barcode number (GTIN) and in reviewing that history, is also looking forward to the new standards and innovations that can further enhance supply chains across all industry sectors.

Did you know? Over 1 billion products carry GS1 barcodes and are scanned every day across the world.

What’s in a barcode?

A barcode is simply data printed in a machine-readable format. A barcode scanner works by measuring the widths of the bars and the spaces in a barcode symbol.

What is a GTIN?

While the word “barcode” typically refers to the printed symbol or image, a GTIN - or Global Trade Item Number - is the official term for the actual product identifier or “barcode number” printed under a symbol and encoded in the black lines.

A GTIN is created from an allocated prefix licenced to organisations by a GS1 office There are 13 digits in a GTIN that is encoded into an EAN 13 symbol. You may see a GTIN 8 on very small products, or a 12-digit UPC, which is the most common barcode number and symbol in North America. Retail scanners are set up to read all of the main symbol types and different length identifiers.

Additionally, 14 digit identifiers, encoded into ITF 14 or GS1 128 symbols are often found throughout the transport and logistics parts of the supply chain and are used in warehouses for stockkeeping and ordering processes.

Is a GTIN just a bunch of random numbers?

No, a GTIN is made up of a number of elements including a Company Prefix (licenced by GS1 to an organisation), an Item Reference Number and a Check Digit. The check digit is calculated by an algorithm to ensure the integrity of the complete number

What’s the difference between a barcode and a GTIN?

A ‘barcode’ refers to the printed symbol, the black and white lines and spaces that can be read by a barcode scanner at the point of sale, in a warehouse, or in a hospital or pharmacy, for example ‘GTIN’ refers to the number beneath this symbol, which uniquely identifies the item.

Can GTINs from GS1 Ireland only be used to sell products in Ireland?

No, GS1 GTINs, regardless of which licenced country prefix they are allocated from, can be used by producers, distributors and retailers worldwide

What types of barcode symbol are there?

Different types of barcode symbol are used depending upon the product and where the item is going to be scanned e.g at supermarket checkout, in a warehouse or even in a hospital operating theatre. The most common barcode symbol (the actual image) found on a grocery product is called an EAN 13 symbol.

What size should a barcode symbol be?

The EAN 13 symbol is the most commonly used of all the GS1 symbols. It is typically found on items sold at a retail point of sale The target size for a printed EAN 13 symbol is 37.29 mm x 27.85 mm. It is important to ensure that sufficient space is provided on packaging labels to print high quality, scannable symbols. Barcode symbol specifications can be downloaded from the GS1 website.

For further information on barcode standards and implementation, visit https://www.gs1ie.org/barcodes/ ■