Retail News May 2013

May 2013

CK O T S W UP

NO

SMOKING KILLS Irish Government Warning

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Contents The Heat Is On RETAILERS need to get active when it comes to the illicit trade by ensuring it gets priority politically, thereby helping to protect their business. Such is the message from Retail Ireland Chairman, Frank Gleeson, as he discusses a new report, ‘Illicit Trade in Ireland: Uncovering the cost to the Irish economy’ (Page 4). “Retailers are far too passive,” argues Gleeson, in a hard-hitting story that reveals the extent of black market smuggling on Irish retailers and the Exchequer.

Also inside, independent TD John Halligan has called on supermarkets to freeze prices in order to combat food poverty in Ireland, while Vincent Jennings, CEO of the CSNA, argues that it is time that retailers were allowed to set the price for tobacco products (both Page 5).

In our Retail News Interview, Griffin Group MD, Seamus Griffin reveals the secrets behind his successful group of Londis stores, calls on the Government and local authorities to take a realistic approach to rents and rates, and describes how his stores have worked with Londis to offer real value to consumers (Page 18).

Meanwhile, we present the annual Retail News Summer Stocking special, where we focus on the brands guaranteed to fly off your shelves this summer season (Page 26-55), including BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings (Page 34), Wine (Page 40), Beer & Cider (Page 46), Soft Drinks (Page 50) and Spirits (Page 54).

4

Retailers Called to Arms Over Illicit Trade.

5

TD Calls for Supermarket Price Freeze; CSNA Calls for End to Set Tobacco Prices.

6

ABFI Slams Sensational Grooming Claims; National Lottery Annual Results; Topaz Driving Loyalty.

7

8

Record Share for Discounters; MRPI Wins Green Retailer Award.

Shop Profile

16 Sean Mulrooney’s flagship Gala store in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, is a shining example of how an innovative retailer can thrive in today’s retail environment.

18 Seamus Griffin, MD of the Griffin Group of 17 stores, calls for a realistic approach to rents and rates and reveals the secrets of successfully trading through a recession.

22 Retail Ireland

Launches Major Report into Illicit Trade; Minister for Social Protection Addresses Retail Ireland Members; Calls for New InterDepartmental Group to Help Retail.

8

Kathleen Belton Editorial & Marketing Director.

fast approaching, we profile the brands guaranteed to be the big winners this summer across a host of categories, including BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings; Wine; Beer & Cider; Soft Drinks; and Spirits.

Retail News Interview

Musgrave Group Reports Sales Increase; Aldi to Create 300 New Jobs; Differentiate to Win Loyalty: TCC.

Tesco Ireland Increases Sales; Irish Consumers Remain Resilient; SuperValu Introduces Self Scanning; Appointment at Gala Retail Services; IPSO Scam Alert.

26 With the sunny season

18

Retail Ireland: Monthly Update

9

Summer Stocking

Exhibition Preview

24 A host of special

features ensure that the inaugural Food & Hospitality Ireland trade show, incorporating SHOP, is not to be missed.

34 Off Licence

38 Carry Out Express is a new franchise offering which provides a sustainable low cost entry franchise model for off licences and independent convenience stores with sales of less than €10,000 per week.

Cheese

58 The cheese sector is bucking the recession, as consumers stock up for lunch boxes, as well as a rise in home dining and entertainment.

Regulars & Reports

10 Industry News 26 Summer Stocking: Summer Sellers

34 Summer Stocking: BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings

39 Summer Stocking:

Managing Director: Patrick Aylward

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56 Market News 62 Shelf Life

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Retailers Called Arms Over

Illicit Trade RETAIL business in Ireland is being hit harder than ever by black market products.

Customers under 30 years no longer purchase cigarettes from newsagents in some provincial towns “because they know where to get them on the black market”, former Assistant Garda Commissioner Tony Hickey told Retail News.

Concerns for the retail industry - and the effects of illegal tobacco, fuel, and other commodities - are laid out in a new report, Illicit Trade in Ireland: Uncovering the Cost to the Irish Economy, published by Grant Thornton and Retail Ireland. Frank Gleeson, Chairman of Retail Ireland, called on retailers to talk to their local TD or public representative to put illicit trade on the agenda.

“You have to do it at a top level, but you have to do it at a grassroots level too,” said

Frank Gleeson, Chairman, Retail Ireland.

Gleeson. “I draw a parallel with the farmers. If this was a farming issue, they’d be banging the door down of their local TD. Retailers are far too passive.”

Hickey, formerly in charge of a drug squad, helped inform the report. The illegal cigarette and fuel trade is linked with large crime operations and terrorism, he said. “European criminals have turned from smuggling drugs to cigarettes.

For many years, cigarette smugglers in Europe would switch from cigarettes to cannabis, and then eventually to cocaine, imported to Spain and the Iberian Peninsula from South America. There is some international evidence, because of the severe penalties in drug trafficking, that some of them have switched back to cigarettes.

Cigarettes are bulkier, but the profits are amazing. The risks to the couriers or traffickers are relatively minor in comparison to drugs.”

Last year, Retail Ireland issued the report, Tackling the Black Market in Ireland. The new report, compiled by Grant Thornton, is more in-depth and explores the revenue loss to supply, retail and the Exchequer from illicit trades.

It amounts to an estimated €1.5bn in losses (without taking into consideration environmental enforcement or regulatory costs).

Retail sales, according to the report, are down 30% since

2008. Illegal tobacco, as well as the recession, is largely to blame.

A spokesperson for the Revenue Commissioners told Retail News: “The smuggling and sale of cigarettes and other illicit tobacco products is a serious threat to legitimate businesses and to the Exchequer. A survey undertaken by IPSOS MRBI for Revenue and the Health Service Executive’s National Tobacco Control Office indicates that 13% of all smokers were classified as having an illegal pack in 2012, and that a further 7% of all packs were legal NonIrish Duty Paid (e.g. cigarettes legitimately brought into the State by persons arriving from other countries). The comparable figures from a similar survey carried out in 2011 are 15% and 8% respectively.”

Ireland currently has the second highest price of tobacco in the EU, at €9.30 a packet, so illegal traders can make high margins. “The smuggler can buy a packet in China for 50c or in Belarus for €1.50,” said Gleeson. “You do the maths on that.”

Since tobacco sales traditionally make up 30% of newsagent sales, retailers are hit where it hurts. Footfall and discretionary category sales are also affected.

The report also explores the blight of illegal fuel around Ireland, which costs the Exchequer up to €260m

Illicit Trade in Ireland: Uncovering the Cost to the Irish Economy, published by Grant Thornton and Retail Ireland. in annual losses. Forecourt retailers are under pressure as a result. Gleeson continued: “With the illicit guys selling below a sustainable level, legitimate operators are losing volume and income. As a result, they have to cut costs. Labour is the first thing to go.”

According to the report, illegal food and alcohol are also commonplace, although data on these products is scarce.

According to Tony Hickey, retailers largely play by the rules. “There are over 36,000 inspections of newsagents all over the country. Over 97% are compliant. Out of all those, there are only 40 prosecutions, 30 convictions,” he said.

The report calls for more intelligent solutions in finding and closing down supply chains.

There should be more stringent fines and robust enforcement.

But is anyone listening?

“Government is listening,” said Gleeson. “We have done a

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to

number of road shows around the country with Oireachtas Groups and TDs. We need strong legislation and an action plan. Minister Perry, Minister of State with responsibility for Small Business, has promised us some action in June and July. He’s promised to bring proposals to cabinet that will strengthen and bring a crossagency action plan that will help tackle the problem.”

Meanwhile, Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) are calling for a review of laws governing casual trading and a clampdown on markets and fairs across Ireland because many such outlets are hubs for black market activity.

At a private meeting organised by Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS) in Swords, Co. Dublin, attendees, including retailers, Gardaí, Revenue and Government TDs, were shown photographic evidence of illegal cigarette selling taking place openly at some of the country’s best-known markets. “Illegal cigarettes are being sold openly at a number of markets and nothing is being done about it,” argued retailer Benny Gilsenan, RAS Spokesperson.

“It is about time that the Government stopped paying lip service and acted decisively to stop this problem. There needs to be a clampdown on markets across the country and tougher laws need to be brought in to fine smugglers and illegal sellers.”

TD Calls for Supermarket Price Freeze AN independent TD has called on supermarkets to freeze prices in order to combat food poverty in Ireland. John Halligan TD, from Waterford, told Retail News he made a Dáil presentation on the matter after encountering a family in Waterford who subsided on beans and chips.

“In the Ireland of today, if you’re not working and don’t have reasonable wages, or if you are relying on social welfare payment or subsistence from St Vincent de Paul, it’s almost impossible to survive,” he said.

Halligan asked the Taoiseach to introduce a two-year price freeze on basic food items, including butter, milk, sugar, tea, and baby food. The TD proposed that large supermarket chains Independent TD for Waterford, John Halligan. should be brought before Government to be told: “’We know you’re creating jobs, but you’re making substantial profits. Would you be prepared to enact a price freeze for two or three years until we get out of the mess we’re in?’

“France and other countries have enacted this,” he continues. “I don’t understand why everyone has had to take cuts - people on social welfare, middle income groups, disability groups - but the supermarket chains are not prepared to take cuts.”

Halligan cited data from the Consumers Association of Ireland, which suggested that the price on a basket of branded items increased by 12.6% between 2011 and 2013, despite the inflation rate being only 1.7%. Retail Excellence Ireland, however, dismissed the Association’s findings.

According to the TD, Tesco refers to its Irish operation as ‘Treasure Ireland’. The supermarket chain declines to reveal profits, although Tesco Ireland recorded sales of €3.15 billion in the year to February 2013, an increase from €3.09 billion last year. In 2010, a report from UK stockbroker Shore Capital suggested Tesco makes more profit than in any other part of the world, bar South Korea.

Surely a price freeze would be inherently anti-competitive? “I agree with competitiveness,” said Halligan. “I’m a socialist but not a radical left. Under the present economic circumstances, where we’re asking everyone to take cuts in their wages - most workers have lost between 18% and 24% wages in three or four years - supermarkets should fall in line with everyone else.”

In 1997, under the Retail Prices (Intoxicating Liquor) Order, Government introduced a freeze on the price of alcoholic drinks sold in the Dublin area. “If you can do it on drink, you can do it on food,” noted the TD. In response to Halligan’s Dáil presentation, Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore TD said the Government would respond with legislation: the Consumer and Competition Bill would protect consumers against overpricing. “Tesco get a fair deal in Ireland,” Halligan told Retail News. “We’re asking them to help out the economy and take a price freeze.”

CSNA Calls for End to Set Tobacco Prices

Vincent Jennings, CEO, CSNA.

VINCENT Jennings, CEO of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association, has called for the Government to allow retailers to set the prices for tobacco products.

“With any other product, when our costs go up, we are entitled to make a market-based decision as to whether we subsume that price or increase the price pro rata,” he says. “But if Michael Noonan puts up the price of a packet of cigarettes, it is costing us more to stock it, to insure it and perhaps costing us in fewer sales.”

He warns that if the Government decided to increase the price of a packet of cigarettes, for example by €2 each year over a period of five years, retailers’ margins would be severely eroded.

Jennings also points to the fact that tobacco prices in vending machines are higher than those sold in retail outlets. “The Department are saying to all retailers, who have high labour costs, that you cannot sell the product for anything other than the price determined by tobacco companies, but people who have machines can charge slightly more.”

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ABFI Slams Sensational Grooming Claims

Kathryn D’Arcy, Director, Alcohol Beverage Federation of Ireland.

ALCOHOL Beverage Federation of Ireland (ABFI), the association which represents alcohol manufactures and suppliers in Ireland, has slammed recent comments by Alcohol Action Ireland that the drinks industry is ‘grooming’ the next generation of drinkers through sponsorship as misinformed and sensational.

“Misinformed, sensational language – such as the comments made by Alcohol Action Ireland - undermines the debate on alcohol sponsorship, and undermines the 62,000 people working in a legitimate industry,” said ABFI Director, Kathryn D’Arcy. ”The claims made by Alcohol Action Ireland

of ‘Ireland’s runaway drinking’, stating that we are the ‘heaviest drinkers on earth’ are simply incorrect. Alcohol consumption in this country has fallen by over 19% since 2001, and is fast approaching European norms.”

She described Alcohol Action Ireland’s claims that Ireland has “ridiculously lax advertising and sponsorship guidelines” as simply not true, describing Ireland as “one of the most tightly regulated systems in the world”. D’Arcy maintained that the drinks industry wants to ensure that the issue of underage drinking is addressed in an informed and balanced manner. To this end, the industry has proposed a four-point plan to Government

to address alcohol misuse, including a Government-backed single code of practice for alcohol marketing, promotion, sponsorship, supply and sale; the expansion of a multistakeholder programme of consumer education and information campaigns to effect attitudinal and behavioural change, delivered through drinkaware.ie; and the introduction of Irish unit information and pregnancy advice labels on pre-packaged alcohol products.

“A wide stakeholder response to alcohol misuse in this country is what is required,” she concluded, “rather than sensational language and misinformation.”

National Lottery Annual Results THE National Lottery has reported sales of €735.1m in 2012, which, although down 3.5% on the previous year, was a robust performance in what continues to be a very difficult retail environment.

In 2012, the National Lottery raised a further €225.3m for good causes exceeding its targets for the year. This represented 30.6% of sales, up from 30.5% in 2011 and brought the overall total raised since the National Lottery was established to over €4.2 billion.

National Lottery players shared a total prize fund of €406.4m, representing a 55% prize pay-out level. In addition to the large jackpot wins, 782 players won prizes of €10,000

or more across all games during the year. The combined sales of Lotto related games in 2012 were €339.7m, compared to €379.1m in 2011, reflecting lower average jackpot levels during the year.

The fall in Lotto game sales was compensated for by the strong performance of EuroMillions, Scratch Cards and the new Daily Million game. The EuroMillions game continued to grow in 2012, with a 3.2% increase in sales to a record €131.5m, up from €127.4m in the previous year. The Scratch Card games category was also very successful in 2012, achieving an increase in sales for the second year in a row, against the overall retail trend. Sales

were €163.5m, up 3.2% from €158.4m in the previous year. The Daily Million game replaced Monday Million and All or Nothing, which had sales of €11.4m and €3.9m respectively up to September 2012.

“2012 will be remembered as the year when Ireland’s National Lottery passed the €4 billion milestone in terms of funds raised for good causes,” said Dermot Griffin, Chief Executive, National Lottery. “In a challenging retail environment, we generated a surplus of €225.3m, compared to €231.9m in the previous year. Key highlights during the year included the development of our social media strategy with the launch of our

Dermot Griffin, Chief Executive, National Lottery.

Facebook page in January, the 25th Anniversary Draw and the successful launch of the new Daily Million game in September.”

Topaz Driving Loyalty TALLAGHT native Graham Bushe is driving to cloud nine after winning a brand new car in Topaz’s new Play or Park loyalty game. 58-year-old Graham drove off in his new, stylish four-door Seat Ibiza 1.2 SE after he claimed the

Play or Park prize for April.

As well as winning a new car, the overall package valued at €20K includes free petrol and insurance for a year. Graham is pictured receiving his new car from Karl Thompson, Topaz Area Manager for South Dublin.

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Record Share for Discounters THE latest supermarket share figures from Kantar Worldpanel in Ireland, published today for the 12 weeks ending April 14, show the discounters continue to set the pace, with Aldi and Lidl posting respective growth rates of 28.5% and 7.3% and gaining a record share of the market.

“Aldi and Lidl hold a combined 13.1% record share of the grocery market,” David Berry, Commercial Director at Kantar Worldpanel, explains. “Both retailers have succeeded in recruiting more shoppers, while also encouraging existing customers to spend more.” The average spend by a discounter shopper has increased from €187 last year to €209 in the same 12 week period this year.

“The winning performance of the discounters has placed significant competitive pressure on the other retailers,” Berry maintained. SuperValu has posted the strongest response with an extra 80,000 shoppers driving growth of 1.3% and keeping it ahead of the market. Superquinn is another positive performer for the Musgrave Group, recording sales growth for the second successive month.

Meanwhile, growth for Dunnes Stores continues, albeit at a lower rate of 0.4% leading to a slight dip in market share to 22.5%. Tesco continues to perform behind the market, with its share now standing at 27.7%.

The Kantar figures also found a drop in food price inflation from 5.7% last month to 5.3%, which Berry feels “will be a welcome boost for shoppers, following the recent high of 5.8% in February. Fruit and vegetables have had the biggest impact on inflation, with prices now increasing at a slower rate. Vegetable prices rose by over 13% last month and this has fallen back to 12.7%.”

MARKET SHARE - TOTAL GROCERY Includes expenditure across Food, Beverages, Alcohol, Household and Health & Beauty categories

Total Take Home Grocery - Ireland Consumer Spend

Total Grocers

12 Weeks to 15 April 2012 %*

12 Weeks to 14 April 2013 %*

change %

100.0%

100.0%

1.0

Total Multiples Tesco Dunnes

87.6% 28.2% 22.6%

88.7% 27.7% 22.5%

2.3 -0.9 0.4

SuperValu Superquinn Total Discounters Aldi Lidl Other Outlets**

19.8% 5.7% 11.3% 5.0% 6.3% 12.4%

19.8% 5.6% 13.1% 6.4% 6.6% 11.3%

1.3 0.9 16.8 28.5 7.3 -8.0

*= Percentage Share of Total Grocers **= Includes stores such as M&S, Boots, Spar, Centra, Greengrocers, Butchers and Cross Border Shops

MRPI Wins Green Retailer Award MUSGRAVE Retail Partners Ireland has won the Green Retailer Award at the 2013 Annual Green Awards. The retailer, which includes the SuperValu and Centra groups, was recognised for implementing its ‘Energy Under Performing Store‘ programme, which included energy training for staff and using a variety of energy technologies including LED lighting and glass door retrofits to refrigeration cabinets.

Its programme of John Harrington (centre), Director, RealEyes, presents The Green Retailer Award to Eddie sustainability has reaped many benefits for the retailer, including Cane (right) and Dan McCartney (left) from an annual energy savings of Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland at the 8.6GWh, which equates to a saving Energy Awards 2013. of €1.2m.

Logistics Barcoding Need to know about allocating and printing SSCC codes?

Many retailers now require suppliers to ship orders with a logistics label containing a code called an SSCC. An SSCC is a Serial Shipping Container Code, a unique identifier for a shipment; be that a single case, a pallet or an entire consignment. In addition to the SSCC, the logistics label may also contain the barcode number for the product(s) on the order and other useful information such as quantities, weight, expiry dates or batch numbers.

An SSCC is generated from a company’s GS1 Global Company Prefix (GCP); the prefix used for allocating the 13 digit barcode numbers found on most retail products today.

An SSCC is 18 digits in length, consisting of the company’s GS1 Prefix, a serialised item reference and a check digit. The check digit can be calculated online using the GS1 Check Digit Calculator.

To print an SSCC in barcode format the GS1128 symbology is used. The Application Identifier (AI) for an SSCC is 00. An AI is what a barcode scanner uses to understand the various pieces of data contained within the symbol. Features such as AIs are one of the main reasons why the GS1 System of Standards is used in industry today.

Everyone who uses the system can decode all GS1 barcodes, ensuring a seamless supply chain.

Full GS1 identification number and barcode symbology specifications can be found on the GS1 Ireland website, www.gs1ie.org.

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Musgrave Group Reports Sales Increase MUSGRAVE Group has reported sales of €4.9 billion for 2012, up 11% on the previous year, delivering a profit before tax of €72m, an increase of 3%, in its financial results for the year ended 31 December 2012.

Total retail sales, which is the combined turnover of Musgrave’s retail brands, was €7 billion, up 9% on 2011.

Net debt was reduced by 24% to €143m, with net assets increasing to €462m.

“2012 was another year of challenging economic circumstances with continued austerity budgets, which has further cemented the changed mindset of consumers, who

remain focused on spending less. Against this backdrop, we delivered a good financial performance,” noted Chris Martin, Musgrave Group Chief Executive.

He attributed the Group’s success to their ‘Winning in the New World’ strategy, which saw them further sharpen their offer to consumers, leverage their scale and improve operations across the Group.

“In 2012, we reduced our costs through simplification and re-organisation. As a result, we have been able to deliver further value to the consumer and support our retail partners,” he said. “In 2013,

as we enter the second year of our strategy, we are seeing our sales improve in Ireland as the economy begins to stabilise, whereas we are tackling the challenges presented in the UK and Spain, where those economies are weakening.

“Our focus in all three markets will be on strengthening our retail brands and exploring opportunities to take our brands further and to build on our growth agenda. In doing so, we will continue to deliver sustainable profits for our retail partners and our own business, whilst offering outstanding value for consumers.”

Aldi to Create 300 New Jobs ALDI is to create 300 new jobs in Ireland within the next three years as part of an expansion programme of its Irish store network. The announcement was made at the official opening of Aldi’s landmark 100th Irish store in Callan, Co. Kilkenny.

The expansion programme will see Aldi open 20 new stores, with each store

employing 15 people. The new stores will be located throughout the country, including East Wall Road in Dublin, Greystones in Co. Wicklow, Tralee in Co. Kerry, Ballybofey in Co. Donegal and Charleville in Co. Cork.

“Our new multi-million euro investment underpins our ongoing commitment and support to Ireland, our customers, staff and Irish suppliers, producers and manufacturers,” said Niall O’Connor, Group Buying Director of Aldi Stores (Ireland). “We pledge to continue offering Irish consumers the highest quality groceries and prices that can’t be matched for many more years Pictured at the official opening of Aldi’s milestone 100th Irish store to come.” in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, are hurling legend Henry Shefflin and Store Manager, Kenneth Harrison.

Chris Martin, Musgrave Group Chief Executive.

For more information on the financial performance of Musgrave Group, please visit www.musgravegroup.com

Differentiate to Win Loyalty: TCC THE secret to winning and retaining customers in today’s tough retail market is differentiation, according to global retail marketing giant TCC. At its 12th International Marketing Forum, which took place in April in Amsterdam, TCC, in partnership with Millward Brown, released new findings underlining the impact that customer loyalty programmes can have in creating an ‘emotional connection’ with shoppers.

“Today’s shopper has more choice and less time than ever,” noted TCC’s CEO Michael Ioakimides. “With the trend for online shopping continuing to grow and shoppers becoming more budget conscious, the challenges for retail stores are increasing. Connections have to be multi-channel – harnessing the power of social media and new technologies such as digital points solutions and augmented reality can be real differentiators. Loyalty must be earned with shoppers. Strong retail marketing programmes can build this loyalty, creating a powerful emotional connection, which is proven to build brand equity and encourage shoppers into stores.”

The findings were released alongside remarks exploring shopper behaviour to an audience of retail and marketing experts. Speakers also included Sir Terry Leahy, former CEO of Tesco plc, and Paco Underhill, CEO of Envirosell and bestselling author of “Why we Buy: The Science of Shopping.”

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Tesco Ireland Increases Sales TESCO Ireland has recorded increased sales of €3.15 billion in the year to February 24, 2013, compared with sales of €3.09 billion in the previous year, growth of 1.9%.

“We are pleased to have recorded a year of growth in what continues to be a very challenging market here in Ireland,” noted Tony Keohane, Chief Executive of Tesco Ireland. “Customers are spending less and retail competition has become even more intense. Customers are demanding better from retailers

to meet their family budgets and we are very pleased with how they have responded to what we offer them.”

Keohane noted how Tesco stores “have adapted well to what customers want in terms of family shopping, including more choice at keener prices, better offers and better value for money. We expect customers will continue to demand better value as household incomes remain stretched.”

He cited their ‘Home Grown in Ireland’ programme, highlighting Tesco’s support for Irish and local produce, as a success story and noted that they plan to expand on this in the coming year.

“We are continuing to invest in Ireland and will be spending €70m in modernising our stores this year and in opening six new Express or Metro stores,” he said.

“Total investment last Tesco Ireland CEO, Tony Keohane. year was €59m.”

Irish Consumers Remain Resilient THE Irish consumer is weathering the storm, according to the latest figures from the ongoing Behaviour & Attitudes’ Consumer Confidence Barometer. The economic impact events which have occurred during the first quarter of 2013 (Cypriot Bailout, Personal Insolvency legislation, Croke Park II, the roll-out of the Property Tax and the extension of Irish Debt maturities) have impacted confidence. However, given the number of ‘shock events’, the degree of decline is relatively muted.

While consumer confidence has dropped since February, confidence is at a higher level now than any other period since July 2010, just prior to the IMF/ ECB/EU bailout.

The biggest concern from this survey is that expected future personal income levels continues to reduce: 60% of adults believe their income, after taxes and inflation, will be

lower this time next year.

“While belief in the Irish economy as a whole may be improving, perceptions related to personal financial situations remain distinctly negative,” said John J. Clarke, Senior Research Executive.

“As wage levels across the Irish market have remained relatively stagnant for the past five years and direct personal costs have increased over the same period, there has been a corresponding drop in real income levels for consumers.

When consumers factor in further costs, such as the property tax, water charges and further direct personal costs, perceived improvement in this area over the short term remains pretty limited…

While indicators are taking on a less downbeat skew, expectations of the return of en masse consumer spending in the economy, in the short term, would be very optimistic.”

SuperValu Introduces Self Scanning QUISH’S SuperValu in Ballincollig is the first SuperValu store in Ireland to introduce self-scanning technology for customers. This new and innovative shopping experience will allow shoppers to pick up a handheld scanner at the door to scan products and pack their groceries while moving along the aisles. As customers go about choosing Sean Quish, Managing Director, goods from the store shelf, Quish’s SuperValu, is pictured their scanner will give them a with customer Ellen Martin running total, ensuring that and the new self-scanning they are in complete control of technology for customers. their budget.

This new technology is the ideal solution for people who want a speedy shop, but prefer to go in-store as opposed to buying online and the great advantage is that consumers only handle goods once, as they pop them in their shopping bag. In addition, self-scan customers can also avail of a dedicated checkout, making their shopping even more convenient by avoiding queues, as well as a running total on the handheld device to give the customer complete control over the amount they spend.

Quish’s SuperValu opted to invest in this self-scanning system, which is already installed in over 2,000 supermarkets across 60 different retail chains in Europe.

“We have 34 self-scan units which are designed to make shopping quick and easy for people who would rather spend time elsewhere rather than in a checkout queue,” said Seán Quish, Managing Director of Quish’s SuperValu Ballincollig.

Appointment at Gala Retail Services GALA Retail Services has appointed Helen Oldridge as Financial Controller for the company. Having worked for many years in private practice, specialising in tax and accountancy services for retail and construction clients, Helen brings a wealth of experience to the Gala Group and is a welcome addition to the organisation.

Helen is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and an Associate of the Irish Taxation Institute,

having graduated with a BA in Accounting & Finance from DCU.

IPSO Scam Alert THE Irish Payment Services Organisation (IPSO) is warning retailers about a scam, whereby an individual is phoning shops and purporting to be an engineer from their card payment processor (acquiring bank), before duping shop staff into providing payment card details from sales made at the shop and into refunding numerous payment cards to which he/she has access.

If you receive a phone call from your acquirer (card processor), hang up and phone the bank back on the phone number you know to be correct, i.e. that on your monthly statement or from the phone book, to verify the call. Alert all shop staff that such calls are occurring again and to avoid speaking with the scammers and report any such calls to your local Garda station.

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Industry News SuperValu Supports Irish Farmers SUPERVALU will partner with Kepak and Oliver Carty Ltd. to establish a €250,000 fund for Irish farmers to purchase fodder, following increased demand due to severe weather conditions. The fund will be administered by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA). As part of this assistance, SuperValu, which has one of the biggest truck fleets in the country, has also offered to transport fodder arriving in Dublin Port to co-ops or internally between food suppliers across the country and will continue to work with the IFA and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to provide assistance as required. Pictured at the announcement are (l-r): Pat Smith, General Secretary, IFA; Simon Coveney TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine; and Eamon Howell, Trading Director, SuperValu.

Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Club FORMER Gaelic footballer and GAA legend Pat Spillane has teamed up with Flora to launch the Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Club, which has been established to inform consumers and to help them to manage their cholesterol levels. Members of the Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Club will receive a free ‘Starter Pack’ by post, packed with useful cholesterol and heart health information, delicious recipes and Flora pro.activ product vouchers. Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Club members will also be invited to avail of free cholesterol tests at a number of regional testing events during the year, which are available on a first come, first served basis.

Pat Spillane is pictured with Dr Sinead O’Brien, Consultant Nutritionist, at the launch of the Flora pro.activ Cholesterol Club. See www.facebook.com/ FloraCholesterolClub for more information.

Le Crunch On Song with Today FM FOLLOWING an extensive search throughout the country to find Ireland’s best cover version, the Le Crunch Apple of My Eye song contest was won by Nathan Johnston during a live broadcast on Today FM at The Sugar Club, Dublin. Nathan takes a cheque for €8,000 back to Westmeath, courtesy of healthy apple brand Le Crunch, finishing a search spanning the 32 counties of Ireland and almost 1,000 entries. Pictured are (l-r): KC from Today FM, judge Paul Walsh from Royseven, winner Nathan Johnston, judge Roisin O, and Claire Coleman from Le Crunch.

A Growing Concern PICTURED at the launch of Keelings’ Love To Grow Garden at this years’ Bloom In The Park are garden designer, Jane McCorkell with helpers, Jake Church, aged six, from Malahide, and Kate Beesley, aged three, from Templeogue, Co. Dublin. This is the fourth year Keelings have sponsored a garden at Bloom, which takes place in the Phoenix Park, Dublin, over the June bank holiday weekend, from Thursday, May 30 until Monday, June 3. “At its core, the Love To Grow garden demonstrates how it is possible to grow fresh produce in a relatively small space, as well as having a recreational space to enjoy and relax in,” noted Jane McCorkell.

Donnybrook Fair Launch Fish Range DONNYBROOK Fair has launched a new seafood line featuring fresh, organic, smoked and breaded fish, packed for freshness, flavour and convenience. Dunn’s of Dublin, Ireland’s longest established fish supplier with a provenance dating back to 1822, will be sourcing the highest quality fish from Ireland’s famous harbours for the fine food retailer. “We have a wonderful fresh fish counter, but the new range has been specially developed with the late-evening shopper in mind,” noted owner Joe Doyle. The new range includes Donnybrook Fair New Smoked Salmon, Donnybrook Fair New Hot Smoked Salmon, Donnybrook Fair New Pre Pack Sea Bass and Cod Fillets; Donnybrook Fair New Breaded Cod, Hake and Haddock.

OV7762

12|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Industry News SPAR Celebrates 50th Birthday with €50,000 Fund TO celebrate its Golden anniversary in Ireland, local retailer SPAR, together with Olympic Gold medallist Katie Taylor, has announced a €50,000 ‘Helping Hand’ Community Fund, prompting local groups, clubs and organisations throughout the country to apply for funding. There is an overall award of €10,000 up for grabs, along with five €2,800 awards and 26 €1,000 awards – one for each county in the Republic. “This year we are celebrating our 50th anniversary in Ireland and we wanted to mark the occasion by giving something back to these communities who have supported our retailers and helped the brand go from strength to strength over the last five decades,” said Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods, who is pictured with Katie Taylor.

Costcutter Announce TV Sponsorship COSTCUTTER has announced that it is to team up with award-winning chef Noel McMeel as part of its TV3 Ireland: AM cookery sponsorship. As Costcutter’s exclusive chef partner, Noel will host a monthly cookery segment on the popular morning show, where he will bring simple yet delicious recipes to life for viewers at home using ingredients that are readily available at local Costcutter stores. Some of Noel’s career highlights to date include Paul McCartney’s vegetarian wedding extravaganza at Castle Leslie, while as executive chef at Lough Erne Resort, Noel is set to host the world’s leaders at the G8 summit this summer. Noel is pictured (right) with Paul Roche, Marketing Director, Costcutter.

SuperValu to Sell € 58m of Local Milk

Diageo Launch ‘Gifted’ Programme DIAGEO Ireland has announced the full details of the 2013 ‘Gifted’ programme, which will see €50,000 awarded to charities and voluntary groups across Ireland. ‘Gifted’ is a special programme which allows Diageo employees who volunteer their free time to help out community groups or charities to nominate these groups for support. A total of 18 groups will be chosen, with 10 groups receiving €1,000 and a further eight receiving a grant of €5,000. This is the fourth year that Diageo has run the ‘Gifted’ programme which has so far donated over €150,000 to charities and voluntary groups across Ireland. Diageo employees Dave Duggan, Sandra Mathews, Enda Broderick and Ciara Nally are pictured at the launch of the €50,000 ‘Gifted’ initiative.

DALTON Fitzpatrick and Beau Rose Garratt, both seven years old, are pictured at the announcement that SuperValu is expecting to sell €58m worth of National Dairy Council (NDC) Certified milk in 2013. This equates to over 65m litres of NDC milk in 2013, sourced from seven creameries throughout the Republic of Ireland and supporting over 2,000 local farming families. All of SuperValu’s Own Brand milk is NDC approved, making it the ideal partner for the recent National Dairy Week (April 29-May 5).

The NDC Guarantee, featured on the carton, assures consumers that milk has been farmed and processed locally in the Republic of Ireland, therefore helping to support local jobs.

Bakery Secures Record Dragon Investment FOLLOWING a record-breaking Dragons’ Den investment, Love Irish Food member Cherry Blossom Bakery has secured a national distribution agreement which will see its products on-shelf in SuperValu, Superquinn and Centra stores nationwide.

Entrepreneur Simon Stenson (left) from Castlebar secured a record-breaking €200,000 investment on Dragons’ Den from investor Sean O’Sullivan (right) for a 40% stake in his Cherry Blossom Bakery brand, which he founded just over two years ago after losing his job in the construction industry and deciding to turn his passion for food into a career.

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Industry News Taste of Dublin Returns SARAH Morrissey is pictured with three of Ireland’s brightest culinary stars Ciaran Elliot, Mark Moriarty and Jack O Keeffe at the launch of this year’s Taste of Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens. The food and wine festival, Taste of Dublin, which is sponsored by Electrolux, takes place from June 13-16 in the beautiful Iveagh Gardens, where top chefs, the hottest restaurants, along with food and drink suppliers, will grace the stands and deliver a feast for the senses that can’t be missed. The Exchequer will be showcasing once again with a selection of delicious dishes and has teamed up with Lindt Chocolate to offer a unique twist on cocktails.

Along with the return of Moy Park who will also present tasty chicken dishes, a new feature onsite will be mouth-watering baked goods from Cuisine de France. See www.tasteofdublin.ie for more information.

Love Irish Food Unveils Bloom Plans HANNAH Moore (aged 10) from Tullaroan, Co. Kilkenny, is pictured at the Love Irish Food pavilion at this year’s Bloom festival. The new look Love Irish Food area in Bloom features 15 member brands showcasing the very best in Irish food and drink manufacturing. The expected 90,000 visitors to Bloom over the course of the weekend will be able to meet the brand owners, enjoy delicious tasters and avail of special offers unique to Bloom. 15 individual exhibitors and ample seating will give a “farmers market” feel to the area, with visitors encouraged to relax and enjoy the surroundings. In addition, Love Irish Food has commissioned a specially designed installation bringing to life the Love Irish Food logo through Irish grown herbs displayed to the front of the marquee.

Participating companies include Ballymaloe Country Relish, Big Als, Broderick’s, Coole Swan, Follain, Golden Irish Eggs, The Jelly Bean Factory, Keelings, Kilkenny Food Company, Newgrange Gold, Rudds, Noirin’s Bakehouse, and Crowe’s Family Farm.

Kellogg’s Supports Summer Rugby KELLOGG’S rugby Ambassador Rob Kearney is joined by Claire McFerran, Marketing Director, Kellogg’s, and some rugby stars of the future to launch the 2013 Kellogg’s IRFU sponsorship campaign. Kellogg’s have announced that they will be sponsoring Rob Kearney’s Lions Tour diary which will appear in the Irish Independent and independent.ie. Kellogg’s have also teamed up with JOE.ie to bring you coverage of the Lions tour, offering rugby fans the chance to share their words of support for Irish rugby players to be in with a chance of winning a rugby breakfast event and live screening of the second test match on Saturday, June 29.

Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival MAURICE Seezer, Chairman, Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival, and Carmel Winters, Film Maker from Ballydehob ,Take 5 at the Corona Fastnet Short Film Festival. Now in its fifth year, the festival, which takes place in Schull, West Cork, from May 22-26. Despite the fact that the town has no cinema, organisers of the film festival have come up with innovative methods to showcase over 250 films all over the town by encouraging filmmakers, tourists and locals to access the submitted competition films locally, on their laptops, iPads and smart phones, simply by logging on to the Festival’s Short Film Archive. For five days at the end of May, Schull village itself becomes a screen. See www.fastnetshortfilmfestival.com for more information.

Convenience Retailing Conference for London CONVENIENCE retailers of the future are converging at the Insight NACS Future of Convenience event this September 25 & 26 in London. Insight are also visiting two exciting new stores in Amsterdam and Dublin as part of the event, including Marks & Spencer’s new e-boutique in Amsterdam, which is essentially a “multi-channel + convenience store”, and Maxol’s flagship fuel convenience store at Sandyford in Dublin. The Maxol store is also in the running for the NACS Insight Convenience Retailer of the Year Award, sponsored by Imperial Tobacco and PayPoint, alongside 18 other retailers from 10 other countries. See www.futureofconvenience.com for more information.

Get in touch: 01-8480000 Mondelez Ireland Limited, Malahide Road, Coolock, Dublin 5. www.mondelezinternational.eu

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Shop Profile

Pictured outside the Roscrea store are (l-r): Shane Byrne, Gala Regional Manager; Deirdre Harding, store manager; Shane Mulrooney and Sean Mulrooney, store owners.

Gala’s

Tipp Top Performance!

Sean Mulrooney’s flagship Gala store in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary, is a shining example of how an innovative retailer can thrive in today’s retail environment.

SEAN Mulrooney opened his first Gala shop 12 years ago in Roscrea, Co. Tipperary. At the time, he had no experience of grocery retailing, but the intervening years have seen Sean develop a network of Gala stores, as well as creating an entirely new brand of baked goods.

Sean initially chose Gala as his retail partner for his first project, and he hasn’t looked back since. He also assembled an excellent team of enthusiastic staff, and works closely with Shane his son, who manages the

business with Sean, and including store manager Deirdre Harding, who proved instrumental in developing the baked goods, when she insisted that Sean introduce a larger in-store bakery five years ago.

Deirdre trained herself in the art of baking, Sean invested in the necessary equipment and Mulrooney’s Gala Roscrea started offering fresh baked tasty treats to its customers. The quality of the baked goods on offer in the shop quickly built a loyal following among customers.

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Shop Profile “I have opened three more Gala shops since this one, two in Nenagh and one in Portumna,” Sean explains.

“All of them are Gala shops with Texaco forecourts: they are two extremely strong brands and their presence on the forecourt immediately reassures customers.

“With a network of Gala shops, we have been able to present Mulrooney’s baked goods to customers in a large area. We are able to supply all my shops with Mulrooney’s baked goods from Roscrea, which helps us keep costs to a minimum.”

Baking at the Roscrea shop has moved on to an industrial scale and Sean now employs eight bakers in a state-of-the-art bakery facility at the rear of the shop. Mulrooney’s has established a reputation for quality and award winning products, offering everything from bread to tarts, from treats to bespoke cakes for any and all occasions: if you can bake it, Mulrooney’s can make it.

Innovative Business Solutions

Sean has utilised the opportunities presented by his partnership with established brands Texaco and Gala to introduce a new product to potential customers and establish an entirely new brand with its own loyal customers.

“As a group, we have always had a very good reputation for listening to and working with our retailers,” stresses Denise Lord, Customer Services Manager, Gala. “Given the huge changes that grocery retail has undergone in the past years, we have had to work very closely with Gala retailers in order to keep their businesses successful. We have invested heavily in developing the Gala concept and broadening our value offers to retailers, but there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution in retail.

So, we have also been working with retailers like Sean to help develop individual business strategies that fit their particular shop and their own community and customers.”

She acknowledges how hard

Sean, his family and staff have worked to develop the Mulrooney’s brand: “He has used Gala’s reputation for fresh food to help him introduce an excellent product to the marketplace and the quality of that product has generated a large and loyal customer base.”

Complete Transformation

To help present his product in the best possible fashion, Sean revamped his Roscrea Gala store last November.

In just two weeks, the latest Gala concept was introduced, but the speed of the revamp belies the transformation that the shop underwent.

The ceiling in the shop was raised and the aisle shelf height was reduced, creating a bright airy interior that gives customers a view of the entire shop from the entrance. The proportion of the shop dedicated to fresh food was significantly increased, with Mulrooney’s award-winning range of baked goods taking pride of place. The in-store deli, also an award winner, offers an excellent range of the freshest food to customers and has established a very strong delivery trade.

All the elements are set against the immaculate backdrop of the latest Gala image. Regular customers were genuinely surprised by how much the shop had changed in just a couple of weeks. Most importantly, the store owner is delighted with the transformation of the shop.

“This shop is how I always pictured my ideal shop,” he reveals.

“The reputation that the Gala brand has for quality fresh food has given me the perfect platform to present the Mulrooney’s brand to the public. We refined our grocery offering during this project, giving more space to fresh food and offering the best-selling ambient grocery lines.

“Gala’s promotional pricing strategy on key items allows me

to offer customers an extremely competitively priced basket of goods and this all combines so that we can offer my customers the best possible shopping experience.”

Continuous Change

As with any successful business partnership, Sean and Gala are relentless when it comes to improving their product. The Mulrooney’s brand is set to test an increased range of artisan and specialist breads, while Sean also plans to introduce the latest Gala image to all of his shops before the end of the year.

The Gala Group hopes to have its latest concept installed in all of its shops before 2014, which will see the ‘Baker’s Corner’ range of fresh bakery products further strengthening the Group’s reputation for fresh food nationwide. In combination with an aggressive promotional pricing strategy across key grocery lines, the Gala Group offers potential retailers a symbol group that places the individual retailer and the needs and opportunities of their business at the core of their partnership.

4 Aces Wholesale Limited is the store’s local wholesaler distributor and is a member of the Gala Group’s distribution network.

To find out more information about Mulrooney’s Gala and Mulrooney’s award-winning products, visit www.mulrooneys.ie.

Fact File Owner:

Sean Mulrooney

Location:

Old Dublin Road, Roscrea, Co. Tipperary

Size:

1,150 square feet

Number of Staff: 12 (retail), 8 (bakery) Opening Hours: 07:00-23:00, Monday-Sunday

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Retail News Interview

The

King

of

Convenience Seamus Griffin, MD, Griffin Group.

Seamus Griffin, MD of the Griffin Group of 17 stores, calls for a realistic approach to rents and rates, emphasises the importance of world class customer service and reveals the secrets of successfully trading through a recession.

NEW store openings are not exactly what spring to mind when you think about operating a retail business in the current environment, but then Seamus Griffin isn’t just any retailer and the Griffins aren’t just any family.

The Griffin Group currently operates 17 stores in the greater Dublin area, including 16 Londis stores, 10 of which include Subway units, and one standalone Subway store. They employ upwards of 360 staff, across their store network and in group head office at St Stephen’s Green.

Seamus’ father, the late Seamus Griffin Senior, who sadly passed away in February of this year, opened his

first shop in 1951 in Blackrock, and within a couple of years had the first self service supermarket on the southside of Dublin. The intervening years saw the Griffins expand their store network into Dublin city centre, joining up with Centra around the time they opened their first shop on O’Connell Street in 1988. More stores followed in Westmoreland Street, Dame Street and throughout the suburbs. The Griffin Group switched its symbol partner to Londis in 2007, and the change of name brought with it continued growth and success, as the group continued to open new stores. Indeed, the Griffin Group is in the unique position of having opened stores in the midst of

the worst recession in a generation.

What’s their secret?

“We have always managed our stores to a very high level of operational standards,” says Seamus.

“We have many controls in place, a lot of category management and a handson approach with business plans for each store. When times were good, you ran the stores as best you could, concentrating on sales and margins, but in recessionary times, it’s all about controls, like watching your wastage, your KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) on a weekly basis, your sales budgets, cost budgets, making sure that problems are addressed as quickly as possible. We’ve moved from

www.retailnews.ie|May 2013|Retail News|19

Retail News Interview quarterly to monthly management accounts, so there are a lot more controls in place which are critical in a business of our scale.

“No one store is the same as another. It’s about looking at the area we trade in, whether we are beside a college or a school, for example, and tweaking our model and the product range within that store, so there’s a lot of category management involved, store by store.”

The Question of Rent

Griffins, like any retailers, have not been immune to the recession. They took a decision to close three stores in the last three years, primarily due to stores underperforming due to high rents and negotiated break options on legacy leases. However, during the same period they have opened Londis at the KCR and more recently a new store on O’Connell Street and “have a number of sites earmarked to open in the near future”.

Rent, according to Seamus is the biggest factor in terms of retail survival in Dublin city centre these days. “Upward only provisions within leases are a significant issue,” he contends. “During the good times, it was quite common for rents to go up by 100 or 125% over the lifetime of a lease. Unfortunately, as you get into recessionary times, these upward only clauses have forced businesses to close down. In many cases, the rent required

Griffins’ Londis store on Dublin’s KCR has proved extremely popular with customers.

“

Local authorities should run their businesses the way retailers run theirs. We have all had to cut our cloth, to analyse our businesses and see where we can make savings. But with local authorities, there is a lot of money wasted and the easy target is to hit retailers with rates increases, licence fees and other stealth taxes.

”

is not reflective of current market rents in any shape or form.”

It must be very disappointing as a business owner to see intransigence on the part of landlords leading directly to businesses closing down? Some landlords, he insists, “bury their head in the sand”, while others “take a very realistic approach to rental leases and factor in what a retailer can afford to pay”.

According to Griffin, “the more tuned-in landlords are working with retailers because they recognise that

it is better to get 10% over the open market rate on a more favourable lease than to be left with a vacant unit for maybe six months before a new tenant comes in.”

However, it remains a very significant issue. He cites the example of Dublin’s Grafton Street, which he maintains now has “a two-tier rental market…As the years go by, you will probably find that 50% of the units on Grafton Street are on low rents and 50% are on high rents. It is an area where intervention and guidance is

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Retail News Interview the difference elsewhere. But if local authorities take a more realistic and commercial approach, driven by demand and supply, people can afford to trade and there is more demand for retail units, which will have a huge impact on the overall economy.”

The Quest for Value

Griffins’ busy Grafton Street shop, one of the retailer’s top quality city convenience stores.

required, he contends, possibly by a government body or agency.

Justice Minister, Alan Shatter TD, had originally suggested bringing in a ‘sunset clause’, which would effectively give retailers a chance to revert back to open market rents, according to Seamus: “You would still be on an upward only rental review but you would start from the current market rent. It would mean that retailers could afford to stay in business, to survive, and it would have a much more positive effect on the economy.”

fees and other stealth taxes, such as the licence for grease traps with FOG (Fats, Oils & Grease) monitoring and BID (Business Improvement District) in Dublin city centre.

“You only need to look at the amount of vacant retail units around.

When they’re not occupied, the local authorities are not getting rates and they subsequently need to make up

Anecdotally, the convenience sector has struggled since the start of the recession. The Griffin Group, however, operates a convenience model and has thrived in the same period. How? “The city centre might be slightly different,” he says. “Certainly, consumer shopping trends tend to suggest that there are more shopping occasions. Consumers are moving away from the big shop once a week. There are a lot of consumers moving back to their local butcher, their local fruit and veg shop. So, while spend is down, frequency of shop is higher.

“In the city centre, we’ve had to reduce our prices,” he admits. “Some of our stores in the city centre are selling coffee for a euro; we’re selling a chicken fillet baguette at €1.99. People want value: they are shopping for value. In confectionery and soft drinks, everything is being sold on promotion: that’s where the volume is.”

The Griffin Group have worked hand-in-hand with Londis to ensure they offer consumers real value in-store.

“Londis have been great,” he enthuses. “Their new chilled distribution model has saved us money on a lot of deliveries. Their prices are very competitive and they are

Rate Your Local Authority?

The other ‘r’ word high on the agenda is rates. Local authorities will argue that commercial rates are the only source of income which will allow them to provide vital services to both commercial and residential users, but business owners feel they are being unfairly targeted as an easy solution.

What can be done?

“I think the local authorities should run their businesses the way retailers run theirs,” he avows. “We have all had to cut our cloth. We’ve had to analyse our businesses and see where we can make savings. But with local authorities, there is a lot of money wasted and the easy target is to hit retailers with rates increases, licence

Griffins’ Westmoreland Street store takes advantage of the huge footfall at this great city centre location.

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Retail News Interview behind their brands, in terms of promotions, then they are in danger from a market share perspective because companies from the UK or Europe will come in and take market share as a result .”

Crowning the Customer

Demonstrating that there are still good and viable sites available in the market where landlords have fair rent expectations, Griffins have recently opened their 17th store on Dublin’s O’Connell Street.

offering retailers good margins. Londis are much more aggressive on their promotional calendar than in the past and we enjoy good double digit margins on our monthly promotions, thanks to the work of the Londis buying team.”

He also feels the fact that ADM Londis is owned by retailers is a huge advantage: “while there is a board structure in place, the company’s primary objective isn’t necessarily profit for shareholders at group level, but profit for the benefit of shareholders at a local level, as the shareholders are in fact the retailers.

While Londis does need to make money to run the business operations, the company is relatively debt free and can pass back more profits to the retailer than other companies who may have debt or shareholder requirements.

“We’re very happy with Londis and we get great support from the group, from Stephen O’Riordan, Londis Group CEO, to our regional manager, Terry O’Brien,” he continues. “We are working very well, hand-in-hand with Londis.”

Willingness to Change

Seamus also feels that the Londis group are very open to change. He cites the example of Griffins’ introduction of a Subway franchise into a number of Londis stores. “That has proved very successful both from our point of view

and Londis’ point of view in that it drives extra footfall, particularly to our city centre stores. When you combine both offers in the market we compete in, our model contributes increased revenues to the bottom line and it makes the model work better than a standalone store, when one considers our rent and rates overhead in city locations,” he reveals.

The traditionally brand loyal Irish shopper has changed in recent years, with big growth coming in own brand products. However, being essentially c-store operators, the Griffin Group’s product range is primarily branded.

“There is a shift towards own brands, but really, the shift is towards value and towards what’s on promotion.

The Irish consumer likes to support Irish products and Irish brands, where possible, but it comes back to price.

People are shopping the promotional ends before the main floor itself and they will switch brands based on price.

They are not going to compromise on quality, so while own brands are growing, they will only grow if the quality and price is right.”

So are Irish brand owners doing enough to ensure their brands are relevant and performing in today’s value-conscious market?

“I think they are,” he says. “They have to be realistic. If Irish brand owners are not going to put money

Investing in your brand is no different for a store owner. “You need to make sure that the customer is treated as you would want them to be treated and spoken to as if you were interacting with each one yourself! It’s very easy for customers to vote with their feet and go somewhere else,” he muses. To this end, Griffins have employed a fulltime trainer at their head office, and Seamus ensures customer service is at the core of his organisation’s ethos and values.

“We work very closely with Londis on customer service, but we can’t expect them to be in here every week training our staff, so we’ve put a resource in place for that, so that our staff can be trained here in head office and in our stores to ensure the customer gets a top class experience in our stores,” he explains.

Up-selling is another key area when it comes to staff training, as it can be hugely beneficial to your bottom line: “Some employees don’t want to ask customers if, for example, they want the Lotto, because they feel they’re pushing the customer, but any research we have done reveals that the customer is very happy to be reminded that there’s a big jackpot. It’s about training our staff and monitoring store performance to make sure our staff are going the extra mile for customers.”

So what else can be done, perhaps at a national level, to get consumers spending again?

“It’s all about confidence,” Seamus stresses. “Consumer confidence, I think, is coming back slowly. We’re ahead of the targets that have been set for the country in terms of the austerity programme that undoubtedly has had a negative effect on essential and discretionary spending. Hopefully the next Budget isn’t going to be as harsh as previous ones and will reinstate some degree of confidence in the market. The big question is have we bottomed out? I think that this recession is passing slowly. I can see growth coming through, not in all stores, but in some and I think that we will remain focused on opportunities and on our cost base in order to maintain profitability,” he smiles. “It’s not all gloom and doom!”

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Retail Ireland: Monthly Update Retail Ireland Launches Major Report into Illicit Trade ILLICIT is costing the economy as much as €1.5 billion each year, according to a report published by Grant Thornton and Retail Ireland and launched by Minister for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD. The losses comprise of an estimated €937m in tax revenues lost by the Exchequer, and a further €547m lost by retailers and intellectual property holders.

The report, ‘Illicit Trade in Ireland: Uncovering the cost to the Irish economy’, reviewed the fuel, tobacco, Minister for European Affairs, Lucinda Creighton TD, launches the ‘Illicit Trade in digital entertainment/software and Ireland: Uncovering the cost to the Irish pharmaceutical sectors. The estimated economy’ report from Retail Ireland and financial losses to the Exchequer are Grant Thornton. equivalent to 12% of the total interest bill of €8 billion the Government expects to pay in 2013.

“The financial impact of illicit trade identified in this report is even worse than suggested by our previous research,” noted Frank Gleeson, Chairman of Retail Ireland. “Whilst the Government has recognised the seriousness of the problem, there is a lot more that it could do to help Irish retailers who are suffering lost sales to illegal operators.

“Consumers also have a role to play in realising that buying cheaply priced goods sold informally or door-to-door is not a victimless crime, but one that is damaging the Irish economy and putting legitimate distributors out of business.”

The report recommends actions by the Government, including stronger legislation and enforcement mechanisms with harsher penalties, to act as a disincentive to those conducting illicit trade. It also proposes public awareness campaigns to educate Irish consumers that buying illicit goods is not a victimless crime and results in lower tax revenues for the government and job losses for Irish businesses. The full report is available at www.retailireland.ie.

Minister for Social Protection Addresses Retail Ireland Members MINISTER for Social Protection, Joan Burton TD, addressed the Retail Ireland Council in April and spoke on a wide range of issues of importance to the retail sector.

She told members that throughout the last two budgets, the Government had maintained core social welfare rates with a direct, beneficial knock-on effect on the retail sector as much of this money is spent in retail outlets: almost €20m of social welfare payment is spent in the domestic economy.

Retail Ireland members raised a number of issues with the Minister in response, particularly the need to reduce the cost of doing business and not to implement her proposals that Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton would have increased the costs TD, is pictured with Retail Ireland Chairman, Frank Gleeson. of sick pay.

Retail Ireland Calls for New Inter-Departmental Group to Help Retail RETAIL sales data from the CSO for the first quarter of 2013 highlighted the continuing weakness of our sector. Having risen on an annualised basis in the last two quarters, sales were flat as consumers once again reigned in spending.

For March, the data was shockingly poor. Every category of store recorded a fall, except department stores, specialist food stores and electrical outlets.

Hardware, clothing and book sales fared particularly badly.

Supermarkets, pharmacies and petrol retailers also all saw a drop in sales.

March was extremely cold and many consumers may have shunned the shops rather than brace the icy conditions. The monthly fall in the volume of sales of 1.8% was the sharpest we have seen for nearly two years.

The continued gloom in our sector must be tackled and retail put on a sustainable path to recovery.

The imminent establishment of the inter-departmental group on retail, announced as part of the Action Plan for Jobs, must come up with proposals to stimulate the domestic economy. Consumers need hope and a reason to start spending.

The group’s establishment was a key request of Retail Ireland, but not an end in itself. What we need is not more talking, but action. It is absolutely vital that the group acts on issues like consumer spending, retailer costs and the black market.

Above all, it should lead to increased sales and job numbers for the retail sector. Only then will the interDepartmental group be shown to have been an effective policy.

Tel: 01-6051558 www.retailireland.ie

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Exhibition Preview

Crafty Business & at

Food Hospitality Ireland

Dave Lang, Project and Development Manager, Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland; Fintan Dunne, Dunne’s of Donnybrook; Insomnia Chairman Bobby Kerr; and Paul Damron, from DIGI, awards sponsor, ACBI Shop of the Year, at the presentation of last year’s award.

A host of special features ensure that the inaugural Food & Hospitality Ireland trade show, incorporating SHOP, is not to be missed.

THE inaugural Food & Hospitality Ireland trade show, incorporating SHOP, takes place on September 18 and 19 at the Industries Hall in the RDS. Central to the show are the comprehensive feature areas, which offer visitors free and invaluable advice on industry topics that are pertinent to their sector.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland is working with the organisers to develop its Chefs’ Table feature, which will showcase the very best of local produce and there’s the new Spotlight Stage, which will feature interactive discussions, presentations and cast a spotlight on the key topics in food, retail and hospitality.

Also new for 2013 is the show’s partnership with the first-ever Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards. Food & Hospitality Ireland will become the exclusive home for the finalists’ products over the two days, with the overall award winners being announced at a Gala dinner in the Mansion House on September 18.

Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland

Continuing its established relationship with the show, the Associated Craft Butchers of Ireland will host their most prestigious awards at Food & Hospitality Ireland. Hundreds of butchers are expected to descend on the Industries Hall to discover which butcher’s shop will take home the coveted ‘Shop of the Year’ title.

In addition, 48 butchers will take part in the national finals of the National Sausage & Puddings Final, following the four regional heats which are held during the summer.

The regional winners and two runners-up per category will compete on the opening day of the show to be crowned the best in their category for Traditional Sausage, Speciality Sausage, Black Pudding or White Pudding, with the overall winner taking home the Supreme Champion Award.

Craft Butchers will also be participating in this year’s Speciality Foods competition, whereby competitors will enter their products into three categories: Ready to Eat, Ready to Cook and Ready to Heat.

The Best Butchers in Ireland

Craft Butchers will be participating in the Speciality Foods competition at Food & Hospitality Ireland.

“This year, we are working with Fresh Montgomery – the organisers of Food & Hospitality Ireland – to ensure that, in addition to our awards, the event delivers exhibitors, knowledge and new products that our members will benefit from, therefore delivering a compelling reason for butchers to visit the event.”

Exceeding Expectations

The fresh, innovative proposition from Food & Hospitality Ireland is the result of Fresh Montgomery’s acquisition of the SHOP trade show last year. The organisers of IFE and Hotelympia, Fresh Montgomery have noticed an increased appetite for floor space from both new and old companies.

“Our focus is on delivering an event that really exceeds both exhibitors and visitors’ expectations,” says Tim Graham, General Manager of Irish Services Montgomery (Irish office of Fresh Montgomery). “Since we launched the show, there’s been incredible interest from a wide section of companies and we’re hoping to have a full to capacity event come September.”

Already signed up for Food & Hospitality Ireland are Milano Coffee, Airlux Lighting, Cummins Alison, Digi Systems, and a number of the County Enterprise Boards, alongside new companies, such as DWS Systems.

“Our annual awards are extremely important to the organisation and its members,” explains Dave Lang, Project and Development Manager with the ACBI. “This is really where FOR more information,contact Caroline at the competition heats up and Caroline.Mcguinness@freshmontgomery.co.uk it’s a celebration of the best of or call 048 90431000, or Victor Dunne at butchery in Ireland. Our Sausage and Pudding Competition is Victor@exhibitionsireland.com or call the Sam Maguire Cup for Craft 01 2888821. See www.foodhospitality.ie or Butchers and is as closely @FHIexhibition. contested as an All-Ireland Final.

26|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Summer Sellers

Sunny Outlook for Summer Sales We preview the brands guaranteed to fly off your shelves this summer.

SUMMER is upon us, not that you’d know it from the weather. The fact that our winter seemed so long this year and that warmer weather was a long time in coming should serve to make consumers extra delighted that those long, hot days are almost here.

Every season brings profit opportunities for retailers, and summer is no different, as consumers tend to embrace the lighter side of eating, with salads, wraps and low fat options very high on the agenda, as well as a growth in sales of soft drinks and ice creams.

“When the sun is shining, people are in better form and they treat themselves and spend more on higher margin products, like soft drinks, ice cream etc,” notes Seamus Griffin, Managing Director, Griffin Group. “So if we have a good summer, it can make a big difference to everyone.”

Canny store owners and managers will take advantage of the season, with dedicated displays highlighting strong summer sellers, from salads to suncreams, wraps and summer sauces.

McVitie’s

Consumers can put the excitement back into lunch with new McVitie’s

Lunchtime; a new range of thin, crispy and deliciously tasty flatbreads specially baked by McVitie’s to make

Consumers can put the excitement back into lunch with new McVitie’s Lunchtime; a new range of thin, crispy and deliciously tasty flatbreads specially baked by McVitie’s to make every lunchtime even more enjoyable.

W E N

Dip it top it love it stock it McVitie’s Lunchtime Flatbreads are the delicious alternative your customers can dip or top for a seriously tasty lunchtime experience.

Available in two scrumptious flavours and designed to create maximum shelf stand out, they’re set to be the name on everyone’s lips this year.

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Summer Stocking: Summer Sellers every lunchtime even more enjoyable.

Made with the finest of ingredients and with only 43 calories per cracker, these thin and crispy crackers are a delicious low calorie alternative which consumers can dip or top for a seriously tasty lunchtime experience.

The new launch will be supported by a fully integrated above the line campaign, including press, TV, internet and PR activity in order to drive awareness nationwide amongst consumers.

With a MRRP of €2.29 per 150g pack, the new range is available in two scrumptious flavours – Mixed Seeds (pumpkin, caraway and black onion seeds) and Salt & Black Pepper.

McVitie’s Lunchtime Flatbreads ensure that consumers don’t compromise on taste.

bakery products, with a real focus on healthier options.

To address this consumer trend, the bakers at Cuisine de France have developed a range of French breads packed with Hi-Fibre goodness. The range consists of a Hi-Fibre Demi Baguette and a Hi-Fibre Petit Pain, which contains wheat bran fibre that supports the functioning of the digestive system, and these products account for 35% and 24% of an average recommended daily fibre intake. The Cuisine de France Hi-Fibre range is free from artificial additives and preservatives and it is naturally low in total fat and saturated fat.

The introduction of the Hi-Fibre Petit Pain and Demi Baguette marks

Cuisine de France

Did you know that national guidelines advise that we should all get at least 25g of fibre per day?

Yet 80% of Irish adults don’t eat enough fibre (Source: IUNA Study 2011). Research indicates that the typical Irish bread consumer is moving away from buying a white sliced pan and towards fresh Cuisine de France have developed a range of French breads packed with Hi-Fibre goodness.

Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream is luxuriously thick and ready to pour directly over apple pies, brownies, berry compotes and all consumers’ favourite summertime treats.

taste shoppers expect from Avonmore in convenient formats and pack sizes suitable for today’s lifestyles.

the biggest product launch of Cuisine de France’s 2013 calendar. The new range is being introduced nationwide from May and is supported by an ATL marketing investment, including a digital campaign, outdoor and extensive in-store activity to help drive trial purchase.

Glanbia Consumer Foods

The introduction of Cuisine de France’s Hi-Fibre range marks the biggest product launch of Cuisine de France’s 2013 calendar.

The total cream market is valued at €36.5m and Avonmore is the cream market leader with 45% market share (MAT, March 24, 2013). Produced by Glanbia Consumer Foods, Avonmore cream is made locally in Ballytore, Co. Kildare from fresh Irish milk. The cream range offers the great fresh

Avonmore Freshly Whipped Cream is a must stock item for summer, when consumers are stocking up on fresh berries and are seeking easy dessert solutions.

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Summer Stocking: Summer Sellers

Avonmore Sour Cream is perfect for summer barbecues, light savoury meals such as fajitas and baked potatoes, and of course as a dip with nachos or salad.

summer when consumers are stocking up on fresh berries and are seeking easy dessert solutions. Avonmore Whipped Cream is available in a re-closable 350ml and 500ml format.

The sour sector is growing at 15.8% (MAT, March 24, 2013) and Avonmore Sour Cream is perfect for summer barbecues, light savoury meals such as fajitas and baked potatoes, and of course as a dip with nachos or salad.

Avonmore Sour Cream is available in a handy 200g & 350g re-closable tub, guaranteeing freshness and convenience for shoppers.

Each of these product offerings capitalise on the trend towards eating in and entertaining at home and offer consumers convenient product offerings to suit all occasions.

Avonmore are committed to growing the cream category through strong marketing, in-store support and strong innovation, attracting new customers to the category.

The Irish love to entertain, and with picnic and barbeque season upon us, Avonmore has a cream to cater for all occasions. The Avonmore range Connacht Gold has launched a new TV ad, consists of the ever popular Fresh filmed in the West of Ireland, as part of a Cream, tangy Sour Cream, convenient national marketing initiative to promote its Freshly Whipped Cream, and delicious Low Fat Butter.

Cooking Cream, which contains 50% less fat than standard cream and has butter with reduced fat, with the key Connacht Gold a smooth, thick consistency, which has message, ‘Real butter, half the fat!’

Leading food producer, Connacht been specifically developed for savoury The investment by Connacht Gold Gold has launched a new TV ad, cooking. encompasses a 10-week campaign, filmed in the West of Ireland, as part The speciality cream sector is including 30 and 10 second TV spots of a national marketing initiative to growing at 30% (MAT, March 24, 2013) across RTE, TV3/3e, Sky group and promote Connacht Gold’s Low Fat and the latest addition to the range E4, in addition to 30-second radio ads Butter product. is Avonmore Fresh Dessert Cream, on national and regional stations. The The campaign is designed to which is driving this success. Fresh ATL campaign is combined with Point highlight that Connacht Gold’s Low of Sale material, advertising posters Dessert Cream is luxuriously thick Fat Butter is real butter, as distinct and tastings in retail locations. and ready to pour directly over apple from butter substitutes on the market.

“Our Low Fat Butter is already an pies, brownies, berry compotes and all The ad highlights the quality of the consumers’ favourite award winning butter,” explains Seamus summertime treats.

Hannon, Connacht Fresh Dessert Cream Gold National Sales is available in the Manager, “and it’s easy pour bottle winning more places and is available in a 250ml and 500ml at the table every day as families everywhere format. realise they can enjoy The Pre Whipped real butter but with half Cream sector is the fat. growing at 9% (MAT, “Connacht Gold has March 24, 2013) developed strong sales and is being driven

by Avonmore Whipped throughout the country over the years and this campaign Cream, which is already is designed to further showcase whipped and ready to the quality of the brand while serve, making it convenient reinforcing our key message that for consumers to just spoon Connacht Gold’s Low Fat Butter is real butter, as distinct Connacht Gold Low Fat is real straight on to their favourite from butter substitutes on the market and is being promoted dessert. Whipped Cream is a butter, which means no vegetable with the key message, ‘Real butter, half the fat!’ oils or chemically treated fats.” must stock item, especially for

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Summer Stocking: Summer Sellers Camelina Oil has more Omega 3 and antioxidants than other oils. It’s also rich in Plant Sterols and high in polyunsaturated fats, which promote good cholesterol.

Newgrange Gold also supply Rapeseed Oil in a number of varieties, including Garden Herbs and Chilli Garlic. See www.newgrangegold.ie for more information.

Ballymaloe are launching a new high quality pasta sauce range onto supermarket shelves in three flavours: Italian Tomato, Bolognese and Smoked Bacon.

Ballymaloe Pasta Sauces

Ballymaloe, the home of Ireland’s number one relish, are launching a new high quality pasta sauce range onto supermarket shelves. The sauces are sure to bring new customers to the category as they offer a great quality product, made from family recipes using the best quality ingredients. The delicious sauces come in three flavours: Italian Tomato, Bolognese and Smoked Bacon.

The smoked bacon flavour sauce is unique, as Ballymaloe have sourced outdoor reared bacon. As with all Ballymaloe products, they are gluten free and 100% natural but offer consumers great convenient options.

With 180g and 380g sizes and a great handy pack format, the new range should appeal to all segments of the market. The products are the latest addition to the hugely successful relish and condiment range. For more information on the products or distribution, contact Maxine Hyde on 021 4354810.

Newgrange Gold

Camelina (Camelina Sativa) oil has been part of the European diet for thousands of years and now Newgrange Gold are the first to produce home-grown liquid gold oil here on the Irish market. Also known as Wild Flax, this amazing wonder oil is cold-pressed on the Rogers’ family farm in the lush Boyne Valley in Meath.

Rich in Omega 3 fatty acids (38.6g per 100ml) and antioxidants (e.g.

Vitamin E), Camelina oil is mild and nutty in flavour and is versatile in its use. It’s perfect for cooking (baking, sautéing), and can be used in oils and dressings or taken simply as a spoonful a day, making it the perfect way for consumers to get their daily intake of Omega 3 without depleting the fish population and without the worry of ocean-borne contaminates. It also has a low carbon footprint as it is grown and made right here in Ireland and not flown from half way round the world.

Camelina Oil, also known as Wild Flax, is being produced by Newgrange Gold for the Irish market.

Nice Ice from Natural Confectionery Company FREDERICKS Dairies continues to expand its ever growing ice cream portfolio with the introduction of Ice Tusks from The Natural Confectionery Company. The Blackcurrant and Vanilla Ice Tusks six-pack is the first frozen ice lolly multipack from The Natural Confectionery Company.

The Natural Confectionery Company Ice Tusks consist of a blackcurrant flavour fruit shell with a vanilla flavour milk ice centre. The Ice Tusks contain 12% fruit juice and are completely free of artificial colours and flavours. It will undoubtedly appeal to kids but will also allow the brand to build an affinity with shoppers, particularly parents looking to purchase a healthier and trusted product for themselves and their families.

Fredericks Dairies is the largest independent ice cream company in the UK, boasting a licensed brand portfolio which includes Cadbury, Britvic Soft Drinks, Vimto, Terry’s, Barratt, Lyles Golden Syrup and Del Monte.

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Summer Stocking: BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings BBQ and al fresco dining has now become a standard meal format during the summer.

The Taste of Summer IRISH consumers have really embraced the BBQ season, with al fresco dining now commonplace during the summer. While we may lag slightly behind Europe’s biggest BBQ’ers in the UK (where the average number of BBQs held per family is now nine each summer), Ireland has embraced outdoor dining, despite our weather.

BBQs have been growing in popularity in Ireland for the last decade, and this year looks set to be bigger than ever. Irish consumers are becoming more adventurous in their BBQing. Sausages and burgers may be the staples, but consumers are embracing more variety in their outdoor dining, with prime meat cuts and steaks regularly appearing on the BBQ, alongside gastro-grill seafood, like swordfish steaks, increasing in popularity all the time, accompanied by salads, sauces and the perennial favourite, the baked potato.

The BBQ market, and associated sales of sauces, condiments, salads, mayos etc, represents a strong sales opportunity for retailers, with commentators valuing the BBQ market at over €300m per year and growing. While you rarely see a BBQ without meat, you never, ever

see one without sauces, which play a vital role in BBQ culture. According to Euromonitor’s latest report into Ireland’s sauces, dressings and condiments market, volume sales are set to continue to grow, while value remains relatively static, as consumers’ quest for value continues.

Moy Park

Moy Park, Ireland’s number one poultry brand and largest food processor under the Bord Bia Quality Assurance Scheme, has developed a range of BBQ products just in time for summer. Created using 100% Irish

chicken and flavoured with mouthwatering marinades, Moy Park’s BBQ range includes Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks, Barbecue Chicken Wings, Chinese Chicken Thighs and Sweet Chilli Chicken Thighs.

Packed full of flavour and guaranteed to add a ‘sizzle’ to any occasion, from mid-week meals to eating al fresco with family and friends, the Moy Park range is perfect for summertime dining and has something for everyone to enjoy. These versatile products are easy to prepare and ready to be cooked on the BBQ or in the oven, taking the hassle out of summer entertaining.

For information on products and distribution, please call Aidan Fisher at Moy Park on 0044 2838 352233. For news and updates, visit www.moypark.com.

HJ Heinz

Moy Park’s Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks, part of the brand’s new range of BBQ products, launched just in time for summer.

Heinz Ketchup is synonymous with taste and what better accompaniment for summertime eating than the extensive Heinz Tomato Ketchup range.

Boasting a large variety of sizes, Heinz Tomato Ketchup is available in glass, Squeezy and Top Down formats. Heinz Top Down Tomato Ketchup, available in a variety of sizes, offers the benefits of an innovative no mess, no waste,

A SIZZLING SUMMER AWAITS! MARINADED, GLAZED AND READY TO GO. This Summer Moy Park have added these tasty BBQ favourites for your customers to enjoy. 100% Irish Chicken and Bord Bia Quality Assured, enjoyed from the barbecue or oven, they’re perfect for an Irish summer.

Sweet Chilli Chicken Thighs Crispy-skinned and coated in a sweet chili glaze.

Barbecue Chicken Drumsticks Succulent drumsticks in a tasty barbeque marinade.

Barbecue Chicken Wings Flavoursome wings with a barbecue style coating.

Chinese Chicken Thighs Crispy-skinned chicken in a Chinese style coating.

Stock up your shelves this Summer.

Call Aidan Fisher, Senior Commercial Manager on +44 (0) 28 3835 2233.

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Summer Stocking: BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings Ireland with a 60.8% share of the Tomato Ketchup category in Ireland (Source: Nielsen, March 2013).

BBQ sauce is popular indoors all year round but is also the ideal accompaniment to barbecued foods, making it a household essential in summer months. HJ Heinz, the market leader in BBQ sauce, claims a combined market share of 34.5% (Source: Nielsen, March 2013), across its two BBQ brands, Heinz and HP. There are two BBQ varieties under the Heinz brand, Original and Hot ‘n’ Sizzling, both in the handy Heinz Top Down format. The HP range of sauces, from HJ Heinz, offers Classic Woodsmoke and Spicy Woodsmoke varieties in a new Top Down pack.

Lea & Perrins, the original Worcestershire Sauce provides Heinz Top Down Tomato Ketchup offers the benefits of an innovative no mess, no waste, stay-clean cap and all the taste of Ireland’s favourite tomato ketchup.

stay-clean cap and all the taste of Ireland’s favourite tomato ketchup.

Heinz Tomato Ketchup is the number one selling tomato ketchup brand in

Heinz Classic Barbecue Rich and Smokey: hugely popular with Irish consumers.

Heinz Salad Cream has been popular with generations of Irish consumers.

the ideal base for home-made marinades.

Heinz Salad Cream has been popular with generations of Irish consumers.

Heinz Salad Cream offers consumers lots of choice with regular, light and extra light varieties in a range of pack formats, including glass, squeezy and Top Down. The Heinz salad cream range also includes the highly successful Weight Watchers from Heinz Salad Dressing.

New BBQ Heroes from Colman’s COLMAN’S, the number one English mustard and condiment brand from Unilever UK and Ireland (IRI Data, April 2013, value sales), is leveraging its taste credentials by broadening its offering, with the launch of a new range of sauces, available to retailers in Ireland now.

Launching just in time for the BBQ season, the range consists of three brand new flavours: Hot Garlic Chilli – perfect with chicken and salad; Sweet Chilli Mango – great with chicken and fish; and Smokey Barbecue – an ideal accompaniment for grilled meats. All are available in an easy-to-use, squeezy format featuring the new patented clean lock cap, recently developed by Unilever for convenience and freshness.

Laura Gordon-Hall, Colman’s & Maille Dressings Brand Manager, comments: “Last year the ‘Other Thick Sauces’ segment grew 2.1% YoY (IRI Data, April 2013, value sales), demonstrating the continuing trend towards inspiring and exciting flavours at meal times. Our new range taps into this demand directly, aiming to attract new and younger shoppers to the brand and simultaneously driving incremental growth for the category.”

The launch of the new Colman’s BBQ range is being supported throughout 2013 by campaign activity focusing on the BBQ occasion under the strapline, ‘Become a BBQ Hero, Taste the Greatness’, and will include in-store activity.

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Summer Stocking: BBQ, Mayos, Sauces & Dressings Unilever

Hellmann’s, the number one mayonnaise brand from Unilever UK and Ireland (€11,978m value sales, MAT March 2013 – 81% value share), is launching a new €400,000 marketing and TV advertising campaign to highlight the launch of its new squeezy format.

Developed in response to consumer research and demand for squeezy formats that Hellmann’s, the number give greater one mayonnaise brand convenience from Unilever, is and freshness, launching a brand new the new no-mess squeezy format easy-to-use, with a clean lock cap, with a ‘no mess’ patented squeezable design and a bigger base packaging features a clean for maximum stability. lock cap, with a ‘no mess’ patented design and a bigger base for maximum stability. The new look, smooth modern shape also allows for larger Hellmann’s branding and greater stand-out on-shelf.

The TV ad forms part of Hellmann’s ‘No Messing’ ATL and BTL campaign comprising of digital, PR, in-store activation, customer marketing and outdoor advertising. The campaign will roll-out throughout the BBQ season, a key occasion for the brand’s portfolio of products.

The television advert sees the new squeezy format taking centre stage on a tabletop red carpet summer BBQ setting. Making its way down the carpet, all other condiments and ingredients appear to dance and cheer as the Hellmann’s Real squeezy meets a gourmet burger and a bun along the way, creating the perfect pair. The ad finishes with a close-up shot of Hellmann’s mayonnaise being squeezed onto the burger, with a specific focus on the new clean lock cap and the accompanying caption: ‘Delicious Hellmann’s. No Messing’.

Lola Danlos, Assistant Brand Manager for Hellmann’s at Unilever

UK and Ireland, comments: “We wanted to create an advert that would capture the essence of why the new squeezy format has been developed – to enhance the summer barbecue experience for the consumer. As the leader in Mayonnaise, with an 81% share of the total Mayonnaise market, we are committed to investing into the category and encouraging further growth into the squeezy sector.

“With the BBQ season coming up, consumers will benefit from the new unique features of the packaging format; the clean lock cap with a patented design provides freshness and the conical shape and softer plastic allows for easy pouring, enabling a convenient ‘no messing’ squeeze for an improved experience.”

Valeo Foods

Planning for a BBQ or any style of outside dining in Ireland during the summer can be precarious but there is definitely one thing that is always a certainty: Chef sauces and condiments, from Valeo Foods, will add full-on flavour to any occasion.

The Chef range of sauces are a must have for outdoor dining and the summer BBQ season. With its range of high quality and much loved products, Chef is the ideal accompaniment for any barbecued food. The BBQ Sauce, with its smoky aroma, is sure to enhance the taste experience and goes perfectly with steaks, burgers, chicken wings or sausages.

Consumers can add some zest to summer dining with Chef Beetroot, Mixed Pickles and Silverskin Onions. With their unique vinegary taste, which is much loved by Irish consumers, they will add a touch of whimsical nostalgia to salads that will be reminiscent of past summers. The Chef brand has been helping Irish

The Chef range of sauces and condiments are a must have for outdoor dining and the summer BBQ season.

consumers to enhance mealtimes since the late 1920s and claims leadership in many of the segments of the sauces and condiments market.

The quality and the flavour of the Ballymaloe salad dressings range is an essential musthave for summer salads, with three flavours: Honey & Mustard, French and Italian.

Ballymaloe

With BBQ season upon us, it is time to ensure that you are stocked up with Ballymaloe relishes and salad dressings. The renowned relish range are an essential addition to all BBQ food like burgers, hotdogs and cooked meats, as well as a must have in sandwiches for picnics. The quality

Ballymaloe’s renowned relish range is an essential addition to all BBQ food like burgers, hotdogs and cooked meats.

and the flavour of the salad dressings is an essential musthave for summer salads. The range has three flavours: Honey & Mustard, French and Italian.

To celebrate the summer season, Ballymaloe have some great BBQ and salad recipes on their website, www.ballymaloecountryrelish. ie. The Original and Jalepeno Relish, as well as the salad dressings, are all gluten-free and additive free and are made from the finest quality ingredients. All we need now is the weather. For more information, contact Maxine Hyde on 021 4354810.

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Off Licence

Carry Out

Goes Express!

By committing to Carry Out Express, independent retailers are gaining a partner with national experience in a growing industry.

Carry Out Express is a new franchise offering which provides a sustainable low cost entry franchise model for off licences and independent convenience stores with sales of less than €10,000 per week.

WITH staying in becoming the new going out, there has been a greater focus on off licence as a business model in recent years. Since its inception in 2003, the Carry Out off licence brand from the Barry Group has grown to be one of the most vibrant and reliable off licence brands in the Republic of Ireland.

With near on 60 locations across the country, the Carry Out brand offers its retailers an array of benefits, ranging from a one stop facility for ordering and delivery to structured four and five week promotional cycles throughout the year to ensure a national audience for its retailers, which is vital in an increasingly changing industry.

This changing industry was highlighted again just last month with the annual Drinks Industry Group of Ireland performance report, which spelled out a 6% volume decline in bar sales in 2012, yet also showed a 3% increase in off licence sales, with the off trade now accounting for almost 60% of all alcohol sales in Ireland.

New Franchise Model

With this market in mind, the Carry Out brand wanted to expand its reach and set up a second franchise offering, Carry Out Express, which would provide a sustainable low cost entry franchise model for off licences and independent convenience stores with sales of less than €10,000 per week.

The Carry Out Express brand is closely aligned to the current Carry Out brand from a marketing

and operational point of view, thus allowing Express retailers to benefit from national and local marketing campaigns, which in turn give them the ability to offer consumers a competitive promotional package. This gives the Carry Out Express brand the platform to offer supermarket promotions with local convenience and service.

There are currently six Carry Out Express stores open, with a further four stores to open during May. Since joining, these stores have seen their sales grow substantially, with healthy growth within the margin.

By committing to the Express brand, independent retailers are gaining a partner with national experience in a growing industry and can concentrate more on their convenience offering.

Driving Footfall In-Store

Paul Murray’s Ballintemple Fine Food Store & Carry Out Express off licence is one such store. Since adopting the new Carry Out Express image, sales are thriving.

“When we made the decision to rebrand as an independent fine food and convenience store, we felt we needed a simple solution to our alcohol offering,” Paul reveals. “When the Barry Group approached us about running a trial of their new Carry Out Express model, we saw this as an opportunity to have a strong national brand associated with our store, which could help drive footfall into the store.

The support from the Carry Out team is excellent: the staff are helpful and

very knowledgeable and they have the expertise in off licensing, which allows us to focus on our convenience offering, deli, specialty foods and breads.

“They ticked all our boxes in terms of offering a broad range of product, being customer focused, competitive promotional activity, strong local and national marketing, ease of ordering – one supplier.”

It is this type of testimony that gets to the heart of what the Carry Out Express model hopes to achieve for local business. “It is our aim to continue to grow the Carry Out Express business using the model above,” noted Barry Group MD, Jim Barry. “The core of this model is about sustaining and growing a local business with the help of a national brand. Carry Out Express are community based stores, operating in an area where they not only have a commercial interest but also retain strong social and community ties.”

The Carry Out team have the expertise in off licensing, which allows retailers to focus on their convenience offering.

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Summer Stocking: Drinks

Summer

Sales Surge Expected

The off licence sector continues to make gains at the expense of pubs, good news for retailers this summer.

THE Irish consumer’s quest for value encompasses every sector, and the drinks industry is not immune.

The result is that Ireland’s off trade continues to blossom, as consumers increasingly switch to drinking and entertaining at home instead of the pub.

The latest report into the sector published by the Drinks Industry Group of Ireland (DIGI), written

by Anthony Foley of DCU Business School, reveals that off licence sales volume is estimated to have increased by 3%, based on the official figures for overall clearances and bar retail sales (adjusted for non-alcohol sales).

The report estimates that the offlicence market accounts for about 60% of total alcohol consumption.

This market segment is dominated by the multiples, discounters and symbol groups, who have gained from increased off-licence sales.

Off Trade Growth

Meanwhile, a recent report from Nielsen, breaks down the on trade and off trade volumes by sector. For example, stout volume sales indicate

a 5% drop in on trade sales, compared to an 8% growth in off-trade. Cider/ Perry shows an 8% decline in on trade, set against a similar increase figure in off trade. Long Alcoholic Drinks are down by 4% in the on trade, against a 5% increase in off trade. Lagers and low alcohol beers are down by 2% in on trade, but up by 4% in the off trade.

When it comes to spirits, Nielsen reports a decline of 5% in on trade sales volume, compared with a 6% growth in off trade volumes. Wine showed the smallest increase, rising by just 1% in the off trade, compared to an 8% decline in on trade.

The Power of Promotion

Promotions play a big part in driving volume sales, as is the case across most categories in-store. According to Nielsen’s Shopper Trends 2012 study, consumers buying beers, wines and spirits tend to ‘only buy the essentials’ (29%) or ‘look for discounts or coupons’ (22%), while 4% admit to buying in bulk.

So what does all this mean for retailers? Well, the good news is that consumers continue to buy the

majority of their drinks in the off trade, so having a well-stocked off licence is key to driving growth. Promotions remain important to the sector, so ensure any promotional offers are clearly communicated to consumers, as you would do in any other category.

The summer is generally regarded as a peak selling period for drinks, as consumers embrace home entertaining, with barbeques and al fresco dining very much the norm.

Counting the Cost of VAT THE VAT increase from 21% to 23% in January 2012 and the large excise increases in Budget 2013, which took effect in December 2012, resulted in beer excise increasing by 22%, spirits by 18% and wine by 41%. The drinks industry has widely criticised these increases, which they feel will put pressure on the sector, with most industry commentators calling on the Government to row back on these increases.

40|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Wine

Jean Smullen picks out the top sparkling wines, while we examine the wines set to soar in summer 2013.

Summer Sparklers CHAMPAGNE as a celebration drink has been seriously eroded by the enormous growth of alternative and cheaper sparkling wine offerings.

Prosecco, almost unknown 10 years ago, is now increasingly being used in place of Champagne at many family focused celebrations. This good value Italian sparkling wine, which is fruity and light and in a much lower price bracket, is now the drink of choice for those in the market for the “pop� factor. Cava and new world sparkling wines are also in great demand.

Let us have a quick look at some of the sparkling wine options that are worth stocking for the customer who is in the market for a celebration drink.

Now that summer’s on the way, many customers will be looking for sparkling wines for their weddings, christenings,

summer parties and to celebrate exam results.

A quick run through the key categories from top price to value offering:

Champagne

Champagne has layers of complexity.

The deep limestone cellars of the great Champagne houses, where humidity is retained, ensures the complexity of the wine, as a result of the ageing process. Most of these wines are aged for at least four years, which adds to their quality. Champagne is one of the ultimate luxury products.

Collectively, it has the weight of a serious marketing budget behind it and even in these recessionary times, holds appeal for the customer prepared to enjoy the consistency of the product.

Prosecco

Prosecco is made from a grape called Glera, and is fermented and bottled in a tank. The Frizzante (slightly sparkling) style has lower pressure, so the cork can be secured with a string closure. This ultimately means less duty is applicable so the Frizzante style can be sold at a much lower price.

This wine is very much in vogue these days and is stocked by many retailers who want to offer their customers on a budget a celebratory wine offering.

Cava

A record total of 152.2m bottles of Cava were sold on international markets during 2011. In Ireland, Cava sales showed a 26.2% increase in sales, with a total of 322,104 bottles (or just over 26,000 cases) sold during 2012. After

Refresh your sales!

‡ 6WRFN XS WRGD\ ZLWK *DOOR )DPLO\ 9LQH\DUGV DQG RIIHU \RXU FXVWRPHUV IDQWDVWLF YDULHWDO ZLQHV ‡ 6XSSRUWHG WKURXJKRXW ZLWK D VXSHUE SURPRWLRQDO SURJUDPPH ‡ $YDLODEOH YDULHWDOV LQFOXGH RXU EROG EXW IUXLW\ 3LQRW 1RLU UHIUHVKLQJ :KLWH *UHQDFKH DQG OXVFLRXVO\ VZHHW 0RVFDWR GALLO FAMILY VINEYARDS TO FIND OUT MORE please contact 10 International Ireland on 01 6316 100 or Philip Lynch of E. & J. Gallo Winery on 086 8100 789.

© 2012 Gallo Family Vineyards, Modesto, CA All Rights Reserved

42|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Wine Champagne, Cava is the second most popular bottle fermented sparkling wine appellation in the world. The Cava producers make about 31m gallons of their wine per year, or about one third of the total output of Champagne.

New World Sparkling

From New Zealand, tank fermented, carbonated Sauvignon Blanc is an emerging new wine style. Its aim is to appeal to the younger generation of wine consumers who like to drink bubbles but who also love the clean crisp aromatic style of New Zealand Sauvignon. Brancott Estate lead the way on this; so too Lindauer.

However, lest you imagine that the New World producers do not produce top quality sparkling wine, the prestige cuvée of South Africa’s leading Méthode Cap Classique range, the Pongracz Desiderius 2003, was voted as the best bottle fermented sparkling wine at the 2012 (IWSC) in London, winning the Gold Outstanding Award.

Australia, California and Chile are all coming of age in terms of their sparkling wine production. There are lots of great value offerings from a range of countries and the production methods range from traditional (method champenoise or bottle fermented) to carbonated or tank method. This category usually offers great price/quality ratio.

[yellow tail] Bubbles € 17.99 (Australia) - Gleeson Incorporating Gilbeys Ireland’s fastest growing Australian wine brand has introduced a unique re-sealable bottle cap for their award winning [yellow tail] Bubbles. The new re-sealable cap means that the deliciously fruity wine will keep its freshness and fizz for up to four days.

The new cap is relatively easy to use as follows: remove the foil around the top of the bottle and peel back the black tab at the base of the lid; lift the cap firmly until you hear the pop; to reseal the bottle, reset the cap by pressing the red button (on the top of the lid) until you hear a click; push the cap on the top of the bottle and pop into the fridge.

Grahame Beck Brut N/V € 22 (South Africa) - Findlater Wine & Spirit Co. This wine is bottle fermented and made from the two key Champagne grapes, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

The wine is aged for up to 18 months before disgorgement. Light yeasty aromas and secondary tones of limey fresh fruit on the nose with rich creamy complexity on the palate. This is a great example of a Cap Classique wine, the South African term for bottle fermented sparkling wine.

Tomassi Filo Doro Prosecco € 22 (Italy) - Cassidy Wines

One of Italy’s best known quality wine producers have just launched their new Prosecco on the Irish market. The Filo Doro is produced in the Italian DOCG region, Valdiobbiadene, near Treviso. The wine is re-fermented in large stainless steel for 10 days, followed by 30 days in a tank using the Charmant method. This wine has an elegant, floral nose, with hints of wisteria flowers on the palate: it is dry and easy to drink, with a light almond aftertaste.

Campo Viejo Brut Reserva Cava € 15.31 (Spain) - Irish Distillers/Pernod Ricard

A lot of Cava is from some, or all of the three primary white grapes: Macabeo (known as Viura in Rioja), Xarello and Parellado. Your typical bottle of Cava is probably made from a blend of these grapes.

This wine is made from 100% Trepat. What the heck is Trepat? Trepat is an indigenous red wine grape from north east Spain, particularly in Conca de Barberá and Costers del Segre.

The wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, following the traditional method. The resulting cava is aged as a Brut Reserva for 18 months.

Villa Maria Sauvignon Blanc (lightly sparkling) € 13 (New Zealand) - Barry & Fitzwilliam

Zealand since it was started 30 years ago by Sir George Fitstionich. In these hard pressed times, this offers affordable luxury. This is a super glass of Frizzante style (lightly sparkling) Sauvignon Blanc: fresh and zippy and very drinkable. One of the new trending wine styles, this is a must stock!

Champagne Bollinger € 60 (France) - Findlater Wine & Spirit Co.

This is the Champagne that everyone associates with 007. Pinot Noir dominates the blend, giving a dryer style of Champagne, which appeals to the aficionado. Bollinger is very active on the Irish market and sponsors a number of sporting events, including the Punchestown Festival and the Curragh Derby Day. Bollinger is still independently family owned: they own over 165 ha of their own vineyards, which supplies them with over two thirds of their grape requirements. They also ferment in wood, which contributes to their unique Champagne style.

Moët & Chandon Rosé Impérial € 52.69 (France) - Edward Dillon & Co. Ltd

One of the most appealing Champagne wine styles is Rosé.

Made from a blend of red and white grapes, this is a very appealing summer drink. Moët & Chandon is Ireland’s biggest selling Champagne, both in terms of value and volume market share. The name has huge consumer recognition, so if you’re going to stock a Rosé Champagne, this is one to have on your list. This Rosé is made from a blend of Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (red grapes) and Chardonnay (white grape).

The Pinots dominate here, but there is also at least 30% Chardonnay, which adds to the rounder mouth feel. This is a lively, intense wine with lots Campo Viejo Cava Brut Reserva is well-balanced, of red fruits (wild strawberry, elegant, sparkling and the raspberry, cherry). ideal accompaniment for celebration.

This is New Zealand’s newest style of sparkling wine: carbonated Sauvignon Blanc from one of New Zealand’s best known family-run independent producers. Villa Maria is one of the most awarded wineries in New

E&J Gallo Winery

E&J Gallo Winery has a wide range of quality award winning wines for this summer season, from Gallo Family Vineyards and Barefoot Wines. Gallo Family Vineyards (RRP €9.99) continues to deliver innovative, fruit- forward wines for the coming summer season at promotional prices

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Summer Stocking: Wine from €7.99. New to the collection is the lusciously sweet Gallo Family Vineyards Moscato, ideal for long hot summer days and lines up nicely with Gallo Family Vineyards Rosé wines of White Grenache and White Zinfandel.

These wines are joined by Gallo Family Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio wines.

Barefoot Wines (RRP €9.99), the most awarded and number-one-selling wine brand in the US, have a fantastic range of wines suited to summer on offer this season.

New to the Barefoot line-up this year are Pink Moscato and Moscato, both refreshingly lighter wines, joining the already popular Pinot Grigio, New to the Barefoot Sauvignon line-up this year is Blanc, White the refreshingly light Zinfandel Pink Moscato. and Merlot varietals.

Watch out for Barefoot Wines at Taste of Dublin from June 14-16, where Barefoot Wines will match their wines with Ireland’s best food dishes. Barefoot Wines will also be hanging out with their surfing friends in Bundoran for Sea Sessions Music Festival, June 21-23, as well as supporting Dublin Pride 2013, June 21-29.

For further information, contact Philip Lynch, E&J Gallo, Country Manager, Ireland, on 086 8100789.

The new Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest wines are produced by harvesting the grapes at the coolest part of the night, retaining as much of the freshness and flavour of the natural grape as possible to give wines that are naturally crisp, light and delicate in style.

Chief Winemaker Bernard Hickin explains, “Our philosophy for Jacob’s Creek has always been based on capturing varietal expression to its fullest extent. While varietal character still underpins the clean fruit flavours in Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest, the winemaking focus is more on freshness and vibrancy.

Harvesting the grapes in the cool of the night captures their naturally crisp and fresh fruit characters.”

Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest range is now available in Ireland in all major retailers in three varietals: a delightfully refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, a fresh and light Vermintino, and Shiraz Rosé, featuring fresh flavours of summer strawberries, with a soft and delicate spiciness in the background.

Barry & Fitzwilliam

Jacob’s Creek

Jacob’s Creek, from Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard, is one of Australia’s leading wine brands, offering quality contemporary Australian wine styles with great varietal expression. With a growing global trend towards lighter and fresher white wines, Jacob’s Creek have developed the Cool Harvest range of wines, which represents a real stepchange for the brand.

Blossom Hill Vie Delicate and Fruity Rosé and Blossom Hill Vie Elegant and Fruity White.

Blossom Hill Vie Delicate and Fruity Rosé has a delicious floral aroma with ripe peach and strawberry flavours. Low in alcohol and low in calories but high in flavour, this fresh and fruity wine will prove popular at any summer get together.

Blossom Hill Vie Elegant and Fruity White is delicate and full of flavour, with hints of citrus, pear and apricot flavours. Serve with salads, poultry and fish or serve chilled on its own when entertaining at home. See www.facebook.com/ blossomhillireland for more information.

New Jacob’s Creek Cool Harvest wines are naturally crisp, light and delicate in style.

Blossom Hill

Blossom Hill has introduced Blossom Hill Vie, a new range of low alcohol wines which has a lower alcohol content of just 5.5% and 30% less calories but still has the same wonderful Blossom Hill taste. The Blossom Hill Vie range includes

Michael Barry Blossom Hill Vie, a of Barry & Fitzwilliam claims new range of low alcohol wines which that they now has a lower alcohol have probably the content of just 5.5% most successful and 30% less calories prestigious French but still has the same wines on the wonderful Blossom market when you Hill taste. take account of the success of Michel Lynch, Guigal and the Gabriel Meffre range, which includes La Chasse du Pape.

Faiveley Burgundy Wines, Jolivet Loire Wines and Preiss-Zimmer Alsace wines complete what is now an outstanding portfolio of French wine.

From Australia, McGuigan wines continue to out-perform the market. According to a recent report, McGuigan is now the number one Australian brand in the multiples. The Black Label range includes a Cabernet/Merlot, Shiraz, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Rosé, as well as McGuigan Black Label Sparkling Chardonnay and Sparkling Rosé. The range will have strong above the line marketing support for the summer, particularly in the national press, with a major emphasis on Neil

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Summer Stocking: Wine McGuigan’s award at the 2012 IWC awards as “the Best White Winemaker in the world” for the third time.

From the same country, the Hardy’s Bin Range and Hardy’s Crest Range will be used as a promotional price offering.

Paul Masson is one of the great success stories from California in the last number of years. Sales continue to do well here in Ireland. Distinctive by its carafe-shaped bottle, the red, white and rosé represent excellent value for money. Paul Masson is now available in both litres and 75cl carafes.

Also from California, Robert Mondavi Winery continues to produce wines that stand in the company of the world’s finest. The Woodbridge range will be promoted aggressively during the summer season, while California’s Echo Falls range will also see significant promotional activity this summer.

Villa Maria has been New Zealand’s leading wine award winner, both nationally and internationally, since the early 1980s.

The repositioning of the Private Bin Range has seen sales surge in the last year. Also from New Zealand, Nobilo are a well-priced range of excellent quality wines from both the North and South Islands. Included in the range is the entry level White Cloud.

Mont Gras, a former “Chilean Producer of the Year”, continues to grow strongly. B&F will be offering activity across the full range, from entry level blends to the excellent Reserva range. The Soleus range of Organic Wine produced by Mont Gras is also going from strength to strength.

Chile’s Kumala range will also be actively promoted this summer, with particular emphasis on the Zenith range.

The award winning Spanish Beronia Rioja wines from Gonzalez Byass are exceptional, and have developed a cult following here, while the Altozano range of varietal continues to make steady headway.

From Argentina, B&F carry the Santa Julia/Zuccardi ranges, who produce excellent wines at all ends of the spectrum, and have a fantastic price quality ratio. At the top end, Zuccardi Zeta is an absolute wow and is available on allocation.

B&F also have three Champagnes to bring to the party. Pol Roger has a “to die for” Rosé, while Charles Heidsieck is the premium champagne from the Heidsieck house, which

also produces the fashionable and contemporary Piper Heidsieck Grande Marque Champagne. Both Charles Heidsieck and Piper Heidsieck have won numerous awards both here and abroad. Champagne and cocktails are never far apart. Charles and Piper Heidsieck both partner well with

a dash of Cointreau or Kirsch for a delicious change.

Barry & Fitzwilliam have a very strong line up in the fortified wine sector, including Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry, Croft Original Sherry, Tio Pepe Sherry, Cockburns and Taylor’s Port.

[yellow tail] Invests €150k in Nationwide Marketing Campaign [yellow tail], Ireland’s fastest growing Australian wine brand, is investing €150k in an integrated marketing campaign to promote their extensive range of everyday wines. A household name in Ireland, the [yellow tail] brand has experienced astonishing growth in recent years. From humble beginnings in Australia, [yellow tail] has grown to be one of the world’s leading and most recognisable wine brands, with over 2m glasses of [yellow tail] wine now enjoyed around the globe every single day.

This new brand campaign, entitled ‘Colour in Your Life’, has been developed to encourage consumers to add a splash of colour to their day with [yellow tail]‘s range of award winning wines. [yellow tail] believes that every moment deserves a vibrant dash of colour and expression and [yellow tail]’s fun bottles and bursting flavours offer a consistently superior family of offerings in every shade of the rainbow.

The extensive campaign, which was devised by Irish International Proximity and Initiative Media, consists of print, radio and online. Key elements include: • An extensive radio presence, including sponsorships of Gossip Girl and Show Biz Show on 98FM and sponsorship of The Big Handbag on Spin 1038; • A print campaign focusing on a number of placements with the leading daily newspaper Metro Herald, including a front page takeover; • Extensive online presence, including partnerships with entertainment.ie, her.ie and joe.ie; • A refresh of the Facebook page sees a unique competition called ‘Barrels of Prizes’, offering [yellow tail] fans the chance to win a host of great prizes, including iPads, festival tickets, [yellow tail] hampers and much more.

The advertising campaign is being supported by a nationwide PR campaign devised and implemented by Unique Media, while the media buying is being handled by Initiative Media. “[yellow tail] is all about having fun and breaking the so-called rules when it comes to drinking wine and that’s why we have created [yellow tail]’s new ‘Colour in your Life’ campaign,” said Annemarie Tumilty, Brand Manager for [yellow tail] wines in Ireland. “Its aim is to encourage customers to add a splash of colour to their lives with [yellow tail]’s range of vibrant wines, which are full of colour and flavour. [yellow tail]’s status as the most powerful Australian wine brand in the world, and number 37 in the top 100 wine and spirits brands globally, is our reassurance to our customers that we strive to only produce top quality wines.”

For more information, see www.yellowtailwine.com or www.facebook.com/yellowtail.

JOIN IN CHILL OUT OWNED BY RETAILERS FOR RETAILERS And we’re the only Irish symbol group that is. So unlike any other Group, our number one priority is to pass savings back to Londis retailers in the form of lower prices and better terms.

CENTRALIS CENTRALISED SED CHILL FACILITY Lower costs, greater efficiencies and higher margin. All in all, it’s a huge success for Londis retailers. It can be for you too.

INDEPENDENT RETAILERS INDEPENDENT CONTROL run your way, always backed by shop, It’s your of our support and brand. strength the MORE MARGIN We’re a low cost group. We pass back savings.

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“I’m a second generationn retailer, so retail is a big part of who I am. But like many independent retailers today, business can be difficult and the pressure on margin is tough.

But with Londis I know I’m with the group who will best support my business. No other group is as well placed to support your margin. And they’re a good crew to have on my side!

There are lots of great advantages to joining Londis. Check them out and see how choosing to become a part of Londis will be the best business decision you’ll make this year.”

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If you would like to learn more about how joining us will benefit your business, please contact Conor Hayes, Head of Business Development on 087 797 5483 or email: conor.hayes@londis.ie

46|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Beer & Cider

Beer

Necessities Stock up on these super sellers to ensure strong sales this summer.

SUMMER is one of the peak selling periods for beer and cider, as consumers increasingly opt to enjoy their favourite tipples either at home or in the outdoors, hand in hand with the rise of barbeque culture and al fresco dining.

The warmer weather should make this a summer to remember, as more and more consumers avail of the off licence to stock up on their favourite drinks, particularly after the harsh winter we’ve had.

Heineken

Enjoyed around the world since 1873, Heineken, Ireland’s number one premium lager choice in the off trade is the perfect accompaniment to every summer occasion.

Heineken continues to grow as the beer of choice at home, with 15% of off-trade lager sales (Source: ACNielsen, March 2013). This summer, Heineken will once again be synonymous with music, sport and summer celebration via key sponsorship platform activations.

Summer 2013 brings a bumper calendar of sporting occasions, with the Heineken brand right at the centre of the action as proud sponsor of two of the biggest sporting events this summer. As Ireland plays host to the Heineken Cup Final at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, the brand has supported their flagship sponsorship with a major TTL campaign, including a

brand new TV ad and a range of off-trade activations.

Rugby fans had the opportunity to ‘Get in the Game’ in stores around the country by playing an interactive game, Conversion Challenge on iPads. By stepping up to the challenge, shoppers could play to win a limited edition Heineken Cup final glass, as well as the opportunity to receive a VIP and back stadium experience at the Heineken Cup Final.

Fans could also enjoy the UEFA Champions League Final with Heineken at home and This summer, Heineken will once again be synonymous this year’s ‘Road to the with music, sport and Final’ campaign summer celebration via featured a brand key sponsorship platform activations. new TV ad and

an on-pack promotion to celebrate one of the key at-home occasions, the lads’ get-together to enjoy the game.

The Heineken on-pack promotion saw personalised Heineken UCL jerseys for groups of four available to win every 90 minutes, as well as the opportunity for one lucky entrant to win the ultimate UEFA Champions League prize – a trip to the final for him/her and three friends.

Throughout the summer, Heineken makes it easy to cater for every occasion with offerings including 12-pack bottle, 20-pack bottle, eightpack can, 12-pack can and the five litre keg.

Coors Light

Born high in the Rocky Mountains, Coors Light has been keeping things cool since 1873. This summer, Coors Light, from Heineken Ireland, delivers a Rocky Mountain cold guarantee as every bottle and can contains Thermochromic icon technology – a specially developed icon that turns blue to indicate that it’s Rocky Mountain cold and ready to drink. This unique technology ensures that every bottle of Coors Light delivers refreshment on summer days and every other day too.

Experiencing consistent growth, Coors Light is now the fifth lager brand in the off trade and it’s extending its Rockies even further into the virtual world this summer with the launch of a Coors Light Ireland Twitter account, which will be keeping

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Summer Stocking: Beer & Cider fans up to date daily with all things cool and refreshing. Coors Light is available in a variety of 33cl bottle and 50cl can formats. See www.facebook.com/ coorslightireland and @CoorsLightIRL for more information.

Tiger

Brewed in Singapore since 1932, Tiger Beer is the world’s most successful panAsian beer.

Tiger, from Heineken Ireland, is adored for its citrus, crisp,

premium beer.

With an ABV of 4.8%, Tiger is a full bodied beer, malty in character with a soft bready aroma. This, combined with the beer’s clean crisp finish, is what makes Tiger Ireland’s most popular Asian beer choice. Tiger is available in 500ml and 330ml bottles. See www. facebook.com/ tigerbeer for more information.

The world’s first and most successful tequila flavoured beer, Desperados is sure to delight both beer and spirit lovers this summer season.

Desperados

The world’s first and most successful Every bottle of Coors Light tequila flavoured beer, contains Thermochromic Heineken Ireland’s icon technology – a Desperados is sure specially developed icon to delight both beer that turns blue to indicate and spirit lovers that it’s Rocky Mountain this summer season cold and ready to drink. as it starts out as a refreshing, cold beer and finishes with a refreshing qualities, lively kick of tequila which make it the perfect to get any party premium beer of choice at started. barbeques and any sunSold in over 20 shining place in Ireland this countries worldwide, summer.

Desperados has an A strict brewing process ABV of 5.9% and is that takes over 500 hours best served chilled, ensures Tiger delivers straight from the perfect quality, every time. bottle, delivering a The finest malt, hops and truly refreshing taste yeast, taste-testing over 10 experience. samples of water every day The brand With an ABV of 4.8%, and over 200 quality checks, boasted annual sales Tiger is a full bodied all contribute to the masterful beer, malty in character of over 20.7m cases with a soft bready aroma. worldwide in 2012, creation of this fine tasting

with Ireland being its fastest growing market globally, and now has an online fan base of almost 50,000. Its unique taste and spirited attitude is helping establish Desperados as Ireland’s most exciting beer. For more information, see www.facebook.com/ DesperadosIreland.

Ginger Joe

From Barry & Fitzwilliam, Ginger Joe is a new alcoholic ginger beer with an ABV of 4%. It is produced by Stones, who are famous for their Ginger Wine.

This will be heavily advertised on satellite TV over the coming months.

It is available in 33cl bottles.

Wells & Young

Global beer brands have seen a major increase in interest. Barry & Fitzwilliam currently distribute the Wells & Young portfolio, the most popular of which is Banana Bread Beer, Waggle Dance and Bombardier and Coopers from Australia, which has gained a very loyal following over the years.

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Summer Stocking: Beer & Cider Corona

Corona Extra, from Barry & Fitzwilliam, has grown dramatically in both the on and the off trade over the last few years and the trend already this year is for more of the same. Corona is currently backed by an intensive radio and poster campaign. Corona will sponsor the Fastnet Short Film Festival again this summer.

20 beach holidays to be won to Mexico.

Corona Light has been an instant hit with the calorie conscious consumer since its launch last year. In Weight Watchers parlance, it only has three pro points by comparison to four pro points for most other light beers and ciders. In layman’s language, it has only 99 calories per 35.5cl bottle.

Molson Canadian

Crafted by leading global brewer Molson Coors, Molson Canadian has landed on Irish shores after a journey that has taken over 50 years.

Known as ‘Canadian,’ its arrival marks the first time the beer has been officially launched outside North America. It represents the biggest lager launch in Ireland in over 10 years, and offers a refreshing new alternative to the more commonplace lagers that have held court for decades.

Brewed with premium barley, the choicest hops and Corona Light has been an instant hit with the calorie no preservatives, conscious consumer since Canadian is a crisp, its launch last year. clean and refreshing lager of medium body and low bitterness. The golden The and light amber colour is capped Corona off with a frothy white foam that brands will you’d expect from the best lagers. be offering Canadian is instantly a major recognisable by its iconic red and blue promotion to alternating type face and iconic red customers maple leaf branding, which adorns the this bottles, cans, glassware and countersummer, mounts. The maple leaf is very similar with over

Corona Extra has grown dramatically in both the on and the off trade over the last few years and the trend already this year is for more of the same.

since it launched in 1959, compared to the Canadian flag, which wasn’t adopted until 1965.

To add some excitement back into your lager offering, drive footfall and answer consumer demand for new beers, join in with the biggest lager launch in more than a decade by getting in touch with the Molson Coors team at 01 629 4101.

to the one featured on the Canadian flag, but interestingly pre-dates it by seven years: Molson Canadian has used the maple leaf

Molson Canadian’s arrival in Ireland marks the first time the beer has been officially launched outside North America and is the biggest lager launch in Ireland in over 10 years.

The Craft Collection

Meanwhile, Molson Coors has also announced the launch of The Craft Collection, a portfolio of quality craft beers, which brings together its growing range of award-winning Irish and international craft beers under one umbrella brand offering.

The Craft Collection unites the award-winning Head Brewers of Franciscan Well, Sharp’s, William Worthington and Blue Moon Brewing Company into one brewing collective.

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Summer Stocking: Beer & Cider providing them with an extensive beer education programme and in-outlet promotional tools, designed to show them how to communicate the brands’ inherent unique taste qualities to consumers. The Craft Collection will also have an online home on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ craftcollection.

Bulmers

moments that could otherwise pass us by.

The new 40 second TV advert is set in a series of locations and follows our protagonist, a mysterious sage (Irish actor, Francis Magee), who delivers an ode to the ‘here and now’. Wherever he goes, day or night, he initiates good times, adding a little sparkle and magic to the lives of those with whom he comes into contact.

The message is simple and flies in the face of much of today’s resounding bad news because ‘Now is a Good Time’; we can’t do anything about the past, so why not live for the now?

“Our 2013 campaign is all based on insight with consumers who continue to remain optimistic and resilient, even in the face of a challenging economic backdrop,” said Nicola O’Connell, Bulmers’ Marketing Manager.

“Everyone agrees things are tougher, but we should try to appreciate life’s great moments, because they do exist and usually involve friends and family and the spirit of Irish sociability. We love this attitude and for us, good times with friends is a perfect bedrock for the Bulmers brand.”

The TV campaign will be followed with outdoor and digital, supported by a full PR and social media programme, as well as in-trade activity. The new campaign will also come to life for festival-goers at Bulmers Forbidden Fruit, the Dublin music and arts festival, which will take place over the June Bank Holiday weekend at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham.

Bulmers Original Irish Cider is entering a new advertising era, having announced details of its latest integrated marketing campaign and brand platform, ‘Now is a Good Time’.

The change of creative direction still pays homage to Bulmers’ respect for and appreciation of ‘time’, which has, for many years, been associated with Ireland’s favourite cider brand. However, Molson Coors’ The Craft Collection brings together its for 2013 the focus is growing range of award-winning Irish and international craft firmly on the here beers, like Doom Bar and White Shield, under one umbrella and now; enjoying and brand. appreciating the good times and the great Blue Moon Brewing Company brews the number one craft beer in the US, and one of the fastest selling beers in Ireland, Blue Moon. Sharp’s Brewery in Cornwall brews Doom Bar, the fastest growing top 50 beer brand in the UK on premise, while the Franciscan Well brewery in Cork recently won a World Beer Award for its Shandon Export Stout. William Worthington’s Micro Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent has won multiple awards for White Shield.

Ireland was selected as the launch country for The Craft Collection due to the explosion of the craft beer market here. As The Craft Collection grows its range of quality craft beers, having a unifying brand for a diverse range of beers will function as a signpost to excellence and quality for drinkers, making choosing a quality craft beer easier.

Alongside supplying the market with great performing cask, keg and A still from the new Bulmers TV ad, starring Irish actor, Francis Magee, with the new bottled beers, The Craft Collection creative direction, entitled ‘Now is a Good Time’. will reach out to trade customers by

50|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Soft Drinks A warm summer should see a corresponding increase in the amount of soft drinks purchased throughout the country.

Soft

Conversion IRISH consumers love soft drinks. As a nation, we have one of the highest consumption rates of soft drinks in the world, standing at a massive 103 litres per person in 2011. Given our established love affair with the category, and the traditional hike in sales over the summer period, retailers can expect a busy summer for soft drinks sales.

That said, discounting remains the norm within the Irish soft drinks industry, according to the most recent report into the sector from Euromonitor. While all players are pushing strong unit price increases, they are also opting for aggressive price and volume promotions. An increasing portion of retail shelf space is being devoted to promotions, which are lasting longer. This is having a noticeable impact on the purchasing behaviour of consumers.

Irish consumers are extremely brand loyal, when it comes to soft drinks, with the big players dominating the market for many years. According to Euromonitor, company shares fluctuate only slightly as the main players dominate media advertising. This has an impact on the shelf space devoted in the retail channel.

Club

Club, the number one Irish soft drink and Ireland’s most popular citrus

drink, with a proud heritage dating back to the 1930s, is bringing excitement to the soft drink category this summer by fully re-launching the iconic Irish brand. Club is bought by 9% more households than its closest citrus competitor (Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e March 17, 2013), with a CROS twice that of its closest citrus competitor Club will re-launch with a full packaging refresh across the entire 38 SKU range, including a new 500ml PET high impact bottle design.

(Source: Nielsen Scantrack, MAT, its target audience through a first to March 24, 2013). market, real time online digital hub, Club will re-launch with a full supported by both Apple and Android packaging refresh across the entire 38 apps for desktop, tablet and mobile, SKU range, a new 500ml PET high called bestbits.ie, where Club’s target impact bottle design, a new summer audience can find the best bits of the limited edition flavour and a major web in one place, 24/7. new ATL campaign, including a The new 500ml bottle has been ground-breaking Digital Hub. tested extensively with the Irish With a combined marketing consumer and takes inspiration from investment of well over €1.5m, the the brand’s rich heritage, which dates launch is supported ATL through back to the 1930s. The new design, TV, cinema, digital and outdoor, and which reinforces Club’s exceptional BTL through proximity advertising taste and quality, is supported with and high impact in-store activation. real whole-fruit imagery on the pack.

The brand will also be engaging with

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Summer Stocking: Soft Drinks The new look Finches, accompanied with some innovative new product launches, including low calorie Pink Lemonade and fiery Ginger Beer, have pushed Finches to top of mind for consumers again.

Finches is one of the few carbonated oranges made with pure natural spring water. Teamed with Club is bringing excitement to the soft drinks category this a high juice content, this guarantees a summer by fully re-launching the iconic Irish brand. refreshing drink to quench any thirst.

Club’s new 500ml bottle label has a Finches is delighted to 207% larger area size, leading to more have recently received impact on-shelf, allowing for easy a second Gold Medal navigation between variants for the from the BBI for consumer through complementary taste quality, coloured background, whole fruit rewarding the brand imagery and a clearly defined variant for its exceptional name. A high quality metallic finish taste. has been applied to diet variant to The continued drive the quality cues in the Citrus diet success of category.

To further grow and excite the category, the brand will be introducing a limited edition flavour for the first time in over six years across both 500ml and 2L formats. The new flavour, Club Passion is a mix of orange and passion fruit with a great summer taste. With the brand’s reputation for big taste, the limited edition is sure to drive excitement and growth in the category.

This activity will strengthen Club’s Finches is one of the few carbonated position as Ireland’s number one oranges made with pure natural spring water. orange soft drink and help retailers grow their sales.

Finches 500ml highlights consumer desire for quality, Irish products.

Finches With new low calorie Pink Lemonade 2013 shapes up to be an exciting year and Ginger Beer recently added to for Finches, from Gleeson Group, with the existing flavours of Orange, Rock a complete new rebrand launched Shandy, Light Orange and Lemon, the across each of the product categories.

Finches 500ml range is a great choice, offering variety to consumers on the go. Look out for some exciting new product launches this summer.

In 2012, Tipperary Water unveiled a complete re-brand across its range, reflected in the brand’s double digit growth for the year.

Water comes in a variety of packs and sizes, which means there is always a bottle to suit consumer needs.

In 2012, Tipperary Water unveiled a complete re-brand across its range.

The re-brand has received extremely positive reactions. This is reflected in the brand’s double digit growth for the year.

In addition to the exciting rebrand, Tipperary Water is the Official Mineral Water to the FAI over the course of the World Cup qualifying season.

Tipperary Water will supply over 1m bottles of water to the FAI over the duration of the association.

Deep RiverRock

Deep RiverRock has launched a new TV campaign which reflects “an evolved brand positioning strategy to put the Deep RiverRock brand at the

Tipperary Natural Mineral Water

The continued success of Finches 500ml highlights consumer desire for quality, Irish products.

Tipperary Natural Mineral Water, from Gleeson Group, is one of Ireland’s biggest award winners and is bottled at its source in Co. Tipperary. Tipperary

Pictured on set at the Deep RiverRock shoot are Tara O’Rourke, Brands, Marketing Manager; Roseann McEntee, Brand Manager; and Alina Uí Chaollaí, Marketing Manager, Water Brands, Island of Ireland, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland.

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Summer Stocking: Soft Drinks very centre of the communications.

Deep RiverRock is the number one water brand on the island of Ireland (Source: AC Nielsen N/D value share MAT 2012) and the new campaign is designed to further boost sales and brand preference’’ according to Alina Uí Chaollaí, Marketing Manager, Water Brands, Island of Ireland, CocaCola HBC Ireland.

Strategic Planning Director at McCann, Sean Whitaker, said, “We wanted, in line with our agency commitment to ‘Truth Well Told’ to find a leverage able product truth that Deep RiverRock could own. The one unique thing about water is the fact that it is vital for your mind to function properly and if you’ve ever been dehydrated, you will know exactly how that lack of water can affect your concentration levels. The idea: ‘When you can’t think straight, hydrate’ was borne from that simple brand truth.”

“This is a full 360 idea and will work across television, in-store and on-line,” noted Alina Uí Chaollaí. “It is a major investment for the brand and we’re excited to really exploit the brand’s potential on an all-island basis. We have invested, between the new work, the media campaign, our digital work and significant investment in POS and in-store activity, close to €600k+ and this represents a major and deserved investment in the Deep RiverRock brand.”

The new Deep RiverRock campaign was shot on location in Bray and Stillorgan. The campaign launched on RTE, UTV, TV3, Channel 4 and Sky, along with a strong in-store POS programme and digital.

Free MiBook: You Star in the Story!

THIS summer, MiWadi is giving its fans the chance to star in their very own personalised story book. Special MiWadi MiBook promotional packs are currently in trade, and will feature across a selection of Single and Double Concentrate variants. Consumers are invited to collect three unique codes from the labels and log onto www.miwadi.ie to redeem a free personalised children’s story book.

“There are three great titles to choose from, My Trip to the Zoo, My Big Adventure and My Birthday Party. MiWadi MiBooks will make reading even more fun and create a unique, memorable bond for both children and parents alike,” explained Dee Cunniam, Senior Brands & Activation Manager, Britvic Ireland.

“MiWadi MiBook will create excitement in the Dilutes category as we will drive consumer engagement, encouraging increase of frequency and penetration. The reaction from customers to date has been very enthusiastic and we look forward to seeing strong trade activation in-store throughout the summer.”

MiWadi, from Britvic Ireland, is Ireland’s number one dilute brand, with 50% value share of the market (Source: AC Nielsen Total Scantrack, ROI, April 2013).

Earlier this year, GSK conducted in-market trials with the Lucozade PMPs, and Kearns stresses how “the results exceeded our high expectations and astonished retailers too. The rate of sale increased by as much as 172% and the value of the category increased

Lucozade Energy

Lucozade is rolling out a range of Price-Marked Packs (PMP’s) across its core-selling impulse lines in a move that GlaxoSmithKline say will drive further value to both the retailer and the consumer.

“We know that consumers nowadays want value,” explained Claire Kearns, Head of Marketing.

“There are more savvy shoppers who are willing to shop around to get the best product at the best price. Our Price-Marked Packs will deliver value to the consumer, drive footfall back to the impulse chiller and deliver cash margin to the retailer through an increased rate of sale.” GSK research shows that 44% of convenience shoppers are more likely to buy a product on impulse when it is price-marked.

The PMPs are available from this month, across Lucozade Energy Original and Orange 500ml, as well as Lucozade Sport Orange, Raspberry and Sparkling Orange 500ml. POS material is available for both wholesalers and retailers to highlight the new price point.

in every single trial store.”

One retailer who took part in the trial, Aaron Massey of Costcutter, Taylors Lane, noted how “the PriceMarked Packs drove significant rate of sale increases over the period of the trial. Shoppers saw the packs as great value, and as a result, there was a positive knock-on effect to my overall category.”

“We worked with our retailer partners over the past six months to ensure that we achieved the right balance between consumer needs and retailer expectations,” Kearns notes. “With packs flashed at €1.50, we believe we have struck the right balance between providing an attractive price point for consumers and also maintaining category value.“ Kearns believes that this move “will be a turning point for the impulse soft drinks category. By providing shoppers with premium brands at attractive price points, we will encourage them back into the impulse fixture and deliver increased rate of sale for the retailer.”

The national brand with local focus Join the Gala network and get the benefits of a national brand, together with the support of a local network. With local wholesalers throughout Ireland you get to work with people who know your area and can tailor an approach that suits you best. Call Gala on 045 910066 or log onto www.gala.ie

Find us on Facebook www.facebook.com/galaretail

54|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Summer Stocking: Spirits

The

Spirit

of Summer

Cocktails are very much the drink of the season, as summer takes hold. afterglow, surrounded by the exotic medal at the IWSC Quality award scent of oranges, while maintaining in 2011, 2010 and 2008, Kilbeggan its elegant French heritage. Cointreau Irish Whiskey is set for a global is the perfect partner for cocktails, relaunch. In addition to previous renowned for livening up a Margarita, successes, it has also just been making a long drink even longer with announced that Kilbeggan 7UP or the stylish party Cosmopolitan 18 year old Irish Whiskey cocktail. has been named Best Irish The selection of flavours available Blended Whiskey in the from Bols is vast and includes world for the second Bols Blue, Grenadine, Advocaat, year running at Crème de Cacao, Cherry Brandy the 2013 World and many more. Among the Whiskey Awards classics, Bols Triple Sec Curacao (WWA). is essential in a Cosmopolitan With modern and Bols Crème de Cacao and exciting (brown) in a Brandy Alexander. packaging, More Bols cocktail recipes Kilbeggan will be are available on www. introduced to the bolscocktails.com. A new world as Ireland’s Barry & Fitzwilliam 200ml size has recently been finest whiskey. The Barry & Fitzwilliam added to the range. finest grain and distribute a wide range Sourz continues to be malt whiskeys are of premium spirits, Kilbeggan will be a great success. It has a blended together including Teachers Scotch, getting a makeover unique, dual sweet and for a smooth, Courvoisier Cognac, Rémy this summer with a sour flavour that is both sweet taste and Martin Cognac, The Famous totally redesigned package. refreshing and tangy. Sourz lovely malt finish, Grouse Finest Scotch apple is a low-strength a characteristic of Whisky, Jim Beam Bourbon, (15%) shooter brand that Kilbeggan’s pot still that is Vladivar Vodka, Boru Vodka and is taking the clubs and over 180 years old and still at Whyte and Mackay Scotch. style bars by storm. A new the heart of Kilbeggan Irish Beam, who recently acquired the addition to the range is whiskey.

Cooley brands, have appointed Barry & Sourz Orange, which is well The summer will also see Fitzwilliam as the exclusive distributor supported on satellite TV. a major emphasis on the new of The Cooley range of whiskey, which Jagermeister, the famous additions to the Jim Beam includes: Kilbeggan, Connemara and Range i.e. Red Stag, Honey & The summer will see German schnapps, is a Tyrconnell. Kilbeggan will be getting a Devils Cut, as well as major makeover this summer with a totally a major emphasis huge seller in the shooter promotions on Jim Beam redesigned package. on the new additions market, particularly among trend setters and is growing itself.

Previously awarded with the gold to the Jim Beam range, like Jim internationally. It is a halfCointreau is a cool medal at the 2012 San Fransisico Beam Honey. bitter German schnapps with experience on ice with a warm World Spirits Comptition, the silver THE Irish consumer’s love affair with the cocktail continues to blossom, particularly during the warmer summer season. Recent years have really seen Ireland embrace cocktail culture, with most bars offering signature cocktails to eager consumers. The good news for off trade retailers is that cocktail culture is coming home, with Irish adults increasingly confident about creating their favourite cocktails in the comfort of their own homes.

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Summer Stocking: Spirits a unique blend of 56 herbs and spices, and is ideal served chilled.

Sales are up again this year, which is an excellent performance and a reflection of its place in the top 10 spirit on trade brands.

Tia Maria is a hugely popular coffee liqueur worldwide, particularly thanks to its mixability in cocktails, with coffee or in desserts, or mixed with milk and ice as a Tia Maria will be luxurious long heavily backed by a drink. It will be new TV and press heavily backed campaign focusing by a new TV and on its mixability, while a new pack press campaign design has recently focusing on its been launched. mixability. A new pack design has recently been launched.

Disaronno is described as a ‘cool’ brand. With its distinctive square glass decanter and smooth almond flavour, it has a secret recipe which is said to include the pure essence of 17 selected herbs and fruits with an infusion of apricot kernel oil. This is another brand which will be supported by a satellite TV campaign.

Also from Barry & Fitzwilliam, the premixed W.K.D. range will be supported again this summer with a combination of promotions, a social media campaign, as well as traditional media.

Edward Dillon & Co. Ltd

This summer, consumers are being advised to sit back, relax and enjoy Hennessy Fine de Cognac in a refreshing and invigorating cocktail – Fine de Cognac Summer. The newest addition to the Hennessy family, Fine de Cognac is a balanced blend of elegant eaux-de-vie selected for their originality of expression; floral finesse (hints of citrus blossom) and delicate fruit accents (fresh

mango, white fruits and grapes) The subtle aging, with the use of barrels that have already held eaux-de-vie four to five times, preserves their original expression by avoiding the release of too much oakiness or spiciness.

This timeless cognac is to be enjoyed on warm summer evenings paired with fresh, seasonal flavours like Irish crab, spring pea and garden mint to enhance the citrus, floral, sweet and spicy notes that pervades this elegant beverage.

To create the cocktail Hennessy Fine de Cognac Summer, use 50ml Hennessy Fine de Cognac, 40ml chilled green tea, 5ml fresh lemon juice, 10ml simple syrup, and four fresh raspberries.

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard

Meanwhile, Irish Distillers has been announced as the one of the most reputable Irish companies for 2013 according to the results of the annual Ireland RepTrack Study.

Diageo

Consumers can awaken their senses this summer with mouthwatering Smirnoff Flavours.

The trio of flavours available includes crisp apple, sweet blueberry or tangy lime.

Each Smirnoff flavour emulates the natural fruit flavour in startling clarity and will be a welcome addition to any summer garden party. Consumers can choose Lime Smirnoff to create a delicious Smirnoff Green Giraffe cocktail, craft an Apple Martini with Green Apple Smirnoff, or if they are feeling like something a little sweeter, Blueberry Smirnoff is simply divine with some lemonade or soda.

Created to allow consumers to use their imagination when shaking up bespoke Smirnoff cocktails, these mouthWith sales of over 4m cases achieved watering flavours are in 2012, Jameson is crafted using awardon target to reach winning triple distilled its next identified pure Smirnoff No.21 vodka, milestone of 5m infused with natural fruit cases by early 2014. flavours on the inside.

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard has been performing extremely well, with Jameson its star performer. Jameson is now in its 24th consecutive year of growth and is experiencing double-digit growth in 41 markets. With sales of over 4m cases achieved in calendar year 2012, the company is confident that Jameson will reach its next identified milestone of 5m cases by early 2014.

The company are currently in the midst of a €100m investment in the expansion of the distillery in Midleton, Co. Cork.

Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard’s renowned portfolio scooped 12 top awards at three of the world’s most prestigious, international sprits competitions, with Jameson being awarded a gold medal at the International Spirits Challenge.

Their rum brands, Malibu and Havana Club, continue to perform well, while This summer, consumers Powers Whiskey are being advised to continues to benefit sit back, relax and enjoy Hennessy Fine de from IDL’s consistent Cognac in a refreshing investment in the brand and invigorating cocktail across advertising, sponsorship and on and – Fine de Cognac Summer. off trade activations.

Consumers can awaken their senses this summer with mouth-watering Smirnoff Flavours, including Crisp Apple (pictured), as well as Sweet Blueberry and Tangy Lime.

56|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Market News Belvita Breakfast Biscuits Go Impulse FOLLOWING huge success for Belvita Breakfast since its 2010 launch, with the brand now found in one in four Irish households (Source: Kantar Worldpanel, 52 w/e, December 23, 2012), the biscuit specially designed for breakfast is now available in an impulse format, ideal for breakfast on the go. The impulse format comes in two flavours, Milk & Cereal, the number one selling variant in multipack format, and Yogurt Crunch, two delicious, crunchy wholegrain biscuits sandwiched together with a creamy live yogurt filling. Belvita impulse formats are currently available to order. Belvita Breakfast biscuits are also available in 150g, 300g and 600g pack formats.

Cushelle Creates a Whooosh In-Store CUSHELLE’S new shopper marketing campaign is set to raise the bar in the toilet paper category this summer.

From staffed promotions using an interactive iPad game that gives shoppers a chance to win vouchers, to innovative Point of Sale and prizes of specially designed Cushelle colouring sets, the campaign is sure to generate massive interest and sales too. According to SCA Hygiene Products Ireland, who market and distribute Cushelle, it is all part of a strategy to interact with customers in new and engaging ways, while driving rate of sale and incremental purchase for the retailer. Cushelle will continue to be supported by ATL marketing investment throughout 2013.

Comfort Freshens Up Its Core Range COMFORT is freshening up the laundry category with the re-launch of its core range of fabric conditioners. The refresh includes a new pack design highlighting Comfort’s odour defence technology, and is being supported with a multi million euro media spend activity across digital, outdoor, in-store and TV advertising. Available now, the Comfort core range offers unbeatable freshness thanks to its innovative odour defence technology, which is designed to protect clothes against malodours, helping to keep them fresher for longer. “We already know Comfort is Ireland’s favourite fabric conditioner with over 50% market share (Source: SIG data, Jan 27, 2013 – value share),” said Mairead Greensmith, Comfort Marketing Manager. “With the new above the line campaign, the first for Comfort’s core range since 2010, its innovative odour defence technology and new look packaging, we expect the reformulated range to drive incremental sales into the category.”

Huggies Pull-Ups THE continued focus for the Huggies Pullups brand in 2013 is to supply mums and dads in Ireland with products that provide innovative solutions – so, that means the right product for the job in hand, helping parents to focus on the more important things in life. Designed to encourage independence and with special features to teach kids about becoming dry, Huggies Pull-Ups and Pull-Ups Night-Time help make potty training more fun and easier. The perfect solution to help little ones on their journey to becoming a big kid and for more comfortable night-times, Pull-Ups Night-time Training Pants offer extra absorbency for a good night’s sleep. See www.pottytraining.ie for more information.

McVitie’s Muffins Go Mini!

THE McVitie’s Cake Company is set to mix up the ‘eat now’ cake market with the launch of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Mini Muffins and Galaxy Mini Muffins, the first branded chocolate topped mini muffins. Responding to the growing demand for on-the-go bitesized treats, the unique mushroom shaped mini muffins are injected with tasty fillings and topped with chocolate. McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Mini Muffins consist of a light sponge with a bittersweet dark chocolate topping and include the smashing orangey bit, whilst Galaxy Mini Muffins contain a deliciously smooth chocolate cream centre, topped in Galaxy milk chocolate.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine PANINI has announced the launch of the official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine. This four-weekly, 36-page magazine is based on the hit TV series aimed at children aged 5–9. The magazine will have a strong presence in all sales channels from launch. It has secured significant promotional space in all major retail groups and independents. The launch is supported by TV advertising across Nickelodeon. Each issue is cover-mounted with a Turtle-y awesome free gift and issues 1, 2, and 3 also giveaway the brand-new Turtle Power trading cards and a limited edition card! Based on the new Nickelodeon animated series, Panini’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Magazine will be a must-buy for Turtles fans, young and old.

58|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Cheese

The cheese sector is bucking the recession, as consumers stock up for lunch boxes, as well as a rise in home dining and entertainment.

The Big

Cheese

grated and sliced cheese sectors versatility and many uses throughout CHEESE has been one of the big account for 22.8% and 21.7% of this the day. surprises of recent years. This can be figure (Source: Nielsen MAT, March The Avonmore Cheese range has attributed to the growth of consumers 24, 2013). undergone a revamp, with a fresh new bringing a home-made packed lunch design and new improved packaging. to work, school or college, as opposed The new redesign, which hits shelves to buying lunch from more expensive Avonmore Cheese this month, uses a fresh green cafĂŠs or sandwich bars, according to The Avonmore Cheese range is a long background to create stronger impact the latest review into the sector by standing family favourite. Avonmore and stand out on-shelf, and also uses Euromonitor.

Cheese is available in both grated serving suggestions to create usage Indeed, Euromonitor report volume and sliced formats and the range and appetite appeal. growth of 1% in the retail sector, encompasses red and white cheddar, The serving suggestions are compared to a 2% decline in cheese mozzarella, cheddar and mozzarella simple, yet accessible, and reflect volume in foodservice. and light cheddar. The beauty of some of the many uses of cheese Cheese is likely to have benefited the Avonmore range lies in its throughout the day, whether it be from a rise in home dining and convenience for the entire family, its entertainment, as witnessed by the growth in consumption of soft cheese and artisan cheese, according to Euromonitor.

The Irish cheese market is valued at â‚Ź108m. While block cheese makes up the The Avonmore Cheese range has undergone a revamp, with a fresh new design and new improved packaging. biggest sector, the

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Cheese used in a tasty sandwich or bagel at lunch time or added to pasta dishes and baked potatoes for an evening snack. Each variant is colour coded on pack to ensure consumers can easily distinguish between variants and shop the cheese category easily. The new redesign mirrors the Avonmore Soup design, giving a fresh new integrated look across Avonmore’s soup and cheese ranges for stronger brand impact and consumer recognition.

As part of the re-launch, Avonmore Grated Cheese has also introduced a new block bottom bag with new re-closable zip, which helps ensure the pack is sealed correctly. In addition to packaging changes, Avonmore are transitioning their cheese from a mild cheese to a medium cheese for better flavour and texture.

The Avonmore Cheese re-design, combined with packaging and product changes, will enhance the look and feel of the Avonmore range significantly, giving much stronger stand-out on-shelf, as well as delivering strong consumer benefits in terms of taste and re-closable fresh seal packaging.

Avonmore Cheese is a long standing family favourite, a highly recognised and trusted brand. As a household staple in many homes across the country, Avonmore Cheese is a must stock item for retailers nationwide.

Cheestrings Launch New Flavours CHEESTRINGS, the number one kids’ cheese brand in Ireland, worth €5.6m (Source: ACNielsen MAT, February 24, 2013, Value MAT) is extending its range with two exciting new flavours; Cheese & Onion and Cheese & Tomato. With 84% of mums demonstrating intent to purchase (Cheestrings flavour research, Playpus, March 5, 2012), the new flavours are predicted to be 70% incremental to the snacking category and will lift the lid on lunchbox sales for retailers. The new flavours will be available in packs of four, individually wrapped, 17g portions, and go on sale at a Recommended Retail Price of €1.99-2.09.

“The cheese snacks market is worth €14m but currently only 7% of lunchboxes contain a cheese snack,” noted Bronagh Doran, Dairy Marketing Manager. “With 250 school days every year, mums are crying out for healthier lunchbox snacks but craving variety and fun formats. Our new flavours can deliver this and by tapping into this consumer trend, we are confident that we can unlock significant incremental sales, replicating the success of the recently launched Cheestrings Spaghetti, which is currently growing at 250%.

“Flavour innovation is driving growth in other kids snacking categories and we can emanate this success with our two new popular flavours, further accelerating the growth of our brand, which is currently growing 5% YOY.” The Cheestrings brand will continue to be supported by a heavyweight, humorous and engaging marketing campaign throughout 2013. The brand is currently on TV, and a new 10 second TV tag and in-store support will maximise awareness around the new product launch, targeting the key back to school sales periods.

Kilmeaden

Kilmeaden claims leadership of the branded cheese block sector in Ireland. A cheese made locally from a traditional recipe unique to Kilmeaden that has been in use for over 40 years, Kilmeaden is also a proud supporter of Love Irish Food and carries the logo on all packs.

Kilmeaden is renowned for superior quality and a unique taste, thanks to the craftsmanship and care that goes into every block. The quality and

Kilmeaden is renowned for superior quality and a unique taste, thanks to the craftsmanship and care that goes into every block.

uniqueness of Kilmeaden Cheddar can be attributed to a strict selection process to ensure only the best cheese goes into Kilmeaden. Kilmeaden is matured for up to 10 months, giving it all the time it needs to develop its distinctive flavour and unique taste.

Kilmeaden is supported nationwide with an ATL plan which includes TV advertising, digital and in-store promotions. The Kilmeaden website, Facebook page and digital programme focus on the grader message and driving loyalty among younger audiences.

Kilmeaden’s successful portfolio has recently been extended, with the launch of Kilmeaden Grader’s Choice Waxed Wheel. This cheese is specially selected by the Kilmeaden Master Grader. It is a full bodied mature cheddar with a rich mellow flavour, perfect for cheese boards, crackers or enjoyed on its own.

It is carefully coated in wax, the traditional method of preserving

cheese, and coincides with the trend towards ‘dining in’ and entertaining at home. The Kilmeaden Grader’s Choice Waxed Wheel retails at €3.99.

Kilmeaden Grader’s Choice Waxed Wheel is a full bodied mature cheddar with a rich mellow flavour, perfect for cheese boards, crackers or enjoyed on its own.

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Cheese Kilmeaden is committed to growing the cheese category through strong marketing, in-store support and strong innovation, attracting new customers to the category.

LowLow Mature Cheddar Spreads: Product of the Year in the cheese category.

LowLow

cheese category. In its ninth year, the Product of the Year Awards is the largest independent survey inviting consumers to have their say on which manufacturers are producing the most innovative, top performing products.

“It’s a real honour to win a Product of the Year Award because consumers are, of course, our most important judges,” said Maeve Judge, LowLow Brand Manager. “LowLow Mature Cheddar Spreads have 33% less fat and are delicious, versatile and convenient. They’re perfect for people who seek a healthy and balanced diet and don’t want to compromise on taste.”

The award winning range comprises LowLow Mature Cheddar Spread and LowLow Mature Cheddar Spread with Cracked Black Pepper in 125g packs, both of which now sport the Product of the Year Award ‘medal’ on pack.

Dubliner

Dubliner Cheese, the delicious range of Irish cheese made to a traditional recipe, was launched in Ireland in 1996. Dubliner Cheese prides itself on being a multi-award winning cheese, owing to lifetimes of heritage cheesemaking. The flavour and taste of Dubliner is both distinct and unique.

It is firm with a rounded flavour and a stable, slightly dry texture. Smooth to the palate, it leaves a gentle sweet lingering aftertaste.

Dubliner Cheese has a range of varieties and formats to suit all needs.

The Original range has the staple, full-flavoured taste with crumbly texture. The Vintage block has a more distinctive taste, as it is a further aged cheese, with a perfect balance of savoury and sweet notes, a good strong flavour and crumbly texture. The Light range has that delicious Dubliner flavour but with 30% less fat.

LowLow Mature Cheddar Spreads were officially given the thumbs up among more than 10,000 UK and ROI consumers when they were awarded Product of the Year in the

SuperValu to Stock Cashel Blue Cream Cheese SUPERVALU has signed a deal worth €160,000 with Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers to stock its Cashel Blue Cream Cheese. The deal will see Cashel Blue Cream Cheese, which is 100% Irish and entirely natural, exclusively available in SuperValu stores.

The newly launched product is simply a mix of Cashel Blue, cream cheese and fresh cream, stored in 200g resealable tubs to help preserve it for longer.

“We have been making cheese on our farm for over 30 years using local, natural ingredients and are delighted to offer our new Cashel Blue Cream Cheese exclusively to SuperValu customers,” said Sarah Furno, Managing Director, Cashel Farmhouse Cheesemakers. “Produced using only 100% natural ingredients, our aim is to make a spreadable and smooth blue cream cheese which will make specialty cheese accessible to everyone.”

Dubliner Cheese prides itself on being a multi-award winning cheese, owing to lifetimes of heritage cheese-making.

European Farmhouse and Artisan Cheesemakers Congress PICTURED at the launch of Ireland’s first artisan cheese congress were Dick Willems, Coolea Cheese; Eimear O’Donnell, Bord Bia; and Marion Roeleveld, Killeen Farmhouse Cheese.

The Association of Irish Farmhouse Cheesemakers (CÁIS) hosted the 5th European Farmhouse and Artisan Cheesemakers Congress at University College Cork in April, where industry stakeholders from Ireland and other EU member states came together to share knowledge and initiate collaborations across the farmhouse dairy sector. Topics such as sustainability in farmhouse dairy and environmental impact, farmhouse production best practice, and the market opportunity for farmhouse dairy were included on the programme.

For more information, visit www.irishcheese.ie.

Win a luxury break for two at Carton House Spa and Golf Hotel!

As well as giving your customers the chance to win a luxury Dubai break, to celebrate its sponsorship of this year’s Irish Open, Moy Park, Ireland’s number one poultry brand, is giving you the chance to win an overnight stay including breakfast and dinner for two people at the luxury 4 star Carton House Spa and Golf Hotel.

Moy Park is the biggest processor of Irish chicken under the Bord Bia quality assured scheme and the company is also recognised as one of the largest producers of free range and corn fed poultry in Europe.

To be in with a chance of winning a weekend away for two, please answer the following question and send, together with your name, address and telephone number, on a postcard to MOY PARK COMPETITION, Retail News, 14 Upper Fitzwilliam Street, Dublin 2 or email your details and correct answer to: retailnews@tarapublications.ie Please include ‘Retail News Competition’ in the subject line.

Which poultry brand is the official sponsor of the Irish Open 2013?

Closing date for entries is 28th June, 2013. Terms and conditions apply. Judge’s decision is final.

No cash alternative will be offered. Restrictions may apply to travel dates.

For information on products and distribution call Aidan Fisher at Moy Park 028 3835 2233.

For news and updates visit www.moypark.com.

#iloveirishchicken Retail News FP Comp.indd 1

10/04/2013 12:50

62|Retail News|May 2013|www.retailnews.ie

Shelf Life THE highly anticipated Cork Dry Gin Calves Week (CDGCW) was launched recently at Blackrock Castle, Cork Harbour. Anticipation is building throughout the sailing community for the four-day racing series, which includes a race around the Fastnet Rock. Pictured at the launch are Tadg Dwyer (Chairman, CDGCW), Sarah O’Hanlon (Irish Distillers), Hilary McCarthy (Communications, CDGCW), Harry Hermon, ISA CEO, Frank Murphy (Schull Harbour Sailing Club Commodore), Peter Morehead (Production Director Irish Distillers).

SHAREHOLDERS of Connacht Gold have voted unanimously in favour of a proposal to change the name of the co-operative to Aurivo Co-operative Society Ltd. The re-branding will not impact on the high profile Connacht Gold dairy brands, however, which will be retained, as will the Donegal Creameries brand and the recently acquired Organic For Us brand.

RETAIL Excellence Ireland has launched a new digital division, eTail Excellence Ireland (EEI).

EEI will create a membership and platform for retailers, multichannel and pure-play operators and the wider digital community in Ireland to take advantage of the surge of consumers using multi-channels to research and shop online.

This division of REI will be overseen by a fulltime Head of EEI, Sheila Buckley, and the EEI committee is chaired by Geoff Scully, Commercial Director, Littlewoods Ireland.

THE ‘Milkozade’ team of students from Midleton College in Cork were named as the overall winners of the NDC Milk It Advertising Awards. Pictured from the winning team are Margaux De Wazieres, Eoghan Daly, Danny Murphy, Kieran Simpson, Josh Beamish, and Ruth Provan-Bessel, who each received a €350 One4all gift voucher. Zoë Kavanagh, Chief Executive of the NDC, said that the finalists fully embraced the challenge of setting up their own advertising agency and put a lot of work and creativity into the projects, “from the creative challenges of coming up with a strategic advertising concept and ‘pitching’ the campaign to the judges; to the broader research into the various attitudes about nutrition and the role that milk and dairy products can play as part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.”

KEPAK Group has agreed terms with ABP Group to acquire Silvercrest Foods, Ballybay, Co Monaghan, subject to Competition Authority approval. The acquisition of the Ballybay plant would complement Kepak’s existing burger and convenience foods business strategy. which is focused on developing its sales within EU retail and foodservice markets.

THE World Retail Congress 2013, takes place from October 7-9 in Paris at CNIT - La Défense. Now in its seventh year, the 2013 World Retail Congress expects to welcome around 1,300 delegates from over 50 countries for the three-day conference where discussion and debates will involve contributions from 150 speakers, including keynote speaker Georges Plassat, CEO of Carrefour.

IN the lead-up to exams, students are likely to be putting a lot of energy into study and at times neglecting a healthy balanced diet. Making the effort to eat properly will certainly reward students with increased energy, greater concentration and improved memory. Encouraging students to take a multi vitamin supplement each day is one way to help ensure they are getting the key nutrients they need. Rubex Reload is a great tasting multivitamin that provides high doses of B Vitamins, Vitamin C, Magnesium and Calcium that work together to enhance physical performance and support nutritional balance.

PICTURED at the launch of Bulmers Live at Leopardstown are Robert Burch and Sean Walsh of the Original Rude Boys (back), with (l-r): Ciaran Conroy, Leopardstown Racecourse, and Marcus Goodwin and Ross Bissett of Bulmers. Back again for eight fantastic summer nights, Bulmers Live at Leopardstown is set to bring consumers a superb night at the races, followed by some of the best live Irish and international music you will see this festival season, including The Happy Mondays, Ash and Bressie, as well as great food and drink and a vibrant party atmosphere.

WEXFORD Bus have become the first private commercial bus operator to officially adopt the Leap Card ticketing system, supported by Payzone.

Already well established as a convenient ticketing system with over 250,000 users to date operating on Luas, DART, Dublin Bus and Commuter Rail Services, the extension of the service to Wexford Bus on their Wexford to Dublin City & Airport route, means that their passengers can use the travel credit on their Leap Card to pay for discounted single trips, or they can choose to load weekly tickets to their card. Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin TD is pictured at the launch of the Leap Card service on Wexford Bus.

IRISH

2013

now open for entries www.irishqualityfoodawards.com

For the Irish retail and food service sector Recognising excellence in product development Deadline for entries 28 June 2013 Contact Helen Lyons for more information 00353 (0)1 817 6360 helen@irishqualityfoodawards.com

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