Retail News DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021
Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine
Nielsen to 12/04/2020 / Kantar MAT April 2020
IT’S TIME TO ESCAPE.
Go to a place where the crisp air bites your skin, where the smell of pine and wild berries fills the world around you. Where beautiful mountains beg to be explored and colossal glaciers impose themselves on the landscape…and, where unwinding is just a way of life.
IT’S TIME TO GO THERE WITH NORDIC SPIRIT
IT’S TIME TO FINALLY BE PRESENT.
Take it all in and give each moment your all. Watch sunsets explode, hear snow crunch underfoot, smell coffee in the morning and do it all without distraction. Indulge yourself in the moment, because you’ll never get the same one twice.
IT’S TIME TO GET READY FOR ACTION.
Attack the day. Dive into a freezing lake, scale the tallest mountain and feel the buzz. Live like the Nordics – with a thirst for exploration and a hunger for life…and an appreciation of those moments of calm when the adventure is paused. This product contains nicotine. Nicotine is an addictive substance.
BECAUSE NOT EVERYTHING NEEDS TO BE SEEN TO BE ENJOYED
Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie|1
Contents
Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards 32 The product award categories may
News 2 What next for retailing? Facing the challenges of 2021.
3
BWG Managing Director wins prestigious Logistics and Transport Leader Award.
4
Grocery sales soar as restrictions set in; Environmental groups call for overhaul of drinks deposit scheme.
6
Maxol marks centenary with book launch; Food Drink Ireland publishes new economic analysis Brexit report.
Yule be busy AS the strangest year in living memory draws to a close, most of us won’t be sorry to see the back of 2020. Some of us have lost loved ones to Covid-19, many more have been unable to visit relatives in hospitals and nursing homes for huge chunks of the year, and families have been physically separated from each other as public health restrictions aimed to curb the spread of the invisible killer. We have all been affected by this horrendous virus but as I write, media channels are full of stories about the various vaccines being approved by regulatory authorities across the world. So there is hope that life will return to something approaching what we used to know as normal in the new year. The Irish grocery and FMCG sector has stepped up like never before in in what will go down in history as the year of Covid, ensuring that the supply chain continued to function and that shelves remained stocked with essential supplies for the population. Grocery retailers were first out of the blocks with introducing measures to keep shoppers and staff safe, measures that have since been taken up by the rest of the retail sector, and continued to innovate in line with public health guidelines during a difficult, stressful year. You deserve great credit for your bravery, your steadfastness and your unbelievably hard work this year. Hopefully, Christmas 2020 will be profitable and peaceful and that 2021 will be a happy and healthy new year. Kathleen Belton Editorial & Marketing Director
Pettitt’s SuperValu to open in Bray; Food Works launches recruitment drive for the 2021 programme; Nestlé sets out plan to halve emissions by 2030.
9
New Chair of Drinks Ireland; Tesco Ireland reopens Douglas store; Ireland falling behind best practice on food habits.
Newsagents Association’s security survey makes for grim reading, as the organisation calls for stronger legislation and greater enforcement within the retail sector.
has revealed its 2019 results and its plans for the future in a year that pivoted from centenary celebrations to global pandemic.
18
Panini 20 The Panini Premier League Official Sticker Collection 2021 is bound to generate huge interest amongst football fans across the country.
Origin Green 22 A number of Ireland’s leading food
and drink businesses lead the way on sustainably as they receive inaugural Origin Green Gold Membership.
ECR Shopper Conference and Awards 26 The ECR Shopper Conference and
Awards highlighted some of the most successful FMCG campaigns in this strangest of years.
reflect on trading through this the most unprecedented of years, providing vital services to the communities they serve, and predict what 2021 will bring for Ireland’s FMCG sector.
Coca-Cola 74 Coca-Cola recently announced two
milestones in its ambition to achieve a World Without Waste by 2030.
On the Vine 76 Jean Smullen reflects on what was
a crazy year in the wine market, and warns that new legislation around alcohol promotions in-store is likely to affect the sector going forward.
Retail Efficiency 80 Simon Hedaux from Rethink
Productivity examines how you can reduce your overheads and improve productivity in-store, while keeping shoppers satisfied.
Regulars & Reports 10 Industry News @RetailNews1
Managing Director: Patrick Aylward Editorial & Marketing Director:
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Kathleen Belton
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Retail Groups Report 45 Ireland’s biggest grocery groups
Maxol 18 The Maxol Group
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Graphics: John Sheridan Printed by: W&G Baird
It’s a very important distinction, write Barry Reynolds and Jenny Wakely, specialists in employment law with DAC Beachcroft.
Crime & Security 16 The Convenience Stores and
Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine
Wine Correspondent: Jean Smullen
Employment Law 36 Bullying or employee management?
8
Retail News Chief News Reporter: Pavel Barter
have been cancelled for 2020, but the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards still presented their Performance Awards, rewarding some of the true Irish food and drink heroes of the year.
Reproduction without written permission is strictly prohibited.
38 Healthy Options 78 Drinks News 82 Forecourt Focus: News 84 Shelf Life
2|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
News
What next for retailing? Facing the
THE retail landscape in Ireland may be permanently changed due to a transformation in people’s working lives, a new report claims. The report from KPMG states that 37% more consumers are working from home than prior to the pandemic. A further 13% declare they have moved home this year as a consequence of the virus. According to Niall Savage from the Consumer Markets Division of KPMG Ireland, such trends may remain after the pandemic. “I think people will want to take the benefits of working from home: the ability to spend more time with family, and save on costs. City centre rents are a lot higher,” he said. How might this affect grocery retail? “Local shopping is doing well in high density locations,” said Savage. “Footfall is up; spend is up. Previously it would
Niall Savage, Consumer Markets Division, KPMG Ireland.
have gone to the cities. If more people are able to work from home and are happy to do so, there needs to be more retail offerings in commuter locations.” The prospect of fewer people working in offices in the future will impact the retail mix between town and city centres. Maintaining retail life in urban centres will be a priority for Government and planners in 2021, stated Arnold Dillon, Retail Ireland Director. Retail finds itself at a crossroads at the end of 2020. Supermarkets stepped up this year, delivering a remarkable service despite the myriad of challenges. “Restrictions have involved a radical transformation in terms of how essential retail has operated in terms of public health measures,” said Dillon. “The closure of bars and restaurants has meant that people are probably buying more in supermarkets.” The economy has suffered but consumers are not on their knees. There is an estimated €6 billion more in savings in the economy than what we would expect in a normal year. Retailers hope this will be unlocked over Christmas and channelled into shops, particularly those in city centres that have experienced a decline in footfall. Vaccines promise a return to some kind of normal, although Britain’s impending departure from the EU on January 1, 2021, presents a new set of challenges. “It’s too early to say at the moment, as we don’t know what the deal is,” noted Dillon. In a worst-case scenario, a nodeal, prices could soar by 15% to 20%. Products that are imported from the UK on a daily basis, including cereals, confectionery and household goods, are likely to be the worst affected. Peter Gaughan, President of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents
CSNA President, Peter Gaughan. Association (CSNA), and owner of a Spar shop in Mayo, contends the market will find its feet. “If Kellogg’s Cornflakes goes from €3 for a 450g up to €4 or something astronomical, people will either pay the price, or a French, German or Dutch manufacturer will take its place. The market will decide what we’re going to get.” In other words, consumers are not going to stop eating breakfast but may switch brands, as Gaughan explains: “If the product becomes too expensive, it simply won’t be stocked.” Regulations may affect supermarket shelves if a deal is not reached, though. For example, the EU currently requires a range of prepared meat products, including sausages and mince, to be imported in frozen form. “Measures like the frozen requirement for meat preparations will
Arnold Dillon, Director of Retail Ireland.
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News
challenges of 2021 cause disruption to existing supply chains,” said Paul Kelly, Director of Food Drink Ireland (FDI). “The solution is for both sides to reach agreement on measures which recognise the reality of [our] high safety standards and thus a less onerous border control regime. The EU/New Zealand Veterinary Agreement is an example of how it is possible to address some of these issues.” The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), which provides a Brexit advice line for food businesses, faces its own set of challenges. Official Controls and Brexit Manager, Gail Carroll said: “Retailers will need to adapt their systems to allow for import controls and they will also need to ensure that foods brought from Great Britain comply with EU rules such as those on food labelling, identification and traceability.” Suppliers are confident these rules can be achieved. “Food companies are currently producing to the appropriate standards for the EU market and we expect UK exporters to continue to do that in order to access the market,” according to Kelly. “We may see some minor non-conformances, arising with labelling, but this will not impact on consumer safety.” Brexit is one of the many changes facing retail in 2021. Sustainability is an increasing challenge. “People want to see an effort being made,” points out Gaughan. “They want it to be made as easy as possible for them to be green.” Trade has levelled off at offEvelyn Jones, National Off-Licence licenses, due to a Association (NOffLA) Director. lack of interaction between friends and families during the pandemic, according to Evelyn Jones, National Off-Licence Association (NOffLA) Director. “Without Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP), we continue to be undercut on price by the multiples and if this were to continue into 2021, independent off-licences throughout Ireland would struggle,” she said. High excise duties continue to plague this sector. “A third of NOffLA members (37%) would increase their staff numbers and two-thirds (66%) would invest in their businesses, if excise rates were reduced,” added Jones. Gaughan, meanwhile, describes the rising cost of business - wages, insurance, rates - as a death by a thousand cuts. A grocer on the frontline, he contends that Covid remains the biggest challenge by far, however: “Retailers are very tired: stressed. They’ve been on the go for six or seven months, many of them without breaks.” But the virus is likely to leave a lasting impact on retail, not least in the trend toward home delivery and click-and-collect services. Social change may also be long-term. Think of Asia, where people continued to wear face masks long after the Avian Flu. Last June, KPMG issued a report which stated that one of the top purchasing factors among Irish consumers was safety. “That came from out of nowhere,” explained Savage. “It was always cost and quality. Suddenly safety lobbed itself in the middle of the two. How much that will remain at the forefront of concerns is unknown, but you would have to imagine that the year of Covid is going to have some permanent memory and people won’t want to return to situations where they are not comfortable.”
Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director, BWG Foods.
BWG MD wins prestigious Logistics and Transport Leader Award WILLIE O’Byrne, Managing Director of BWG Foods, has been honoured at the 2020 Logistics & Transport Awards, where he received the highly coveted Leader Award, recognising his long and significant contribution to driving pioneering transformation across Ireland’s logistics sector. Willie O’Byrne represents the first winner of the Logistics and Transport Leader Award from a grocery retail, FMCG or wholesale company, with Pamela Quinn, Managing Director of Kuehne + Nagel, and John Tuohy, founder of Nightline, among the previous winners. “I would like to thank the Irish Logistics and Transport Association for this great honour,” O’Byrne noted. “I accept it only on behalf of the teams I have been a part of, or led, over the years. This is their recognition; none more deserving than our exceptional Logistics and Transport professionals in BWG Foods, to whom I dedicate this award. I am personally extremely proud of the commitment our logistics team has shown over the past nine months in meeting the demands of our retail partners and wholesale customers, while overcoming the myriad of operational and personal challenges wrought by this pandemic.” BWG Foods also took home the Client & Supplier Collaboration Award for its partnership with Coll-8 which allows consumers to pick up and return e-commerce purchases from Spar, Eurospar, Mace, Londis and XL stores nationwide. BWG Foods was also shortlisted for the Excellence in Warehousing and Logistics & Transport Team of the Year awards.
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Grocery sales soar as restrictions set in TAKE-HOME grocery sales growth MARKET SHARE - TOTAL GROCERY in Ireland accelerated to 14.4% Includes expenditure across Food, Beverages, Alcohol, Household and Health & Beauty categories during the 12 weeks to November Total Take Home Grocery - Ireland Consumer Spend 1, 2020, the latest figures from Kantar show. Year-on-year growth 12 Weeks to 03/11/19 12 Weeks to 01/11/20 % Change in value sales was stronger again over the latest %* %* % four weeks, reaching 18.8%, as the nationwide lockdown closed Total Outlets 100.0% 100.0% 14.4% restaurants, cafés and nonTotal Multiples 89.7% 90.1% 15.0% essential retailers. “Irish shoppers spent over €1 Dunnes 22.9% 22.2% 10.9% billion on take-home groceries in SuperValu 21.2% 21.9% 18.0% October, €161.6m more than last year,” revealed Emer Healy, retail Tesco 21.1% 21.2% 14.8% analyst at Kantar. “With dining out 12.5% 12.3% 11.7% officially off the table, and families Aldi preparing more meals to eat at Lidl 12.0% 12.7% 21.1% home, this was the biggest month Other Outlets** 10.3% 9.9% 9.3% for grocery sales since the height of the previous lockdown in June. * = Percentage Share of Total Grocers It all feels a far cry from August, ** = Includes stores such as M&S, Boots, Spar, Centra, Greengrocers, Butchers and Cross Border shops when restrictions on eating and Source: Worldpanel FMCG drinking out were eased, and the average monthly grocery bill was market. Aldi’s sales grew by 11.7% this period, primarily driven by €200 lower.” an increase in spend per buyer and shoppers adding more items Across the board, growth was driven by shoppers adding to their baskets. a couple of extra essentials to their baskets. Tesco customers Online grocery sales continue to soar, rising by 90% year on picked up an average of three additional items per shop over the year in the latest four weeks. “Online grocery continues to set past 12 weeks, the biggest increase in trip volume among all new records, with almost 255,000 of us shopping through digital the retailers. The grocer grew sales by 14.8% to claim a 21.2% channels in October,” Healy noted. “New converts to online market share. grocery contributed an additional €30.8m to the market in the As the end of the year approaches, consumers are accepting past month as tighter restrictions were introduced. Shoppers also that seasonal traditions and festivities will look a little different increased the size of their digital trolleys by 9.6%.” this year. “Halloween was certainly a quieter affair this year Dunnes took the top spot this period and holds the largest and, with trick or treating out of the question, sales of multipack share of the market at 22.2%. Its sales were particularly strong sweets declined by 40% compared with October 2019. Sales of in Dublin, where shoppers have been living under lockdown since pumpkins also dropped by 15.5% as households had less need mid-September and spent an additional €38.8m at the retailer in for the usual welcoming jack-o’-lanterns,” Healy explained. “It’s the latest 12 weeks. Grocery sales growth in the capital was the not all doom and gloom though, and lockdown has led some Irish fastest across all regions this period. shoppers to get into the Christmas spirit unseasonably early. Chilled convenience categories like pizza and ready meals They are getting ahead on preparations for the big day and 50% proved popular at all the retailers, and this was particularly more shoppers have bought their Christmas turkey than had at true at SuperValu, which boosted sales of the cosy night in this point last year, while sales of mince pies are up 36.8% and favourites by 15% year-on-year. Sales at the grocer grew boxed chocolate sales by 44%.” by 18% this period and it increased its market share by As people look for ways to treat themselves at home, Lidl 0.7 percentage points to 21.9%. customers spent an additional 50% on branded products Grocery market inflation stands at 1.7% for the in the latest 12 weeks. The grocer once again achieved the 12-week period ending November 1, 2020. strongest growth among the retailers over the past three months, growing by 21.1% to claim a 12.7% share of the
Environmental groups call for overhaul of drinks deposit scheme A GROUP of academics, campaigners and politicians has called on the Government to overhaul of plans for a deposit return scheme (DRS) in Ireland. An open letter from 15 well-known figures, including Fianna Fáil Senator Erin McGreehan and Independent Senator David Norris, Professors Jane Stout and Amber Davies of Trinity College Dublin, called on Environment Minister Eamon Ryan TD to urgently expand the scheme to include all drinks containers, and not just PET plastic bottles and aluminium cans. Voice Ireland, Friends of the Earth Ireland, Greenpeace, and An Taisce – The National Trust for Ireland all backed the calls to extend the scheme to capture all drinks containers, including glass bottles. Currently the Government is proposing a flat rate €0.20 deposit for all containers in the scheme, and the letter writers want a variable deposit to be introduced, where consumers pay a deposit that varies based on the size and material of the container. The Government is set to introduce a deposit return scheme in Ireland by 2022.
Dear Retailer & Wholesaler Partners, As we near the end of a most extraordinary year it is a good time to reflect on both the challenges and positives that 2020 has brought. The most unwelcome challenge of all being the continued presence of Covid-19. One clear positive out of the past year has been the way in which we have come together as a nation to support each other. This was and continues to be clearly evident within our retail and wholesale industry. I would like to extend my greatest thanks and appreciation to all of you for your continued and tireless efforts. Whether it be at head office or on the shop floor, in the warehouse or at the till, each one of you has managed to bring normality to a very abnormal situation. A huge amount of work goes on behind the scenes, and we are extremely grateful to all of you. Thank you for everything you do. This year, more than ever before, I want to take this opportunity to wish each of you and your families a very safe and healthy Christmas and a less challenging 2021.
Happy Christmas
with best wishes from all at John Player
Morgan Lee - Market Manager
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News
Maxol marks centenary with book launch MAXOL has marked 100 years in business with the launch of a commemorative book charting the 100-year history of the company in Ireland. ‘Maxol 1920–2020: Celebrating the First Hundred Years of an Irish Family Company’ was compiled and written by historian and author, Turtle Bunbury. A treasure trove of archive material and personal recollections, it is set against a backdrop of historical events including the Second World War, the Suez Crisis and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Printing of the book was delayed to allow for a chapter on Maxol’s response to the Covid-19 crisis. Founded by William McMullan in 1920, Maxol is today a fourth-generation family business. The book chronicles the 100-year history of the Maxol business, offering a fascinating insight into the people that were instrumental to its growth, including all of the highs and lows that go hand-in-hand with running a family business through four generations. The book explores the successes of a company challenged by world wars, global and national crises, oil crises and political unrest and reflects on the evolution of the
Pictured at the launch of the Maxol centenary book are grandson of the founder and Maxol Director, Noel McMullan, with CEO, Brian Donaldson. company as it moved into the 21st century. There’s also a smattering of nostalgia as the book remembers the much lauded ‘Free a Nipper’ marketing campaign of
1982, which was fronted by the legendary Brendan Grace, saw 400,000 Nippers ‘freed’ and increased the fortunes of the company by 1100%.
FDI publishes new economic analysis Brexit report FOOD Drink Ireland (FDI), the Ibec group that represents the food and drink industry in Ireland, has published new economic analysis that details the need for urgent support measures for the sector as it faces serious economic disturbance following the end of Adjusting the Brexit transition period on to Brexit January 1, 2021. unforeseen Countering “The Irish food and drink and adverse consequences for the food and drink sector sector is by far the most exposed of any sector in any country in Europe to Brexit – deal or no deal,” argued FDI Director Paul Kelly. “Supports Adjusting to Brexit: are urgently needed not just Countering unforeseen to save companies within the and adverse food and drink sector, but also consequences for the the jobs, communities, and food and drink sector, a downstream suppliers reliant new economic analysis on them, including the farming from Food Drink Ireland. sector and its longer-term sustainability.” In 2019, over 37% of Irish food and drink exports, valued at €4.5 billion, went to the UK market. In contrast, other member states typically see less than 10% of their food and drink exports go to the UK market, Kelly argued. Irish food products account for seven of the 10 most exposed country/ food and drink product matches in the EU, with significant additional costs for Irish food and drink companies potentially arising from additional customs procedures, regulatory burdens, and rising transport costs. Food Drink Ireland
November 2020
The report holds that funds amounting to 5% of the value of current annual export sales to the UK will be needed annually from domestic and EU sources for at least three years. These state aid supports and funds drawn from the EU’s €5 billion Brexit Adjustment Reserve should be targeted as follows: • Enterprise stabilisation: Short-term measures to allow the Irish Government to re-introduce the Employer Wage Subsidy Scheme for Brexit impacted companies in a no-deal scenario. • Investment in competitiveness: medium-term measures to allow the Irish Government to introduce investment aids to support Irish food and drink companies invest in enabling technology, management training and upskilling, plant renewal and expansion, refinancing, market development and innovation. • Improve export capability: a state supported export credit insurance scheme to ensure the expected gap in supply of export credit insurance does not impact on the ability of Irish firms to export. • Diversification and innovation: additional funding for direct grant supports for innovation, marketing and trade promotion for companies looking to build new markets in the EU and internationally. • Direct connectivity to continental markets: ensure sufficient accompanied roll on / roll off capacity for direct ferry routes to the continent. • Customs skills: provide direct supports to cover the additional ongoing costs associated with developing and maintaining customs clearance capability. These supports will be required throughout the remainder of 2020 and 2021. In addition, a Tariff Support Mechanism will be required in the event of no deal to offset the tariff amount imposed by the UK on the most exposed sectors.
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8|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
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Pettitt’s SuperValu to open in Bray THE Pettitt Group will expand its family of supermarkets into Bray, with a new SuperValu set to open its doors in early March 2021, and the Group is currently recruiting 80 jobs for the new store. The Petitt family have invested €4m in the fitout of the brand new 20,000 square feet, state-of-the-art Pettitt’s SuperValu store in Bray, Co Wicklow, with over 75 workers involved. The Pettitt family brand currently employs over 600 team members across six SuperValu stores in Kildare (Athy), Wexford (Enniscorthy, Gorey and Wexford Town) and Wicklow (Arklow). “Recognising the growing population in this area, we decided Bray was where we wanted to expand to next, and the welcome we have received from the local community has been wonderful so far,” said Cormac Pettitt, Managing Director of the Pettitt Group. “We really are a family business, who prides ourselves on being part of the community and contributing to the local economy.” Commenting on the progress and sustainability of the new store, Michael Twohig, Head of Store Development Operations, SuperValu, said: “As a flagship store, Pettitt’s SuperValu in Bray will have
Cormac Pettitt, Managing Director of Pettitt Group, and Dan Hegarty, Brand Manager at Pettitt’s Supervalu Group, on site at the new Bray store which will open in 2021. full LED lighting throughout, which uses 60% less energy compared to standard lighting. The store will be fitted with environmentally friendly refrigeration, which runs on naturally occurring gasses which are 4,000 times less harmful to the environment than standard refrigeration gases. The building will be Near Zero Energy Compliant in line with the new building regulations and is fitted with the latest heat pump technologies for heating and cooling. It represents one of our biggest store openings in a number
Food Works launches recruitment drive for the 2021 programme BORD Bia, Enterprise Ireland and Teagasc have launched Food Works 2021, a government supported accelerator programme that provides a launchpad for scalable and export driven Irish food and drink businesses to grow. They are calling on Irish food and drink entrepreneurs, who even through challenging times, are using creativity and innovation to build their business to apply for the 2021 Food Works development programme. Successful applicants will participate in an intensive growth programme with unique access Pictured are Karen O’Neill and to feasibility grant funding of up to €35,000 for Helen Kennedy of Beekon each company, as well as an invaluable range of Batches, one of the businesses business supports, including consumer market participating in the current Food research, research & development expertise, Works 2020 programme. investor-ready business plan development, technical advice and commercial viability planning. Since the creation of Food Works, close to 100 food and drink businesses have been accepted on to the programme and previous Food Works alumni include Wicklow Wolf, Nobó, FIID, and Bean & Goose Chocolate. Ambassadors for the programme include food industry leaders such as Larry Murrin, Dawn Farm Foods; Ann Murray, Lir Chocolates; Pat Rigney, Gunpowder Gin; David McKernan, Java Republic; and Stephen Twaddell, HBAN. “The challenges now facing business owners have never been greater and we are here to support and guide Irish food and drink entrepreneurs to scale their businesses and become successful brands,” said Nicola Nic Pháidín, Manager, Food HPSU (High potential Start-Ups), Enterprise Ireland. “Often in times of crisis comes creativity and this year we are looking for businesses that are demonstrating innovation and resilience, despite the impact of Covid-19.” Visit https://foodworksireland.ie for more information.
of years and highlights our ambition as Ireland’s leading and most sustainable retailer.” As the new store is on the Southern Cross Road, just off the N11and close to the M50, Dart and Dublin Bus routes, Pettitt’s will also provide online click-and-collect dedicated car parking spaces for the city commuter, while SuperScan (a technology that allows customers to track their spend and pack as they go) will become a paramount service in Covid-19 times.
Nestlé sets out plan to halve emissions by 2030 NESTLÉ has announced its global roadmap to halve the company’s emissions by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2050. To accomplish this, Nestlé will accelerate initiatives focusing on supporting farmers and suppliers to advance regenerative agriculture, planting hundreds of millions of trees within the next 10 years, completing the company’s transition to 100% renewable electricity globally by 2025 and increasing the number of ‘carbon neutral’ brands. “Climate change is the challenge of our time and urgent action is needed now. We have made good progress in the UK and Ireland but there is much more to be done and yet we cannot do it alone,” noted Stefano Agostini, CEO of Nestlé UK and Ireland (pictured). “We will continue to work with governments, farmers and other cross-sector partners to look for new and innovative ways to reduce our environmental footprint by transforming our products, scaling-up initiatives in agriculture and to build beyond our current 100% renewable gridsupplied electricity across our operations.”
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New Chair of Drinks Ireland PAT Rigney, the Managing Director and Founder at The Shed Distillery, which makes Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, has been elected Chair of Drinks Ireland, the Ibec trade association that represents drinks manufacturers and suppliers on the island of Ireland. Drinks Ireland represents 61 drinks manufacturers on the island of Ireland and includes the category trade associations of Drinks Ireland - Beer, Drinks Ireland -Cider, Drinks Ireland -Irish Whiskey, Drinks Ireland -Spirits and Drinks Ireland -Wine. “Ireland’s drinks industry faces a number of challenges. The sector has and continues to be significantly impacted by Covid-19, which has hit production, exports, and sales,” Rigney noted. “Beyond this, it faces the prospect of a no-deal Brexit, with negotiations ongoing, and also continues to be impacted by trade disputes between the EU and the US. But at its core the industry is resilient, dynamic, innovative, and has performed strongly in domestic and export markets in recent years. I’m looking forward to working with Drinks Ireland and its membership.” Pat Rigney takes over the position of Chair from Oliver Loomes, Country Director of Diageo Ireland.
Tesco Ireland reopens Douglas store TESCO Ireland recently welcomed customers and the community back to its refurbished store at Douglas Shopping Centre after a year-long closure following a carpark fire in August 2019. Tesco has invested €1.5m in the refurbishment of Douglas and other store improvements in Cork this year. Originally built in 2009 and spanning over 55,000 square feet, the Douglas store reopened in line with the public health requirements of Level 5 restrictions. Tesco has created 30 new jobs in the Douglas store, adding to the 100 staff members who were employed there prior to the fire. Throughout the closure, staff were redeployed to other stores in Cork but have now returned to Douglas. “We are thrilled to reopen our store at Douglas Shopping Centre,” noted store manager Dermot Hever, who commended store colleagues who had been “working hard behind closed doors for weeks preparing to welcome returning customers in line with Covid-19 safety protocols” and thanked customers for their patience and support: “Customers can now return to shopping locally in the store in Douglas, knowing that their safety and that of our colleagues, is our number one priority.”
Dermot Hever, store manager, leads his team in the reopening of Tesco at Douglas Shopping Centre in Cork, after a year-long closure.
Pat Rigney, Chair of Drinks Ireland and MD and founder of the Shed Distillery.
Ireland falling behind best practice on food habits
Policies for tackling obesity and creating healthier food environments in Ireland: Food-EPI 2020 Current policies
& priority actions IRELAND is falling behind international best practice for implementing some of the policies needed to tackle obesity and other non-communicable diseases, a groundbreaking new report from University College Cork has found. Its findings have led to calls for a reform of Ireland’s ‘food environment’ - the wide range of interconnected factors such as food production, processing, marketing, and distribution, that characterise our food system and largely determine our dietary intakes. “The government needs to seize an opportunity to improve the diets of the Irish population, prevent obesity and diet-related non communicable diseases by investing in the kind of policies and programmes which have demonstrated success in a number of countries,” noted Dr Janas Harrington at UCC’s School of Public Health, who led the Food-EPI Ireland study, the first of its kind to benchmark the Irish Government’s level of support for improving the healthiness of the food environment against international best practice. The report was conducted as part of a wider European project, the Policy Evaluation Network (PEN) in collaboration with research groups from countries such as The Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Poland and New Zealand. It compared the Irish food environment to international standards, and found that Ireland rates well in ensuring the public has access to nutritional information and key documents through freedom of information legislation. It also found Ireland is also at international best practice in monitoring overweight and obesity prevalence in the population and occurrence rates for the main diet-related disease and its risk factors. Ireland also rated well for implementing procedures to support evidence-informed policymaking. However, it found Ireland lags behind international best practice when it comes to • marketing unhealthy food to children; • the implementation of ‘no fry zones’; • the use of fiscal policies to support healthy food choices; • providing support for companies to provide healthy eating options to employees; • the roll-out of evidence-informed labelling for front-of-pack; • the need for food composition targets/standards for processed foods.
10|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Industry News Spar supports Make-A-Wish Ireland’s Christmas Appeal SPAR was delighted to be able to present a cheque for more than €200,000 to MakeA-Wish Ireland, which will enable its official charity partner to give the most precious gift of all and help grant the wishes of sick children all over Ireland. Make-A-Wish’s activity programme has been severely curtailed because of the Covid-19 pandemic but the charity remains committed to delivering magical, life-changing wishes to children living with serious illnesses and the support of Spar and its retailers is making all the difference. “As Make-A-Wish’s official charity partner, we are delighted to be supporting their Christmas appeal, as we will support all their other fundraising initiatives throughout the year ahead,” noted Colin Donnelly, Spar Sales Director, pictured with Lil Courtney, Chair of the National Council of Spar Retailers, and Susan O’Dwyer, Make-A-Wish CEO, at the official handover of a fundraising cheque for €205,000 on behalf of Spar retailers.
Bord Bia celebrates the spud
Triple award win for Ardagh Group FOLLOWING success in the Sustainability Awards in October, Ardagh Group has collected a World Beverage Innovation Award and a British Glass ‘Glass Focus’ Award for its Recycled Glass Briquettes project – a method of producing re-meltable briquettes (akin to dishwasher tablets) from the fine particle glass rejected during the recycling process, allowing 100% of recycled glass to be remelted into new glass bottles and jars. “Receiving these industry awards is such amazing recognition of the effort put into the project by everyone involved, to prove the concept of re-meltable briquettes produced from glass cullet fines, closing the glass loop,” noted Brendan O’Meara, from Ardagh’s European Glass Cullet team (pictured).
GAA stars, Mayo’s Sarah Rowe and Dublin’s Sinead Goldrick recently teamed up with Bord Bia to celebrate National Potato Day, and to promote potatoes as fuel for optimum sports performance. With Irish potato sales up 24% since March, there has never been a better time to celebrate one of our most important crops. Bord Bia has created a range of recipe videos highlighting simple kitchen skills which will allow people to expand their potato recipe repertoire, at www.bordbia.ie.
Carbery’s mozzarella plant is operational CARBERY Group’s €78m expansion is complete and its new stateof-the-art mozzarella plant in Ballineen, West Cork, is now operational. Production of pasta filata (mozzarella and grilling cheese) is underway. The Group’s output is set to increase from 55,000 tonnes per annum to 64,000. “Our cheese diversification strategy has been in the works now for a number of years, so it’s great to see all our planning and efforts come to fruition,” said Jason Hawkins, CEO of Carbery Group, pictured (forefront) with Chairman TJ Sullivan, CFO Colm Leen, COO John Holland, and Cheddar Cheese Manager Conor O’Donovan, with the new Carbery Dairy mozzarella in Carbery’s new cheese facility.
New look for Lidl in Kanturk LIDL Ireland recently announced the opening of its new store in Kanturk, Co. Cork, on November 19. Lidl embarked on an ambitious reinvestment programme in order to future-proof its presence in the town. The retailer made the decision to build a brand new store on Banteer Road, where it has traded since 2008, replacing the existing store with a modern new build, in order to offer its growing customer base an improved shopping experience. More than 10 new jobs have been created additionally in the locality. Cork intercounty and Kanturk hurling goalkeeper Anthony Nash (right) is pictured officially opening the store with Store Manager Andrius Vasiliauskas.
The Power of People At SPAR we pride ourselves on servicing local communities across Ireland through over 400 conveniently located stores run by independent retailers. We would like to thank our retailers and their staff for pulling together to help feed Ireland and for the many acts of kindness they have shown during these unprecedented times. Stronger, together.
12|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Industry News Avonmore recognises all our ‘heroes’ this Christmas AVONMORE has launched a new campaign in the run-up to Christmas, paying tribute to our ‘hero’ neighbours. In a year where everyone needed a helping hand, a new creative on RTE’s Weatherline recognises the many types of heroes who helped the nation in so many ways and brings home the importance of our relationships, our small daily interactions and just how meaningful they can be. “We wanted to celebrate the strong community spirit that exists in many villages, towns and cities throughout Ireland and has played a really important part in helping people cope with the pandemic,” noted Glanbia Ireland’s Eithne O’ Hara. “The stings, featuring both Avonmore Milk and Avonmore Whipped Cream, play to Avonmore’s role as a much-loved Irish brand, which is very much at the heart of community and Christmas.”
Lidl opens Enniscorthy store LIDL Ireland has opened its newly rebuilt store on Kiltealy Road, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford. The opening of the new state-of-the-art store creates eight new jobs for the locality, bringing the total number of people employed through the store to 29. Serving the Enniscorthy community since it first opened back in 2005, the former store has been knocked and rebuilt with a modern finish to create an enhanced shopping experience for customers, including a convenient large 117 space cark park which includes two electric vehicle charging spaces. The store is fully equipped with an ISO 50001 certified Energy Management System, including the installation of a solar photovoltaic system. Lidl Enniscorthy Store Manager, Fran Butler and LGFA star, Clara Donnelly, are pictured at the official store opening
Aldi unveils new Blanchardstown store ALDI’S nationwide expansion continues with the opening of a new flagship store in Blanchardstown, Dublin 15, creating 40 new jobs, with 14 staff members having been recruited from the local area. Located at the Blanchardstown Centre, the new store is Aldi’s 23rd in Co. Dublin and 145th nationwide. Featuring Aldi’s exciting award-winning Project Fresh layout and design, the new store boasts a large shop floor spanning 1,218m², wide aisles and hispec fixtures and fittings. The store is powered by 100% green electricity. Pictured cutting the ribbon is Store Manager Patrik Polak with staff members.
SuperValu leeks win National Organic Award SUPERVALU has won the Private Label award at the bi-annual National Organic Awards for its Irish-grown Begley’s Organic Leeks. Begley’s Organic Leeks won the Private Label Award for its work with SuperValu to create fully compostable packaging for its organic leeks, which are available instore in 100% compostable bags and labels. “We are delighted to win this award,” noted James O’Regan of Begley’s (pictured). “It is testament to our hard-working, dedicated staff, who have worked tirelessly through Covid-19 to ensure that Irish families have the very best fresh, Irish-grown organic produce every day. I would also like to thank SuperValu for its ongoing support for an Irish business that provides employment in the local community.” SuperValu has sold 94,000 of Begley’s organic leeks in the past year.
New research reveals Covid changes in dental care regimes ORAL-B has released new research findings all about Irish people’s current dental care habits and regime in the wake of Covid-19. Almost half of those surveyed (45%) claim they have avoided visiting the dentist since the beginning of the pandemic, with those aged between 18-24-years-old significantly more likely to have avoided the trip (57%). However, Covid-19 has also encouraged some people to make changes to their dental care regime, with almost one in five claiming to have made some element of change. Interestingly, those aged between 18-24-years-old (45%) are considerably more likely to have done so. Amongst those who have made a change as a result of the pandemic, over 80% said they made a positive change to their regime, including brushing their teeth for longer (46%), making sure they are brushing their teeth properly (24%) and using an electric toothbrush (21%). “Many people have taken the opportunity to make positive lifestyle changes during the Covid-19 pandemic and it is great to see that so many people have improved their oral hygiene regime,” noted Dr Niall Vallely of 3 Dental.
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14|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Industry News Tesco Ireland supports FoodCloud with Christmas Food Appeal
BROADCASTER Ruth Scott teamed up with Tesco Ireland to launch this year’s Annual Christmas Food Appeal, in partnership with FoodCloud. In a year that has seen unparalleled levels of community spirit and acts of kindness, Tesco called on its customers to once again support their local communities by contributing to its annual Food Appeal. Now in its seventh year, the annual appeal took place across 94 Tesco Extra and Superstores from December 4-6, when Tesco invited customers to purchase just one additional food or household item when they shop in-store. Campaign ambassador Ruth Scott said, “I am delighted to be involved in the Tesco Christmas Food Appeal this year and support those in the community who are less fortunate.”
The sweet scent of success AERO has announced an exciting new collaboration with Lily-Flame candles. The chocolatiers and candle maker have come together to create a scented aroma like no other that is sure to be a must-have for the chocolate lovers in the shape of a limited-edition, chocolate-scented candle inspired by its premium boxed chocolate sub-brand, Aero Bliss. The candle, Chocolate Bliss, is described as velvety, bubbly perfection and is available to order in Ireland from Lily-Flame.co.uk.
Circle K launches Christmas charity campaign CIRCLE K recently launched a new charity fundraising initiative called ‘You Give, We Give’ in stores nationwide. All proceeds raised from the initiative will go directly to Children’s Health Foundation Temple Street and Crumlin. For the month of December, all customers who purchase a Simply Great Coffee in a Circle K store (excluding Circle K Express) will be invited to donate 10c extra to the price. Circle K will match every donation made and at least €40,000 in much-needed funds will be raised for Children’s Health Foundation. “Covid-19 has had a detrimental impact on the charity sector this year and organisations like the Children’s Health Foundation need our support more than ever, so we are delighted to extend our help to such an important cause,” said Eadaoin Keane, Senior Marketing Manager at Circle K Ireland (left), pictured with broadcaster Maia Dunphy.
Cork Spar store celebrates huge Lotto win STORE owners Shane and Trudy Cantillon from Spar Mount Oval Valley, Rochestown, Cork, are pictured celebrating with staff after selling the biggest Lotto prize of 2020 to date, with a €10.7m jackpot win on December 2. Shane Cantillon was overjoyed by the news. He said that he has always promised his staff a huge celebration if they sell a big winning lottery ticket and he intends to throw the bash of a lifetime to thank them for their incredible work after a tough 12 months: “We have five stores throughout Cork and another one in Carlow and I have always promised the staff a huge celebratory night out if we ever sold a winning jackpot ticket. Once the end of Covid is in sight, it’s going to be a massive celebratory party for all of our 250 employees so I know that will give them something special to look forward to, once restrictions are lifted of course.”
M&S Food donates €10k to Dublin charity M&S Food is donating €10,000 to Dublin based charity, Inner City Helping Homeless, in recognition of the volunteering efforts of local M&S colleague, John-Ross Reilly (pictured), as part of its very special Christmas campaign. M&S Food selected 10 colleagues from across the UK and Ireland who are its most active charity volunteers, with donations going towards the colleagues’ chosen charities. John-Ross Reilly, Sales Advisor at M&S Dublin Mary Street, has been chosen for his dedication to Inner City Helping Homeless, having been instrumental in setting up fundraising events on behalf of M&S, the proceeds from which have helped the charity to buy a larger van to extend its support to help people outside the greater Dublin area.
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16|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Crime & Security
CSNA security report reveals grim statistics with this incident within a week of the survey being conducted. “This isn’t just about our members, it also represents the many thousands of staff that work in our convenience stores, forecourts and newsagents nationwide,” stressed Vincent Jennings, CEO of CSNA. “We are at the coalface of this persistent risk and intolerable behaviour, many on a daily basis. It is simply not acceptable, not for our members and certainly not for their valued employees.” Almost 500 retailers took part in the survey, voicing their collective dismay at the security risks posed to retailers and their staff on a daily basis in Ireland. The highest percentage of those represented in the report were convenience store owners, accounting for 81% of those surveyed, with supermarket owners (16%) and newsagents (3%) the remainder. Verbal abuse 58% of those surveyed or their staff are subjected to verbal abuse on a weekly basis, with almost a quarter (23%) enduring it on a daily basis in their stores. 90% of those surveyed suggested that the people carrying out these unlawful acts were ‘repeat offenders’. 66% of those surveyed stated incidences are without weapons, but 22% reported knives and 9% cited needles, hammers or guns as the weapons of choice for those who have produced weapons in such instances in their stores.
The Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association’s security survey makes for grim reading, as the organisation calls for stronger legislation and greater enforcement within the retail sector. THE Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA) have released their 2020 National Security Report, which makes for grim reading. More than seven in 10 (71%) of retailers are concerned about security in their stores. Of the behaviours that concerned them, shoplifting and aggressive, threatening and violent behaviour ranked highest. 80% of the retailers surveyed reported that they or a member of their staff had experienced an incident involving aggressive, violent and threatening behaviour within the previous three months, and 45% of those surveyed had to deal
Pictured at the launch of the Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association (CSNA) security and crime survey are (l-r): Vincent Jennings, CEO, CSNA, & Marcella O’Neill, Chair of the National Executive Security Committee, CSNA.
Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie|17
Crime & Security
“ 81% of retailers surveyed have invested in security in their stores within the last 12 months. The three main triggers to violence instore were: • Confronting shoplifters (62%) • Refusing to serve (55%) • Enforcing age restrictions (22%) The most common shoplifted items included alcohol, confectionery, toiletries and meat. Insufficient legislation and enforcement Worryingly, 87% of retailers surveyed stated the legislation and its enforcement in the retail sector is insufficient. There was an almost equal split between those that felt the response by An Garda Síochána was sufficient and those that felt it was insufficient in their experience. Just over half of retailers (53%) didn’t know the Crime Prevention Officer (CPO) in their area In the last 12 months, 59% of those surveyed had chosen not to bother reporting incidences to An Garda Síochána. Investing in security 81% of those surveyed have invested in security in their stores within the last 12 months, including CCTV (77%), staff training (50%), cash handling and storage (39%) and external security (32%). A fifth (20%) of retailers spent more than €20,000 on security and crime preventative measures in the last 12 months; 17% spent between €10,000 and €20,000; 44% spent between €2,500 and €10,000, and 19% spent less than €2,500. “This is the second national report of its kind released by CSNA and the
findings are for the most part consistent with what we found previously,” Jennings revealed. “It is without question, the pandemic has people on edge and acting irrationally in some instances. However, the issues outlined in this report are not specifically Covid-19 related and are unfortunately with us on a daily basis.” Stronger legislation needed CSNA is calling on elected representatives, An Garda Síochána and the judiciary for stronger legislation and greater enforcement within the retail sector. The retail industry is worth over €7 billion to the exchequer, employing almost 285,000 people, over 72% of whom are outside of the Dublin area,
“We are at the coalface of this persistent risk and intolerable behaviour, many on a daily basis. It is simply not acceptable, not for our members and certainly not for their valued employees.
”
providing key services all over the country. The Association is also calling on members of the public to be kinder and to treat those working in retail with the respect they truly deserve. The CSNA has asked the public to show their support for their local store by sharing this report online with the hashtag #EnoughIsEnough. The CSNA retail association represents over 1,500 members, all convenience store owners, forecourt operators and newsagents. The national survey was conducted in August of this year.
90% of retailers surveyed suggested that the people carrying out these unlawful acts were ‘repeat offenders’, with 22% of incidents involving knives.
18|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Maxol
Maxol announces 2019 results The Maxol Group has revealed its 2019 results and its plans for the future in a year that pivoted from centenary celebrations to global pandemic. MAXOL has reported a profit of €17.8m for 2019, up 14% from €15.5m on the previous year. There are now more than 1,000 people employed indirectly across The Group (North and South) including at its 237 forecourts. The results were revealed by Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group, at a media briefing where he discussed the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the business, and revealed its plans for the future, confirming that diversification remains at the core of the company’s growth strategy, as evidenced by its move into the green energy sector earlier this year and the impact of its food offering on the company’s profitability. Brian Donaldson, who has been at the helm since 2016, also announced details of the company’s investment strategy, its food programme, immediate plans for the business, including the release of the company’s centenary book and a new loyalty programme. From centenary celebration to global pandemic 2020 marks 100 years of business in Ireland for Maxol, and the company had major plans at the outset of 2020 to celebrate the milestone, as the CEO explained: “We had a packed schedule of celebratory activities that began with a largescale national radio sponsorship. We had plans for our biggest ever retailer conference, events with our brand ambassador, Jacob Stockdale, and at that point, we were finalising the last chapters of our centenary book. Then the pandemic hit.” As with many businesses in Ireland, the business operation and its priorities changed overnight. “We had never seen anything like it,” Donaldson admitted. “Within two weeks, we had invested more than €50,000 across the business in health & safety measures. Businesses had to take unprecedented measures in unprecedented times, and Maxol was no different; we reduced average serving times from three to two minutes in a massive effort to reduce time in-store, along with queuing time outdoors. Perspex screens, enhanced cleaning, staff training and a further investment in advertising to let people know that we remained open and committed to serving communities safely, ran side-by-side with our daily operations.” Meanwhile, fuel sales plummeted, while the company’s deli offering, a key focus of the business in its expansion strategy, had to be adapted quickly; all eat-in dining options had to be suspended. “Eight months on, aided by the fact that Maxol is an adaptable and agile business, the dust has settled somewhat and we are fortunate in that we have nonetheless been in a
Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group. position to make some exciting announcements and implement positive changes,” Donaldson revealed. One of the key celebratory initiatives undertaken by the Group was the production of a centenary hardback book, ‘Maxol 1920-2020: Celebrating the First Hundred Years of an Irish Family Company’, which was written and compiled by Irish author and historian, Turtle Bunbury. The book captures Maxol’s 100-year legacy including the vision of William McMullan and the generations to follow. Printing of the book was delayed to allow for the addition of a chapter on Maxol’s response to the Covid-19 crisis and the launch took place in early December. Despite the ongoing pandemic, 2020 saw a company investment of almost €20m across 16 sites including Dolphins Barn, Ballinteer, Dooradoyle, Ardbrae and Newbridge. Maxol’s first greenfield location since 2016 was opened at Rathnew in Wicklow, following an investment of €3.75m, creating 20 new jobs. A further €14m investment is planned for 2021. Diversification a key strategy Maxol marked its move into the green energy sector in July with the launch of bright, a 100% green energy company founded in partnership with entrepreneurs Ciaran and Stephen Devine of Evermore Energy. Donaldson described this “coming together of two family-owned businesses” as “a huge step for us, and indeed one of the most important on our environmental journey”.
Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie|19
Maxol
Pictured at the launch of bright, a 100% green energy company, are Stephen and Ciaran Devine of Evermore Energy, and Brian Donaldson, Maxol Group CEO. That journey also includes steps like 100% compostable cups and lids, discounts for customers who use a reusable cup when purchasing hot drinks, compostable and recyclable bins across its service stations to support customers’ recycling efforts and harvesting rainwater for its car-washes. Maxol recently announced a new carbon offsetting programme in association with Greenprint, which aims to offset 100% of carbon emissions with its new premium fuel range. “It’s about the journey for us and taking steps to create a more sustainable business model,” Donaldson stressed. It isn’t something that can happen overnight, but we are taking a well-thought out and realistic approach when it comes to reducing our carbon footprint.” Food: the future At the core of Maxol’s business model is its transition from being a fuel brand selling convenience products to a convenience food service brand selling fuel and new energies for mobility. “Our focus on the food-to-go and eat-in markets, along with top-up convenience goods, certainly helped us steer the waters of the pandemic more robustly than some of our competitors,” argued Donaldson, who revealed that in 2019, Maxol’s ratio of fuel to food was at about 60:40, while 2020 saw that shift nearer to 50:50. “We continue to work with quality brands to deliver high quality food products and offerings and we are proud supporters of other Irish companies, with 63% of our bakery and deli goods coming from Irish producers,” Donaldson noted. “In 2019, we launched our own brand range, with €2m in sales in year one alone, with the most popular
items being milk, water and our freshly made sandwiches. “People’s expectations of forecourt food have changed; standards are higher than ever before; forecourts are becoming destination stores and the concept of shopping local has regained pace since the pandemic.” Maxol’s exclusive coffee brand, Rosa, has also been an important part of the forecourt offering, with total sales reaching €8.5m for 2019, with similar projections for 2020. Investing in its fuel offering The company is also diversifying in other ways, including in its fuel offering. By providing a mosaic of different types of fuel, including more bio-friendly fuels and other lower emission fuels, Maxol is ensuring it caters to every driver’s needs. Its new premium fuel range contains fewer pollutants and offers improved vehicle performance, better power and acceleration, whilst reducing engine deposits. With electrification also gathering
momentum, Maxol is ensuring its forecourts have an infrastructure in place to support greener motoring. There are now charging points at eight Maxol service stations in Dublin, Cork, Wexford, Meath, Kerry, Derry, Antrim and Down. Maxol continues to invest heavily in technology, which is playing a huge part in the evolution of the Maxol business. Pay-at-pump facilities are becoming increasingly important and prolific and the company is currently trialling mobile payment technology, removing the need for traditional card readers. There are exciting and imminent plans to announce a new loyalty programme app, which will reward customers with special discounts, coffees and other incentives. Community presence more vital than ever One of the main reasons for Maxol’s success, according to the Group CEO, is that most of its sites are neighbourhood and community stores. It was and continues to be a safe place for local people in their local areas, the importance of which was driven home this year. “We serve the communities of Ireland rather than relying on passing traffic on the motorways or dual carriageways for our business,” Donaldson concludes. “That is of critical importance to us, to remain at the heart of the community, providing everyday essentials and services. In doing so, we are retaining a large portion of our loyal customer base, regardless of the effect that any market changes, or unforeseen crises, might have on the business. Our service stations are run by local people for local people, employing local people and that has been our business model for 100 years. We are excited about the next 100 years.”
2020 saw the opening of Maxol’s first greenfield location since 2016 at Rathnew in Wicklow, following an investment of €3.75m.
20|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Panini
Panini launches official Premier League sticker collection The Panini Premier League Official Sticker Collection 2021 is here, and is bound to generate huge interest amongst football fans across the country. FOLLOWING the phenomenal success of Panini’s first-ever Premier League sticker collection last year, which delivered a staggering 10fold increase in sales, Panini UK is thrilled to announce the launch of the Panini Premier League Official Sticker Collection 2021 on December 10, 2020.
Back for a second year, it is the only official Premier League sticker collection and features the top footballing talent from one of the most competitive and inspiring football leagues in the world. The collection of 642 stickers features all of the league’s top names and rising stars, with plenty of shinies and special stickers to keep an eye out for. This year’s collection features more facts, more stats and more analysis. It includes all 20 Premier League teams and features their kits, their manager’s Premier League record, and stats about each player on their individual sticker. There are also four pages dedicated to the Premier League’s most elite players, with even more detailed info. Starter packs include an awesome 100-page album and four sticker packets. Each sticker packet includes five stickers.
Panini have developed fabulous point of sale packs, so you can highlight to customers that you are stocking the Premier League Official Sticker Collection.
Heavyweight marketing campaign Rebecca Smith, Circulation Manager, Panini UK, described the launch as “a great incremental revenue picture for retailers and something they can get behind”. A heavyweight marketing campaign kicks off on January 7, 2021, with a hardhitting TV, social and digital campaign. This is closely followed by a national newspaper campaign from January 23. In addition, Panini will be covermounting sample packets across a wide variety of magazines, and also directly into schools, alongside educational materials to help build brand awareness. Panini has made some promotional albums available to 500 independent retailers from the first week in January. Floor display units will be available, on request, for those retailers with space in-store. In addition, 8,000 point of sale packs will be sent out, for you to use in-store to promote the collection and tell your customers you’re stocking the Premier League Official Sticker Collection. For more information, visit www.panini.co.uk.
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10th December
22|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Origin Green
Sustainability leaders rewarded by Origin Green 26 of Ireland’s leading food and drink businesses lead the way on sustainability as they receive inaugural Origin Green Gold Membership. BORD Bia recently hosted a special online event, hosted by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, where 26 of Ireland’s leading food businesses received inaugural Origin Green Gold Membership in recognition of their efforts to excel in sustainable food production Over 320 food companies joined in the event, which recognised the Origin Green Gold Members for 2020, and provided insight into the role of sustainability in the agribusiness sector through panel discussions with Minister McConalogue, Dan MacSweeney, Bord Bia Chairman, Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia CEO, and Deirdre Ryan, Director of Origin Green, as well as a keynote address from Mike Barry, leading Sustainable Change Agent. A positive step forward “As the world continues to change at pace and impacts on the food sector evolve, questions about security of supply and living responsibly are to the fore in our customers’ minds,” noted Tara McCarthy, Bord Bia CEO. “As we look to accelerate the sustainability impact of the Origin Green programme, the
launch of our Origin Green Gold Membership is a positive step forward on this journey.” In the past, all Origin Green companies were given the designation of being a ‘verified member’, but companies are now eligible for Gold Membership where they have demonstrated an overall exceptional performance within a given year. Since its inception, Origin Green has grown to collaborate with 53,000 farms and 324 leading Irish food and drink companies to prove and improve the sustainability of the products they produce to meet the evolving needs of global customers and consumers. Verified members account for 90% of food and drink exports, and 70% of domestic retailers. The significant scope of the Origin Green programme facilitates close collaboration with members on developing sustainable practices in their businesses, and consistently applying and measuring this impact over time. Working constructively in partnership with stakeholders, the programme has the required scale to impact positively on greener ways of farming and more sustainable food production methods across the supply chain. McCarthy noted how the “significant achievements of our 53,000 farmers and 324 business members, such as reductions in farm emissions and the setting of over 2,400 sustainability targets, and the performance of our Gold Members matches and surpasses anything else happening in the food industry globally right now, and have been brought about by new thinking in every aspect of our industry.” Best-in-class environmental performance Deirdre Ryan, Director of Origin Green & Sustainable Assurance
Pictured at the Origin Green Gold Membership event are (seated, l-r): Tara McCarthy, CEO, Bord Bia; Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Deirdre Ryan, Director of Origin Green; and (on screen, l-r): Mike Barry, keynote speaker, and Dan MacSweeney, Chairman, Bord Bia.
Through independent verification, the Origin Green members below were awarded Gold Member 2020 status for demonstrating exemplary sustainability target performance in 2019.
Find out more
www.origingreen.ie
24|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Origin Green
“
Ireland’s future success as a producer and exporter of high-quality food and drink will be linked to our position as a globally respected leader in sustainability.
Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and Deirdre Ryan, Origin Green Director, are pictured during the virtual event. with Bord Bia, explained how “Origin Green Gold Membership is about recognising those companies who, each year, make a significant individual stride in sustainability, who provide a best-in-class environmental performance that deserves to be highlighted and celebrated, and who have a story to tell that excites consumers and can be an inspiration and role model for their peers. “Sustainability is a journey and Origin Green Gold Membership is an exciting step forward on it,” Ryan continued. “What our new Gold Members have achieved is all the more impressive in this incredibly challenging year. Ireland’s future success as a producer and exporter of high-quality food and drink will be linked to our position as a globally respected leader in sustainability. The evidence of today is that it is a future that all of us can look forward to with confidence.” Unique programme on a global scale Eight years since this world-leading programme was launched,
Origin Green Gold Members
Through independent verification, the companies below were awarded the new higher level of Origin Green membership, Gold Members 2020, based on exemplary performance in reaching their sustainability targets in 2019. • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Annalitten Farm Eggs Ashbourne Meat Processors Boann Distillery Butler’s Chocolates Carbery Group Cooley Oysters Cyber Colors Natural Food Ingredients Hassett’s Bakery Gallagher’s Premium Oysters Glanbia Ireland Glenilen Farm Kerrigan’s Family Farms Kerry Group
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Kish Fish Knockanore Irish Farmhouse Cheese Lee Strand Lir Choclates Miena’s Handmade Nougat Norfish Limited Nutramara Oakpark Foods Oriel Marine Extracts Silverhill Duck Slaney Farms Slaney Foods Total Produce
”
Origin Green holds the unique position of being the only sustainability programme globally to measure and monitor sustainability across the entire national food supply chain. At a time of significant challenge for the global food sector, sustainability remains a key issue for retail and foodservice customers across the globe who procure Irish food and drink produce. Every week, 650 independent farm audits take place under the Origin Green programme and Bord Bia’s Sustainable Assurance Schemes, and over 260,000 carbon assessments have taken place on beef and dairy farms over a five-year period. To date, verified member companies have set over 2,400 sustainability targets, demonstrating their commitment to improving the sustainability and environmental footprint of their businesses. The Origin Green Progress Report shows that in a fiveyear period, food manufacturers delivered an 11% reduction in energy use per unit of output and a 17% reduction in water use per unit of output. They donated 4,717 tonnes of surplus food to FoodCloud, planted 9,261 trees on manufacturing sites and donated over €8m to community and charity organisations. “Today, we will recognise and commend 26 exceptional performances,” Tara McCarthy concluded. “However, we are very proud to acknowledge each and every one of our 324 leading Irish food and drink companies who have put sustainability at the core of their mission statement, their business model and their daily work. These are companies of differing sizes who operate in diverse sectors but who share an ambition for their businesses, their communities and their environment that stands as an inspiration for all of us.”
Deirdre Ryan, Origin Green Director: “Sustainability is a journey and Origin Green Gold Membership is an exciting step forward on it.”
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26|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
ECR Shopper Conference and Awards
ECR rewards innovative campaigns The ECR Shopper Conference and Awards took place recently, with a virtual ceremony that highlighted some of the most successful FMCG campaigns in this strangest of years. THE world has changed dramatically since the 2019 ECR Shopper Conference and Awards. ECR Ireland has spent the majority of the last year organising a digital response to a global pandemic. While opening the 2020 ECR Conference and Shopper Awards, Declan Carolan explained how in March ECR Ireland set out its stall to track emerging developments and connect the sector. It spent the year monitoring events and creating webinars to safely inform and update its members. It has managed to do so with distinction throughout the year. As with many things 2020, the ECR conference was virtual. The tips and advice shared may have been more important than ever, given how much the market has changed in one year, and given how long-lasting those changes may prove to be. Succeeding in the new environment Colm Rooney, Country Manager, Shopper Intelligence, shared insights on the pandemic and post-pandemic shopper. When looking for success in this new environment, remember: (1) People do not want to run out of ‘stuff’, keeping an eye on demand surges and preparing relevant stock levels is more important than ever. (2) There are two distinct elements in grocery shopping; value is king for standard replenishment items, but with restaurants closed, people have few ways to treat themselves and unique items from the shop are the treats of choice. (3) With so much extra spare time, there is more opportunity to engage shoppers, both in-store and online; browsing time has increased and people are intrigued by New Product Development. Cormac Long, Tesco Ireland’s Head of Insights and Information, focused on
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The ECR Ireland Awards 2020 presented the ECR Ireland Shopper Marketing Award, the ECR Digital Shopper Engagement Award and the ECR Category Management Award. the 2021 shopper in his presentation. People working from home have had a massive impact on shopping patterns. With roughly 14% of people working from home pre-2020 and approximately 40% of people working from home now, we have seen people’s shopping habits change very quickly, he noted. Over half of companies currently offering work from home options have said they will offer to make the arrangement permanent, so this new way of shopping will become permanent for them too. When it comes to plans for the future, it is important to remember that consumer confidence just experienced the swiftest and sharpest fall ever and dipped to 2008 crash levels. Post vaccine confidence will return, but that will not happen any time early in 2021, or even until 2022, Long predicted. Tips and insights for 2021 Paul Corcoran, Range and Space Planning Manager, Musgrave, gave a presentation on tips and insights for Q1 of 2021. SuperValu and Centra shoppers
Declan Carolan, General Manager, ECR Ireland and Co-Chair of ECR Community.
K
Excellence Awards
CONGRATULATIONS to all our 2019-2020 Excellence Awards Winners Excellence in
Community Engagement
Excellence in
Customer Experience
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Company Owned Maxol Glenabbey, Co. Down Independent Dealer Mulkerns Maxol, Newry
Company Owned Maxol Cherryvalley, Co. Antrim Independent Dealer Henderson Retail Limited Maxol Broughshane, Co. Antrim
Republic of Ireland Company Owned Maxol Clonakilty, Co. Cork Independent Dealer Sheahan’s Maxol, Co. Kerry
Excellence in
Standards
Republic of Ireland Company Owned Maxol Clonakilty, Co. Cork Independent Dealer Walsh’s Maxol, Co. Kerry
Storeof the
YEAR
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Company Owned Maxol Braid River, Co. Antrim Independent Dealer Mulkerns Maxol, Co. Down
Company Owned Maxol Glenabbey, Co. Down Independent Dealer Mulkerns Maxol, Co. Down
Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Company Owned Maxol Ardbrae, Co. Wicklow Independent Dealer Hannon’s Maxol, Co. Carlow
Company Owned Maxol Clonakilty, Co. Cork Independent Dealer Sheahan’s Maxol, Co. Kerry
28|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
ECR Shopper Conference and Awards
The Denny Meat Free campaign was the overall winner of the ECR Ireland Shopper Marketing Award 2020. have been looking for more innovation and excitement, as well as increasingly simple meal solutions. He sees tremendous opportunities for suppliers to collaborate with the retailer to develop new ranges and innovations. Online grocery shopping saw a huge increase for Musgrave stores this year and the focus on refining and improving systems is a priority for early 2021. Sustainability and packaging concerns will also be a major focus for early 2021. Paul Kennedy, Client Lead - Ireland, Symphony RetailAI, also stressed the importance of refining and optimising the online shopping experience, especially following the increase in older shoppers now buying online. Personalisation will help your brand deliver value by fulfilling specific shopper needs, Kennedy explained. Using segmentation and targeted promotions, you will be able to deliver the right value through the right channel in 2021. “Think technology”, he advised, stressing that some of the rapid developments in technology have appropriate retail applications; for example, AI marketing outreach can seek out and find new customers and autonomous deliveries and fulfilment will become ever more common. Retail expert, Dr Brian Harris, who designed the famous eight-step approach to category management, made a bespoke presentation at the conference tracking the progress of category management and projecting its continued effectiveness throughout this decade, entitled ‘Category Management Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow. “This is the 11th ECR Ireland Shopper Conference & Awards and the first ever to be hosted online,” explained Declan Carolan, ECR Ireland General Manager. “The Conference is renowned
for the ECR Ireland Awards, which showcase successful Irish case studies that have positively influenced the consumer or shopper through category management, shopper marketing or digital shopper engagement from mid2019 to present day.” He described it as “the only destination where demand-side practitioners can learn from the presentations of successful case studies in Ireland”, and noted how “the opportunity for learning is even more pronounced this year as some entries are for activations conducted in the postlockdown period”. Shopper Award nominees The stars of the show on the day were the six campaigns competing for the coveted Shopper Award prize. Despite the chaotic nature of the year, there were some extremely impressive projects presented. David Jameson, Head of Activation - Off Trade, Diageo, presented the Guinness Six Nations sponsorship campaign. While the tournament was interrupted by the pandemic, with the final games not taking place until the autumn, this still proved an extremely successful campaign. Guinness has become very strongly identified with rugby over years of sponsorship. In particular, the 2020 campaign targeted the casual rugby fan, rather than the hardcore fan, in whose mind the brand has an established link with the sport. Through a mixture of in-store and online activity, Guinness sought to place the tournament and its brand in front of casual rugby fans. Guinness sales enjoyed growth ahead of the market in the off-trade. The category saw over 15% growth. while Guinness enjoyed over 26% growth, with digital commerce
showing a stunning rise of over 50%. For Heineken, the changes to their sponsorship plan for the year were massive. With Euro 2020 postponed, the company had to pivot hard with its plans for 2020. Heather McAree, Off Trade Brand Activation Manager, explained that with no event to promote, the brand realised that the raising of restrictions during the summer meant that backgarden hangouts were going to offer some much-needed rest and relaxation for friends and family. The subsequent Star of the Summer campaign shifted the focus onto consumers, looking to position Heineken as the brand to help some good times flow. Given the fact that a year’s worth of promotional plans were wiped away in an instant, the Star of the Summer campaign helped Heineken retain its position as the top performing beer brand and biggest category driver during the summer. The campaign featured a strong digital element that saw the highest number of entries for a QR code competition the brand has ever recorded. Dee Cunniam, Head of Shopper Marketing, Category & Insight, Britvic, revealed the success of the My Wadi My Way campaign, which sought to bring a bit of fun and excitement to 2020 and the category, by creating big and exciting online and in-store shopping experiences. An impressive TTL campaign, it featured PR collaboration with Anna Daly, TV and radio implementation featuring a Today FM takeover, as well as activation online and in-store. A winning My Wadi recipe has been chosen and announced and will hit shelves in February 2021 as a limited edition. The campaign recorded very impressive results, with strong penetration and recall, making it an extremely worthy finalist.
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30|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
ECR Shopper Conference and Awards Lisa McGuinness, Shopper Marketing Manager, Mars Ireland, shared the relaunch of Ben’s Chinese New Year activation with SuperValu. The Chinese New Year event accounts for 10% of the brand’s annual sales, making it extremely important and an event with which the brand is strongly identified in Ireland. Through a combination of online and in-store activation with SuperValu, Ben’s looked to reassert its dominance over the event, which has seen more brands compete for market share in recent years. With an omnichannel activation featuring everything from virtual online assets to impressive in-store activations, Mars Ireland and SuperValu recorded an over 50% increase in units sold YOY. The category recorded 23% growth, driven by 31% growth for Mars Ireland. The success of this partnership between supplier and retailer shows just how powerful such an approach can be and was a strong contender among the finalists. Louise Priestman, Assistant Brand and Shopper Marketing Manager, Pepsico Ireland, shared the story of the Wotsits Giants NPD. Snacking as a category was enjoying growth prior to 2020, but unsurprisingly, snacking at home was one of the big stories of the year, with consumers confined to their homes for a sizeable portion of the year. The release of the Giant Wotsits variant on the Irish market followed a successful UK release and could hardly have come at a better time. A full TTL campaign featuring TV, out of home, digital and press, along with influencer and PR assets, driving awareness of the variant’s big impact and delivered a truly giant
performance, recording over €300K in retail sales value for the campaign. There can only be one winner, however, and the launch of Denny & Sons Meat Free range from Kerry Foods was a very worthy winner in a highly competitive field. Associated with meat for two centuries, Denny even featured in James Joyce’s Ulysses, so in a 2020 when the world got turned on its head, perhaps it made sense that Denny would release a range of meat free food. Matthew Patterson, Senior Brand Manager with Kerry Foods, explained how extensive market research revealed that 40% of Irish adults think they should reduce the amount of meat in their diet, and 45% of adults either are on a vegetarian diet or would consider one in the future. The Denny Meat Free range first hit the shelves with an eight-sausage pack and an impressive TTL promotional campaign targeting predominately meat-eating adults. The campaign recorded some particularly impressive digital results, with a reach of over 420k, through 1.5m impressions and over 1.1m video playthroughs and an almost 15% engagement rate. The results of the launch were every bit as impressive as it is the fastest growing meat free brand in Ireland. In the launch year, this range now holds three SKUs in the top eight, with a very healthy 18% market share. It has grown the market and in particular has attracted younger, more affluent consumers to the brand. This was an incredible win for this iconic brand and a deserving winner on the day. Sean Gleeson, McCabes Pharmacy, received the ECR Digital Engagement
Award 2020, for the work that the pharmacy chain put into developing an intuitive online experience that replicates the in-store experience. ECR Category Management Award Bord Bia’s promotion of white fish was a finalist in the Category Management category. Zuilmah Wallis, Head Of Strategy & Planning at Bord Bia, explained how Bord Bia utilised market research, nudge marketing and in-store activation to help deliver significantly increased performance for white fish sales in participating stores, with growth in sales volume and value. The success of this project will doubtless inform future initiatives from Bord Bia and it was a popular project on the day. However, the Sweet Shop initiative from Valeo Foods took home the ECR Category Management Award 2020. Anne Marie Kelly, Head of Insights & CSR Lead, Valeo Foods, explained how, having acquired an increasing number of brands in confectionery, Valeo Foods partnered with Tesco to create an instore Sweet Shop format for Valeo Foods’ products. Sales were up over 100% yearon-year over the course of the project and the partnership proved extremely successful for both Tesco and Valeo Foods. 2020 was nothing like we hoped it would be. We have come through a very testing time, but with support like that offered by organisations such as ECR Ireland, we have come through this together and will be able to build for a better tomorrow.
Sweet Success Anne Marie Kelly, Head of Insights & CSR Lead, Valeo Foods, whose Sweet Shop initiative took home the ECR Category Management Award 2020.
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32|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards
Rewarding top performance The product award categories may have been cancelled for 2020, but the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards still presented their Performance Awards, rewarding some of the true Irish food and drink heroes of the year.
DUE to continued Covid-19 restrictions throughout Ireland, the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards made the difficult but necessary decision to cancel the product award categories for 2020. Despite this, the team felt it more important than ever to highlight and celebrate the hard work and achievements in the Irish food and drink sector this year. To recognise the challenges of this year, the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards included three new categories to their Performance Awards; Best Initiative by a Foodservice Provider, Best Covid-19 Response Initiative by a Producer or Retailer; and Covid-19 Response Frontline Hero. As in previous years, the Awards continued their search for the next upand-coming talent, with the Rising Star Award, alongside their new categories: Own Label Range of the Year and Supplier of the Year. Winners were announced in a virtual ceremony on Friday, December 11. The awards presentation is available to view on demand on the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards website, Irishqualityfoodawards.ie.
Best Covid-19 Response Initiative by a Producer Winner: Phytaphix, Immune Phix Immunity Support Phytaphix has been trading only since October and is 100% Irish owned, manufactured and packaged, with Irish ingredients, the first ever commercial venture from Irish doctor of nutrition and award winning nutrition researcher, Conor Kerley. Ireland is world renowned for its excellent, innovative food and drink producers. 2020 has been a tough year for all. “For me, it meant planned clinical research on my awardwinning blood pressure and blood sugar products was cancelled. Due to having multiple sclerosis and asthma myself, I have a huge interest in immunity,” Conor explains. “I pivoted towards immune health when Covid hit and worked tirelessly to bring an immune product to the market in record time: six months.” The result is Immune Phix, an innovative, plant based powered formula for immunity and energy levels: a blend of vitamin B12 from Irish mushroom, vitamin C from berries and cherries, vitamin D3 and magnesium from the Irish Sea, with
Immune Phix from Phytaphix, an innovative, plant based formula for immunity and energy levels.
Picture courtesy of Tourism NI: Harry Avery’s Castle, Co Tyrone
Northern Ireland. Open for Business
Just the same, Pure, Natural, Quality from our trusted food and drink manufacturers. World class products, service you can rely on. Invest NI continues to pursue new opportunities to bring innovative products to market. Contact our business development team for more information. E: jen.guiney@investni.com T: +44 (0) 79 8511 1024
Northern Ireland. Altogether more. Sponsor of the Irish Quality Food Awards 2020
34|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards highly absorbable selenium and zinc, and finished with antioxidants from organic Matcha Green Tea. Immune Phix is suitable for adults, children, vegans, vegetarians and gluten free. In addition, Immune Phix is 100% recyclable. Best Covid-19 Response Initiative by a Retailer Winner: Lidl Ireland Having been named the Most Reputable Food Retailer in Ireland by Reptrak this year, Lidl has a proven track record of standing out from the crowd in the retail space. This year was a year like no other, and the retailer continued its streak of being the first supermarket to consistently roll-out cutting edge initiatives and solutions that supported the communities in which it operates across the length and breadth of the country, including being the first retailer to announce priority hours for its elderly and vulnerable shoppers, a WhatsApp chatbot that tells customers the best times to shop and a traffic light queue management system.
Highly Commended: Vegan Sandwich Co: Rapid Growth in the Midst of a Pandemic Shortlisted: Great Northern Larder, Boyne Valley Food Box Best Initiative by a Foodservice Provider Winner: Pizza Si Distribution Pizza Si Distribution is a leading pizza company across the Irish and European foodservice industry. Following the first lockdown, its sales dropped dramatically as its foodservice customers had to shut down. However, the team at Pizza Si pivoted their business model, offering its restaurant quality pizza bases to the end consumer. They thus created a website and started selling their DIY Pizza Kit, delivered anywhere in Ireland. The project has been incredibly successful, picking up a Great Taste Award and a LuxLife Award. Feedback has been positive, brand awareness has increased greatly and many corporations are now placing orders for their truly unique ‘DIY Christmas Pizza Kit’, a wonderful Christmas gift idea!
Highly Commended: Le Patissier Covid-19 Response Frontline Hero Business in the Community Winner: Jack Hamilton Mash Direct has been working tirelessly since March in order to adapt to major changes as a result of Covid-19. Chief Operations Officer, Jack Hamilton and his team came up with several innovations to the brand in response to the pandemic.
Jack Hamilton, Chief Operations Officer, Mash Director: winner of the Business in the Community award for Covid-19 Response Frontline Hero. Jack is a resilient leader; he has been quick and efficient in adapting to changes that have happened as a result of Covid-19. He is accommodating to individual circumstances, as well as understanding, and he has had to be both reactive and agile and is a worthy winner of this award. Local Community Champion
Winner: Oonagh Monahan The winner in the Local Community Champion category, Oonagh Monahan created a free online producers’ directory, oonagheats.com, featuring over 240 food producers across the island of Ireland who are selling online and are delivering directly to consumers, enabling them to replace lost revenue, increase sales and reach new markets. Oonagh hoped that the service would encourage consumers to buy online directly from Irish producers and also encourage producers to develop e-commerce sites Health and Safety Winner: Patricia Quinn As Occupational Nurse at the Birdseye factories, Patricia moved to create Covid-safe working conditions for more than 500 people across two factories, including distancing measures, thermal imaging and more to enable the continued production of more than 100m pizzas annually.
Oonagh Monahan, winner of the Local Community Champion Award for her website, oonagheats.com.
Own Label Range of the Year, sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland Winner: Dunnes Stores Simply Better Range Dunnes Stores Simply Better is a cross category collection spanning all major
Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie|35
Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards At 26 and 28, they have secured an acquisition from one of the UK/ ROI’s leading food-to-go manufacturers Around Noon, based in Newry. This acquisition will further enhance both product and range development and the combined expertise within both businesses will see their Simply Fit Food Brand grow from strength to strength over the next 18 months. Shortlisted: Rebecca McCaul, Heineken
Dunnes Stores Simply Better: Winner of the Own Label Range of the Year Award, sponsored by Invest Northern Ireland. food categories, including bakery, confectionery, coffee, cheese, meat, and occasion-specific products. The range has a key focus on provenance, source and quality produce, working closely with producers from all over Ireland and abroad to source and develop products.
Evelyn Garland & Luke Judge, Simply Fit Food, winners of the Rising Star Award.
The producer story is absolutely intrinsic to the Simply Better brand.
Highly Commended: Lidl Ireland Beef Range Shortlisted: Lidl Ireland Dundalgan Whiskey Range Rising Star Winner: Evelyn Garland & Luke Judge, Simply Fit Food Evelyn and Luke founded Simply Fit Food in 2016. The healthy food brand specialises in better quality meal solutions throughout the day in the form of healthy meals & plant-based soups. In 2020, Simply Food raised €11,000 worth of meals delivered to frontline staff and elderly people in the midst of the pandemic.
Supplier of the Year Winner: Wexford Home Preserves The Sinnott Family makes delicious jams, marmalades and savoury preserves in the heart of beautiful Co. Wexford. A small family business established since 1988, Wexford Home Preserves use traditional family recipes, carefully cooking their produce using open pot boiling in small batches, making sure that the quality is always exceptional. The company uses the finest fresh fruit from local growers as much as possible and adds nothing but 100% natural ingredients. “Supplying a natural product sustainably is a must for Wexford Home Preserves so we are focusing on buying local natural ingredients,” explains Tom Sinnott.
Highly Commended: The Village Dairy Shortlisted: Carleton Cakes Rock A Doodle Do The Gluten Free Kitchen Company The Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards would like to thank all their sponsors, partners, judges and entrants for their continued support throughout this year. The 2021 Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards will be launching in February 2021.
Laura and Tom Sinnott from Wexford Home Preserves, winners of the Supplier of the Year Award.
36|Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie
Employment Law
How to recognise bullying in the workplace Bullying or employee management? It’s a very important distinction, write Barry Reynolds and Jenny Wakely, specialists in employment law with DAC Beachcroft.
THE term “bullying” is commonly used, and perhaps increasingly so, in relation to workplace issues. This can occur where workplace relationships become toxic or dysfunctional. When that arises, it can be very serious and must be addressed swiftly and decisively through informal and formal processes, as well as by providing appropriate supports. What this article seeks to address are those circumstances when the term bullying might be levelled at management inaccurately or unfairly. Examples are: an aggrieved employee taking issue with a legitimate performance management process, with an attendance or absence management process or with a disciplinary process addressing misconduct on their part. In this article, we explain what bullying is and what it is not. Most significantly, our highest Court, the Supreme Court, has considered in detail the issue of alleged bullying in the context of internal disciplinary processes and we lay out some key points from that case. What is bullying? Workplace bullying has a recognised definition and therefore, there are limitations to what constitutes bullying, a fact not always appreciated by employees and employers alike. In Ireland, there are currently two relevant Codes of Practice. The most prevalent one is the Health and Safety Authority’s Code on Prevention and Resolution of Workplace Bullying. A new Code is currently being jointly developed by the Health and Safety Authority and the Workplace Relations Commission. This area is, therefore, one to watch. However, the existing definition has been endorsed by the Courts and is likely to continue to apply, which defines bullying as:
“repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical or otherwise, conducted by one or more persons against another or others, at the place of work and/or in the course of employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining the individual’s right to dignity at work.”
If the conduct complained of does not fit within this definition, then, put simply, it is not bullying. This does not mean that the conduct in question is then fair or acceptable. It could be improper, but it will not be bullying. The Supreme Court in the leading case of Ruffley v Board of Management of St Anne’s School (2017, IESC 33) analysed the definition in detail and its conclusions are important. It emphasised how bullying is behaviour which has three characteristics: (i) repeated, (ii) inappropriate, and (iii) reasonably capable of undermining dignity at work. We return to these below but firstly summarise an employer’s duties more generally. Employer obligations Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, employers have a legal obligation to protect, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of their employees. Employers also have more general duties arising from the nature of the relationship itself as interpreted by the Courts over many years. These include the duty to provide a safe place of work, a safe system of work, a duty to ensure that an employee’s colleagues are competent, and that equipment used in the workplace is safe. Reasonable and appropriate performance management or disciplinary action The Ruffley case was concerned with a disciplinary process to which Ms Ruffley had been subjected which had been proven to be unfair and flawed, “even botched”. Bullying was alleged. The Courts initially agreed that Ms Ruffley had been bullied in this disciplinary process. However, this finding was appealed to the Supreme Court. That Court concluded that the clearly flawed process against Ms Ruffley did not constitute bullying. The failures of the employer in how it conducted the disciplinary process were considered to be “difficult to understand” but there was no inference of personal animus towards Ms Ruffley. The Court noted that “it is not necessary to establish a breach of fair procedures to
Retail News|December 2020 / January 2021|www.retailnews.ie|37
Employment Law
The term ‘bullying’ is commonly used where workplace relationships become toxic or dysfunctional.
succeed in a bullying claim, and conversely, the presence of unfair procedures does not establish bullying”. It warned against assuming that there is any “logical connection” between a breach of procedures and a claim of bullying entitling a party to damages. The Ruffley case makes clear a number of matters which are important, and of more general application, for managers and employers.
• Managers should take comfort that they are entitled to make reasonable and constructive criticisms of an employee’s work performance or behaviour, including initiating disciplinary procedures or performance improvement procedures. For example, an employee may be repeatedly, but justly, informed that his/her performance falls continuously below required standards; while this may make an employee feel threatened and insecure, it does not indicate bullying by a manager, provided that the manager has acted appropriately. Striving for improvement and giving reasonable assistance is entirely proper. • Importantly, it is not only performance management which, done properly, falls outside bullying, it is also disciplinary processes. The Courts recognise that “correction and instruction are necessary in the functioning of any workplace”. Bullying excludes “reasonable and essential discipline arising from good management….” • The Court emphasised that the threshold required to succeed in a bullying complaint is a high one. Bullying is limited to those claims which can be described as “outrageous, unacceptable and exceeding all bounds tolerated by decent society”. Many behaviours which may have been considered previously to satisfy the test will no longer be considered to be so inappropriate as to rise to bullying. • The Court also noted generally that an “employer is entitled to expect ordinary robustness from its employees”. Employees with known vulnerabilities must, of course, be treated accordingly. A word of caution to employers The Supreme Court decision in Ruffley is good news for employers in that it sets the bar high and confirms that even a flawed internal process will not of itself constitute bullying. However, employers should nevertheless exercise caution in the handling of disciplinary or performance matters. Not only are there conceivably circumstances in which an internal disciplinary or performance process may amount to bullying (for example, if an organisation was to maliciously target an employee), but there are other legal avenues available to employees who wish to challenge their treatment. Various proceedings can be instituted in the Workplace Relations Commission and in the Courts. What should employers do? This is a complex area. Needless to say, legal claims are best avoided, if possible. There was a considerable level of judicial
disagreement in Ruffley until the Supreme Court finally resolved matters. This reflects the complex nature of the issues which can arise in bullying claims. Employers should: • Endeavour to minimise risk and seek legal advice in appropriate cases; • Continue to be vigilant to ensure that inappropriate interpersonal behaviours are discouraged and dealt with then they occur; • Put in place appropriate channels to ventilate matters and those processes must be fit for purpose and appropriately signposted for staff; • Ensure that managers are alive to the appropriate procedures to be adopted on receipt of a complaint, including informal approaches, which can often be very effective, both in terms of salvaging relationships and saving costs; • Recognise when a complaint warrants a bullying investigation or alternatively a grievance procedure or other process.
Employers should ensure that they respond appropriately and in a timely manner to any complaints of bullying that do arise. Employers should firstly ensure that they have preventative measures in place to protect employees from physical and psychiatric injury, including from the adverse effects of bullying. Employers should also ensure that they respond appropriately and in a timely manner to any complaints of bullying that do arise. They must appropriately address conduct that could constitute bullying. It is not just the bullying itself which can give rise to an exposure, but also failures in employers’ responses and their systems, such as inadequate human resources policies and procedures, delayed outcomes and inadequate corrective action. Employers must be able to recognise an issue and deal with it in accordance with the relevant Codes and in a timely and fair manner.
BARRY Reynolds (breynolds@ dacbeachcroft. com) and Jenny Wakely (jwakely@ dacbeachcroft.com) of DAC Beachcroft (https://www. dacbeachcroft.com/ en/gb/locations/ dublin/) are specialists in employment law. This article is for general information purposes only and does not comprise legal or professional advice. You should not rely on any of the material in this article without seeking appropriate legal advice. Twitter: @dacbeachcroft LinkedIn: DAC Beachcroft Dublin
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Healthy Options
The wellness runneth deep Even a global pandemic couldn’t stop the trend towards health and wellness products as consumers look to eat and drink healthily. THE trend towards health and wellness has been very prominent in recent years, as media reports about our obesity levels prompted many consumers to focus on the health properties of the food and drinks they are putting into their bodies. This has seen consumers actively reducing their sugar and salt intake, as well as cutting back on processed foods. In terms of mainstream products, manufacturers have been eager to reformulate products to meet consumer desire for betterfor-you foods, with new technology and innovation driving low sugar and salt variants of longtime favourites, even in the chocolate and confectionery categories. Drinks companies are even further ahead on the reformulation journey, thanks to the introduction of the sugar tax back in 2018, which has seen many reformulated reduced sugar carbonates continue to perform well. We have also seen the introduction of plant-based caffeine energy drinks to the market in recent times. Functional foods, such as protein bars, have also grown dramatically in recent years. Euromonitor International’s most recent report into functional foods in Ireland predicts strong retail value growth for the sector going forward, particularly as protein/energy bars tap into the convenience market, while also meeting the health and fitness trend, and are often used as a high-nutrition snack as part of a fitness regime. Euromonitor expects the trend towards protein products to remain strong, while the functional foods category also includes breakfast cereals enriched with extra vitamin D, vitamin-enriched milk and probiotic yogurts. The ‘free from’ category, which includes free from allergens, free from gluten, free from lactose, free from dairy and free from meat products, continued to grow, according to Euromonitor, who predict further positive developments in the coming years. They cite the fact that Ireland has one of the highest rates of coeliac disease in the world, with many Irish consumers, therefore, regularly consuming free from gluten products.
The growth of vegan and vegetarian food continues apace, as more and more consumers are either adopting those lifestyles or opting to cut down their meat intake and adopt a more flexitarian diet. Many mainstream products have introduced vegan versions or have changed their recipes entirely to make them vegan, including in ice creams and sugar confectionery. This year, the Covid-19 pandemic has drastically altered people’s routines and this has led to weight gain for many people, according to Euromonitor International’s report on ‘Weight Management and Wellbeing in Ireland’. Lockdown meant that people were mainly confined to their homes, only able to go outside for limited periods and within a strict distance of their home. So 2021 should see a resurgence in the move towards healthier products, as life, hopefully, returns to some kind of normality. Meanwhile, a new study from Ogilvy found that for 67% of Irish consumers, wellness is now considered an essential element of a brand’s strategy. The Ogilvy Wellness Gap study, in partnership with Wilson Hartnell, has quantified the gap between consumers’ wellness expectations of brands and how they judge delivery against those expectations in key sectors, including food and snacks, where: • 78% believe it’s important for the food sector to offer wellness benefits, while only 58% think they currently deliver; • 59% believe it’s important for snacking brands to offer wellness benefits, while only 38% think they currently deliver. 63% of people say wellness is very or extremely important to them. Yet, consumers are still hungry for more: 75% of people want to improve their wellness; 74% feel brands could do more for their wellness; and only 39% feel that brands take their wellness as a priority. Only 35% of Ireland-based respondents agree that the food sector is doing all it should to
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Healthy Options help them with their wellness. Worryingly, 53% say they find it hard to tell the difference between real and fake wellness claims. People want authentic stories, ingredients they can understand, benefits they can believe and most important, brands that deliver on their promises to develop a strong competitive edge. “Every brand can be a wellness brand now. Wellness is in many ways the more tangible benefit of ‘purpose.’ We think this is very good news for brands. It shows that wellness remains an opportunity for double digit growth by meeting numerous consumer expectations to close the gap,” said Amy Pilgrim, Director, Head of Health & Wellness at Wilson Hartnell. “Wellness has created new conversations, new expectations, new purposes – both for companies and individuals. Wellness has inspired new businesses, new brands, new products, new services, new experiences. Wellness has seen companies pivot their strategy, business and portfolio. Wellness has started to revolutionise entire industries, starting with the food and beverage industry.”
Linwoods has launched the new breakfast topper range, Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters, to help get more natural goodness into mealtimes. Linwoods Family-owned company Linwoods, a leading producer of healthy super foods in Ireland, has launched its newest seed range, Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters. A first for the brand, the range is a step into the breakfast market, providing consumers with a quick and easy way to add more goodness into breakfast time. Available in three delicious varieties, the Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters are vegetarian friendly, all natural and contain an impressive 1.8g of fibre per each 20g serving. The breakfast toppers are also high in plant-based protein, Omega-3 ALA (alpha linolenic acid) and magnesium, perfect for sprinkling on classic yogurts, cereals, porridge and overnight oats for an added morning health boost. The full Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters range includes: • Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters with Flaxseed & Cranberries: A combination of toasted flaxseed and sliced cranberries, providing a delicious way to add natural goodness to breakfasts without the need for artificial sweeteners or refined sugars. • Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters with Flaxseed & Nuts: A delicious blend of milled almonds and walnuts and toasted flaxseed to provide breakfasts with a unique taste and crunchy texture. • Linwoods Crunchy Seed Clusters with Pumpkin & Chia Seed: A blend of two highly nutritious seeds to give the body a morning health boost as well as an extra natural sweet crunch in two spoonfuls.
“Here at Linwoods, we believe breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day and that we all need to practice positive habits at mealtimes,” explained John Woods, owner of Linwoods Health Foods. “Adding 20g of our new Crunchy Seed Clusters to cereal, porridge or yogurt will boost the meal’s nutritional value, while also offering a sweet crunchy texture. Many consumers are now looking for a healthy and tasty addition to their diet. The team at Linwoods have worked hard to craft a flavoursome yet nutritionally dense range and we look forward to our customers trying it.” The Linwoods Seed Clusters range is available in 200g re-sealable packs in retail outlets nationwide. Based in Armagh and established in 1965, Linwoods is a family-owned company that produces a range of healthy super foods. Linwoods products are sourced globally in their raw form and are selected from the best suppliers and growers to ensure the highest quality and standards, which today deliver accessible, easy-to-use nutrition to health-conscious consumers around the world. Clonakilty Food Co. Over the years, Clonakilty Food Co. has continued to evolve its product offering to build on the success of the original Clonakilty Blackpudding, which was first made almost 150 years ago in Clonakilty, West Cork. The range has recently expanded to include Clonakilty Veggie Pudding, launched in September of 2019, as the third member of the much-loved Clonakilty Pudding Collection. Clonakilty Veggie Pudding contains the characteristic texture and spicy aroma associated with the celebrated range but in a vegetable-only alternative. Created with the whole family in mind, Clonakilty now caters to a range of consumer tastes. Veggie Pudding promises to match the quality and taste that Clonakilty’s most loyal customers know and love. Made with a delicious combination of oats, vegetables and a distinctive spice mix, Clonakilty’s Veggie Pudding is bursting with flavour and can be used in a range of different meals outside of the breakfast occasion, including salads, brunch, lunch and dinner.
Clonakilty Veggie Pudding contains the characteristic texture and spicy aroma associated with the celebrated range but in a vegetable-only alternative.
BREAKFAST GOODNESS THAT PACKS A
AN D PAC KS A PU NC H
#RealGoodness
FOR YOU R SALES!
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Healthy Options
The addition of Clonakilty Veggie Pudding to the range means that Clonakilty now caters to a range of consumer tastes. The unique flavours, delicious oaty bite and distinctive spicy aroma give this pudding the ability to be used in a variety of flavoursome dishes, including falafels, veggie burgers and even tacos. The product is free from artificial additives and preservatives, gluten-free and suitable for vegans and vegetarians alike. It is also a source of protein and fibre. Kind Breakfast When it comes to snacking, Kind believes that you shouldn’t have to choose between tasty and nutritious, and this is certainly the case with Kind’s new breakfast range. Kind Breakfast is made with five whole grains; oats, millet, buckwheat, amaranth and quinoa, to be enjoyed on-the-go, with a coffee on your morning commute (even if it’s just from the bedroom to the kitchen these days), dipped in Greek yogurt at your desk, or sitting at your kitchen table with the kids. A breakfast bar that’s made with whole and natural ingredients, high in fibre and gluten free, Kind Breakfast is available in three great flavours: Blueberry Almond, Honey Oat, and Peanut Butter. Kind Breakfast is available in
Kind Breakfast is made with whole and natural ingredients, high in fibre and gluten free, and comes in three great flavours: Blueberry Almond, Honey Oat, and Peanut Butter.
Tesco and BWG stores nationwide. It is currently available in multipacks of three individually wrapped bars of two 25g bars (RRP: €3.99 per box). For more information, visit Kindsnacks.ie.
SuperValu launches plant-based range
Nestlé Lindahls Kvarg A must for any keep-fit enthusiast, Nestlé Lindahls Kvarg, the great-tasting, high protein dairy product from Sweden, delivers diverse and wholesome flavours
SUPERVALU has launched a new own brand plant-based range, The Veg Kitchen. To meet growing demand from customers for increased vegan options, SuperValu has developed a new frozen range, consisting of nine new products including burgers, pizzas and a selection of ready-to-eat meals, with prices ranging from €1.79 to €2.99. In addition to SuperValu’s own The Veg Kitchen, the retailer also stocks over 400 plant-based products across the store and in their health aisle from grains and sauces to an extensive frozen selection. Some of SuperValu’s newly stocked, local plant-based brands include Artisan Grains (delicious Nut Roasts especially high in fibre and protein), Troo (gut healthy breakfast cereals and syrups all contain at least 8g of fibre per serving, 25% of your daily requirement), Pimp My Salad (vegan-friendly salad toppings rich in antioxidants, made with ingredients sourced from sustainable partnerships) and Loma Linda (a seafood alternative that’s an excellent source of calcium and omega-3s). Fast becoming staples in baskets and trollies are some favourite vegan options from over 80 products in the frozen foods section, including Strong Roots, Amy’s Kitchen and Roar, a plant based ice-cream which is exclusively available in SuperValu.
ad P inhe Oatmeal
The newest member of the Clonakilty Pudding Family
Black beans
‘S ignature sp ice mix’ Vegetarian
Carrots
P rotein
Gluten Free
Onions TO FIND OUT MORE VISIT CLONAKILTYBLACKPUDDING.IE
CBP 03/12 - IE trade magazine_vs.2.indd 1
Crafting the Impossible: Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits Launch in Ireland The no and low alcohol trend has started to pick up real momentum in Ireland, particularly throughout 2020, and consumer demand for a quality no alcohol cocktail experience is rapidly growing. Now, a key player has entered the Irish market to meet the demand. Introducing: Lyre’s, the world’s most awarded range of premium non-alcoholic spirits, is entering the Irish market with its portfolio of 13 non-alcoholic spirits. Named after the Australian Lyrebird – the world’s greatest mimic - Lyre’s spirits pay homage to the aroma, taste and appearance of the world’s favourite drinks. Lyre’s has arrived to truly ramp up and enhance the category, distributed in Ireland by Richmond Marketing. As the mindful drinking trend grows around the globe, more and more people are looking for sophisticated alternatives to alcohol. Lyre’s was created so social people looking for more mindful options can still enjoy a sophisticated drink. With Lyre’s, you can recreate your favourite drinks from a Gin and Tonic to an Espresso Martini or Negroni, in a non-alcoholic format. There are no convoluted new botanical creations here; instead, a focus on the established. While enjoying a drink at home has become the norm for those across Ireland in recent months, Lyre’s offers an alternative to alcohol with no compromise on the taste, quality, or experience. Lyre’s has been impossibly crafted using all-natural essences, extracts and distillates so as to match the aroma, taste, and appearance of the traditional spirit, without using alcohol as a base. The quality of Lyre’s spirits is recognised in several blind tests by distinguished sommeliers. The brand always comes out on top and has won many international awards, including at the London International Spirits Competition and the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. In fact, Lyre’s often leaves even the alcoholic originals far behind. Most recently, it was announced that Lyre’s Amaretti was honoured to be recognised as the creators of the best and highest-scoring non-alcoholic spirit in the world at the International Wine & Spirits Competition
Available in 70cl at 0.0% ABV from www.lyres.ie
17/11/2020 09:27
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Healthy Options Egg-citing news about egg consumption
IT’S official; Ireland is cracked about eggs! Despite some changes to shopping and eating habits this year, egg consumption increased by 11%, with new consumer data from Bord Bia revealing that over 656m eggs have been sold in Ireland in the last year. New research from Bord Bia shows that shoppers in Ireland consumed even more eggs during the first national lockdown. The 12-week period from April to July saw a significant growth of more than 20% in consumption, proving that consumers continued to make eggs-ellent choices during lockdown. Consumers are being urged to look out for the Bord Bia Quality Mark, which guarantees that eggs are produced to Bord Bia’s highest quality standards. Speaking about the role of eggs in a busy and active lifestyle, dietician Orla Walsh said, “Eggs are nutritional powerhouses. One of the best sources of protein available in your kitchen, eggs are packed full of essential nutrients such as vitamins A, D and B12. They’re also great value for money and versatile too, so don’t let misconceptions about cholesterol or saturated fats stop you from making them for breakfast, brunch, or dinner.” As consumers increasingly look for healthy protein sources, with one egg containing approximately 6g of protein they are an ideal ingredient for a post workout meal or a quick work-from-home lunch. Bord Bia has also teamed up with food and parenting bloggers Gina Daly, author of The Daly Dish cookbook, and Cliona O’Connor to bring consumers eggs-citing recipes to enjoy eggs at lunch and dinner. Visit BordBia.ie/Eggs or search ‘Bord Bia Egg Recipes’ for more egg recipes and inspiration.
Nestlé Lindahls Kvarg is a great-tasting, high protein dairy product from Sweden. and ingredients that provide the perfect boost of energy to consumers’ day. Available now in six great flavours, Raspberry, Vanilla, Peach & Passion Fruit, Blueberry & Vanilla, Coconut and Stracciatella, this exciting range is fast becoming a gym bag essential. The Nestlé Lindahls Kvarg range has a delicious creamy texture, similar to Greek yogurt, created to help consumers lead a balanced, healthy lifestyle, and is the perfect partner for a regular workout. The handy 150g pots are the perfect protein-rich snack. Containing 17g of protein per pot, Nestlé Lindahls Kvarg single pots are also low sugar and fat-free and a great addition to consumers’ pre- or post-workout meal plan. Gallagher’s Bakery Donegal-based Gallagher’s Bakery has returned to its roots to produce a new range of sourdough breads that are lighter, tastier, and healthier. The Gallagher’s Bakehouse sourdough range was created at the bakery in the village of Ardara, Co. Donegal, and involves traditional baking techniques, which include a sourdough starter that ferments for 12 hours. The result is a range of great-tasting packaged sourdough breads, baps and buns – on shelves in the bread aisle - which are a great source of protein and fibre. One of the products in particular is high in Vitamin D3, which is beneficial for the immune system. Sourdough is generally rich in prebiotics,
which complement good gut health and enhance the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals. Gallagher’s CEO, Patrick O’Sullivan acknowledged that sourdough has been growing in popularity generally in recent years, and the lockdowns of 2020 have seen it becoming particularly ‘on-trend’. He hopes the Gallagher’s Bakehouse range will change the way people think about bread. “People are more conscious than ever of what they are putting into their body and want healthier food with more nutrients and fewer added additives or preservatives,” O’Sullivan noted. “They want to eat well and, when it comes to bread, that means great taste, great texture and great for gut health. Our unique Gallagher’s Bakehouse mild sourdough flavour allows everyone to enjoy our bread, and there are no added preservatives and no added additives. It is simply bread made better!” The new Gallagher’s Bakehouse range consists of sliced family-sized and smaller-sized Rustic White, Wholemeal and Multigrain family pans, bloomers, baps, gourmet brioche burger buns, and a new handcrafted healthy range of Digestive Boost, Vitamin Boost, and Spelt & Oats loaves.
Gallagher’s Bakery CEO, Patrick O’Sullivan checks out the first batch of the new Gallagher’s Bakehouse range before it is dispatched.
Retail News Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine
Retailing in 2020 Ireland’s groups report on an extraordinary year.
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Retail Groups Report
Spar: the year of shopping safely Spar continued to provide an indispensable service in communities right across the country during the year of the pandemic. THE almost ubiquitous presence of Spar stores in towns and neighbourhoods across Ireland has been particularly evident this year, the year of the Coronavirus, as Spar’s independent retailers have served their communities so well during this unprecedented year, providing immediate safe shopping environments by implementing all the necessary Covid protocols. The introduction of national restrictions, as well as regional and national lockdowns, have reinforced the importance of having a local convenience retailer close to home to ensure you have access to your everyday essentials. Spar’s is an essential service and Spar retailers provide an admirable and indispensable role across their local communities, including the addition of a click-and-collect service in participating stores. Supporting its retailers has always been a priority for Spar Ireland and this year, like never before, the group has worked closely with its estate to help them adapt to the ever-changing environment and the vacillating needs of
their customers. Whether that be adding a delivery service for vulnerable customers or virtual shopping for those cocooning,
local Spar retailers have gone over and above to provide for their customers, thereby solidifying the importance of the
Spar’s dedicated Food and Beverage Innovation Team introduced new on-trend options like healthy snacking from the Spar Deli grab and go section and a new Cook at Home range.
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Retail Groups Report
Spar is committed to delivering competitive pricing and strong value in its stores.
Colin Donnelly, Spar Sales Director.
Spar store in local communities around Ireland.
show, both on RTE, sponsorship of the Republic of Ireland football Team and title sponsor of the Spar FAI Primary School 5s Programme, the largest grassroots programme in the country. The brand continues to support Make-A-Wish as its nominated National Charity Partner, raising awareness and much-needed funds to support the great work of the organisation. Spar is a brand centred on people and strong partnerships and included in the support it offers retailers is access to the specially developed B-Well App; a service dedicated to ensuring Spar retailers and their staff are afforded access to the best of health and self-care advice and supports. This is particularly important as we continue to live and work alongside the Covid-19 virus, while continuing to provide a safe shopping environment for Spar customers and communities.
Introducing new on-trend options In response to the changing needs of customers, Spar worked closely with its dedicated Food and Beverage Innovation Team to introduce new on-trend options. These include healthy snacking from the Spar Deli grab and go section, as well as a new Cook at Home range that brings both convenience and quality products to Spar shoppers at a time when foodservice outlets flex between levels of Government restrictions. Spar is also committed to delivering competitive pricing and strong value in its stores; its promotional offers are best in
class. ‘Spar Red Value’ is a key campaign that signposts promotional value for shoppers through TV, radio, in-store, social and digital signposting. Spar’s Every Day Value commitment highlights every day prices on big brands, ensuring Spar shoppers can avail of value during the top-up mission, while the extensive Spar Own Brand range of products, both fresh and ambient, offers as good as the best for less. Sponsorship highlights Other highlights for 2020 saw investment in an extensive sponsorship programme for Spar. Key properties include its sponsorship of Ireland’s leading TV soap, Fair City, and Donal Skehan’s cooking
FACTFILE:
In 2020, Spar retailers have gone over and above to provide for their customers, thereby solidifying the importance of the Spar store in local communities around Ireland.
Name of Group: Spar Head Office: BWG House, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 Y722 Wholesale Partner: BWG Foods Type of distribution network: BWG National Distribution Centre (NDC) servicing fresh, ambient and alcohol to stores nationwide Number of Stores nationwide: 400 Colours: Red, white and green Tagline: ‘Under the tree at Spar’ Average Store Size: 200 square metres
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Retail Groups Report
Eurospar: committed to our customers
Eurospar retailers provided an essential service in their local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic. 2020 has been a year like no other as the world has battled this insidious virus and fought to contain it as best we can. Through it all, the retail grocery industry has been crucial in providing an essential service to towns, villages, cities and communities the length and breadth of Ireland.
Eurospar is constantly adapting to meet the needs of customers and the group and its retailers pride themselves on their ability to know what their shoppers want.
Supporting customers through the pandemic Eurospar retailers have always been passionate about and committed to supporting their customers and from the outset of this Covid-19 pandemic, Eurospar provided an extensive suite of support mechanisms to our stores through a variety of measures, including the development of a range of Covid-19 policies and procedures that became standard practice across Eurospar supermarkets. The group encouraged the development of personalised individual store videos that were broadcast on digital and social media channels and showcased the additional safety measures Eurospar retailers were taking to provide a safe shopping environment for customers and staff alike. The response of customers to these videos was overwhelmingly positive. Eurospar retailers also supported initiatives like the FoodCloud Food for Ireland appeal and over the four days of the appeal, Eurospar shoppers donated in excess of 1.4 tonnes of stock, which is the equivalent to 3,350 meals, to charities looking after the most vulnerable in our society. On a wider message, Eurospar is constantly adapting to meet the needs of customers and we and our retailers pride ourselves on our ability to know what our shoppers want across fresh food, grocery, alcohol and rewards. Eurospar innovates through our commitments to our customers. Famous for Fresh These include Eurospar’s ‘Famous for Fresh’ promise, which is a differentiated position across the key departments of butchery, delicatessen, bakery and fruit & veg, along with the in-store manufacture, assembly and packaging of an ever-expanding and dynamic range of fresh foods. These are
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Retail Groups Report
Malachy Hanberry, Managing Director, Eurospar. developed exclusively for Eurospar retailers and are at the core of the differentiated ‘Famous for Fresh’ offering to shoppers. Price Match or Better Similarly, Eurospar’s ‘Price Match or Better’ programme ensures cheaper or matching prices on over 1,000 grocery products. The group carries out price comparisons every three weeks and updates all participating Eurospar supermarkets with updated point of sale. SuperEasy Rewards Also, the Eurospar Supereasy Rewards programme provides for exclusive price and product offers for Supereasy Rewards members, who can use their points whenever they want, to get
Eurospar’s ‘Famous for Fresh’ promise is a differentiated position across its key departments, including butchery. discounts on their shopping at Eurospar supermarkets, so there is no waiting for money-off vouchers. Famous for Great Value Wines Eurospar are also very proud of our ‘Famous for Great Value Wines’ commitment, which ensures a vast range of exclusive BWG Foods agency wines are available to suit all pockets and the group’s unique price-point
merchandising structure ensures simplicity in the wine shopping experience. At its core, Eurospar is a network of local family-owned supermarkets with a unifying shopper proposition focused on providing: freshness, value, service, availability, rewards and experience. Eurospar retailers are integral parts of the local communities in which they operate.
FACTFILE:
Name of Group: Eurospar Supermarkets Number of Stores nationwide: 51 Typical Store Size: 800-1300 square metres Head office: BWG House, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 Y722 Wholesale partner: BWG Foods Type of distribution network: BWG National Distribution Centre (NDC) servicing fresh, ambient and alcohol to all Eurospar stores nationwide Website: www.Eurospar.ie Social Media: Facebook: @ eurosparireland, Instagram: @eurospar_ireland Tagline: The Supereasy Supermarket
Eurospar retailers provided an essential service in their local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Retail Groups Report
Londis: a leading light in Irish retail Londis retailers rose to the challenges presented in 2020, a year which amplified the importance that the local community convenience retail store plays in Irish society. THE advent of the Covid-19 global pandemic has had a profound effect on Irish society and on the retail grocery trade. Convenience retail was designated as an essential service nationally and Londis retailers responded immediately and courageously to the responsibility placed on their collective shoulders. Despite the significant challenges posed by the various levels of restrictions and indeed, the first lockdown imposed by the Irish Government of the day, Londis retailers rose to those challenges. The critical service Londis retailers provide their customers and wider communities has become ever more crucial this year. By staying open and providing a safe shopping environment close to home, Londis retailers are helping to keep the nation supplied and fed and it is only right that their commitment to their trade is acknowledged and commended. The efforts of Londis retailers on behalf of their customers were recently recognised, for example, when Londis was identified as the leading convenience retail grocery symbol brand when it comes to customer service, according to a report issued by market research company and customer experience experts, the CXi Ireland Company. What the report highlighted is that the Covid-19 pandemic has amplified the importance
By staying open and providing a safe shopping environment close to home, Londis retailers are helping to keep the nation supplied.
Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director. that the local community convenience retail store plays in Irish society. The numbers of cards, notes, well-wishes, presents and simple ‘Thank You’ gestures Londis retailers have received as tribute for their efforts from the customers and communities they serve is testament to the service they are renowned for providing. Using technology to improve the shopping experience Looking to the future, technology is becoming ever more prevalent in the retail grocery market, especially in relation to convenience for shoppers. Even before Covid-19, along with the subsequent restrictions and the health and safety concerns inherent with this crisis, time was the new gold for customers and the goal was to spend the least amount of time possible in stores. Londis has been working to satisfy growing shopper demand in this regard by introducing various innovations to expedite the shopping experience. A real world example is how Londis introduced online ordering across a number of stores to help facilitate cocooners and shoppers who needed to self-isolate, whereby they could place their grocery order and have it delivered, or choose to collect it from their local Londis store.
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Retail Groups Report Commitment to charity Londis retailers are renowned for their commitment to charity and this year saw them embark on a new two year charity partnership with LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, with the aim of helping the Children’s Hospice fulfil its mission to provide essential personalised care to children with palliative care needs. LauraLynn is the only specialist hospice in Ireland to care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. The children’s hospice provides palliative and end-of-life care to children with life-limiting conditions and gives respite and support to their families at the hospice, in the community and in their own homes. The hospice also provides psychological support and counselling, residential family camps, a bereavement programme, music therapies and holistic therapies to the families. What makes this partnership so special is that the charity was selected by the Londis retailers. Retailers voted on a shortlist of potential charity partners and LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, was the overwhelming choice of the estate. Londis has pledged to fundraise for the charity through collection boxes in Londis stores nationwide, a donation on selected Own Brand products, including 10c on every bottle of Londis water sold, and a number of retailer-led initiatives, for which Londis retailers are famous. According to Conor Hayes, Londis Sales Director: “We hope that our support will continue to help improve the quality of the lives of those children LauraLynn supports. The Londis retailers have a strong tradition of going over and above for our charity partners and while we are curtailed in what we can do in the short term because of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are already looking forward to enacting a number of
Londis introduced a ‘Best Value Promise’, whereby its stores are price-matched against competitors to ensure that Londis customers are benefitting from the best value the market has to offer. initiatives to raise funds once restrictions allow.” Best Value Promise The Londis team is also not forgetting that irrespective of what people are dealing with in their day-to-day lives, value is one principle that will never be overlooked. This year, for example, the group introduced Londis’ ‘Best Value Promise’ across its network of stores. This initiative is to ensure that Londis is price-matched against competitors to ensure that Londis customers are benefitting from the best value the market has to offer. “We are committed to promoting this value offer through our TV and radio advertising, through our consumer flyers that are published every three weeks and we continue to work closely with our trading and promotions teams to ensure that shoppers at Londis stores are benefitting from the best price and value in the industry,” Hayes explains.
three year strategy ‘Londis Destination 22’, which is a more focused approach to retailing in Ireland and deals with everything relating to shopper buying habits and trends, digital and technological advancements, marketing, store standards, store profitability and new fresh food concepts. While allowing for the unpredictability inherent in an environment that is continuing to adjust to the new normal, 2021 promises to be a very exciting year for Londis and the future of the brand. “Finally, at Londis, we have a unique professional, personal and mutually beneficial relationship with our retailers,” Hayes concludes. “Londis is all about a ‘family’ philosophy that permeates through the group, our retailers and our actions. Through our unique family ethos, Londis retailers, their staff and the wider Londis team very much live up to the brand promise of ‘Local like you’.”
Londis Destination 22 Also, this coming year, Londis embarks on the second year of its ambitious
FACTFILE:
Londis was identified as the leading convenience retail grocery symbol brand when it comes to customer service, according to a report issued by the CXi Ireland Company.
Name of Group: Londis Number of Stores nationwide: 137 Typical Store Size: 200 square metres Head office: BWG House, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 Y722 Wholesale partner: BWG Foods Type of distribution network: BWG National Distribution Centre (NDC) servicing fresh, ambient and alcohol to Londis stores nationwide. Website: www.londis.ie Social Media: Facebook.com/Londis Ireland; Instagram: @LondisIreland; Twitter: @ LondisIreland Tagline: Local like you
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Retail Groups Report
A milestone year for Mace
The Mace brand reached its 60th birthday in 2020, and while its celebratory plans took a backseat, the brand continued to serve the needs of its customer base across the country. 2020 was a milestone in the history of Mace, with the brand reaching its 60th anniversary. Like so many things in 2020, the original plans for wonderful celebrations had to take a backseat, with the focus turning to welcoming customers into fully stocked stores that were fully compliant with Government guidelines. The local Mace was never so important in the local communities
in which its retailers and their staff operate. Behind the scenes, however, considerable work was being undertaken to bring the brand to new levels, ensuring that Mace continues to serve local communities for 60 years and counting. A review of 2020 Mace has been serving the needs of Irish shoppers since the first store opened
Mace has successfully introduced a range of concepts in-store, including the ‘for food’s sake’ deli.
Daniel O’Connell, Mace Sales Director. in 1960, with the convenience brand evolving in line with Irish shoppers over the intervening decades. “Shopper behaviours continually change, the evidence of this was never more visible than this year, when we saw some key external factors impacting on how people shop,” Mace Sales Director, Daniel O’Connell, explains, “factors such as remote working; convenience, which is something that can be interpreted in a variety of ways such as location, and we saw people shopping at their local Mace more than ever before; the importance of offering value and understanding what value means to different cohorts, depending on their economic status; and digital transformation, which has been
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Retail Groups Report well documented during 2020. “The result of these factors has meant a flexible and adaptable approach is required by all involved, from a supply perspective, an in-store perspective and a people perspective.” Partnership with Johnny Sexton Following a highly successful two-year period, which saw Johnny Sexton, Irish rugby captain, star in a number of award-winning advertising campaigns and community programmes, Mace has extended its partnership with its brand ambassador, much to the delight of all
shopper demands is always at the forefront of the on-going development of the Mace brand. “The new design and offering from Mace, which has been launched in Mace Black Bull in Drogheda, is a really exciting development in the convenience store space,” O’Connell explains. According to Jewel Akber, the store owner at Mace Black Bull, the reaction from customers has been overwhelmingly positive; they are delighted with the new look and flow to the store. This reaction is visible in a very tangible increase in sales experienced by
FACTFILE:
Name of Group: Mace Number of Stores nationwide: 148 Typical Store Size: 135 square metres Head office: BWG House, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24, D24 Y722 Wholesale partner: BWG Foods Type of distribution network: BWG National Distribution Centre (NDC) servicing fresh, ambient and alcohol to all Mace stores nationwide Website: www.Mace.ie Social Media: www.instagram.com/mace_ireland/ www.facebook.com/MaceIreland www.twitter.com/MaceIreland www.youtube.com/MaceIreland Tagline: Going the Extra Smile
the shift convenience stores have been experiencing in recent years.”
Mace has been serving the needs of Irish shoppers since the first store opened in 1960 and continues to evolve to meet shoppers’ needs. Mace retailers. “Mace retailers are extremely proud of the inspiration, collaboration and commitment brought by Johnny to a range of initiatives over the last two years,” O’Connell reveals. “We were delighted to renew this successful partnership and excited to continue building what has become a powerful platform to engage our communities around exciting and meaningful initiatives that make a positive difference.” Sexton is also delighted with the association: “I’ve had a great experience working with Mace retailers and communities across the country over the last two years and I am genuinely excited to be in a position to continue promoting positive initiatives through my partnership with Mace. If we have learned anything from 2020, it is the importance of community spirit and the need for us all to focus on the health and well-being of our families, friends and neighbours, and I’m delighted to have an opportunity to support people through this partnership.” New Mace store design Nothing stays the same in retail and ensuring that the shopper experience evolves with contemporary tastes and
the store. “As well as looking stunning following a dialling up of the traditional Mace colour palette, the enhanced design includes changes in the offlicence section, reflecting the new legislation governing the physical separation requirement, and an adaptable seating area, while retaining (and enhancing) firm Mace favourites such as the ‘for food’s sake’ deli and the Asian concession food offering, Peking, as well as Mace’s ice cream offering, Iscream,” O’Connell notes. “The new look décor is indicative of
A real focus on fresh There is a real focus on fresh departments, in particular. Fresh to Go which caters for breakfast, lunch and dinner meal solutions, as well as deli sales, have all but exploded. Communicating digitally with shoppers adds to the already friendly and helpful approach that is synonymous with Mace and its position of ‘going the extra smile’. Shoppers can use an in-store kiosk to place their order or order online for delivery or for a click-and-collect service so the Mace offering has a broad appeal to all shopper needs. “As I look forward to the year ahead, I truly believe that the Mace brand is well-positioned to continue to serve local shoppers for another 60 years and counting,” reveals Daniel O’Connell.
The Mace brand continues to provide Irish shoppers with the products they want.
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Retail Groups Report
XL: supporting local communities XL offers independent retailers a mutually beneficial partnership opportunity in which the key objective is to maximise your retail sales and margins. THE strength of the XL symbol brand is that it offers you the opportunity to own your own business, pursue your entrepreneurial spirit as an independent retailer and, at the same time, benefit from being part of a nationwide brand
with access to major buying power and the many invaluable support mechanisms that membership of a symbol group brings. XL offers independent retailers a mutually beneficial partnership
Pictured celebrating 25 years of Ros na Rún are (l-r): Paul Bealin, XL Sales Director, Wholesale; Deirbhile Ní Churraighín, Executive Producer, TG4; Anna Millington, Sales Director, TG4; and Paul Mc Cluskey, star of Ros na Rún and owner of An Siopa.
Paul Bealin, Sales Director, Wholesale, with responsibility for the continued development of the XL retail brand.
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Retail Groups Report
XL retailers have been able to meet the demands of their local communities with their expansive essential range, offering a convenient and quick place to shop. opportunity in which the key objective is to maximise your retail sales and margins. XL offers a flexible, market-leading package, which enables retailers to tailor their shop to consumer needs, and also to react quickly to changing market conditions in order to grow their business. XL’s affordable fitout cost is one of its many attractions. Its tagline, ‘A great deal more at your local store’, underpins the brand promise of serving local communities, delivering great value, choice, service and exciting consumer promotions. Responding to the pandemic That sense of community spirit and flexibility inherent in being associated with a bigger nationwide brand in BWG Foods has been evident this past year as consumer behaviour has been undoubtedly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. As a consequence, there has been a shift towards essential grocery goods and take-home categories. XL retailers have been able to meet the demands of their local communities with their expansive essential range, offering a convenient and quick place to shop. XL retailers have responded to the challenges brought by the pandemic by focusing on immediate customer and employee needs and fulfilling them in unique ways, through e-commerce, delivery services or special provisions. From the outset of this crisis, XL stores have been proactive in prioritising the health and safety of customers and employees and have ensured that customers have access to a safe shopping environment close to home. This has provided great comfort to the communities its retailers serve. XL retailers have a well-earned and deserved reputation for going over and above for their customers. One local XL even hosted a drive-through trick or treat event, which saw approximately 700 children receive a Halloween goodie bag. The response and support from the local community was unbelievable with one parent claiming the store had saved Halloween! Partnering with Ros na Rún On a wider level, XL is proud of its sponsorship of Ireland’s only Irish language soap, Ros na Rún, which is now in its 25th season. XL has partnered with this iconic show since 2017, with a permanent presence on set in the form of An Siopa. There are
some exciting storylines coming to TV screens in 2021 so watch this space! The XL Facebook page will also continue to offer lots of interesting Irish-focused content. XL is keeping a very keen eye on both current and future trends, such as the rise of veganism and alternative offerings to suit the ever-evolving consumer and will be making a focused effort to maximise its offering in these areas.
XL offers a flexible, market-leading package, which enables retailers to tailor their shop to consumer needs.
FACTFILE: Name of Group: XL Number of Stores nationwide: 235+ Typical Store Size: 110 square metres Head office: BWG Foods UC, BWG House, Greenhills Road, Tallaght, Dublin 24 Wholesale partner: Value Centre Type of distribution network: 22 Cash & Carry branches nationwide with Chill distribution Website: www.xlstores.ie Social Media: www.facebook.com/XLIreland/ Tagline: A great deal more at your local store
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Retail Groups Report
SuperValu stands tall in 2020
SuperValu really stepped up to the plate in 2020, supporting shoppers and staff with its decisive and comprehensive response to the Covid-19 pandemic. SUPERVALU and its parent company, Musgrave, play an important role in Ireland’s food supply chain and accordingly has had a significant part to play in the national effort in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic, which had such a profound impact on all our lives in 2020. “The health of our colleagues across our store network, our customers, the communities in which we operate and our supply chain partners is our top priority at this time,” noted Noel Keeley, Musgrave CEO, as the first lockdown took hold back in March. “We are doing this through our retail partners’ stores at the heart of towns and villages across the country. We are taking every step possible to ensure that the food supply chain continues to function as normal and we are directly engaging with Government on the matter.” Keeley went on to pay tribute to the company’s workforce: “I would like to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of every member of Musgrave team, our retail partners and their team who are going above and beyond for our customers. We would also like to thank the general public for their patience during this time.” Musgrave continued to closely monitor the developing situation in
relation to the Covid-19 pandemic as the year progressed, with all stores adhering to the latest updated guidelines provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) or relevant health authority in their respective region, including practicing social distancing in-store. Safeguarding shoppers and staff They rolled-out a number of measures to help safeguard shoppers and staff alike, including hand sanitisers other cleaning protocols, as well as the installation of plexiglass screens in-store, prioritising support for the elderly and vulnerable, and minimising cash transactions where possible. SuperValu, along with Musgrave’s other retail brands, responded to the huge increase in demand, particularly during the initial phase of the pandemic in Ireland. In one 24-hour period, SuperValu had a record 500 lorries on the road, delivering goods to its network of 223 stores, as the retailer stepped up to meet the demand and ensure that families across the country could put food on the table every evening. SuperValu took on extra staff to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the surge in demand, working closely with different representative bodies to prioritise those in the restaurant, food
and retail sectors who were amongst the first to lose their jobs because of the pandemic.
Ray Kelly, Interim Managing Director, SuperValu.
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Retail Groups Report Standing tall A statement on the SuperValu website during the darkest days of the first lockdown read: “When everyone has to lay low, it’s time for us to stand tall. At SuperValu, we’re there for you, especially now things feel less than normal. And that means 223 stores with retailers, store staff, warehouse staff and drivers, keeping the trucks rolling and the shelves stocked with fresh food, Irish meat and freshly baked bread daily. We’ve always stood for community. And now that you need us most, we’ll stand that bit taller. #thereforyou.” May saw SuperValu reveal a breakdown of the products and categories that were selling strongly in its stores since the lockdown began as shoppers spent more time in the kitchen. Figures included a 400% growth in soap sales, a 200% increase in sales of flour products, 100% increase in coffee pod sales, an 80% increase in olive oil sales, and a 60% rise in sales of dishwasher tablets, providing “a unique snapshot of Irish shopping habits during the lockdown,” according to Edel Russell, Innovation & Consumer Director, SuperValu. SuperValu continued its partnership with Ireland’s national autism advocacy charity, AsIAm, sponsoring the charity as it ran a host of online seminars which offered support and much-needed information to the autism community, including providing practical tips for positive mental health and staying on top of educational demands during the pandemic. SuperValu & AsIAm also released ‘Bridge Back to School’, an autismfriendly learning resource, during the summer, to help those with high support needs prepare during the summer months to return to school in September. SuperValu Food Academy The retailer continued its strong support of Irish suppliers, with May seeing products from 15 new Irish food producers who have successfully completed the Food Academy programme going on sale in SuperValu stores. Now in its seventh year, SuperValu Food Academy is a unique food business development programme between SuperValu, Bord Bia and the Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). Participants in the programme receive training in market research and branding, food safety, marketing, finance and business development. The programme helps early-stage Irish food and drink businesses to get their start in the food retail sector with their first, all-important supermarket listing in SuperValu. This support for local is all made possible by SuperValu’s independent retail model, whereby retailers can give SuperValu Food Academy members access to one or a small group of
James O’Regan of Begley’s Organic Leeks, winner of the Private Label award at the bi-annual National Organic Awards: “I would also like to thank SuperValu for its ongoing support for an Irish business that provides employment in the local community.” stores, allowing them to manage demand as they grow their operations. Food Academy producers have sold a combined €140m of produce in SuperValu since 2014, supporting 1,500 jobs in the economy. To date, 620 producers have come through the programme, with 272 producers currently enrolled in the programme. Guaranteed Irish partnership SuperValu Food Academy announced a partnership with Guaranteed Irish in June, which saw SuperValu subsidising the Guaranteed Irish membership fee for Food Academy producers on being awarded the Guaranteed Irish seal of approval by the Appraising Committee at Guaranteed Irish for one year. Brid O’Connell CEO, Guaranteed Irish, commended the retailer for “encouraging local entrepreneurship in Ireland, giving small food producers a big chance at building a sustainable business.” The retailer’s support for Guaranteed Irish was further strengthened in October, when Ray Kelly, Interim Managing Director, Musgrave Retail Partners, joined the Guaranteed Irish Board of Directors, representing the retail and food sector.
Award winning range Despite the challenges of Covid-19, SuperValu enjoyed a number of notable successes in 2020. The retailer took home a massive 119 Blas Na hÉireann awards. SuperValu Own Brand and its exclusive brand producers picked up 53 awards, winning 14 Gold, 23 Silver and 16 bronze. SuperValu Signature Tastes won 27 top-tier awards, the highest number of top tier awards won by any supermarket, while SuperValu’s Food Academy producers picked up 66 awards – 21 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze, including 2 Chef’s Larder Awards for Fancy Fungi Mushrooms – Grey Oyster Mushrooms and Skeaghanore Duck – Duck Fat. More recently, SuperValu won the Private Label award at the bi-annual National Organic Awards for its Irishgrown Begley’s Organic Leeks. “Partnering with local suppliers like Begley’s means that when it comes to fresh food, SuperValu provides the highest quality, Irish produce at the best prices,” noted Ray Kelly, Interim Managing Director of SuperValu. SuperValu serves over 2.6m customers every week and has 223 stores nationwide. Together with its retail partners, SuperValu employs approximately 14,500 colleagues, making it one of the State’s largest private-sector employers. SuperValu continues to source locally wherever possible, which helps to sustain 30,000 jobs in the Irish SuperValu Signature Tastes Goats Cheese Bruschetta, one of the winners at the Blas Na hÉireann Awards 2020. economy.
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Retail Groups Report
Centra stars in Covid response Centra stepped up to the plate in 2020, with the convenience retailer playing a key role in keeping supply chains open throughout the pandemic. CENTRA, part of the Musgrave group, played a key role in Ireland’s food supply chain and the national effort in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the course of 2020. The convenience group helped by taking “every step possible to ensure that the food supply chain continues to function as normal” along with its sister group, SuperValu, according to Musgrave CEO Noel Keeley. Centra continued to closely monitor the developing situation in relation to the Covid-19 pandemic as the year progressed, with all stores adhering to the latest updated guidelines provided by the Health Service Executive (HSE) or relevant health authority in their respective region, including practicing social distancing in-store. They rolled-out a number of measures to help safeguard shoppers and staff alike, including hand sanitisers and other cleaning protocols, as well as the installation of plexiglass screens in-store, limiting the number of customers in-store during busy periods, minimising cash transactions where possible, installing tape on the floor to show customers how far to stay apart in queues, along with community supports for elderly and vulnerable people. Sales increase The year had begun very positively for Centra, as it revealed its 2019 results,
Pictured at Centra’s annual conference at the Great Southern Hotel, Killarney, Co. Kerry, in January 2020, are Bernard Lynch, Centra Council Chair; Dan Curtin, Centra Sales Director; and Martin Kelleher, then Managing Director, Centra. reporting sales of €1.7 billion, a 4% experience with a healthier, more year-on-year increase on 2018, with innovative offering across its network. plans to open 20 new stores over the The Centra website features a Live Well course of 2020, adding over 480 jobs to hub, where consumers can find healthy the Centra network. Centra retailers recipes and wellbeing tips to help them get the most out of life (centra.ie/livehave also committed to further invest well/home). in revamping stores as part of an investment of €27m. January also saw Centra becoming the first convenience retailer in Ireland to introduce a 100% compostable bag, giving shoppers a more sustainable choice when it comes to carrier bags, a move which was predicted to remove 1m plastic bags from circulation each year. Centra’s continued success stemmed from its 2016 brand repositioning to Club Together was an initiative by SuperValu, Centra and redefine the traditional the GAA to support the elderly in our communities during convenience store the pandemic.
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Retail Groups Report The retailer experienced growing demand for its innovative healthy foodto-go offering, capitalising on emerging consumer trends by offering new vegan, vegetarian and prepared evening meals, as well as increased footfall to the newly designed internationally award-winning store format. Centra’s ‘Inspired By’ gourmet range has proved particularly popular, both with consumers and judges, as the range has lifted a host of awards.
Guaranteed Irish. “I’m delighted to welcome Centra on board,” said Brid O’Connell, CEO of Guaranteed Irish. “As Ireland’s leading convenience retailer, Centra embraces our core values of building sustainable Supporting the elderly communities March saw Centra partner with its through sister brand, SuperValu, and the GAA enterprise, to launch a new initiative to support backing local jobs, the elderly in our communities during and supporting Covid-19. Club Together capitalised on homegrown our unique community spirit, by helping Irish produce. our elderly who do not have family and These values friends around to support them, as are showcased GAA clubs across the country called on through the members to join a local task force to retailer’s assist the elderly, who are dependent commitment to Centra announced a special partnership with Guaranteed Irish on the goodwill of others for their food producers in June 2020. food shopping needs, subsequently based in Ireland, partnering with their local SuperValu or in turn benefiting Centra store. our local economy of marketing activations, which began on “Our reach across the island is and supporting Irish jobs, particularly June 10, 2020, to include: reflected in the SuperValu and Centra in rural communities throughout networks and I believe working the country. Centra’s track record of • Digital activation, including a together we can ensure that everyone supporting jobs in Irish communities and website landing page, social media is connected and has access to the supporting Irish produce ties in with our takeover and the promotion of Irish basic essentials we all need at a time core value of building enterprise in the products across digital; like this,” noted John Horan, Uachtarán communities, so it’s a perfect fit.” • Centra compostable bags to display Chumann Lúthchleas Gael, at the launch Centra committed to investing up the Guaranteed Irish symbol; of the initiative. to €300,000 to promote its official retail • Centra customer handbills to partnership with Guaranteed Irish to include the Guaranteed Irish symbol Partnering with Guaranteed Irish highlight and raise awareness of the circulated to near 5m Irish homes In June, it was announced that Centra benefits of purchasing Guaranteed Irish over the course of any year. entered a special partnership with brands. This will be invested in a range Commenting on the partnership, Martin Kelleher, then Managing Director at Centra said, “As Ireland’s leading convenience retailer, with stores serving towns and villages across the country, Centra is delighted to partner with Guaranteed Irish. It has never been more important to support local and Irish, and when you shop with Centra, you can rest assured that you are providing a vital boost to the local economy.” With a total of 473 stores, Centra employs almost 11,000 people and serves over three million customers per week. Centra invests more than €240m in local communities per annum, which is the equivalent of €4.5m per week, through a combination of payments to local suppliers, acquisition of local business services, wages, charitable donations and local sponsorships, including a long standing sponsorship of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Centra became the first convenience retailer in Ireland to introduce a 100% Championship. compostable bag in early 2020.
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Retail Groups Report
Costcutter proves agile and adaptable Costcutter adapted successfully to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, equipping its retailers to serve their customer base and growing store numbers over the course of the year. 2020 may not have been a year that went to plan, but Costcutter grasped the unprecedented changes in the market that came about due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and adapted to drive the symbol group forward. Costcutter enjoyed steady growth throughout 2020, adding 12 new stores to the symbol group before year end, as the Group and its retail partners
Store owner Aaron Massey and his staff are pictured at the re-opening of Massey’s Costcutter in Windy Arbour, Dundrum, Dublin 14. adapted to the evolving convenience and grocery sector. Solidifying its place as Ireland’s family-run convenience group, Costcutter has always kept the needs of its retail partners and the ever-changing needs of consumers as a key focus to ensure its offering remains both relevant and competitive. Speaking on the success of the
The Salad Patch, one of the hugely successful concepts introduced by Costcutter.
brand during Covid-19, Edwina Lucey, Barry Group Sales Director, said, “I believe our success this year is a direct impact of the combination of Barry Group’s positive response to the pandemic, the challenges it threw at the trade, along with the proactive actions taken by our retailers; so much so that we have seen brand sentiment increase over the past six months. This is a true testament to the collective approach that was employed to protect the Costcutter brand and our estate. I am proud to say that we served our customers really well during what was a most challenging period.” Equipping retailers to trade safely and effectively As the country fell victim to the global pandemic, Barry Group aimed to support its retail partners to ensure they were equipped to trade both safely and effectively. To achieve this, a Covid-19 Response Team was formed of senior team members, who were tasked with highlighting the risks that could potentially occur as a result of this pandemic and then mitigate those risks in every possible way. This approach to identifying risk evaluated key components of the Barry
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Retail Groups Report Group business, including the operations of its warehouse and the risk to retail partners. By identifying this risk, it gave the team clarity in developing plans to ensure that Costcutter retailers were still serviced with the Group’s high levels of customer service. This approach has been shared with the response to the exogenous recession, offering guidance on what has been identified as a difficult business challenge. Despite having many new developments planned for 2020, including the introduction of two new concepts to the Irish market, a decision was made to delay these plans until 2021 to prioritise optimising Costcutter’s retail offering in its current form amid the pandemic. As a result, the symbol group’s key focus shifted, with store cleanliness, Covid-19 hygiene and range management given priority to ensure that retail outlets’ new requirements were being met. To fulfil these key focuses, amendments were made to the Costcutter offering, including additional deliveries, to ensure that Costcutter stores were equipped with stock to deal with the overwhelming demand, while in-store communications campaigns were employed to ensure both the safety of staff and customers. Additionally, retailers were encouraged to adapt their business models in line with customers’ evolving needs and wants with call-and-collect, click-and-collect and curbside delivery options being introduced. This acted as a
The Urban Sips coffee brand from Costcutter has been massively popular with Irish consumers. point of difference for the symbol group as Costcutter retailers further immersed themselves into communities and really showcased what it means to be ‘Proud to be Local’. 2021 to bring opportunities and challenges However, Paul Roche, Head of Costcutter, expects the future to bring both challenges and opportunities: “We believe that although 2021 will come
The Salad Patch offers consumers tasty food to take-away, which has proven a real winner amid the pandemic.
with opportunities, there are many hardships that our retail partners will face also. We will be challenging our retailers who haven’t yet rolled out our concept brands, including Urban Sips, Market St. Deli, Freezi Licks and The Salad Patch, to introduce them in-store in order to entice new customers instore and extract greater spend from their current customer base. For our stores who have reaped the rewards of these concepts as they drive incremental revenue, we will be expanding our portfolio to solidify Costcutter’s stance as a leading retail outlet in communities across the country and to insulate our retail partners from the hit of the recession.” Moving into 2021, despite the threat of looming challenges including Brexit, the true effect of the exogenous recession and Covid-19, the retail group will enter the year with optimism. Key learnings and improvement opportunities have been identified and while most of these have already been implemented, improving the Costcutter offering, there are additional focuses which will carry into the coming year. “While 2020 was challenging in many ways, I believe that we as a team are in a positive place to meet the challenges that lie ahead,” predicted Jim Barry, Managing Director, Barry Group. “Many lessons were learned, and we have proved how adaptable and agile we are. I expect us to outperform the market and build on our strong service ethic to our valued customers.”
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Retail Groups Report
Strong performance in a strange year
Gala Retail reflects on a year of challenge and change in 2020. GALA Retail started 2020 with big plans, but like all businesses, when presented with the unexpected challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic arising in Q1, the group had to adapt to the changing landscape in light of the pandemic and subsequent restrictions. Having planned another busy year of marketing initiatives and promotions for the Gala Group in 2020, in March, as the reality of the situation surrounding Covid-19 became clear, it was quickly apparent that these plans were no longer relevant and Gala’s focus shifted to supporting its retailers in managing the impact of the pandemic on their businesses. The year has been one of change but for Gala Retail, there have also been many highlights, including the incredible innovations within the group and Gala retailers, the wider Gala family working as one, and the opening of new Gala stores. Communication The Covid-19 crisis created many operational challenges for retailers; and the subsequent action of the Gala Group and its retailers was to adapt services to safely meet the needs of customers, while ensuring that the general public could rely on a steady supply of goods. Communication was, and remains, a key element of Gala’s strategy, ensuring that the lines of communication with retailers are open at all times. Gala stores continue to be supported in a variety of means, from email communications and phone calls to virtual calls and via the Live Chat function on the Gala website. The Gala Group has created a dedicated section for Covid-19 on the Gala retailer portal and app, GROW, which ensures easy access to essential information for retailers. Working together, the wider Gala Group has ensured that the supply chain remained opened at all times, which was challenging back in March and April when there was so much turmoil, not just in Ireland but across the world.
Gala worked with its member wholesalers and suppliers to ensure a fluid supply chain and to minimise interruptions to retailers, with wholesalers playing a vital role in ensuring that retailers continued to receive goods and support at a local level. With this support, Gala stores have been exceptional in their reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. They quickly pivoted, adapting their offering, prioritising the elderly, vulnerable and key workers, all whilst ensuring that their doors remained open for their communities, and that they provided a safe environment for their teams. Stores demonstrated innovation and flexibility with their offerings, going above and beyond to cater to the retailing needs of their communities. ‘Senior Sundays’, enhanced home delivery, order and collect services, and even donating meals to the elderly and vulnerable are just some of the measures that Gala retailers introduced for their customers.
Gary Desmond, CEO, Gala Retail, is pictured with Virgin Media presenters Glenda Gilson and Laura Woods at the launch of the Inspiration Awards 2020.
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Retail Groups Report Olympics Ireland as part of the organisation’s collection week, supporting Special Olympics Ireland’s ‘Can’t Stop Now’ campaign, which raises funds to support more than 8,000 Special Olympics athletes and their families across Ireland.
Baker’s Corner: one of the key in-store concepts from Gala Retail. In April, Gala announced the launch of a click-and-collect shopping system for its retailers. The service, developed on the Shopify website platform, allows retailers to accept customer orders online, which can then be collected directly from the store, reducing shoppers’ interaction in-store, helping those who are amongst the most vulnerable and offering a simple solution for safer shopping at Gala. Growth Despite the major challenges in 2020, the Gala Group has continued to grow, adding an impressive seven new Gala stores to the Gala estate, including Gala Castleforbes; Sheahan’s Gala, Newcastle West; Gala Newtonshandrum; Rogan’s Gala in Clifden; Kieran’s Gala, Carrick on Shannon; Moynihan’s Gala in Adare; and King’s Gala, Wicklow town, with a further two stores due to open before Christmas in Killeshandra, Co. Cavan, and Smithfield, Dublin 7. In addition to new Gala store openings, the Gala Group added 11 new ‘Your Stop’ stores to its portfolio and a further nine existing Gala stores underwent store refurbishments, updating to the latest Gala branding and adding key Gala concepts such as Baker’s Corner, New Street Deli, Coffee Junction and Galato to their offerings. Adapting to change Accepting that change is the only thing guaranteed, Gala has been flexible and adaptable in its approach, restructuring marketing efforts to make them more relevant to the current situation. This year, the Gala annual trade fair and conference moved online. A virtual trade fair, including supplier videos and PowerPoint presentations, introducing new products, deals and offerings from suppliers, was developed to ensure that Gala retailers received the same value offerings, as in previous years. The content was hosted on the Gala internal GROW retailer website, meaning that retailers could view the content and engage with it at any time. A ‘Special’ relationship Gala’s CSR commitment to Special Olympics Ireland remains as strong as ever, especially in a time when all charities are facing enormous shortfalls in their fundraising efforts. Following the announcement of a further extension of Gala Retail’s platinum sponsorship of Special Olympics Ireland, Gala was determined to work within the guidelines and create a new fundraising concept that could be delivered for Special Olympics. During the summer, the Group hosted Ireland’s firstever virtual golf week, raising much needed funds for Special Olympics Ireland. During October and November, a number of Gala stores committed to further fundraising for Special
Inspiration Awards In September, Gala Retail teamed up with Virgin Media to search for Ireland’s inspirational heroes. Inspirational people from across Ireland were nominated for the Gala Retail and Virgin Media Inspiration Awards, with 26 inspirational county heroes being named from the hundreds of entries received. Each of the 26 award-winning heroes demonstrated how they have made Ireland a better place with their selfless acts and inspirational deeds during the Covid-19 crisis, and how they have gone above and beyond for others in their local community. Gala Retail gifted €20,000 of prizes to the winners, with 26 county winners being awarded with luxury stays in some of Ireland’s most beautiful Blue Book properties. Cash for Christmas After a difficult year for all, Gala has just launched the ‘Gala Cash for Christmas’ giveaway, its biggest in-store campaign of the year, with a prize pot of €15,000. Gala customers have the chance to win one of 30 €500 prizes in the giveaway, just in time for Christmas! When a customer spends €10 in-store, they are instructed to scan the provided promotional QR code for the campaign, which will bring them to a private page on Gala.ie where they can enter their details to be in with a chance of winning.
Pictured are: Gary Desmond, CEO of Gala Retail; Special Olympics Ambassador Michéal Ó Mhuircheartaigh; Special Olympics athlete, Emma Johnstone; Special Olympics Ambassador, Keith Wood; and Matt English, CEO, Special Olymics Ireland. Looking ahead to 2021 Regardless of what 2021 has in store in relation to Covid-19 and the economy, Gala will press on as an innovative convenience retail group, supporting its retailers as they navigate this everchanging climate. The emerging news surrounding vaccines will help consumers to gain confidence and the Group is hopeful that a truer sense of normality may start to return by late spring. Brexit still looms but following a year that no one will ever forget, we’re reminded of the resilience of the convenience sector, the innovation within the Gala Group, the strength of local retailing and of the important role that Gala stores play in their communities. All businesses face a challenging future, but operating in the grocery sector, Gala is grateful to be in a strong position, offering value and quality to its customers and communities moving forward.
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Retail Groups Report
Daybreak shines amid the pandemic Thomas Morrison, Head of Retail, Musgrave MarketPlace, reveals how Daybreak continued to grow, despite the challenging environment of 2020 and unveils the group’s ambitious plans for 2021. How did your group perform in 2020? Coronavirus created an unprecedented and challenging trading environment for everyone, but Daybreak has performed well this year. Stores located in high convenience city centres and some forecourt sites experienced a significant decline to their businesses, due to reduced footfall and many people working remotely. In contrast, sales in our neighbourhood stores have been very strong, though the mix has changed somewhat, with food-to-go and coffee sales impacted, leading to margin challenges. I am particularly proud of how we have worked as a group to support retailers during this time. The Daybreak Sales and Development team were on the road throughout the Covid crisis, supporting stores. We were agile in our response, reacting quickly and helping our stores implement best practice to keep staff and customers as safe as possible. We also helped drive sales by adapting our offer to meet the new consumer trends and needs brought on by Covid. How do you go about attracting new retailers to join your group? Ultimately new stores are attracted by the strength of our offer. Our retail
partners are strong advocates for the brand and positive word of mouth is a big factor in bringing new stores on board. Daybreak offers retailers a dynamic, cost effective retail proposition that delivers above average returns. We offer the advantages of partnership with Musgrave, an Irish family-owned business with a proven track record of food leadership and building successful brands. Joining the group also means that retailers benefit from a world class supply chain, Ireland’s largest retail and foodservice buying group and exceptional business development support. How many new stores joined your group in 2020? Despite the disruptions of Covid, the Daybreak group has grown very strongly this year, with 24 new stores signing up to the brand. Bringing new stores into the group is important, but just as important is supporting existing retailers to develop their business. In addition to the new stores, we also redeveloped a further 20 existing sites into the new Daybreak ‘Store of the Future’ identity. What advantages do your retail partners enjoy? At Musgrave, we pride ourselves on
Thomas Morrison, Head of Retail, Musgrave MarketPlace. being first for value, first for choice and first for service. These are the pillars on which we continue to provide an exceptional wholesale offer to our Daybreak retailers. As Ireland’s largest retail and foodservice wholesale group, we leverage our unique buying power to bring retailers better everyday pricing and exceptional promotional value. We also support Daybreak retailers to bring their shoppers great value with a regular schedule of consumer offers. We offer a huge product range; stores have access to nearly 16,000 lines across our network. Retailers enjoy an
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Retail Groups Report excellent tri-temp delivery service from our central distribution facility, which saves them time and money on admin by getting everything they need in one delivery. Our exceptional service to retailers is exemplified by the Daybreak team of Business Development Managers (BDMs). All our BDMs come from a retail background and use their extensive retail and foodservice knowledge to offer practical business support. They work closely with retailers to build annual business plans, tailored to the needs of each store. These plans focus on benchmarking store sales, costs and profit against real budgets and KPIs, and we meet retailers every month to review progress on implementing these plans.
The Munch & Co deli brand is a real winner with Irish shoppers.
The 9 Grams gourmet coffee brand from Daybreak has proven extremely popular. What were the highlights of 2020 for you? We held our biggest retailer conference to date in the Lyrath Estate in Kilkenny on March 4. At the conference, we shared the strong progress achieved in rolling out our new ‘Store of the Future’ identity and how that is driving phenomenal sales and profit growth for retailers. We are constantly improving our offer and at the conference, we unveiled a number of new developments which were well received. For instance, in the Food & Technology Showcase we demonstrated our new Dizzy Rotisserie Chicken sub-brand; a new fresh pizza offer; our ‘Heat & Eat’ convenience meal solution; and the Happy Pear range now available from Daybreak. These developments continue to keep our offer fresh and relevant for consumers and drive store profitability. Of course, a lot changed shortly after our conference and within a few weeks the country was in lockdown. I am especially proud of how Musgrave reacted to this challenge. Our message to retailers and consumers was that we are ‘there when you need us’ and we definitely delivered on that promise. We leveraged the unparalleled expertise of the wider Musgrave business, moving quickly to ensure all our stores implemented best practice and kept staff and customers as safe as possible. I am equally proud of our retailers, who demonstrated that they are truly at the heart of their local communities throughout this difficult period. Many, for instance, immediately introduced delivery services for elderly and vulnerable customers, while others offered click & collect through our new app. How do you think the Irish grocery market changed in 2020? Covid has clearly had a significant impact on shopping behaviour. During the initial lockdown, there was panic buying and shoppers stocked up on groceries and non-food essentials. That did settle down relatively quickly and we didn’t
see the same trend in the second lockdown. There has been a considerable growth in online shopping but that is less a feature in the convenience sector. One of the more significant changes for our sector has been the notable increase in local shopping. Grocery and alcohol have seen huge growth in convenience, with the latter partly driven by the restrictions in the hospitality sector. People have really relied on and appreciate the service local shops provide and many of our customers say that shopping local will be a long-term habit. Staying safe is also a key consideration now for shoppers. People have high expectations for exceptional hygiene and safety standards, both inside and outside stores. Daybreak has led the way in these areas.
Daybreak introduced its new Dizzy Rotisserie Chicken sub-brand during 2020. What plans do you have in place for 2021? We have ambitious plans for 2021. A key focus will be continuing the roll-out of our new store format. Our retailers are willing to invest strongly in their businesses because they know our new concepts, like our Munch & Co deli and 9 Grams coffee, are driving retailer profitability. We have seen significant growth in stores with full off-licences, and with the onset of minimum unit pricing, that trend is set to continue into 2021. We also expect further growth in new stores. We added over 24,000 square feet in retail space in 2020 and we already have a very strong pipeline for next year. 2020 was an unprecedented year for everyone. It demonstrated to retailers the importance of being part of a strong business that proactively supports them. We certainly did that in 2020 and we look forwarding to supporting our retail partners to grow in 2021.
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Retail Groups Report
Working in challenging times Aldi Ireland has stepped up to support Irish shoppers, Irish suppliers and Irish communities throughout the pandemic. 2020 has been a year of unparalleled economic and social upheaval for Ireland. As has been the case across the entire economy, Ireland’s retail industry and the thousands of dedicated employees across the sector have faced unprecedented challenges. From the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, Aldi Ireland and its team has stepped up to support its customers across the country, ensuring stores have remained open and fully stocked, so customers continue to have access to the best quality products at unbeatable prices. Safety and innovation Throughout the pandemic, ensuring the safety of its customers and staff has been Aldi’s number one priority. Aldi adapted quickly to the new ‘shopping norm’ resulting from Covid-19, introducing a series of measures to keep staff and customers safe while in its stores. These included rolling out a traffic light entry system, which continuously counts the number of customers entering and exiting stores, controlling numbers in stores, as well as clear markers showing the space customers should maintain if required to queue for a short time, protective screens at tills, self-service cleaning stations for trolleys and baskets, hand sanitiser for customers, masks, gloves and hand sanitiser for staff, and priority shopping hours for elderly and vulnerable customers. To ensure customers are able to shop quickly and safely during the upcoming festive season, Aldi has also introduced extended Christmas opening hours. Responding to shifting customer shopping needs and preferences, Aldi made innovation a top priority and teamed up with Deliveroo to trial a new rapid online grocery delivery service. Starting with two stores in June, a hugely positive customer response saw Aldi double the number of products offered to 330, as well as expanding the service to more stores, with 1.5m shoppers across Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick now able to benefit from the service. Recognising the efforts of staff In the face of adversity throughout 2020, Aldi’s staff displayed incredible work ethic and dedication, working tirelessly throughout the year to keep shelves stocked and stores running. Recognising these immense efforts, Aldi introduced a 10% staff bonus for hours worked in March and April, as well as a 10% Christmas bonus for logistics and store colleagues. Aldi continued to offer the best pay and benefits in the retail industry, reaffirming its position as Ireland’s highest paying
supermarket by becoming the first retailer to introduce the Living Wage Technical Group’s increased Living Wage rate as its entry level of pay this year. An additional 500 staff were hired this year, with Aldi now employing over 4,500 people in Ireland. Supporting Irish suppliers Supporting the many Irish food and drink producers that helped keep its shelves stocked was more important than ever for Aldi in 2020. In March, it reduced its payment terms for all suppliers that transact up to €1m worth of business annually with Aldi, meaning supplier payments could be processed within five working days. This was later extended to the end of the year to ensure that over 250 Irish food and drink producers continued to be paid as quickly as possible, improving cash-flow across the supply chain. 2020 also saw Aldi’s Grow with Aldi food and drinks producer development programme extended further. This year, 80 small and medium sized Irish producers won a place on the programme, with their products placed on sale in May, September and at Christmas across all stores. Six producers won long-term contracts with Aldi through the programme. Aldi also committed to several significant long-term deals with Irish suppliers across a broad variety of innovative products. This included a €1m contract with Cork-based Walls Honest Chips, whose product was one of the Grow With Aldi Winners in 2019, and a €3m deal with Dublin-based Pizza Sorrento to supply Aldi with 2.5m pizza bases. In total, Aldi sold over €850m worth of Irish goods in 2020.
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Retail Groups Report introducing reusable plastic fruit and vegetable bags, home compostable Rooster potato bags, and more. Most recently, Aldi became the first retailer to switch its own label water bottles to 100% recycled material. To date, Aldi has removed more than 616 tonnes of plastic from its 145 Irish stores, replaced over 870 tonnes of unrecyclable material with recyclable alternatives and removed 500 tonnes of packaging from its core product ranges. As part of its Carbon Reduction Pledge, Aldi committed to planting over 100,000 trees over the next five years. To date, 55,600 trees have been planted. Aldi Rathnew’s store team at the opening of the new flagship store in Rathnew, Co. Wicklow, this year. Numerous award wins Throughout the year, the excellent quality of Aldi’s products was repeatedly recognised through a host of national and international award wins. 2020 was Aldi’s most awarded year as a retailer in Ireland. Amongst its many wins, it achieved the highest number of Three Gold Star awards at the Great Taste Awards, was named Retailer of the Year at the Free From Food Awards and won the largest number of awards at the National Parenting Product Awards for its Mamia baby range. Supporting local communities Aldi’s corporate responsibility and sponsorship programmes focused support on charities and local communities most impacted by Covid-19. A new two-year partnership with children’s charity Barnardos was agreed, with the goal of raising €1m to provide thousands of meals to children in need. In addition to Aldi stores across the country continuing to provide surplus food donations to FoodCloud, at the height of the pandemic in April, Aldi also supported FoodCloud financially through a donation of €50,000 of food. Aldi became the first retailer to donate non-surplus food to FoodCloud during the Covid-19 pandemic to help with the unprecedented demand on FoodCloud’s services from charities. Aldi also extended its partnership with the Irish Rugby Football Union until 2024, including its support of the Aldi Play Rugby Programme, which encourages young boys and girls to lead healthy active lifestyles. Building a sustainable business Constantly striving to reduce its impact
on the environment, Aldi made several challenging sustainability commitments this year. These included pledging to reduce the volume of plastic packaging used in its outlets by 50% by 2025 and ensuring all own label product packaging is recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2022. Several significant steps towards achieving these goals were made, with Aldi becoming the first retailer to remove black plastic from its entire own label food range. It has also been working closely with its suppliers to replace nonrecyclable packaging with recyclable and compostable alternatives, such as
Looking ahead Despite the challenges and uncertainty the Covid-19 pandemic has brought, Aldi will not be postponing or slowing down its investment plans. It opened five new stores in 2020, including three (Belmullet, Co. Mayo, Rathnew, Co. Wicklow, and Blanchardstown, Dublin 15) since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic and Aldi is actively working to open new stores, particularly in the greater Dublin area, and will progress its plans in 2021. Its goal is to continue introducing more new shoppers in more new stores to its fantastic products, bringing greater choice, value and unbeatable prices to Irish families.
Mini shoppers Seamus O’Brien, aged five, and Lauren O’Brien, aged six, help Aldi’s Group Managing Director Niall O’Connor and Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly to announce Aldi’s new two-year partnership with Barnardos to raise €1m.
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Retail Groups Report
Tesco offers helping hand to shoppers and communities 2020 has been a year like no other, but Tesco Ireland has continued to focus on serving Ireland’s shoppers a little better every day. THIS year, Tesco has continued to protect and prioritise the health and safety of colleagues and customers, in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Since it emerged in March, Tesco has invested in measures to ensure a safe shopping environment for customers and a safe work environment for colleagues throughout Ireland. While the challenges of 2020 continue, Tesco has continued to support the communities it serves with funding donations, installing potentially lifesaving defibrillators in its store network nationwide, as well as strengthening the relationship with the Children’s Health Foundation at Temple Street. ‘Every Little Help’ makes a big difference As a leading food retailer, Tesco is one of the largest private-sector employers in Ireland, employing over 13,000 colleagues across 151 stores, head office and distribution centres. At Tesco, they believe that ‘every little help’ makes a big difference. “Our people are our most important asset and at Tesco, everyone is welcome. We’re proud to empower our colleagues to be themselves at work. This year, we continued to sponsor Dublin Pride and Cork Pride festivals and we are also continuing to champion diversity and inclusion in our workplace,” explained Tesco Ireland CEO, Kari Daniels. “We’re very proud to have retained the Great Place to Work accreditation, based on feedback from our colleagues, for the third consecutive year. We have also been acknowledged once again as one of the 19 Best Workplaces
Colleagues from Tesco Liffey Valley, Dublin, celebrating achieving Great Place to Work accreditation for the third year in a row in 2020. for Women nationally. We believe in treating people with respect and allowing everyone to get on. We’re proud signatories of the Diversity Charter Ireland and the 30% Club, which promotes female representation in business at leadership level.” Giving back to our communities In total, this year, Tesco has donated over €1m in community donations nationwide during Covid-19. In March, Tesco worked to extend support in communities and donated €150,000 among three national charities, Alone, Family Carers Ireland
and Age Action, helping support key initiatives in the early days of the pandemic. Created in 2014, the Tesco Community Fund sees the retailer donate funds to community projects. Every eight weeks, each store donates up to €1,000 amongst three causes in its community and to date, the Fund has helped over 16,850 local projects nationwide. In 2020, Tesco has devoted over €724,000 of donations through its Community Fund, supporting over 2,000 local causes with donations for their community services, helping those most affected by Covid-19.
Pictured at the roll-out of over 100 automated electronic defibrillators across the Tesco Ireland store network were Geoff Byrne, Chief Operating Officer, Tesco Ireland, and Tony Pannu, store manager, Tesco Swords Holywell.
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Retail Groups Report This includes an increased donation of more than double its Christmas Community Fund, which will see €250,000 donated in support for homeless charities and groups throughout the country, this year. 2020 also saw Tesco invest in a network of potentially lifesaving defibrillators in over 100 stores across Ireland. Investing in the Automated External Defibrillators (AED) with stores nationwide will provide additional supports for communities across the country should an emergency take place. Food surplus “At Tesco, we have no time for waste,” Daniels explains. “We believe that no good food should go to waste when there are people in our communities who need it.” Tesco Ireland was the first national Irish retailer to launch a surplus food donations programme with FoodCloud. Since the partnership began in 2014, it has donated 12m meals to over 350 charitable organisations including afterschool clubs, youth groups and senior citizen support services across Ireland. As the only retailer to publish independently assured food waste data in Ireland, Tesco Ireland has partnered with 17 of its large Irish fresh suppliers to tackle the issue of food waste at their manufacturing sites and to adopt the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, to help halve food waste from farm to fork by 2030. These Irish food suppliers, including Country Crest, Keelings and Manor Farm, have committed to publicly target, measure, act and publish details of their food waste this year. Charity partnership in action Tesco Ireland began its partnership with the Children’s Health Foundation Temple Street in 2014 and aimed to raise €5m. Thanks to the generosity of customers and the dedication of colleagues, Tesco Ireland celebrated raising €5m in five years in February 2020. The funds raised have helped the hospital to purchase over 270 pieces of life-saving medical equipment for patients, including ultrasound scanners and respiratory equipment, which are making an impact in children’s lives today. Tesco is now working towards raising funds for a new €1.2m CT scanner for the hospital. In October, colleagues and customers raised an amazing €214,565 as part of the weeklong Trick or Treat for Temple Street Fundraiser, with 100% of the total going towards the scanner.
Tesco Ireland supported the Food for Ireland campaign in association with FoodCloud. Pictured are Iseult Ward, FoodCloud; Ian Logan, Retail Support & Distribution Director, Tesco Ireland; and Eamonn Quinn, Chair of the Food Waste Retail Action Group Positive change for our planet Tesco’s target is to ensure it never uses more packaging than is needed, and what it does use is from sustainable sources and where possible, goes on to be reused or recycled. “We have
Tesco Ireland has proudly raised €5m in five years for its charity partner, Children’s Health Foundation at Temple Street. Pictured are Kari Daniels, CEO, Tesco Ireland; Denise Fitzgerald, CEO, Children’s Health Foundation; with the Byrne family, patients and family who attend Temple Street. been working hard to reduce the use of plastics by working with suppliers and minimising plastic packaging in our own label products,” Daniels explains. “By 2025, we aim to halve the packaging weight in our business, and all paper and board will be 100% sustainable.” Earlier this year, Tesco became the first retailer in Ireland to remove plastic-wrapped tinned multipacks in stores, removing 1.5m pieces of non-recyclable plastic each year. Tesco Ireland is also a proud signatory of the Repak Packaging Plastics Pledge. “We aim to be a zero-carbon business by 2050,” Daniels stresses. “Since 2016, we’ve made significant energy efficiency upgrades to the fridge, lighting and heating systems across our stores. All electricity we use in our operations is from 100% renewable sources.” In June, Tesco Ireland became the first Irish retailer to purchase renewable gas created from its surplus food to power six of its stores, in a partnership with Green Generation, an anaerobic-digestion plant in Nurney, Co. Kildare. This will reduce the retailer’s carbon emissions by 1,200 tonnes annually. The company is also proud of its commitment to sustainability and CSR, acknowledged through achieving the Business in the Community Ireland Business Working Responsibly Mark. This accreditation is Ireland’s leading standard for sustainability and CSR and recognises Tesco’s work to build a more sustainable business for the future. “By achieving the Mark, we’ve proved that we’re not just talking about sustainability, but taking real and meaningful action in our business to bring about positive change for the future,” Daniels concludes. “We’re committed to becoming a more sustainable business and acknowledge the important role we must play in supporting and encouraging our suppliers and customers to do the same. Now, more than ever, every little helps.”
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Retail Groups Report
Lidl shines bright in a year like no other
Lidl Ireland stood up and was counted during the Covid-19 pandemic, being named Ireland’s most reputable supermarket in the 2020 Reptrak Study. 2020 turned out to be a year like no other, with communities across the country turning to retailers to stock up on essential items. Lidl Ireland was at the forefront of this, ensuring the nation’s cupboards were stocked and that customers felt safe every time they entered a Lidl store. Lidl’s strong customer experience was recently recognised through the annual CXi Report, which saw them rank joint eighth place, the highest of any supermarket, with a particular emphasis on how quickly the retailer reacted to customer feedback, as well as being named Most Reputable Food Retailer in Ireland in the 2020 Reptrak study. A historical store This year saw Lidl continue to expand its Irish store network to 168 stores by the end of 2020, bringing significant local investment and creating new jobs in communities the length and breadth of the country. Most notably, this year saw the opening of Lidl Aungier Street, which is a unique store in that it features several significant archaeological finds, some dating back to the 11th century, that can be seen throughout the store as customers shop. Lidl has invested in protecting these unique historical remains, including the 18th century Aungier Theatre staircase, 11th century sunken-floored structure and the 18th century Longford Street Arches. Sustainability strategy Despite the pandemic, Lidl has continued to work on its sustainability strategy, ‘A Better Tomorrow’, which harnesses its mission, ensures future value creation and drives its responsibilities to society. Not only is Lidl committed to sustainable food production, but it continuously works with suppliers and industry partners to reduce the overall use of plastic packaging on all its products. Lidl is also focused on increasing the recyclability of those materials and removing black plastic from all packaging. Earlier this year, Lidl committed to a native tree planting partnership with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. The ‘Woodland Environmental Fund’ initiative sees Lidl planting over 82,000 trees across Ireland in 2020. The move
comes as Lidl seeks solutions to meet expanding climate and biodiversity challenges. This year also saw Lidl partner with local community group, East Cork Biodiversity Networking Programme, to develop the first pollinator-friendly store in Ireland: an innovative concept whereby suitable surrounding areas on Lidl store locations are optimised to create an area of pollination promotion. Lidl leading the way In September, Lidl became the first Irish retailer to launch its own brand range of Super Fairtrade chocolate bars, Way To Go! The range is made from 100% traceable cocoa beans, grown by farmers from the Kuapa Kokoo co-operative in Ghana. Through Way To Go! Lidl guarantees cocoa farmers in Ghana the Fairtrade Minimum Price for cocoa and the Fairtrade Premium, which is a sum of money for farmers to invest in their communities. Lidl also partnered with Fairtrade to pay an additional ‘Lidl Premium’ on every tonne of cocoa the retailer buys for their new chocolate bar range. 2020 also saw Lidl become the first Irish food retailer to launch FSC-certified paper packaging for its premium beef range. In partnership with longstanding supplier, Liffey Meats,
Lidl Aungier Street features several significant archaeological finds, some dating back to the 11th century, that can be seen throughout the store.
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Retail Groups Report
Niall Thatch, Head of Development and Communications at BirdWatch Ireland (left) pictured with Sean Costello and Brian Smyth, Construction Project Managers at Lidl Ireland, as Lidl Ireland’s Newbridge Regional Distribution Centre becomes the first distribution centre in Ireland to be awarded with BREEAM certification. the retailer unveiled new and improved packaging made with FSC-certified paper and using 75% less plastic, which equates to savings of more than 70 tonnes of plastic per year. BREEAM certified Lidl’s distribution centre in Newbridge, Co. Kildare, became the first distribution centre in Ireland to be awarded with BREEAM certification, the world’s leading sustainability assessment for buildings. As part of the certification process, Lidl partnered with BirdWatch Ireland to install 45 bird boxes at the distribution centre, to help maintain the natural wildlife habitat and enhance biodiversity. The installation comprises a mix of bird boxes, catering to a broad scope of bird species with the addition of several bat boxes, which have also been installed at the Newbridge facility to support night-time pollination. Irish suppliers Lidl has worked particularly closely with its suppliers this year and made sure to provide support where needed during what has been a difficult time for many businesses. Earlier this year, the retailer and their exclusive beef supplier, Liffey Meats, secured exports to the value of €14m, an increase of 20% on 2019 figures. The deal will see 17 fresh and frozen Bord Bia Quality Assured products exported over the next 12 months to Lidl stores in the USA and around Europe, a welcome announcement as the beef industry has faced a turbulent 12 months. Lidl also brought a splash of colour to homes nationwide by teaming up with its long-term print supplier, McGowans Print, to support its new business venture, Cardboard Magic. The innovative idea even made its way across the Atlantic, with Cardboard Magic receiving the seal of approval from superstar John Legend as the crooner posted Lidl Ireland became the first a picture on his Instagram Irish retailer to launch its account of himself and son own brand range of Super Miles enjoying a Cardboard Fairtrade chocolate bars, Magic colouring session! Way To Go!
Coping with Covid Since March, Lidl introduced a number of preventative measures into its stores across the country to protect both customers and employees, including Perspex protective screens at tills, hand sanitiser for customer use at the entrance to all stores, dedicated shopping mornings for elderly customers, in-store announcements and increased security to remind customers to maintain social distance and much more. Having experienced unprecedented customer demand in March, Lidl announced that it was looking to fill more than 400 new store and warehouse positions across its operations. In particular, the retailer sought to hear from those in retail, catering or hospitality who had lost their jobs at the time. In March, Lidl and FoodCloud launched an emergency food appeal in stores across the country to support those in need during these challenging times. Lidl customers could purchase an extra tinned or long shelf-life product and the products were then distributed through FoodCloud to local charities and food banks. In May, Lidl trialled and implemented a traffic light system, in a bid to alleviate some of the stress of shopping under the current circumstances. Hoping to cut down on queue times, the system was designed to control the number of shoppers entering and leaving the store at any one time. Lidl shoppers can also avail of the retailer’s custom automated WhatsApp chatbot to check the quietest and most convenient times to shop at their local store in a matter of seconds. What’s in store for 2021 Looking ahead to 2021, the environment forms an important part of Lidl’s expansion strategy, with each new store and major refurbishment project built with sustainability in mind. All new stores are powered by green electricity, with energy managed through its ISO 50001 certified energy management system. The retailer’s plans will continue to integrate solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and electric vehicle charging points in all new builds and major refurbishment projects, which generates approximately 25% of a store’s energy requirements. Lidl has ambitious plans for more stores across the island of Ireland in 2021 and looks forward to continuing to provide top quality products at market leading prices to more and more customers. Lidl plans to build on its successes of 2020, which includes being named the Most Reputable Supermarket and fifth most reputable organisation in Ireland in the 2020 Reptrak study. According to the report, Irish consumers acknowledged Lidl’s positive contribution to local communities, its work with Irish suppliers and commitment to its staff.
Odhran O Tuama, aged three, from Youghal, with Daniel Kelly, CSR Manager at Lidl Ireland, and Brendan Hoare, Senior Facilities Manager at Lidl Ireland, pictured outside Lidl Youghal, the first pollinator-friendly store in Ireland.
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Working in challenging times Fresh The Good Food Market launched an incredibly popular online shopping website during the pandemic. SINCE Fresh The Good Food Market (Fresh) was established in 2006, it has traded exclusively from its store network in Greater Dublin. By March 2020, the high quality grocery and delicatessen supermarket group had seven stores and was actively working on developing the final design of its eighth store, in Dublin’s newest quarter, Dublin Docklands. Up until that month, Fresh’s strategic focus was to continue to develop its bricks-and-mortar stores. In addition to the Docklands store, plans were also in place to refurbish other Fresh stores during 2020. The arrival of the coronavirus into Ireland immediately put its store development plans on hold. With the magnitude of the crisis unfolding each day, the management team felt compelled to help. Rapid deployment to help serve customers The retailer mobilised an internal team to create a new eCommerce offer, and in just four days they launched their new online shopping website www.freshonline.ie in April 2020. The new website was specifically built to support the huge efforts being made by retailers and food businesses across the country to make food shopping as available as possible during the Covid-19 crisis. During the first lockdown, with many people unable to leave their homes, shoppers availed of the home delivery service serving Greater Dublin. A ‘non-contact’ click-and-collect service was established for those that could visit Fresh stores. The rapid launch meant that staff could be redeployed from stores, kept in their jobs, and the supply chain maintained. Fresh continued to work with its local suppliers and artisan food & drink makers, who make up a key part of its diverse product offering.
The online shopping website, www.freshonline.ie, has gone from strength to strength over the course of 2020.
An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, pictured with Noel Smith, Founder and Managing Director of Fresh The Good Food Market, at the group’s Capital Dock store. FreshOnline.ie offers great quality Irish products, lots of dietary alternatives, household essentials and own brand dining-at-home options. In the initial phase, the website had 200 essential products listed, selected from Fresh’s top selling product lines, and one chilled van on the road. Within six weeks operation of its online service, Fresh had four chilled vans on the road. There are now over 1,300 products and growing. As the lockdown eased in the summer, refurbishments were completed in its Northern Cross and Stepaside stores. Forging new partnerships Furthermore, Fresh established new partnerships with Dublinbased restaurants and food businesses to serve its customers in new ways. Food kits from restaurant group Asador | Prado, family butchers Kerrigans, and burrito chain Boojum supplemented its own gourmet range of dine-at-home options. These types of collaboration offered Fresh customers even more choice, quality and new food experiences at home. At the same time, Fresh was able to grow its online operation with exciting and exclusive offers. The retailer expanded its range of non-food categories, and launched gifting, hampers, games, and a dedicated service for corporates. A hopeful 2021 2020 has been a tumultuous year, never to be forgotten. Every business has been affected, either positively or negatively. Fresh thanks its store teams, who have adapted quickly and have worked tirelessly to serve customers throughout the pandemic. It also appreciates the great work done by suppliers who rose to the challenge and kept the shelves full during a very challenging time. “The spirit of innovation and resilience sustained Fresh,” reveals Noel Smith, Founder and Managing Director, “and we wish all of our fellow retail businesses and companies a better 2021.”
GRAB YOUR FESTIVE PACKS For more information please contact:
(NI) Coca-Cola Hellenic Northern Ireland Limited, Knockmore hill, 12 Lissue Road, Lisburn, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT28 2SZ. Tel: 028 9262 0520 or (ROI) Coca-Cola HBC Ireland, Huntstown Business Park, Cappagh Roaad, Ballycoolin, Dublin 11. Tel: 1890 262 226 or your local Coca-Cola Area Developer. ©2020 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. COCA-COLA is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company.
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Retail Groups Report
Coca-Cola announces sustainability milestones Coca-Cola recently announced two further milestones in its ambition to achieve a World Without Waste by 2030. OVER the past two years, Coca-Cola has been accelerating its sustainable packaging strategy and recently marked a significant moment in this journey with the announcement of two milestones, the rollout of its new KeelClip packaging and the transition of its iconic Sprite bottle. KeelClip is an innovative cardboard packaging solution that is now in use on all four, six and eight multi-pack cans from the Coca-Cola portfolio. The introduction of this new packaging will eliminate the use of more than 200 tonnes of shrink-wrap plastic across the island of Ireland annually. The company has also announced its transition of the iconic Sprite green bottle to a clear bottle. While Sprite bottles have always been 100% recyclable, the colour
made it harder for them to be recycled back into clear bottles through mechanical recycling. The switch from green to clear will significantly increase the value of the bottles when being reused or re-purposed.
Sustainable packaging design “Despite this unpredictable year, as a system, we have remained focused on achieving our ambition of a World Without Waste,” stressed Petre Sandru, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland. “Central to this is our investment in more sustainable packaging design, and ensuring our products are as easy to recycle as possible. “Earlier this year we announced our plans to introduce KeelClip packaging and we’re delighted to see it now in market. The transition of the iconic green Sprite bottle to a clear bottle is also another move made by us to ensure our packaging is easy to recycle enhancing efforts to keep materials in use for as long as possible.” The company won’t rest there, according to Sandru: “We’re continuing to champion greater KeelClip packaging is now in use on all collection and recycling of our Coca-Cola four, six and eight multi-pack packaging, with an ambition to collect cans, eliminating 200 tonnes of shrinkback and recycle 100% of all bottles wrap plastic across the island of Ireland. and cans we sell by 2030. Recently,
we were delighted that The CocaCola Foundation was able to support environmental charity, Hubbub, and Dublin City Council to roll-out Dublin #CircleCity, a new on-street recycling initiative encouraging the public to recycle plastic bottles and aluminium cans in the city centre. This initiative is live on the streets of Dublin for the coming months and we’re looking forward to learning from it and understanding the impact an initiative of its kind can have.” Superb shopper appeal Ireland and Northern Ireland were some of the first European markets chosen by Coca-Cola HBC for the roll out of KeelClip. “We’re immensely proud to be one of the first markets in Europe to introduce this new KeelClip packaging across our multi-pack cans,” revealed Miles Karemacher, Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland General Manager. “This move helps us to progress our World Without Waste goals by eliminating the need for more than 200 tonnes of shrink-wrap plastic annually, and also offers Coca-Cola has switched the iconic green Sprite bottle to a clear bottle, making it easier to be recycled. superb shopper appeal.” Karemacher insisted that Coca-Cola HBC remains firmly committed to its sustainability journey: “All of the bottles and cans we sell are 100% recyclable and we are proud to have invested extensively in recycled PET in recent years. Today, 45% of our total plastic portfolio is made of recycled materials, which has eliminated the need for 3,450 tonnes of new plastic each year. We have also reduced the plastic used in our bottles by 10% since 2018, saving 1,000 tonnes of plastic annually.” In 2021, Coca-Cola will also move to cardboard solutions for all larger multi-pack cans, eliminating a total of 585 tonnes of plastic annually. For more information, visit www.coca-cola.ie/sustainability.
Thank you From everyone in Retail News
To all Retailers, Wholesalers and Suppliers for their hard work this year under extremely difficult circumstances.
Happy Christmas We really appreciate your fantastic effort in keeping the public safe and the shelves stocked, all delivered with courtesy and kindness, providing a sense of normality in a year that was anything but normal.
Thank you for supporting Retail News Ireland’s Longest Established Grocery Magazine
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On the Vine
2020: a year like no other Jean Smullen reflects on what was a crazy year in the wine market, as the on-trade closed for much of the year, with attendant rise in off-trade wine sales and the evolution of online wine tastings. New legislation around alcohol promotions instore is likely to affect the sector going forward, she warns. THE future of the wine trade in Ireland hangs in the balance. 2020 brought enormous structural change as to how the industry operates and for many reasons 2020 will know as the BC/AC year: Before Covid/After Covid. The Irish importing trade faces unsurmountable challenges as we move into 2021 and the industry as we know it will never be the same again. As well as the impact on trading from Covid, and the complete loss of on-trade sales during 2020 and into 2021, importers must also contend with legislative changes that will have a significant impact on the retail sector in the coming years. Section 22 of the Public Health Act requiring the separation of alcohol products in mixed trade retail premises is now in place. The implementation period ran from November 2018 and expired on November 12, 2020. All mixed trade retailers e.g. supermarkets, convenience stores, and petrol stations selling alcohol, must now separate their alcohol products from everyday household grocery. The legislation does not apply to standalone off-licences. The purpose of this legislation is to regulate impulse buys and make alcohol products less visible within a mixed trading environment. It will be interesting to see if the new layout results in a reduction in the sale of alcohol.
Sending the customer into a designated area with more choices may actually result in increased sales; however, in time, it will be the sales figures that will tell that story. New legislation pinpoints promotions In January 2021, legislation to regulate promotions that incentivise alcohol sales will also be in place. According to Jonathan McDaid, head of Drinks Ireland - Wine, the legislation states that the sale or supply of alcohol products at a reduced price is defined in these regulations to include; the awarding of bonus or loyalty card points etc arising from a purchase of an alcohol product, permitting the use of such points or benefits to obtain alcohol or another product or service at a reduced price or free and also, permitting the use of such points or benefits arising from the purchase of any product or service to obtain alcohol products either at a reduced price or free. In short, loyalty cards and ‘Buy 6 get €10 off’ offers will no longer exist when it comes to alcohol. In addition, the new regulations prohibit a person from selling an alcohol product at a reduced price for a period of less than three days. Therefore, the days of key wine brands offering promotional prices in cycles to encourage volume sales are over. The decision must now be whether to retain a brand’s volume status by selling it at a lower fixed price, which offers very little margin, or to retain the higher price point, which will almost certainly drive the consumer away from the brand back to private label wines, which the supermarkets can sell at more competitive prices. Wine sales up amid the pandemic On the plus side, wine was definitely the beneficiary in terms of the rise of e-commerce during 2020. Big changes in consumer behaviour as a result of lockdown and the huge advances in smart technology drove the demand for online wine sales. Coupled with the efforts by retailers and the on-trade to adapt to the crisis (with many restaurants and other on-trade outlets pivoting to online off-sales) and the increased consumer demand for wine and food, this created a dynamic new
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On the Vine
Nielsen Scantrack figures for the period Jan-September 2020 show a significant increase in the sale of wine in terms of both volume and value in the retail sector. vehicle that increased the sale of wine. Although there was an overall drop in alcohol consumption during the second quarter of 2020, wine was the only alcoholic beverage to show an increase in consumption, up +10% for the same period. Nielsen Scantrack figures for the period Jan-September 2020 show a significant increase in the sale of wine in terms of both volume and value in the retail sector. A caveat here; these figures are based on data received from a select number of retailers, which includes SuperValu and Tesco, selected Spar outlets and the independent off licences. These figures can, therefore, only be taken as an estimate of where wine sales are in terms of the retail sector. Nielsen estimate sales data for those retailers who do not supply them with their figures, and these include Dunnes, Aldi, Lidl and Marks & Spencer, as well as some smaller retail groups. The Nielsen figures, however, are a good indicator of where the market is at any given time and volume sales for September 2020 showed wine sales increasing by +36.38% on an MAT basis. Value sales of wine increased by +38.79% using the same data. It is, therefore, realistic to surmise that in terms of alcohol consumption, wine was the consumer’s beverage of choice during lockdown 2020 (Source: Nielsen Scantrack, September 2020). These figures reflect the huge number of social media postings featuring home cooking that were so prevalent this year. While stuck at home, the consumer cooked from scratch (in the absence of being able to eat out) and this migration to home cooking meant that wine sales benefitted enormously. However, a note of caution, while the increased sales in the retail sector are encouraging, the almost total loss of on-trade sales this year mean that
overall, the market for wine in Ireland remains flat.
format, organising two online wine tastings of Italian wines currently available on the Irish market in July 2020, open to on and off trade and the wine press. Wines from Spain had a comprehensive programme planned for Spanish Wine Week, October 12-18, 2020, which sadly coincided with the beginning of the second lockdown. They managed, however, to migrate a number of their consumer events online to spread their message about the impressive diversity of regions and grapes that make up Spanish viniculture. Wine Australia offered Australian Wine Discovered, a free flexible online training programme covering key regions, grape varieties and topical themes. With comprehensive guides, PowerPoint presentations, images, maps and videos, this is a great educational tool suitable for all levels, from beginner to advanced. For more information, visit www.wineaustralia.com/education. New Zealand Wine will be holding their very first Virtual New Zealand Wine Week, starting on February 8, 2021. With activities planned for Ireland, the USA, UK, and Canada, they will invite the trade to join them for wide range of programmes, including tastings, discussions, and online activities and will offer valuable content and insight from a range of renowned speakers. Details of these and other trade events planned for 2021 are in the wine diary https://jeansmullen.com.
Online wine tastings In the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown here in Ireland, online tastings began to evolve. Importing and PR companies started to introduce them from May 2020 and they are now regularly taking place, usually by invite only. Mostly targeting key customers and the wine press, the numbers are limited because the wine has to be delivered in advance. The tasting takes place online using either Zoom or Google Meet with a carefully selected audience. Quality not quantity is the key to the success of these events; the target audience are key decision makers with buying power from all sectors of the wine trade in Ireland. Wines of Argentina were first out of the block to utilise this new promotional format. They organised an online wine tasting of Argentine wines currently available on the Irish market in June 2020, the first generic online tasting to take place in Ireland. Two 90-minute tastings were presented by Phil Crozier, the Wines of Argentina brand ambassador, who gave an informative presentation about Argentina that included detailed specifications for the wines tasted. The Italian Trade Agency also Legislative changes and the impact of Covid-19 will continue to impact on the Irish wine market into 2021. embraced the
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Drinks News Graham Norton launches new sparkling rosé BARRY & Fitzwilliam are launching Graham Norton’s Own Sparkling Frizzante Rosé wine from Italy to the Irish market just in time for Christmas. The new pink frizzante, a collaboration between Graham and Kiwi wine company Invivo & Co., has been made in response to the growing numbers of people in Ireland seeking lighter styles of quality sparkling wine. Graham Norton’s Own Italian Sparkling Frizzante Rosé is the fifth addition to Graham Norton’s Own award-winning range of still and sparkling wines, and is made with the Glera grape (otherwise known as the ‘Prosecco’ grape), and is grown and produced in the same way as Prosecco. It has been blended with Pinot Noir grapes to make a lighter, drier style of sparkling rosé wine. “Our new wine taps into the growing popularity of Frizzante and also the emerging trend of consumers looking for pink drinks and dry styles of rosé wine,” said Invivo & Co. co-founder Tim Lightbourne.
Powerscourt Distillery’s Noel Sweeney recognised at IWA Awards
POWERSCOURT Distillery’s Master Distiller Noel Sweeney was among six individuals recognised for their outstanding contributions to the Irish whiskey industry at the Irish Whiskey Association’s Chairman’s Awards virtual ceremony recently. The awards recognise the people, distilleries and industry partners that have made an outstanding contribution to the development of the Irish whiskey industry and category. Noel has played a leading role in the establishment of the Drinks Ireland Irish Whiskey Association. “As a Master Distiller, I am proud to be part of an innovative wave that moved Irish whiskey beyond just triple distilled, nonpeated expressions. We have since seen a rapid and exciting increase in new releases of interesting, high-quality Irish whiskey, with much more to follow. Our industry is one of great resilience, ingenuity, confidence, and creativity, and I look forward to a bright future for Irish whiskey,” noted Noel.
Topo Chico Hard Seltzer available in Tesco COCA-COLA’S new offering, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer, is now available exclusively in Tesco stores nationwide in the Republic of Ireland. Developed by a team of company experts from around the world and launched in Latin America in September this year, Topo Chico Hard Seltzer is a sparkling water with alcohol and natural flavours. The new drink is inspired by the 125-year old Topo Chico sparkling mineral water brand, which has long been a popular mixer for bartenders and mixologists in the US and Latin America. “We’re really excited to introduce this great new global brand to the Irish market,” noted Petre Sandru, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland. “Topo Chico Hard Seltzer is a fantastic product that will offer our consumers in Ireland and Northern Ireland something new and delicious. We will also be the first and only hard seltzer brand to provide a mixed pack, offering shoppers the opportunity to trial all three delicious variants.” Topo Chico Hard Seltzer will be available exclusively in Tesco stores nationwide in 330ml sleek aluminum single cans, four-can multipacks and a six-can variety pack.
Consumers urged to ‘Gift the Toad’ this Christmas
NATTERJACK is Irish whiskey done differently. Named after the only toad native to Ireland, it’s for the whiskey lover, the art lover (Natterjack was brought to being by Irish based artist Kelvin Mann), or for the person doing things their own way. The range includes Natterjack Irish Whiskey (RRP €52), a unique blend, triple distilled in true Irish spirit and carefully crafted using Irish and American techniques, and Natterjack Cask Strength (RRP €65), classic Natterjack blend bottled at 63% and limited to 300 bottles only. For more information, visit www.natterjack.com.
Jameson Distillery Bow St named World’s Leading Distillery Tour
JAMESON Distillery Bow St has been named the World’s Leading Distillery Tour at the World Travel Awards (WTA) for the third year in a row. Having been awarded Europe’s Leading Distillery Tour earlier this year, Jameson Distillery Bow St competed against an impressive finalist list from around the world that included Macallan, Hennessy, Jack Daniels and Jose Cuervo. “To win three years in a row is incredible and, given the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the disruption that the travel and tourism industries have faced globally, this acknowledgement is particularly special this year,” said Greg Hughes, Managing Director, Jameson Brand Homes at Irish Distillers, pictured with Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism Ireland.
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Drinks News Redbreast launches limited edition bird feeder REDBREAST Irish Whiskey has launched a limited-edition copper whiskey casing that neatly transforms into a beautiful bird feeder. Following the launch of a partnership with BirdLife International earlier this year, €15 for every limited-edition Redbreast 12 Year Old purchased will be donated to support Redbreast’s and BirdLife International’s joint mission to keep common birds common. Available from the Redbreast website for €60, the intricately designed shell sits around a bottle of Redbreast 12-Year-Old, the world’s bestselling and most awarded single pot still Irish whiskey. Once removed from the bottle, the casing can be filled with bird feed and hung in the garden to keep our feathery friends fed as the weather gets colder, protecting common species from becoming endangered. “We worked closely with BirdLife International to ensure the bird feeder honours our mission of helping to protect not only Robins, but all common birds, as we move into the colder months and food begins to become scarce,” explained Laura Hanratty, Head of Prestige and Speciality Brands at Irish Distillers. “We are thrilled to provide this at no additional cost to Redbreast fans across the globe and simultaneously further support the work of BirdLife International by donating €15 for each limited edition bottle sold.”
Bedtime stories from The Sexton THE Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey has teamed up with BAFTA nominated and BIMA award-winning Irish comedian Michael Legge to launch a new podcast series, Bedtime Stories for the Nocturnal. Dabbling in witty, dark twists, five classic children’s fairy tales were told, including Goldilocks & The Three Bears, Three Little Pigs and Jack & The Bean Stalk - bringing irreverent, humorous and unexpected twists to proceedings. To download the Bedtime Stories for the Nocturnal podcast, visit soundcloud.com/thesextonirishwhiskey.
Irish Whiskey report launched A NEW report into the impact the Irish whiskey industry has had on the Irish economy over the last 10 years was launched by Drinks Ireland - Irish Whiskey. The report, ‘Irish Whiskey 2010-2020: The restoration of the Irish whiskey industry across our shared island’, revealed that the Irish industry invested €1.55 billion in the all-island economy from 2010 to 2020, while the value of Irish whiskey exports from the island of Ireland reached €890m in 2019. Global sales grew from 60m bottles in 2010 to 144m bottles in January 2020, making Irish whiskey the world’s fastest-growing spirits category of the past decade. The number of distilleries grew from four in 2010 to 38 in 2019. William Lavelle, Head of Drinks Ireland - Irish Whiskey Association, described the report as “an opportunity to celebrate the revival and renaissance of the industry, its contribution to the island’s shared economy, and the achievements of all those involved.”
Lidl Ireland partners with West Cork Distillers on rebranded Dundalgan Irish Whiskey
LIDL Ireland has relaunched its premium range of Dundalgan Irish whiskey to create a more contemporary, sleek and luxurious look for the brand. With prices starting at less than €20, the retailer’s affordable high-quality whiskey is the perfect gift for whiskey lovers, with five varieties to choose from. Distilled locally in Skibbereen, Co. Cork, by Lidl’s longterm supplier, West Cork Distillers, the rebranded range is available in all 167 Lidl stores now and includes Dundalgan Irish Blended Whiskey, Dundalgan Irish Charred Cask, Dundalgan Single Malt Irish Whiskey – IPA Edition, Dundalgan Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Stout Edition, and Dundalgan Single Malt Irish Whiskey – Sherry Edition. West Cork Distillers also supply Lidl with premium, award-winning gins, including the retailer’s popular Wild Burrow Irish Gin. The Distillery has been supplying Lidl since 2015 and the retailer has invested more than €12m into the business to date, including facilitating the export of their best-selling products to Lidl stores in 16 countries across Europe.
New design for Writers’ Tears Cask Strength 2020 THE 2020 vintage of Writers’ Tears Cask Strength whiskey has been released in the recently revealed new Writers’ Tears livery. The 2020 vintage is the 10th annual release of this superpremium expression from Walsh Whiskey. It is Ireland’s most unique cask strength whiskey as it is a rare vatting of aged Single Pot Still and Single Malt Whiskey. Writers’ Tears Cask Strength is triple distilled, natural non-chill filtered, carefully aged in Bourbon barrels and bottled, this year, at 54.5% ABV. The 2020 release is limited to just 3,000 individually numbered bottles, signed by Writers’ Tears creator and Walsh Whiskey Co-founder, Bernard Walsh.
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Retail Efficiency
How to cut costs without killing customer experience Simon Hedaux from Rethink Productivity examines how you can reduce your overheads and improve productivity in-store, while also ensuring your customers remain satisfied. IN today’s difficult trading environment, with ongoing uncertainty, it’s important to balance considerations of cost and customer experience. So we’ve put together our top opportunity list to help you review your operation. First, let’s consider growing productivity by selling more. The things we often spot that get in the way of driving sales are: Queues When the queue is too big, customers vote with their feet and don’t shop with you. When we measure queue length and colleague numbers throughout the day the data often shows a mismatch between customer demand and the number of tills open. Your challenge: take a hard look at your customer service. When do customers visit your business? Does that match your colleague availability? Are there times of the day when queues build
up? Are your colleagues focused on stock tasks rather than prioritising customers? If so, free up more people to be available for customers by shuffling shift start times, breaks and when other tasks are completed. It is easiest to drive sales during peak trading when the highest number of customers are around. How much more can you sell during peak trading by moving resources? Process problems Slow processes soak up team time, so they have less time for customers. Common ones we see include slow running systems, policies that require a manager to authorise every refund, and excessive time spent cashing up every till daily. Your Challenge: ask your team what they find frustrating and what stops them looking after customers. They will soon tell you the things to address to remove
barriers and increase sales. Once you’ve optimised sales, it’s time to turn to your costs. We start by looking for waste activity within the operation that can be removed without an impact on customer experience. Below are the most common culprits we see: Walk unladen This is a technical work-study term for time spent walking unnecessarily. The first place to look is deliveries. Our retail benchmark shows that retailers spend a third of total time on stock handling, on average, so it’s a good target to go after. Ideally, stock arrives pre-sorted, avoiding time spent sorting and decanting deliveries. Efficient stock trolleys are equipped with everything a colleague needs to prevent multiple trips to the stock-room, and stop the hunt for scissors to open a box. Your challenge: watch your delivery being put away. Are your team walking further necessary? If so, you have identified some time and cost you can save. Click-and-Collect Click-and-Collect can be another source of excessive walk time, and it wastes your customers’ time too. We’ve seen parcels stored so far at the back of a
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Retail Efficiency
About the author:
When the queue is too big, customers vote with their feet and don’t shop with you. distant stock room that it is quicker for the customer to select the items from the sales floor and pay at the till than it is to wait for a colleague to find and bring back their parcel. Your challenge: Look at your click-andcollect operation – are the parcels to be collected as close to the service desk/ pick-up point as possible? The average time we observe for parcel collection is over a minute, and the fastest retrieve and hand out parcels in just 29 seconds. Get parcel retrieval right and you won’t just save labour cost, you’ll also encourage your customers to interact with you via all your channels Waiting for customers This means that more colleagues have been deployed to a customer service area than are required, so there is spare time that can be reallocated or saved. Your challenge: review your customer facing operation. How many colleagues are under-occupied and could usefully be doing something else? Can you save those hours or move work shifts so they are available at your busiest time? When teams are under-occupied, we see that their pace of work tends to drop, as there is no point hurrying when there is nothing to do afterwards. We also see a culture develop where colleagues chat about non-work matters and then struggle to be motivated when work needs doing. This vicious cycle of not having enough to do, filling time with chatting and the pace of work dropping can be solved in two ways. Firstly, check you have the right resource available at the time you need
it; take any slack time and put it into your busiest customer times. Secondly, ensure your business has a culture where everyone knows what is expected of them and gets on with it. Leadership makes a big difference. Till operation Tills typically take 19% of total time for a retailer in our benchmark. Seconds shaved off the process here quickly add up to substantial savings and increased customer capacity. Your challenge: look critically at your till operation. Is it easy for the team to use? Are button presses minimised? Does the system cope well with every possible transaction scenario? Is the till area well laid out; is everything easily to hand? It’s also worth a look at a receipt; most of them are too long and only use one side of the paper. Typically, retailers can save up to 20% of their till roll costs by condensing the receipt copy and
Simon Hedaux is founder and CEO of Rethink Productivity, a world leading productivity partner which helps businesses to drive efficiency, boost productivity and optimise budgets. For more information, see rethinkproductivity.co.uk.
switching to e-receipts. Taking the time to get the till experience right helps ensure that your customer experience ‘moment of truth’ leaves a good last impression and can reduce salary costs too. Stop over-stocking Get rid of your overstock, especially in slow-selling lines. The more stock you have, the more there is to count, the more top-up fills are needed. There’s also the risk that stock gets damaged, let alone what all that unnecessary stock holding does for your cash flow. Cut the money you have tied up and give your store team a break by having the right amount of stock in each store. Taking a fresh look at your operation can help you to delight your customers, while managing your cost base and growing your business in the process.
Seconds shaved off the checkout process quickly add up to substantial savings and increased customer capacity.
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Forecourt Focus: News
Applegreen commercial fleet now ‘Driving Carbon Neutral’ APPLEGREEN has announced that its entire commercial fleet, fuelling communities across Ireland, has begun ‘Driving CarbonNeutral’. Applegreen will offset all carbon emissions from fuel used by its own fleet of trucks, delivery vans and company cars through purchasing carbon offsetting credits to support a clean water initiative in East Africa that will offset more than 100,000 tonnes of carbon each year. “This is a further significant step on Applegreen’s sustainability journey,” said Joe Barrett, Applegreen COO. “We will be offsetting 2,500 tonnes of carbon per year from our own footprint by offsetting the emissions from our own commercial fleet and delivery vehicles. At Applegreen, we’re acutely aware of the contribution we need to make to a low carbon future, for present and future generations. Carbon offsetting is something we can use to limit the global impact of fossil fuels and help our customers make a positive choice for the planet now, as we continue the transition towards electric vehicles.” Carbon offsetting is a way of compensating for emissions produced by everyday activity (including driving) by funding an equivalent carbon dioxide saving elsewhere. The transition to new low carbon transport systems is a long-term global objective, so
Applegreen’s entire commercial fleet has begun ‘Driving Carbon Neutral’. in the meantime, offsetting enables Applegreen to give customers a carbon neutral option and fund projects that are delivering emission reductions now. Carbon neutral certification is awarded to businesses taking climate action in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol, which provides a framework for organisations to achieve credible, high quality claims, in line with best practice. PowerPlus advanced premium fuel includes a special additive that delivers fuel economy benefits of up to 3-4% while also reducing CO2 emissions (by
Circle K launches Dublin free home delivery service for solid fuel products CIRCLE K has launched a new free home delivery service for solid fuel products in Dublin. Dublin customers can place orders of select solid fuel products with Circle K by calling (01) 2028819, Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and avail of next day delivery. Customers are encouraged to pay for deliveries by card over the phone where possible but can also pay by cash on delivery. The service excludes Circle K Express stations. “As Covid-19 restrictions continue, there are members of the Dublin community who will prefer to remain at home as much as possible right now,” explained Paul Dixon, Senior Director of Retail Operations, Circle K Ireland. “Many rely on solid fuel products to keep warm as the days get shorter and the temperatures get colder, which is why we have launched a new service that will allow us to bring those products directly to you. It is important that we continue to support one another, and I would like to extend my thanks to all our staff across the Dublin company-owned store network who have made this new service possible.” For more information, visit www.circlek.ie/home-heating/.
some 3.73% for diesel, compared to unadditised fuel). PowerPlus has also been proven to actively clean and restore engines to a ‘like new’ condition as the vehicle is driven. CarbonNeutral Driving offers a more sustainable choice to Applegreen customers, allowing Irish motorists to limit their carbon footprint today whilst driving traditionally fuelled or hybrid cars. Applegreen has committed to investing a minimum of €1.5m in carbon reduction initiatives over the next three years.
Maxol Group partners with AirSpeed Telecom AIRSPEED Telecom, a leading provider of high-performance telecommunications products and services, has delivered a range of enhanced internet solutions to help support the ongoing business transformation of the Maxol Group. Most recently, AirSpeed Telecom has delivered enhanced services by providing an ExpressRoute service to Microsoft Azure, through their new Cloud Connectivity service. This has resulted in a reliable and faster connection, with superior data privacy and security. The Maxol Group is also experiencing improved performance, security and user experience for employees and retailers when using Microsoft applications. “The diverse connectivity solutions installed by AirSpeed Telecom has given us a robust system with excellent reliability,” noted Stephen McCormack, Head of IT, The Maxol Group. “We are moving more of our applications and services off premises to the cloud and we have chosen AirSpeed Telecom once again to support us on this migration, using their Cloud Connectivity service to peer directly into Azure. This has made a huge difference in terms of how we run our business.”
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Forecourt Focus: News Circle K Autopower opens in Carrick on Suir CIRCLE K has officially opened the newly developed Circle K Autopower service station, located on the Clonmel Road, Carrick on Suir, Co. Tipperary. The franchise offering sees Circle K partner with independent retailers across the country who then retail the Circle K fuel and convenience product range. “We are absolutely delighted to be launching another Circle K franchise location in Ireland and would like to welcome the entire team at Autopower to the Circle K family,” noted Derek Nolan, Senior Director of Retail Operations for Dealer and Franchise, Circle K Ireland. “We are privileged to work with outstanding independent retail partners across the country and we are really looking forward to working closely with Robert, Frances and their team and supporting them in serving the local community in Carrick on Suir.” He explained how in the years ahead, Circle K “plan on growing our footprint in Ireland further by developing our franchise network and expanding our dealer partner network, allowing us to support even more communities and demonstrating our commitment to investment and job creation in the Irish market.” Robert Power and Frances Power, owners of Circle K Autopower said; “We are thrilled to relaunch our Autopower store today and we want to extend our sincere thanks to all our staff for their hard work and dedication in making today a reality. We are really excited to partner with Circle K and are really impressed Pictured at the launch of the newly by the depth developed Circle K Autopower Station, and quality of its located on the Clonmel Road, Carrick product range on Suir, Co. Tipperary, are (l-r): Derek and expect it to Nolan, Senior Retail Director of be hugely popular Operations for Dealer and Franchise, with locals here in Circle K; Barbara Cooke, Autopower; Carrick on Suir.” and Lynda Brunnock, Site Manager.
New tech to drive sales in forecourt stores
NEW technology developed by Intouch.com and Scheidt & Bachmann will take in-store marketing to the next level by driving impulse purchases within fuel retail stores. Based in Germany, Scheidt & Bachmann is one of the leading solution providers in the fuel retail sector in Europe and it has now integrated the Intouch.com artificial intelligence engine into its SIQMA ecosystem. The combined solution (SIQMA Target.AI) uses environmental and customer specific data in order to anticipate shoppers’ desires and promote the right product to the right customer at the right time. “This partnership allows our customers to benefit from Intouch.com’s experience and expertise in the field of artificial intelligence. They have a proven track record of significantly driving sales in fuel retail stores. Integrating the Intouch.com AI-engine into the SIQMA ecosystem adds tremendous value that our customers can benefit from”, said Harald Pöpke, Product Manager at Scheidt & Bachmann. Intouch.com enables fuel retailers to utilise relevant real time in-store and environmental data to optimise customer interactions and digitally improve in-store marketing communication. Seamus McHugh, Intouch.com’s Retail Sales Director, explains, “Our new combined solution SIQMA Target. AI processes data in real-time such as the location of the store, weather, traffic and customer demographics in an effort to customise in-store communications. This partnership with Scheidt & Bachmann will introduce our solution to a whole new market and provide them with an automated platform to increase sales within their stores.”
Circle K’s festive menu includes sweet treats, with the addition of mince pies, Christmas Danishes and doughnuts.
Circle K’s festive menu includes sweet treats, with the addition of mince pies, Christmas Danishes and doughnuts.
CIRCLE K has launched a new festive food menu, available until the end of December, including Circle K’s take on the classic Pigs in Blankets, a tasty Gourmet Pork and Cranberry Sausage Roll and deliciously indulgent Dirty Fries. The new range includes the Festive Feast sandwich of succulent pulled turkey and baked ham in extra thick malted bread, served on a bed of baby spinach and herb stuffing and topped with a perfect combination of mayonnaise and cranberry sauce. Ireland’s forecourt baked goods offering has never been sweeter, with the addition of mince pies, Christmas Danishes and doughnuts to stores for the festive season.
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Shelf Life SUPERVALU expects to sell almost 2,000 tonnes of locally sourced vegetables over the festive period, amid surging demand for vegetarian and vegan Irish Christmas dinner essentials, such as Brussels sprouts, carrots, parsnips and potatoes. Local growers and suppliers are working hard to ensure families have all the fresh vegetables they need this festive season. The Brussels sprout, Ireland’s perennial dinner-table festive favourite, is centre stage, with consumer demand reflected by the fact that SuperValu expects to sell 135 tonnes of brussels sprouts, supplied by Tralee grower Paudie Hanafin (pictured). Meanwhile, Dublin’s K&K Produce is supplying almost 1,000 tonnes of fresh potatoes to SuperValu for the festive season, Begley’s will be supplying 110,000 units across their carrots, parsnips, fresh beetroot, kale, celery and leeks ranges, while Kilkenny’s O’Shea’s Farms are supplying 592 tonnes of carrots. SuperValu says IGWT and Grove Farm Turkeys in Co Monaghan are supplying €2.5m worth of 100% Irish, Bord Bia-approved Irish turkeys this Christmas and Oliver Carty Ltd will supply €2m worth of Irish hams. ALDI Ireland has moved all its own-label Duneen Dairy yogurt range to recyclable pots, a switch which will see 64 tonnes of non-recyclable plastic removed from stores each year. Aldi has been working with its Irish suppliers since May to roll out the new sustainable packaging across its Duneen Dairy yogurt range, including Greek style yogurts, fat free and low-fat yogurts, 0% fat fruit yogurts and others. In addition, a redesign of the yogurt pots now means four tonnes of plastic has been completely removed from stores each year. Aldi also announced it is trialling the removal of plastic lids from its own-label Irish produced natural yogurt 500g pots, becoming the first retailer in Ireland to do so.
ICELAND Ireland is taking the stress out of the kitchen this year. Iceland’s head chef, Dave Lennox, has created a wide array of delicious festive recipes so shoppers will be spoilt for choice this Christmas and New Year. Iceland Ireland’s 27 stores nationwide are packed with hundreds of Irish brands, festive treats and everything needed for an amazing Christmas dinner. The range includes their famous party food selection, a Christmas dinner meal deal for €15, and a huge range of fresh or frozen roasts, as well as all the trimmings, not forgetting sweet treats and desserts.
A LUCKY EuroMillions player in West Dublin will be having themselves a Merry Lidl Christmas this year after they won a cool €500,000, the top EuroMillions Plus prize, with the winning ticket sold in the Lidl store on the New Nangor Road in Clondalkin, Dublin 22. This is the 26th EuroMillions Plus top prize of €500,000 won in Ireland so far this year with all 26 wins totalling €13m. Store manager Lonedan Jurgelyte is pictured celebrating with staff: Branislan Biros, Tihana Dukic, and David Redmond.
LYONS Tea has introduced new plant based and biodegradable teabags to its retail range and will remove the outer plastic overwrap from all its tea boxes by summer 2021. Since introducing plantbased teabags to its retail range, Lyons has produced one billion biodegradable plant-based teabags, saving 50 tonnes of non-biodegradable plastic, which is the equivalent of 10m standard sized plastic carrier bags. “We are proud to enter the latest phase of our sustainabili-tea journey and make the switch to a fully plant-based retail product, producing a ‘greener’ cup of tea that is better for the environment,” enthused Gill Irvine, Marketing Director, Lyons Tea. IRISH online baby boutique Petit Avenue has formed a partnership with MeeGo UK to bring Little Organics baby skincare range to the Irish market. Little Organics products are made in Ireland using Irish spring water and natural ingredients, which are derived from sustainable sources and are completely vegan and vegetarian friendly. The product range features shampoo, bubble bath, body wash, hand wash and hand sanitising foam. They are made using ingredients that meet the same standards as organic food. This means no pesticides, chemicals or fertilisers which can cause irritation and increased sensitivity and clogging. For more information, visit www.petitavenue.ie.
BRAND new Co. Kildare start-up, Esmerelda Botanicals Perfumery has launched Ireland’s first 100% certified organic hand sanitiser. Sanitising Botanical Spritz has a fresh and uplifting fragrance and Esmerelda Botanicals claim that it is a highly effective shield from Covid-19. “There is no other product like it on the market,” reveals founder Niamh O’Connell. “The packaging is recyclable and because the Spritz is organic it’s a kinder product, especially for your hands, plus it has therapeutic benefits to help make you feel good.” The formula is a blend of anti-viral and organic essential oils, chosen specifically for their anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and aromatic properties, including lavender, lemon, tea tree, eucalyptus and lemongrass. It also contains pure organic ethanol and organic aloe vera leaf juice, making it softer and moisturising for your hands. See www.esmereldabotanicals.com for more information. A STUDY conducted in collaboration with the University of Padua, one of Italy’s highest-ranking universities, has certified Sanity System, an ecological and natural air sanitisation device using ozone gas technology for spaces, vehicles, air and water, as an effective weapon against Covid-19. Sanity System is a medical-grade, ecofriendly way to sanitise environments using ozone, a natural gas. The portable units carefully dispense measured levels of ozone, and their usage protocols are designed to eliminate almost 100% of bacteria, germs, viruses, yeasts, mould, fungi, spores present in environments and on surfaces. Visit www.sanitysystem.ie for more information.
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