Allied Merchants Buying Association announce new appointment

ALLIED MERCHANTS BUYING ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCE NEW APPOINTMENT

Allied Merchants Buying Association have announced the appointment of Donnacha Murnane as Head of Retail Buying. “Due to the continued expansion of our group, we created this role, which we feel Donnacha Murnane is ideal for,” said Keith Giblin, CEO of the Group. “His experience in the industry will be a great asset to our team.” Head of Retail Buying is a diverse role encompassing leading and developing the retail category within Allied Merchants, one of the largest groups in Ireland. Keith highlighted “The role will involve coordinating and supporting negotiations with suppliers in conjunction with category management teams to ensure that as a group, we deliver the best products, brands, prices and terms for our members.” “The role will involve building relationships and opportunities between our members and preferred suppliers through improved communication and networking with both parties so we can achieve more together” Donnacha brings over 15 years of invaluable experience in retail to the group having worked for Dairygold’s well renowned Retail Division, Co-Op Superstores. He was involved in both operations and sales, and for the last five years held the role of retail buyer. While working at Dairygold he was elected to perform as Category Manager of the garden category and DIY category for Allied Merchants. “This has given me a great advantage coming into my new role as I have first-hand experience of the challenges and opportunities that exist within our buying group” said Donnacha. Donnacha graduated in 2004 with a

CHADWICKS LAUNCHES FIRST EVER TV ADVERT

Chadwicks Group have recently unveiled its first ever television advert. Playing on the Chadwicks brand tagline of ‘Let’s Get It Done,’ the advert showcases Chadwicks as a reliable partner to tradespeople across the country with everything you need to get the job done under one roof. Taking inspiration from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony and the repetition of ‘done-done-done-done’, the advert dramatises just how Chadwicks helps customers get it done, in a series of different trade-focused scenarios. As well as professional actors, a number of Chadwicks colleagues also took up roles as background artists in the advert. The ad made its debut on TV on 28th March across RTÉ, Virgin Media, TG4 and Channel 4 and will also feature across YouTube and other video on demand platforms. A radio campaign is also planned across Newstalk, Today FM and local radio stations including FM104, WLRFM, Limerick’s Live, Galway Bay, LMFM and C103/96FM. With an overall creative investment of ¤400,000, the new Chadwicks advert was developed by Tristan Sellen and the CMS Marketing team and was directed by Danann/ H2 Films. Commenting on the campaign, Tara Brennan, Marketing & Development Director, Chadwicks Group said; “We know that for our customers time is

Donnacha Murnane, Head of Retail Buying at Allied Merchants Buying Association.

BSc in Food Business and has completed a Green Belt in Supply Chain Management and a Higher Diploma in Performance Leadership. He aims to improve the purchasing activity within the group by adopting a strategy in line with the existing group objectives of adding value, delivering cost savings and driving margin improvement for members. Allied Merchants Buying Association continues to grow by adding suitably qualified members with volume and expertise across product categories. With negotiated group purchases of over ¤260m, Donnacha and Allied Merchants look forward the next stage of the group’s strategic growth.

often tight, so they need to partner with a builders’ merchant who understands their business, the challenges they face and the variety of products that they need. This advert aims to celebrate the relationship between Chadwicks and tradespeople across the country and showcases our commitment to helping them get the job done.”