9 minute read
Screwfix set to open further stores in Ireland
screWfiX seT To oPen A fUrTher 12 sTores in irelAnD This yeAr
By late 2021, Screwfix is set to have a total of 29 stores open in Ireland. Despite the challenges that Covid-19 has had on the retail and construction industries, the multichannel retailer is continuing to open stores in the Irish market with an additional 12 stores later this year.
To date, Screwfix has 18 stores open in the Republic of Ireland and with the addition of these stores later this year, the company’s employment rate will grow by more than 30%, with over 140 additional staff working across retail management, service assistants and supervisor roles. Recent store openings in Carlow, Athlone, Portlaoise, Dublin (Kylemore Road) and Letterkenny, add to the retailer’s fastpaced expansion in Ireland. Since opening stores in 2019, Screwfix say they have more than 300,000 active customers in Ireland who are shopping for key products across a variety of categories including Bathrooms, Power Tools and Safety & Workwear.
Screwfix stores stock over 10,000 products, from power tools and workwear to heating and electrical appliances with 24,000 products available to order online for delivery and collection from the store.
hoUseBUilD.ie - A mArKeTPlAce for home-BUilDs
Housebuild.ie is the first ever all-in-one marketplace for homebuilds, renovations and improvements in the Irish market, giving home-owners direct access to construction professionals, products and services in one digital hub. Since its soft launch in February, Housebuild.ie has signed up over 2,000 professionals nationwide, ranging from bricklayers, plumbers and carpenters, to surveyors, engineers and architects. The founders of Housebuild.ie are Eoghain and Ailish Ryan. Both engineers, the siblings run Ryan and Associates, an engineering consultancy in Salthill, Galway, specialising in fire safety. Eoghain Ryan is a former Assistant Chief Fire Officer with both Cork County Council and Westmeath County Council. This experience prompted him to develop a free mobile Building Regulations app in 2015, offering a searchable and easy-to-use tool professionals can use on site in both Ireland and the UK. The Building Regulations app will now be rolled into the Building Regulations, Planning and Guidelines section of Housebuild.ie, adding further value for professionals using the site and will act as a regulatory aggregator for construction professionals. More than 20,000 unique users have logged on to Housebuild.ie so far to search for tradespeople in their area. Housebuild.ie has a dedicated Construction Hub with practical guides and easy-tofollow ‘how to’ videos on everything from building regulations, planning and costings to energy efficiency, Passive House and nZEB projects. Homeowners can also buy from product partners such as EZ Living Furniture and Tile Merchant and browse the ‘inspiration’ section for home decor and interior design ideas. Housebuild.ie has been developed over four-and-a-half years at a cost of about ¤950,000, including financial investment of ¤450,000 and hundreds of man-hours spanning engineering, software and business development. The tech stack has been developed in conjunction from James Whelton, the Corkborn Founder of CoderDojo, and Joe Smyth, Co-Founder of Altocloud, the successful Galway SaaS company specialising in Customer Analytics. Whelton and Smyth have joined the Board of Directors at Housebuild.ie, which is headquartered in Salthill and employs 15 people. Kevin McDonagh, an engineer with a successful 20-year career in the life sciences sector, has also joined as MD. The plan is to expand into the UK later this year with the launch of Housebuild.co.uk. From there, the company hope to have the Housebuild platform live in the US by 2024.”
sUccession PlAnning Us sTyle!
Readers will remember that we covered Gina Schaefer’s A Few Cool Hardware Stores from the USA in the March/April issue’s store profile. Gina and her husband Marc have just recently announced that they are transferring ownership of their 13 stores to their staff through an innovative employee ownership plan.
They are currently the largest locally owned hardware store chain in the Nation’s Capital, Washington, and are located in the DC and Baltimore metro areas.
Announcing the plan on LinkedIn Gina said “Well, I can finally announce to the world that the right thing for A Few Cool Hardware stores is employee ownership. Marc and I have begun the transfer of ownership to our teammates through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and we cannot be more thrilled.”
Gina went on to explain “If the events of the past several years have taught us anything, it is that a strong company culture can help keep a business healthy and strong. And that businesses can create long term wealth and stability for their employees while growing the bottom line. We spent two years researching and planning our succession – all as we head into our 20th year of business ownership. Now we can proudly say that we are not just the owners of the 13 stores we love so much, but Co-Owners. I have always known that when businesses want to do the right thing they’ll figure out a way to do it.”
The European Recycling Platform (ERP), Ireland’s only panEuropean compliance scheme for WEEE and Waste Batteries, have recently released figures highlighting an increase of electronic waste recycling during the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, ERP Ireland identified a 9% increase in electronic waste recycling per person with over 5.6 million electrical items collected during 2020. The ERP Ireland figures highlight a 19% increase in the recycling of large kitchen appliances including washing machines, ovens and dishwashers with an average 56% jump in the recycling of these objects during April and May compared to the previous year. ERP Ireland collected 530 tonnes of batteries in 2020 a 7% increase from the previous year, enough batteries to line the length of Ireland – twice! ERP Ireland also announced results of the ‘Recycling Habits during Covid-19’ study by Coyne Research, which highlights recycling behaviours during the pandemic, identifying items recycled, items repaired, as well as items kept unused in the family home and the reasons for hoarding them. The nationally representative online survey carried out amongst 1,000 adults aged 18+ years, revealed that: • A kettle was the most recycled object over the past twelve months, with 1 in 4 Irish adults claiming to have recycled one in the past year. • TV (19%), large kitchen appliances (17%), plugs/cables/ chargers (16%), microwave (14%), toaster/sandwich maker (14%) and mobile phone (13%) were also amongst the top items recycled. • 1 in 5 Irish adults has a DVD player and video player unused gathering dust in their homes. • A PC or laptop was the most repaired item in 2020, with 1 in 10 Irish adults fixing one in the last twelve months. • Over two-thirds of respondents claimed to have unused electrical items in their home. • 14% claim they have a sewing machine, iPod/MP3 player,
Walkman/Discman, and plugs/cables/chargers unused in their home. • Just under half of respondents said they do not recycle unused electrical items as they feel they may use them again in the future, with only 8% concerned about data privacy.
eTAg heAD sPonsors of The fiT oUT AWArDs 2021
Having been a sponsor of the Fit Out Awards for a number of years, Etag are delighted to sponsor two categories this year, Fit Out Contractor of the Year and Fit Out Client of the Year. The awards are being held on 24th November and celebrate excellence in the execution of world-class fit outs, and the people and clients who drive these projects. The Fit Out Contractor Of The Year award recognises the Irish Contractor that stood out in 2020/2021. The award for Fit Out Client of the Year is a special recognition to the client of a fit out project who showed a commitment to collaboration and to a successful project in the last 12 months. “2020 was a difficult year and the awards last year were an opportunity for the fit out community to come together and celebrate virtually,” states Shaun Bonner, Sales Director at Etag Fixings UK and Ireland. “The event organisers carried out a stellar job ensuring the event still had the Fit Out Awards unique atmosphere. We are delighted to once again be a part of the celebration of the fit out industry, which is always a fantastic event.” Etag continue to provide premium quality products to the construction industry, servicing the fit out industry with materials such as insulation, plasterboard, fixings and more. For more information, please visit www.etag.ie
c.K neW Tool KiTs - essenTiAls To sTocK for The groWing Diy mArKeT
The C.K brand from Carl Kammerling International, has launched a Core 23 pc Tool Kit and a Complete 15 pc Tool Kit containing a fantastic selection of high-quality tools and products, designed to get your customer`s DIY projects done quickly and effectively. The C.K Core 23 pc Tool Kit (T5970) in a convenient tool roll, makes a great ‘grab and go’ tool kit to complete DIY tasks around the home. Perfect as a starter kit, this quality set of tools and products can also be added to as DIY projects increase. The tool kit includes: A C.K Magma Tool Roll; C.K Folding Utility Knife; C.K Softech Tape 5m/16’; C.K Classic Combination Pliers 180mm; C.K Classic Side Cutters 160mm; C.K Bit Clip PH/PZD Set of 8; C.K Bit Clip Slotted Set of 8; C.K Triton XLS Screwdriver Bit Driver; C.K Junior Hacksaw. The C.K Complete 15 pc Tool Kit (T5971) is ideal for the DIY enthusiast as it includes a top selection of C.K tools that provide a hassle-free solution for home improvements. All the tools are contained in a convenient open tool tote which makes it easy to identify the right tools for the job. The Complete 15 pc Tool Kit includes: C.K Magma 18” Open Tool Tote; C.K Folding Utility Knife; C.K Softech Tape 5m/16’; C.K Classic Combination Pliers 180mm; C.K Classic Side Cutters 160mm; C.K Adjustable Wrench 200mm; C.K Triton XLS Screwdriver Set of 5 SL/PZ; C.K Junior Hacksaw; C.K Spirit Level Box Section 400mm; C.K Waterpump Pliers 250mm; C.K Steel Claw Hammer High Visibility 16oz. There are also some unbeatable savings for retailers running from 1st September to the 21st December, the new Carl Kammerling International Magnetic Winter Sales Promotion offers the perfect opportunity for retailers to stock these products and more, by taking advantage of the fantastic deals on offer. To benefit from this superb promotion, simply contact your local sales representative or telephone CKI customer services on +44 1758 704704 and www.carlkammerling.com
