Did you know… Lidl hosted 'An Evening With Paul Flynn' last week in Dublin, where the celebrity chef launched a new cookbook, 'Paul Flynn's Family Food'? The new cookbook includes details on how to prepare a range of family dishes, using ingredients all purchased in Lidl. The evening event took place at No. 10, Lower Ormond Quay, and was attended by a host of well-known food and retail personalities. Pictured are Karen Foster, Brian Geraghty and Geraldine O'Leary at the launch.
Did you know… John Whelan, the former head of the Irish Exporters Association, has told the Sunday Business Post that proposed sanctions on food and drink exports to Russia could impact the Irish Dairy Board? "Sanctions, if they were imposed on dairy products, would come at a particularly bad time for the Irish Dairy Board, which has invested very heavily in building up its Kerrygold butter and cheese brands in Russia," he told the paper. "Any disruption in the supply line would see it lose its hard-won shelf space in Russian supermarkets."
Did you know… Grant Thornton is to host an conference on the subject of 'Illicit Trade: Money laundering, cybercrime, intellectual property crime and retail fraud' at Dublin's Conrad Hotel on Thursday? The report will be launched by Brendan Foster, Partner, Head of Business Consulting, Grant Thornton, while Frank Gleeson, Chairman, Retail Ireland will give an update on the impact of the illicit trade on the retail industry.
Did you know… The Nielsen Ireland Conference 2014 will be held on Thursday April 10? The event will provide insights into shopper activation, to help retailers drive their business. Among the topics covered will be a 'State of the Nation' review of key drivers in FMCG, analysis of the core drivers of category purchasing, and changes in shopping behaviour. In addition, Nielsen will discuss winning promotional strategies, the performance of PL and discounters, as well as key insights on e-commerce and the future of assortment and space planning.
Did you know… The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) has announced a public consultation on the use of food marketing terms in Ireland? The consultation aims to protect the consumer and the small food industry through a Code of Practice that outlines an agreed upon set of marketing term rules used to describe Irish food. Words like ‘artisan/artisanal’ ‘farmhouse’, ‘traditional’, ‘natural’ have been identified as marketing terms that are be protected to allow small businesses to communicate genuine difference between their products and those of the mainstream. Dr Wayne Anderson of FSAI said, “Marketing terms are designed to resonate with consumers. However, when they are used incorrectly they have the potential to mislead. This is a concern that needs to be addressed so we are encouraging all parties to take part in the consultation process and submit their views.” The consultation will run for eight weeks and responses must be entered by May 14 2014. All feedback and comments are to be considered for the FSAI’s final Code of Practice later in the year.
Did You Know... St. James Street Church in Dublin, close to the Guinness Storehouse, is to be turned into a distillery by Alltech? The American drinks and animal nutrition company bought the church, which has been closed since 1954, for €690,000. Alltech also plans to open a visitor centre alongside the distillery. An Alltech spokesperson said "We are very excited about the latest addition to our company, the St James's Distillery in the heart of Dublin's historic brewing and distilling area. We are currently designing a working distillery, which will encompass a visitors' centre to showcase the rich history of distilling in the Liberties. The St James's Distillery will allow visitors the opportunity to interact with our brand, learn more about the process of crafting Irish whiskey and purchase product produced at the distillery." Dr Pearse Lyons, president of Alltech, said the new distillery is important for more than business reasons. "In 1948, my grandfather, John Hubert Lyons, was buried in the graveyard of St James' and this is one of the many connections my family has with the area. Our plan is to bring the church back to its former glory and make it a tourist destination.”
Did you know… C&C Group has reportedly cut ties with PR firm Drury Communications, which had been handling its public relations in Ireland? According to a report in the Sunday Times, C&C has also cut ties to Cardew, a London-based PR firm, which was performing a similar role in the UK. It is not yet known as to whether C&C will be seeking to employ a replacement firm to handle its corporate PR here.
Did you know… Thieves burrowed for months underneath a Tesco in the UK in order to steal cash boxes? The thieves dug a 15 metre tunnel under the Tesco store on Liverpool Road in Eccles, Salford in greater Manchester. Police believe the tunnel may have taken months to complete, before the gang raided the store between midnight and 6am on March 14. The thieves stole cash boxes of money before escaping. Detective superintendent Mark Toker said, “These people had obviously spent a long time plotting this crime and I doubt they would have been able to keep their plans secret for all that time, without telling others about their elaborate scheme. The offenders must have spent long periods of time in the area over the last few months, which people may have noticed.” Police have requested anyone with information to come forward and give information.
Did you know… Kerrygold is sponsoring the second annual Ballymaloe LitFest? The Dairy producer will also continue to sponsor the Literary Festival of Food & Wine for the next three years. Celebrity Chef Darina Allen said, “We are very happy to have Kerrygold as the title sponsor for the Kerrygold Ballymaloe LitFest this year and for the following two years as the focus on quality is at the heart of what we both do.” Allen is the joint director of the event with her brother Rory O’Connell. The Kerrygold Ballymaloe LitFest runs from 16 to 18 May 2014. The inaugural Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine 2013 brought 8,000 people onto the grounds of Ballymaloe House and Cookery School including national and international authors, chefs, foragers, educators, wine experts, gardeners, publishers, TV presenters, bloggers and journalists.
Did you know… Building plans for a proposed Lidl store in Knocknacarra, Co. Galway have been given approval? The plans were revised after a number of objections from the local residents association and county councillors over concerns of the store driving trade away from the town centre. The County council planners said, “The convenience retail element would not be in competition with the city centre and would not affect the primacy of the city centre, as the city centre would generally provide a wider range of higher quality goods, while a development as proposed would generally provide for low-grade goods.” However, it is expected that the planning will be brought up for appeal to An Bord Pleanala, despite a number of changes having been made to the original plans. Restrictions for the approval included: opening hours between 8am and 9pm Monday to Saturday and 10.30am and 7pm on Sundays. In addition, construction work has been restricted to between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. The plans also require Lidl to commission a professional piece of artwork (to the value of around €5,000) for the site, and to employ a landscape architect during works.
Did you know… Tesco Ireland is considering adapting self-service checkouts to include the Irish language across the country? According to the Irish Times, the retail group are “actively” considering the move, in a similar effort to a system they launched in Wales in 2008. A Tesco Galway store already currently offers Irish language services in its Headford Road branch, with a checkout designated to Gaeilge. In addition, staff signage, delivery vans and the canteen menu have all been translated to Irish, as well as the company’s catchphrase ‘Every little helps’, to ‘Tugann an rud is lú cúnamh.’ So far the store has received positive feedback as a result, sparking thoughts that it could be introduced in the 146 other stores in the Tesco portfolio.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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