Did you know… Esso Ireland has been granted court permission to remove food service company Nine One One from its premises? Esso operate 32 premises that offer Nine One One services, but terminated its agreement in May 2013, as the firm's contract had expired. Nine One One argued in court that the termination was not valid and continued to operate on the Esso premises. Last Friday, Mr Justice Brian McGovern upheld Esso’s side and told Nine One One that it was not entitled to remain operating on the premises as its operating agreements and licencing had expired. He also rejected Nine One One’s claims for damages.
Did you know… Mairead Hayes of Mace, Main St, Ballylanders, Co. Limerick, has been named as the winner of a Stena Line trip for herself, her family and her dog, courtesy of Brandy dog food? The competition, hosted by Checkout magazine, coincides with an on-pack offer on all Brandy 6-Packs, including Traditional Loaf, Chunks in Jelly and Chunks in Gravy 6-packs, as well as Brandy Complete Original 2.5kg and Brandy Complete Chicken & Rice 2.5kg bags. For more information, visit http://www.macklepetfoods.com/brandy/91/enter-to-win/
Did you know… Pepsi has shut down an Irish-incorporated subsidiary, PepsiCo Global Investment Holdings, which the drinks giant was using to pay its taxes in the Caribbean island of Curacao? According to the Sunday Business Post, PepsiCo Global Investment Holdings was used by PepsiCo to finance group operations, and had retained profits of $399 million at the end of 2011. The company's closure follows growing pressure on multinationals for greater transparency in their tax structures.
Did you know… Dawn Meats has won a Green Apple Environment Award? The Waterford-based meat producer was recognised for its efforts in the UK where it has operations in England, Scotland and Wales. Over 500 companies competed for the award, of which only one goes to one business in each country. Dawn Meats was commended for reducing its water intake by 56m litres across four sites in 2012 and 2013, reducing thermal energy consumption by 50 to 80%, contracting a seven acre wetland and eco park and using 80 to 100% post-consumer recyclable packaging.
Did you know… 10% more SMEs will have Christmas parties this year than 2012? A quarterly survey by ISME shows that 46% of businesses will host a Christmas party this year. The Business Barometer also demonstrated that 16% of Irish companies are benefiting from current trading conditions, a rise of over 6% on the previous quarter. Many businesses stopped hosting Christmas parties when recessionary budgeting kicked in.
Did you know… The new postcode system will cost business owners? The government has confirmed that it will allow businesses access to the postcode database for a fee, similar to the UK system. The level of charges to businesses for this access has yet to be finalised. The new system will be developed and rolled out by Capita Ireland by 2015, and will be owned by the Department of Communications once created. There has been some concern over data protection as each individual apartment or flat will have an individual code, however the department have said that standard data protection legislation will apply to the new system.
Did you know… Wolf Blass has won the title of International Winemaker of the Year? The Australian winery was recognised at the 2013 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London last week. This is the third time Wolf Blass has won this particular award, following wins in 1992 and 2002. In addition, Wolf Blass was awarded trophies for Australian Producer of the Year, Best Single Vineyard for Red Wine (Wolf Blass Platinum Label 2008), Best Single Vineyard White Wine (Wolf Blass White Label Riesling 2001) and Best Riesling for the same white wine. Wolf Blass Chief Winemaker Chris Hatcher said, “Winning International Winemaker of the Year at one of the world’s most respected and prestigious wine competitions is incredibly special. This is a great reward and recognition of the dedication and hard work our winemaking and viticultural teams put into making exceptional quality wines and I am extremely proud of them.”
Did you know… Bord Bia and the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School are looking for 20 new recruits to market small and medium sized Irish agri-food businesses worldwide? The Bord Bia Marketing Fellowship is an intensive 12-month action learning programme that gives the opportunity to gain hands-on experience working with some of Ireland’s major food companies, while also earning a masters degree. Part of the course will include working in one of 14 key markets including New York, London, Paris, Dusseldorf, Dubai, Sydney, Madrid, Milan, Amsterdam, Moscow, Shanghai, New Delhi, Tokyo and Stockholm. Applications will open in January for graduates with a minimum of two to three years of work experience.
Did you know… The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) have raised concerns about cross-border milk selling to unregistered buyers? The Department of Agriculture recently sent warning letters to all milk buyers against the illegal practice of dairy farmers selling directly to outlets north of the border. IFA National Dairy Committee chairman Kevin Kiersey said, “I am aware there have been adverts put into the press in recent days by opportunistic operators offering to purchase over quota milk at knock down prices. I want to urge dairy farmers under superlevy pressure to resist the temptation to deal with those operators, as they are not registered milk purchasers, and they are exposing farmers who sell milk to them to potentially very serious consequences.” The IFA requests that farmers approached with offers to buy their milk report the purchasers to their co-op and the Department of Agriculture.
Did you know… Consumer confidence reached a six-year high in September? A new survey from UCD’s Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School and the Marketing Institute of Ireland was conducted before last month’s Budget and found that consumers are feeling more positive, in part due to to declining unemployment. Mary Lambkin, UCD professor of marketing said that while discretionary income is still limited, consumer confidence has returned. “The fact that the Government Budget was brought forward to October this year, and employment data continues to be positive, should help to ensure that confidence stays upbeat in the final quarter of the year."
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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