Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Heather Humphreys has announced the recipients of the second call of the pilot Online Retail Scheme, which is administered by Enterprise Ireland.
A total of 29 retailers have been awarded €659,550 in funding as part of the €1.25 million fund, which is targeted at online retailers to 'strengthen their online offering' to enable them to reach a wider customer base.
The Online Retail Scheme was introduced by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation as part of the ongoing work of the Retail Consultation Forum, which Minister Humphreys chairs.
“As part of the Government’s Future Jobs Ireland framework, the pilot Online Retail Scheme is an important initiative to ensure that our retail businesses can remain competitive in a changing world where traditional business operations are increasingly being disrupted by new technology,” said Minister Humphreys.
The Scheme’s purpose is to support Irish retailers to strategically enhance their online sales capabilities to increase competitiveness and subsequently scale their businesses in international markets, the group explained in a statement.
"Increasing the international sales of Irish retailers through the online channel translates into sustaining and creating high-quality, sustainable jobs across the country," she added.
Strenghten Online Offering
Under this second competitive call, the successful applicants will receive funding ranging from €10,000 to €25,000 to strengthen their online offering.
Commenting, Stephen Hughes, head of consumer, Enterprise Ireland said: “While many smaller retailers are selling quality, in-demand products and services that will appeal to an international customer base, they need to invest in their digital presence to keep up with strong global competition."
"This scheme will provide Irish retailers with the additional resources to respond and adapt their business model to the upcoming challenges including potentially weaker consumer confidence and increasing business costs post Brexit.” He said.
The 29 retailers awarded funding, operate across a broad spectrum of sectors including healthcare, jewellery, fashion, sports, audio visual technology and marine equipment.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
