Glanbia is looking to boost its cheese production capacity in the US by 25%, through plans to expand production at its New Mexico facility, which is already the largest natural cheese plant in the US. The project is predicted to take over two years to complete, and will cost roughly $140m (€128m), the Sunday Business Post reported.
McCambridges of Galway has been named the overall winner in the Galway Chamber Business Awards 2015, in association with Shannon Airport. The ceremony took place at a gala event in the Salthill Hotel, where Natalie McCambridge praised her team for the win, saying they are the reason the business continues to grow.
Irish food producer Cool Beans has secured a listing in 135 Waitrose stores in the UK. The brand was launched nearly a year ago, and is part of the SuperValu Food Academy Supplier Programme. It also won this year’s Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur Award competition, organised by the Local Enterprise Offices, and is targeting a turnover of €1 million in 2016 and exports of 60%.
A price tag of over €6 million has been placed on a shopping centre in Cashel; by joint agents Lisney and Bannon. The centre’s anchor tenants include Tesco, which pays rent of more than half a million per year, and O’Dwyer’s Pharmacy. The sale also includes a filling station, which the agents say will be considered separately.
Coca-Cola HBC has said that a dip in performance in Ireland, Russia and Belarus, as revealed by its latest quarterly interim results, was offset by gains in Nigeria and Italy, reports the Irish Independent. The company recorded growth of 5.4% in the third quarter, compared with a 4.8% decline in Q3 of 2014. It also shipped 577.1 million cases of drinks in the latest quarter and achieved net sales revenue of €702.5 million.
Centra and SuperValu operator Frank McPolin has warned that the opening of a second Tesco store in Banbridge has drawn customers away from the town centre. McPolin slammed the council’s treatment of town centre businesses, telling the Banbridge Leader that “The rates people have no clue about the pressures businesses are facing. They put the rates up by 30%. £135,000 a year is a ridiculous price to pay.”
The Irish Times reports that The Hogan family, which currently owns 50% of Kylemore Services Group, has made an unconditional €6.54 million offer to distribution group DCC for its 50% share in the catering company. The company also announced recently that Brian Hogan's brother, David, and daughter, Julie, have been appointed as non-executive directors to the board.
Northern Ireland's Tayto Group, unrelated to the Irish crisp operation, is bringing a ongoing trademark dispute to the European Court of Justice next month. According to the Irish Independent, the dispute began in 2006, when Office for Harmonisation of the Internal Market gave permission to German company MIP Metro to use the trademark 'Real' in the colour red for its products. Tayto Group made an application in August 2011 for the revocation of the trademark, saying that MIP Metro was no long using it, the paper reported. However, MIP Metro claimed it was in use across 300 of its stores. The latest hearing of the case is set for next month in Luxembourg.
The 6th annual ECR Ireland Shopper Engagement Conference takes place tomorrow, 11 November, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown. The theme of this year's event is 'Serving the Shopper - Insight & Instore Action', and the event will feature presentations from representatives from Tesco, Coca-Cola, Unilever, Pepsico and Manor Farm among others. Click here for details on how to attend.
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