Farmbake has announced the extension of its partnership with BWG Foods to supply the retailer with a new range of cakes and treats under the Spar own brand label. The deal will bring the annual turnover figure for the Spar own brand label cake range, supplied by Farmbake, to €1.2 million. Under the terms of the agreement, Farmbake will label five new Spar own brand products and distribute them direct to approximately 400 stores nationwide. Farmbake already supplies BWG Foods with a range of seasonal cakes under the Spar own-brand product range, including Easter Queen Cakes, St. Patrick’s Day treats, Halloween fairy buns and Christmas cake. Willie O’Byrne, managing director, BWG Foods, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Farmbake as we look to expand our increasingly popular own brand range. We wanted a supplier who could provide home-cooked style food which is affordable and fits with our ethos of quality convenience.”
Keoghs Farm has been shortlisted for the finals of the Irish Quality Food Awards for its range of Easy Cook 7 Minute New Baby Potatoes.The announcement comes after eight days of tough judging and Keogh’s Farm is one of 180 shortlisted food and drink products in 50 categories. Tom Keogh, General Manager of Keogh’s Farm said, “We are thrilled that our Easy Cook 7 Minute New Baby Potatoes have been recognised by the Irish Quality Food Award judges as a product worthy of such award. We’ve worked hard down through the years to really listen to the consumer and we strive to produce and develop meal additions to suit their everyday needs.” The Irish Quality Food Awards sets out to recognise excellence in product development for food and drink producers, retailers and catering companies in Ireland only. This year, for the first time, a panel of judges from Musgrave Retail Partners chose finalists for the Small Producer of the Year Award, designed to celebrate artisanal foods and drink in Ireland and sponsored by SuperValu. The winner will be offered a prestigious listing in SuperValu stores.
Planning permission for a proposed Lidl outlet in Castleknock, Dublin, has been rejected. The plans sought permission for a supermarket, a cafe, a medical centre and a number of other retail outlets. The permission was rejected by the County Council due to their opinion that the buildings would be an “underutilisation and the inefficient use of serviced and zoned lands”, as well as being out of character with the development in the area. The council also said that the proposed building would be “visually obtrusive". Appeals can be made up until August 12.
Keelings have announced that its first blackberry harvest is now underway and the fruit producer plans to supply about 30,000 tonnes between now and October to Irish retailers. Keelings Blackberries are available now from Tesco, Dunnes and Centra stores across the country in 125g punnets priced at €5 for two. Founded in 1930, Keelings is a 100% Irish owned and family-run business with an annual turnover of €300 million and employs over 1,400 people in Ireland and a total of approximately 2,000 people across the group.
Aramark Ireland has appointed Thomas Mulryan as its new chief financial officer. Mulryan has been employed at the integrated services provider since 2002, and in 2005 was appointed financial controller, working with now-retired CFO Pat Cronin. He is also a steering committee member of Aramark’s Global Business Services team, which have responsibility for developing Aramark’s financial and operating platform in Europe. He qualified in practice as a chartered accountant in 2000 and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
An Irish study on labelling has found that some stores are selling fish that is labelled as a different species. European-funded researchers Labelfish tested fish sold in shops and restaurants using DNA technology and found some white fish has been mislabelled, apparently due to the similarity between the cuts, especially if they were filleted or processed. The issue has reportedly been ongoing 'for years' in Ireland and the scale of the problem is unknown. Labelfish are working to develop standardised techniques to control the genetic traceability and labelling of fish, and said that one of the motivators for mislabelling fish is the financial gain from substituting a similar, yet cheaper, species for a more expensive one. The €2 million project with Labelfish consists of European countries Ireland, Spain, Portugal, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.
Independent News & Media has appointed Lisa Bresnihan as its new head of marketing. The media group is also planning to recruit up to 40 new digital staff. Bresnihan has over 12 years' experience in marketing communications and left Yahoo!7 to join the Independent. She will oversee all marketing strategy, promotion and communication for the group's digital brands as the group seeks to increase its investment in digital business. Fiona O'Carroll, managing director, digital with IN&M said, “Building this high performance digital team is central to our strategy at INM, in order for us to grow our business both at home and globally. Our world-class team has allowed us to expand our offering to both our customers and partners alike and so we are looking for more digital risk takers to help us continue this growth. We are new, we are fresh and we are investing! This is an exciting digital journey at INM and I am looking forward to the contribution our future colleagues will bring."
Gala has continued its partnership with Disney for the launch of Planes 2: Fire & Rescue, which is set to be the family film of the summer. Gala hosted six special preview screenings of the movie in Galway, Cork, Laois, Limerick, Leitrim, and Wexford, as well as a screening in Dublin, offering families across Ireland a chance to be among the first to see the film before it goes live nationwide on August 8th. Maureen Ryan, Publicity and Promotions Manager with Disney Ireland commented: "For us at Disney it’s fantastic to have Gala come on board as a partner for Planes 2: Fire & Rescue. We have been excited about the launch of this movie for some time, and to have Gala host the regional preview screenings really adds to the buzz around the country."A number of fans of the Gala Facebook page joined ticket winners from local radio stations at the special pre-screenings. At each screening, Gala goody bags were provided for each guest to enjoy during the film.
Ten Irish SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are to receive €50,000 in funding from the European Commission as part of its SME Instrument project. The total project has allocated €3 billion to assist small firms in innovation. 155 SMEs from 21 countries were selected to receive the funding to finance feasibility studies to develop their innovation strategy and up to three days of business coaching. Over 2,600 companies applied for the grants in the first round of the selection process. Máire Geoghegan-Quinn, European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science, said: "The response to the new SME Instrument is encouraging. We hope many of the business plans being financed will mature to become real products and services, generating growth and jobs for our economies." The European Commission's Executive Agency for SMEs, who manage the scheme will notify successful applicants in August.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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