Spar Ireland has signed a new sponsorship deal for the popular RTE’s ‘Kitchen Hero’ programme, hosted by chef Donal Skehan. The sponsorship agreement is valued at €120,000. Kitchen Hero returned to TV screens at the end of May, and viewership for the last series peaked at more than 299,000 viewers. Marketing & Communications Director for Spar Ireland, Suzanne Weldon said, “We’re delighted to be entering into our sixth year of partnering with Donal Skehan, who is a great ambassador for our brand and for Irish food."
Cuisine de France parent Aryzta saw its total revenue grow by 13.2% to €973.2 million in the third quarter of its 2014/15 financial year, according to accounts just filed. Its Europe business saw its revenue grow by 4.7% in the third quarter to €405.9 million. In a statement, Aryzta said that "European revenue remained largely driven by growth in In-Store-Bakery in the large retail channel led by discounters. However, European margin performance has softened and has yet to recover."
Mandate trade union members in pharmacy retailer Boots are to be balloted on a 3 per cent pay increase, following the union’s lodgement of a pay claim in May. Mandate say the pay increase is ‘well deserved recognition for the hard work and dedication the workers have given to the company’.
Aldi has overtaken Tesco in BrandZ's Top 100 Most Valuable Global Retail Brands, to now be ranked as the 8th biggest brand with a value of $11.7 billion. Its brand value rose 22% compared with last year, while discounter rival Lidl saw growth of 27% to now be valued at $6 billion and take 20th place on the list. Tesco’s brand value fell 37% to a $9.4 billion.
As the title sponsor of Parks Tennis, fuel retailer Maxol attended an awards ceremony last week at Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club with tennis player James Cluskey, to see children aged from 10 to 17 presented with trophies for their successful participation in the latest Parks Tennis competitions. Parks Tennis brings low cost lessons to children from all social backgrounds at 150 facilities nationwide.
Ferrero has announced Dave Flanagan of Corrib Oil Spar, Ballinasloe, and Satnam Malli as the winners of its Tic Tac ‘Win a trip to the Big Apple’ competition, which offered UK and Irish retailers the chance to win a three-night trip to New York, along with $500 spending money. 50 runners up have also won point of sale kits to help them maximise their confectionery sales.
UK health charity Action on Sugar has revealed that several brands of supposedly healthy children's fruit snacks contain more sugar than typical sweets, with 85% of products researched containing more than the 47g per 100g of sugar found in Haribo Starmix. Fruit snack brands containing this high level of sugar include Frootz Apple 100% Fruit Drops, and The Fruit Factory Strawberry & Yoghurt Fruit Bars.
The winners of 98FM’s Best Of Dublin Awards in association with Costcutter have been announced, with the prize for 'Best Shop' going to Noel’s Deli on Meath Street. In addition, hospital worker Rhona Gallagher won the title of 'Best Dub' for her support of the Dublin GAA team.
The European Food Safety Authority says that drinking over five espresso’s worth of caffeine could cause health problems. In a report published last week, the EFSA explained that single doses of 200mg of caffeine are fine for most adults, but going over the safe limit could lead to anxiety and sleep problems.
A new report from AIB and the IFA has found that beef farmers are optimistic about the sector’s future, despite changing cattle prices and rising input costs. The research states that 70% of Irish beef farmers have identified definite opportunities for their business, which 38% are planning farm investments over the next year, Agriland reports.
This week marks Bord Bia’s National Strawberry Week; which sees promotional stickers on Bord Bia approved strawberry packs offering shoppers the chance to win €1,000. Bord Bia is also promoting the health benefits of strawberries to consumers, and hosting a range of themed recipes on its bestinseason.ie website.
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