French retailer Carrefour said it was confident about the second half of the year after reporting higher first-half operating profit and raising its 2022 cost-savings target amid accelerating inflation. Carrefour said cash generation would remain above €1 billion in 2022, as it now aims for savings of €1 billion this year against €900 million previously, having achieved €480 million in the first half, reports Reuters. "There is no sign of inflation slowing down. We will have to deal with a high level of inflation in the second half and we will have to navigate it," chairman and CEO Alexandre Bompard told analysts. "We can consider the effect of inflation on customers will be higher than in the first half with a little bit more trading down," he added. Finance chief Matthieu Malige said the current market consensus for full year recurring operating profit seemed "consistent" with the first-half performance. Analysts cite a figure of €2.45 billion. Carrefour reported a 1.6% rise in first-half recurring operating profit to €814 million at constant exchange rates.
BWG Foods has been shortlisted for five Irish Sponsorship Awards 2022 across its retail brands. Londis has been shortlisted for Best Multi-Platform Sponsorship for their work with Ireland's Fittest Family, Proudly Sponsored by Londis and for Best TV Broadcast Sponsorship, also for their work with Ireland's Fittest Family. The MACE team are also shortlisted for Best Use of Social Media for the MACE Right Options campaign, which promotes healthy eating and exercise. This year’s campaign called “A Walk with Johnny” consisted of a four-part video series featuring MACE ambassador Johnny Sexton in conversation with Meath footballer Vikki Wall. EUROSPAR has been shortlisted in the Best Societal Sponsorship category for their support of the St Vincent de Paul Empty Plate Appeal and XL has also been shortlisted in the Best Entertainment & Event Sponsorship for its association with Hot Press magazine and 25 IBI Radio Stations for a major initiative to promote Irish artists and bands, which saw significantly increased radio play across 25 independent radio stations for Irish Music Month. Launched in 2012, the Irish Sponsorship Awards recognise and reward the brands, rightsholders, agencies, and media owners, who play a critical role in the delivery of world-class sponsorship programmes executed in Ireland.
SPAR recently teamed up with three players from the Republic of Ireland soccer team to chat about their favourite foods to pick up at SPAR. A fun video entitled – SPAR, Roll With It - was created of the players discussing their preferences for chicken fillet rolls, jambons and sausages, as well as a lengthy debate on the merits of taco sauce over bbq sauce or ketchup. Chicken fillet rolls with taco sauce proved to be the favourite amongst players Nathan Collins and Troy Parrott, while Michael Obafemi admitted to never having tried one! As the Official Convenience Store Partner of the Republic of Ireland team, this is an exciting time for SPAR, the Republic of Ireland team and, of course, the famous chicken fillet roll.
MACE will once again be supporting the official Tour de Munster, the four-day, 600km cycle through the six counties of Munster with 100 cyclists taking part raising much needed funds for Down Syndrome Ireland. There will be refreshment stops at MACE stores along the route notably MACE Midleton, MACE Lismore, MACE Drumquin and MACE Castlemaine. Marcella O’Neill of MACE William St Limerick will also be participating in the event this year. Down Syndrome Ireland is the official charity partner for MACE and retailers have been holding their own Tour de MACE static cycles in their stores all through summer to raise funds for the charity.
Talon Outdoor, has launched a new OOH advertising campaign in Ireland for Domino’s Pizza Group. The campaign centres on the group ordering feature available exclusively on the award-winning Domino’s app and encourages friends to get together this summer by sharing a Domino’s feast. The OOH campaign, which is running until the 31st of July 2022, aims to re-connect with consumers through three creative placements. A creative build on the 240 sheet in Terenure incorporates a 2D yodel prompting a call to action for group ordering. The Golden Square, which is located in Rathmines used site-specific creative which was set to match the brickwork and window style of the building it appeared on. Lastly, with a media first in Ireland, Domino’s creative broke the frame of 25 Dublin Bus Super-side formats, maximising impact with commuters and pedestrians. Created by creative agency VCCP, these three executions are further supported by a national targeted campaign and were planned, bought and produced by Havas Media Ireland and Talon Ireland teams. Annelie McCaffrey, head of marketing for Ireland at Domino’s Pizza Group, said, “At Domino’s, we are always looking for exceptional ways where we can bring our campaigns to life and reach wider audiences. We understand the value that OOH delivers for us and are delighted to be working with the team at Talon Ireland who has helped us ensure our crowd-pleasing message comes across in anew and engaging way for consumers.”
Bord Bia is calling on all Irish organic farmers, growers, producers and manufacturers to submit their entries for the National Organic Awards, taking place on Thursday, 13 October. The ninth National Organic Awards, held in association with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, celebrates the achievements of the increasing number of organic growers, producers, and manufacturers in Ireland. There are seven award categories, chosen to recognise key developments in the organic sector: a retail award; a private label award; export award winner; new and innovative award; e-commerce award; marketing campaign award; and business in the community award. Judges are drawn from across the Irish food, drink and horticulture sector and include leading organic producers, academics, and food writers. Applications can be made online at BordBia.ie/organics. Entries close on 26 August. The event will take place at Bord Bia’s Global Hub in Dublin, with the awards presented by the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett.
Portugal's No. 2 retailer, Jerónimo Martins reported a 35% jump in second-quarter net income, with strong sales in its key market Poland, supported by the consumption of millions of Ukrainian refugees amid soaring inflation, reports Reuters. The company booked a net profit of €173 million between April and June, which this year included the Easter holiday season, up from €129 million a year earlier, when it was affected by COVID-19 restrictions. It said in a statement that 'in Poland, food sales continued to record solid growth driven by higher inflation and volume increases.''The measures implemented by the government to protect consumers from the increasing pressure over disposable income, combined with a more extensive consumer base due to the flow of Ukrainian refugees to Poland, should have contributed to this trend,' the company said.
© 2022 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Donna Ahern. For more retail news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up for the Checkout print edition.
