It’s not an easy thing to do! Ireland and Leinster captain, Johnny Sexton, has a reputation for being a serious rugby player. Well, five youngsters had the rugby legend splitting his sides and guffawing with their jokes, which was part of the MACE Jokes with Johnny customer campaign. As part of MACE’s community engagement agenda, the retailer called on children across the nation to tell us their best jokes! The funniest jokers were in with a chance to put their jokes to the test in front of Johnny Sexton to see how much they can make him smile. In all, five children were selected to meet Johnny and tell their jokes in person: Adam O’Connor, aged 8, Kerry; James O’Neill, aged 5, Kerry; Sarah Irvine, aged 10, Dublin; Ava Dowling, aged 6, Dublin and Lily May Kirwan, aged 10, Carlow.
Portuguese retail group Jerónimo Martins has reported 21.5% year-on-year growth in group sales to €25.4 billion in its financial year 2022, according to preliminary figures, reports ESMmagazine.com. Strong performance across all banners drove like-for-like sales to 19.6%, the company added. In the fourth quarter, sales increased by 23.0% (up 26.0% at constant exchange rates) to €7.0 billion with like-for-like sales of 21.4%. The company believes its good performance in the fourth quarter is a result of consumers' recognition of its efforts in controlling prices and creating savings opportunities in the three countries where it operates. Chief executive Pedro Soares dos Santos, said, "2022 will stay in our collective memory as the year of the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation and the consequent war that is ravaging the territory for almost one year."
Wholesaler Metro AG has strengthened its cooperation with e-grocery firm Košík, which operates in Czechia and Bulgaria, reports ESMmagazine.com. Already a key supplier to Košík, Metro has become a 25% shareholder in the business, in exchange for 'granting full access to its sourcing capabilities and store network potential', it said in a statement. This stake will be increased to as much as 30% if Košík expands its offering into other Central or Eastern European markets, in cooperation with Metro. The wholesaler hopes to bolster its position in Central and Eastern European markets as a result of the move. "The agreement with Košík is in line with Metro's sCore wholesale strategy and will contribute to our growth ambitions," said Rafael Gasset, chief operating officer at Metro AG.
© 2023 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.
