Aldi has partnered with St Vincent De Paul (SVP) and RTÉ 2FM are for the “Give a Gift Campaign”. Shoppers are asked to donate an unwrapped gift to any Aldi store between Monday November 24th and Friday December 5th, with presents to be distributed to families in the local community where the gift was donated. Shoppers can also donate a gift virtually online at www.svp.ie/appeal Anyone who donates online will have a chance of winning a €100 and also a year’s free shopping in Aldi vouchers, valued at €5,200.
Irish consumers spent over €22 million on Cyber Monday, according to Visa Europe, which is an increase of 17% on last year. The one-day only event, which took place yesterday, offers online discounts and is the busiest day of internet-shopping all year. Prices are dropped on goods commonly bought via the web, such as electronics. However, online fraud security company RSA has warned consumers to take extra precautions when shopping online. “Indicators of fraud to look out for are a suspicious URL or lack of secure encryption at the payment processing screen”,Jason Ward of EMC Ireland, the parent company of RSA, told the Irish Independent. “Secure websites are usually represented by a padlock or shield icon on a browser’s address bar”, he added.
Coca-Cola Zero Bikes has expanded its services and will go live in Limerick on December 8, Cork on December 18, with Galway already initiated in November. The Galway is scheme will have 19 stations and 195 bikes located around the city. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Paschal Donohue said: “The success of this scheme in the capital has been remarkable, with a recent doubling of station numbers and trebling of bikes to meet demands. The regional launch of this scheme, when complete, will see 740 bikes for hire […]. It is anticipated that each bike will be used three times per day on average, generating 750,000 trips in the first year of operation”.
Mandate Trade Union has warned that industrial action by Dunnes workers ‘may now be unavoidable’, after the retailer rejected a call to engage with its workers on pay and related issues. According to Mandate, Dunnes Stores wrote to the Labour Court stating they had no intention of meeting with their worker’s representatives. Mandate Assistant General Secretary Gerry Light said: “The letter demonstrates the arrogance and utter lack of respect senior management have for their own workers. Ultimately the next steps in our Decency for Dunnes Workers campaign will be decided by our members and we most certainly cannot rule out disruptive action in the near future.”
Danone has announced the creation of 50 new jobs at an extended facility for Nutricia Early Life Nutrition in Wexford, at a cost of €26 million. The investment is the final expansion of a €180 million spend that Danone have put into its Irish operations in Macroom and Wexford over the past four years. By the end of 2014, employment will have increased at Danone in Ireland from 180 to 400 people. The recruitment process for the new roles has commenced, with roles in areas such as quality, food science, engineering, supply chain and logistics. Speaking about the expansion, Donal Courtney, managing director of Danone Nutricia Early Life Nutrition Ireland said: “We have a significant track record of growth and investment in Ireland over the past four years. This reflects the growing demand for our products in the European and Asian markets.”
Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) has said that October retail sales were positive, with Black Friday and Christmas Sales outlook also looking relatively strong. The REI Q3 Productivity Review showed that the third quarter in 2014 was the first to experience three consecutive months of like-for-like growth since 2007. Data showed that annualised growth of retail sales has reached 2.1%, not including motor trades. REI Deputy Chief Executive Seán Murphy said: “A major part of this growth is still being experienced within the M50. The reality of many retailers in rural Ireland may not correlate with this data and it will take time in conjunction with proactive Government.” He called for improved Local Government policies to support secondary towns and villages, to ensure there can be recovery across the country. Christmas Trading Expectations are positive because of improved employment levels, the partial return of Social Welfare Christmas Bonus, and the slight decline in household saving levels, REI added.
Walled City Brewing, the first craft brewery in Derry, has launched a new Pale Ale called 'Boom'. Developed by James Huey, a brewer by trade, the ale takes it’s name from the historic cannons that are a feature of the city’s walls, dating back to the 17th century. Boom (ABV 4.2%) is brewed using American Amariollo hops for a tangy citrus aroma and flavour with a malty sweetness. It is initially available in 330 ml bottles, and a keg option is in planning stages. A number of other fruit beers, such as apricot and sour cherry have been produced on a limited and/or seasonal basis. Huey, a former Diageo technical manager said: “My aim in setting up Walled City Brewing is to bring the craft beer revolution to Derry […]. My plan is to develop products based on aspect of the city’s history, and it will employ 10 people. The beers are being distributed locally initially and in time throughout Ireland.”
Dunnes Stores issued a recall on all batches of “My Family Favourites Natural Irish Still Water”, pack size 12 x 500ml bottles (multipack) last week. This is due to the presence of residues of cleaning fluid suspected in the bottled water. The original recall included just one batch, but this has been extended to include all batches (12 x 500 ml bottles) and all expiry dates. Point of sale recall notices are being displayed in stores to warn customers.
© 2014 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson and Robert Moloney.
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