Did you know… Greencore has reported a 3% increase in Group revenue for its 2013 financial year, to £1.197 billion, according to accounts published this morning? Operating profit at the company for the year to 27 September 2013 was up 8% to £76.5 million. “Greencore had a good year in 2013, with clear commercial, strategic and organisational progress delivered across the Group," said Patrick Coveney, Greencore chief executive. "We consolidated our portfolio after the extensive deal activity of the three preceding years, increased revenue at our US business by over 60% and realigned our resources behind a food to go led strategy. All this was achieved despite a weak UK consumer environment, limited growth in retail food markets, persistent input cost inflation and the negative impact of the horsemeat scandal."
Did you know… Lidl has removed the Union Jack flag from the internet images of some products in its Deluxe range, which are on sale in Ireland? Two Deluxe products, Beef Wellington and Beef Bourguignon carried the flag to mark the country of origin, however on the Lidl website in the North and Republic of Ireland, the flags are not present. Meanwhile the flags remain on the British version of the products on the UK website. The flag has also been removed from the products in the promotional magazine in the Republic.
Did you know… The Labour Relations Commission (LRC) has reportedly invited Marks & Spencer and Mandate to conciliation talks in a bid to prevent industrial action from M&S staff? According to reports in the Sunday Times, central to the debate will be the closure of the company's final-salary pension scheme. The LRC meetings have been arranged to head off any threat of disruption to trade in the run up to Christmas, the paper said.
Did you know… Green Isle has selected Cawley NeaTBWA to run its creative account? Other companies pitching for the account were DDFH&B and Atomic. Deirdre Waldron, managing director of Cawley NeaTBWA, commented on the collaboration, “We delighted to welcome the Green Isle brand to our agency. Green Isle is an iconic Irish brand and the market leader in frozen veg, so we are very excited to be working with such a successful household name and look forward the creative opportunities ahead.” Green Isle is owned by the 2 Sisters Food Group, based in Birmingham, and has manufacturing plants in 49 locations across Europe.
Did you know… Castlebar will offer free town car parking in the run up to Christmas? Town councillors voted to allow the free car parking every morning from 10am to 1pm from December 7th to 24th, including Saturdays. Cllr Brendan Henaghan proposed the motion: “Footfall is falling dramatically in the town centre. We’ve six months left as a town council, the least we can do is offer free car parking to help businesses stay afloat."
Did you know… A new Aldi store has opened its doors in Tipperary Town? The new store spans 990m² and offers 88 free car parking spaces. Located on the Clocktower Site, Mitchell Street, the store is Aldi’s sixth Tipperary location, with others in Clonmel, Thurles, Cahir, Carrick-on-Suir and Nenagh. To celebrate the opening, Aldi announced offering a range of special opening offers at the new store.
Did you know… 17 TD’s have admitted to having a drink in the Dáil bar before returning to the chamber? TV3’s Midweek programme surveyed 79 deputies, and 60 of respondents said that they felt the bar should not be allowed serve alcohol past regular serving hours. However, 67 of the participants said that they didn’t think that there was a drinking culture in the Oireachtas. Labour Party chief whip, Emmet Stagg said, “Irish people have a pint regularly with their lunch, they have a pint after their work time, they have a pint sometimes at night time. So do I, and I enjoy them.”
Did you know… Poundland, owner of Dealz discount shops in Ireland, has planned a £800m float to fund a major expansion? Poundland’s private equity owner Warburg Pincus, reportedly wants to raise £200m and £300m from the float, which would raise the retailer’s value to between £700m and £800m. Poundland aims to double in size in the UK to about 1,000 stores while also opening sites in continental Europe under its Dealz brand.
Did you know… Six winners were awarded at the 19th annual Listowel Food Festival this weekend? The top prize of €1,000 went to Blastoga for Dhal bakes, a gluten-free vegetarian baked product. Garvey’s SuperValu in Listowel will stock the winning product. Five other winners included Ring of Kerry Apple Farm (Beverage), Guy Hulberry Vegetarian Pate (Meat/Fish/Paté), Utterly Nutty (Baked Goods), Rolf’s Fine Food (Condiments) and Ned McCarthy’s Natural Dairy (Dairy). The five runners up received a cheque for €200 in the ‘Best Emerging Food Product from an Artisan Producer.’
Did you know… Centra has announced its sponsorship of radio station Christmas FM? The station, which will play round-the-clock Christmas songs and provide festive updates, will kick off on November 28. Centra, along with Vodafone Ireland and the Irish Daily Mail are funding the endeavour, which will also be raising funds for mental health charity Aware. Christmas FM co-founder Walter Hegarty commented on the return of the station, “Since we began broadcasting five years ago, we have raised in excess of €500,000 for charity, which is a wonderful achievement for everyone involved in the initiative.”
Did you know… Diageo reportedly plans to sell off its whiskey brand Whyte & Mackay? Retailers complained to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) that Diageo’s acquisition of United Spirits in 2012 resulted in the two leading UK whiskey brands being owned by the same company, which was then investigated. OFT chief economist Chris Walters said, “Our investigation considered a wide range of evidence and we concluded that the likely loss of competition could give rise to higher prices for retailers, and ultimately consumers.” Currently OFT is considering Diageo’s plans to sell the majority of the Whyte & Mackay portfolio, except for Dalmore and Tamnavulin. Whyte & Mackay will keep its malt distilleries at Jura and Fettercairn and the Invergordon grain distillery.
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
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