Did you know… Retail Excellence Ireland (REI) has called for a reversal of the demand for payment of the 2014 Property Tax before Christmas? David Fitzsimons, CEO, Retail Excellence Ireland said, “The Revenue Commissioner Josephine Feehily is fundamentally unaware of the damage being done by demanding payment of the 2014 Local Property Tax before Christmas. This is an act of gross incompetence and one which could potentially return the country to recession." He said that the Government has done much to boost confidence and spending in the domestic economy but this intervention by the Revenue is "incredulous". REI welcome Labour TD and Chairman of Finance Committee, Ciaran Lynch’s request for Ms. Feehily to explain herself to the Finance Committee.
Did you know… Dunnes Stores UK arm saw its pre-tax profits rise by 29%, from £12.37 million to £15.94 million in the year to 2 February 2013, according to accounts just filed? Dunnes Stores (Bangor) Ltd, posted a 5% revenue decrease during the period, to £157.5 million, however a reduction in the cost of sales (by 9.5%) enabled it to post a profits increase. It paid dividends of £3.53 million to its Irish parent, Dunnes Stores (Henry Street). The company operates 34 stores in the UK, 23 in Northern Ireland, six in England and five in Scotland.
Did you know… Over 350 delegates attended the Daybreak conference last month? The conference was the biggest to date and focused on the the theme of 'Winning in the New World'. Paul Kerrigan, Musgrave marketplace director spoke about the Daybreak brand and the successful growth achieved recently: "The Daybreak Brand has developed a strong presence nationally with 200 stores, and we are confident that we have the right model for these economic times." Marketing manager Michelle Fennell and commercial director Sheena Forde spoke about the Daybreak 2014 plan, while finance director Alan Cunningham spoke about achieving lower costs without compromising on quality of service. The eight winners of the 2013 Daybreak Store of the Year were also announced, with the Ballina Daybreak taking Overall Store of the Year.
Did you know… Tesco UK are reportedly set to install high tech scanners at the tills to scan faces of shoppers to detect their age and gender? The supermarket giant has signed a deal with Lord Alan Sugar's Amscreen company to provide 'OmtimEyes' to 450 Tesco forecourts which serve millions every week. The in-built cameras will identify if a shopper is male or female, their approximate age, and how long they looked at an advert on a screen above the tills. The data is fed back to advertisers in real time to assist them with measuring the effectiveness of an campaign. Lord Sugar has said that the technology, developed in conjunction with a face detection software specialist, doesn't store images or recognise people, but works out gender and sorts customers into one of three age brackets. The screens will show adverts running ten seconds a time on a 100 second loop. Tesco Ireland said they have no plans to implement the scanners in the Republic at this time.
Did you know… Lidl has bought a €2.75m Dublin site, once worth €32m in the property boom? The German discounter plans to develop supermarket, a gym, a fast food restaurant and offices at site at the East Wall Road site, formerly used by Cahill Printers. In 2007, the 2.2 acre site was purchased by Pierse building group and private clients of Davy Stockbrokers, but was never developed. There is planning permission on the site for 177 apartments, office and retail space, but Lidl have not pursued these plans because of the non-viability of the residential market. Instead, Lidl will have two buildings of up to four storeys with a car park, and possibly a McDonalds with a drive-through. A planning decision on the site is due on November 20. Aldi recently opened a new site across the road from the Lidl-purchased site.
Did you know… Britvic has teamed up with Paramount Pictures to launch an on-pack promotion with the 'Anchorman 2' film? Will Ferrell's character from the movie, Ron Burgundy, will feature on more than three million bottles of Club soft drinks from this week. The partnership is a first for the Irish market, and will be supported by a fully integrated marketing campaign with TV, outdoor, in-store, radio, PR and digital. Senior brand manager, Britvic, Stephen Cramp said, "We're delighted to be able to team up with the launch of 'Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues', completing an exciting year during which we re-launched." He said that consumer research among Club-loyal consumers have shown Britvic has demonstrated that Ron Burgundy is a strong fit with the Club brand personality. He added, "We're hoping to inject some Ron-style class and fun into the market. The bottles will sit in the hands of the movie's bull-eye target consumer." Club will be giving fans of the movie a chance to win tickets to the Dublin and London premiers Of 'Anchorman 2' on December 20 as part of its social media drive.
Did you know… The Irish Dairy Board (IDB) has invested €20 million in a number of projects in Saudi Arabia? The investment includes the acquisition of a 75% interest in Al Wazeen Trading, with the development of a new cheese manufacturing plant at its facility in Riyadh. The deal will also provide a centre for access to the dairy growth markets in the Middle-East and North African (MENA) region. The investment is part of the IDB's strategy to expand market routes and add value for Irish dairy produce in advance of the abolition of the milk quotas in 2015. Kevin Lane, chief executive of the IDB said, "This investment is strategically very important as it allows us to expand our business throughout the MENA region. With innovation and new product development being critical to growth, our partnership with Teagasc is an excellent example of how with innovative technologies we can create new ways of producing and selling dairy products for a global audience." The announcement was made during the Irish trade mission to Saudi Arabia, led by Minister for Food, Agriculture and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD.
© 2013 - Checkout Magazine by Genna Patterson
