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Newry Chamber were delighted to present two cheques for £1,140 to Southern Area Hospice Services and Life & Time which was raised at our International Women’s Day Lunch.
Julie Gibbons, President of Newry Chamber would like to thank everyone who supported her two chosen charities as part of International Woman’s Day.
A raffle took place during our recent celebration lunch at Killeavy Castle Estate which featured five inspirational local businesswomen and attended by over 180 guests.
In addition, local schools and businesses who watched the event online enjoyed artisan traybake platters from DELI LITES Ireland which also contributed to the total amount raised.
£1,140 was raised for both of Southern Area Hospice Services and Life & Time which will enable these two fantastic local charities to continue to carry out their vital work in our community.
Special thanks to all of the local businesses who donated raffle prizes including:
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During the High Street Voucher Shop Local campaign, Newry BID (Business Improvement District) ran an initiative called ‘TAP into Newry.’ The aim of ‘TAP into Newry’ was to encourage shoppers to spend their vouchers locally in Newry city centre.
Figures released by the Department of the Economy show that this campaign helped to deliver a spend of £10.6m in Newry Mourne and Down- the third highest spend by District at 7.8% of the total allocation.
BT34/BT35 accounted for £7,651,237 (5.6% of the total spend). While not all of this will be Newry city, it is the largest population centre; and accounted for 179,736 transactions in these two postcodes.
It is expected that in the coming months NISRA (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) will provide further breakdowns with Newry BID asking for data specific to Newry city centre.
“Eamonn Connolly, Newry BID Manager, “We are delighted that at a time of great difficulty for traders and business organisations that more than £7.5m was put back into the local economy in the two postcode areas that cover Newry city centre.
“During this period we had one to one direct engagement about the campaign with more than 100 of our members which resulted in more than 120 images on social media relating to #TAPintoNewry. We gave out more than 200 window stickers, gave away 120 vouchers to shoppers in our Random Taps of Kindness campaign and reached hundreds of thousands of people through our press, radio, billboard and social media influencer activities.
“Feedback from businesses was very positive, with many of our members providing vouchers and support for the campaign to help encourage shoppers into the city.”
Eamonn Connolly continued, “We are very grateful that people chose to invest their Spend Local cards with our members. In some cases, we know that it made a difference in being able to trade through the Covid crisis or pull the shutters.”
To find out more about Newry BID and its members check out www.newry.com
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For anyone passing by Merchant's Quay, Newry at 8 this morning, the sight of a group of people deeply engaged in discussion would have got them thinking that perhaps an early morning tourism group were getting aquainted with our city.
The reality was a similar scenario although the 'tour group' was a dozen local business people on a walk organised by Newry Chamber of Commerce to give their members a chance to get to know the different investment and regeneration projects that are on the way for our City, as well as a chance to get to know each other, with a brisk walk thrown in for free!
It's one of several initiatives organised by Chamber CEO Tony McKeown with a previous 'walk, talk and connect' network event at Victoria Lock last summer. McKeown enjoys running and walking so the great outdoors is something he is passionate about and he believes Newry has so much to offer with its heritage and history.
The events with the Chamber gave all the members a chance to share ideas and get their daily exercise in at the same time.
Speaking about the events the CEO said "Newry Chamber have hosted a number of walking events round the city centre regeneration projects to show people what investment is coming to Newry and also to showcase some of the private sector investment that has already come here. We just want to get our members engaged because they are key stakeholders, and we hear some great feedback, some great ideas from our members, from our youngest to our oldest, male and female. We want to hear those ideas and what their suggestions are and we want to feed that back into the stakeholder group."
The group got a chance to look at the sites of projects at Newry Town Hall, Sugar Island, Merchant's Quay, Albert Basin, Newry Market and Abbey Way.
One of the participants pointed out the importance of such events at the present time, with many people now not in their business premises 5 days a week, reducing the social aspect of work which can be so taken for granted. A chance to catch up with people regularly for a chat can not be underestimated.
See NEWRYCHAMBER.COM for more information on upcoming events or for details on how to join.
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Six new jobs have been created as a result of a £135,000 upgrade to their store by local retailers Alistair and Craig Crossey-Truesdale.
The store which now trades as a SPAR on Newry’s Dublin Road was a CostCutter store until September 2021 when the owners made the decision to develop their business with the Henderson Group and the SPAR NI brand, to bring an upgraded level of convenience, value and everyday essentials to the local community.
The all-new SPAR Dublin Road site has received a full overhaul and fit-out, now standing at 1,000 sq. ft. of store space offering six bays of fresh, locally sourced products from Henderson’s own-brand The CHEF and Greengrocer’s ranges.
Craig Crossey-Truesdale commented; “Moving towards a SPAR partnership with Henderson Group gives us the opportunities to develop our business as well as provide a one-stop-shop for our local community. Local stores are incredibly important to shoppers, especially after the past couple of years, and we made the decision to bring SPAR to the area as it made the most sense for meeting demand.
“We have a bigger range of products for tonight’s tea, a huge number of everyday essentials at value prices, plus food-to-go items including Costa Coffee and breakfast and lunch options from the dailyDeli, which cater to the passing trade we experience being on the main route from Belfast to Dublin. Our vision is to bring the best, freshest products to our customers and we believe trading with Hendersons and SPAR will provide all of that and more.”
The store also has 14 car parking spaces providing even more convenience for their shoppers, plus extended opening hours from 4:30am to 11pm, Monday to Friday, catering even further towards the commuter trade, with weekend trading from 6am – 11pm on Saturdays and 7am – 11pm on Sundays.
Paddy Doody, Sales and Marketing Director at Henderson Group added; “We are delighted to welcome Alistair and Craig to the SPAR NI family. Independent retailing is providing important community services across every town in Northern Ireland, and ensuring local communities can have access to fresh, local products at value prices is what SPAR is all about.
“Alistair and Craig have built a successful business with Dublin Road Convenience, and their growth has been very impressive over the past five years. Alongside their son Johnny at the managerial helm of the store, this is a team that knows their customer base and knows their business and we wish them every continued success for the future with SPAR NI.”
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A Newry company has teamed up with a road safety charity to launch a free vehicle management app that helps keep motorists road legal and compliant.
Road Safe NI and Pocket Box have produced the Road Safe NI-branded tool – available for both Apple and Android smartphones.
“Legal compliance and road safety go hand in hand, so we are delighted to be working with Road Safe NI and supporting their goal of saving lives,” explains Jim Finnegan, Founder and CEO of POCKET BOX. “As well as providing a useful tool to motorists, the app offers an effective way for Road Safe NI to stay connected to road users in Northern Ireland, with the means to communicate targeted safety messages. We are working closely with the team at Road Safe NI to create new features and functionality that will be introduced over the coming months.”
The app is designed to overcome many of the headaches of car ownership by storing required paperwork and providing helpful reminders of key dates.
“In today’s modern world we are all leading increasingly busy lives and it often slips our minds when certain vehicle requirements are due. With this app, there is no longer a need to trawl through cupboards and drawers to locate vehicle documents and determine when key renewal dates are approaching,” explains Davy Jackson, Chair of Road Safe NI. “It is free and simple to use, so we are encouraging all motorists to download it to help them ensure they are driving legally by storing important details and receiving timely alerts.”
The app will allow motorists to digitally upload or scan all the necessary paperwork for a vehicle – such as MOT, road tax, insurance, warranty, servicing, finance and ownership – so they are conveniently organised and accessible in one place. The app will also enable the user to keep on top of key dates, with push and email notifications regarding any approaching renewals and expiries.
For households with multiple vehicles the app will offer straightforward management and added peace of mind that loved ones are legal on the road. Furthermore, it will assist in meeting different country regulations when driving elsewhere in Europe by having vehicle documentations close at hand. All uploaded data will be fully encrypted and stored with security protocols on par with online banking systems.
ROAD SAFE NI aims to save lives and reduce the widespread devastation caused by road fatalities and injuries. Through education, awareness raising and grass roots initiatives, Road Safe NI reaches out to local communities and engages with road users of all ages including drivers, passengers, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians. The Charity also offers support to people affected by road traffic collisions through The Road Ahead Support Group.
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ADVERTORIAL
Baird's Butchers is a Newry institution, having been in Canal Street in the city for over 90 years.The business originally started off in what is currently Timoneys Ice Cream shop and moved across the road to its present location a few years later.
Present proprietor William Baird has worked there since he was a child. Baird explains "Like any family business you are in from any age. I started full time from 16/17 and haven't looked back. I don't think you ever take over the business. I've worked along with my mum for years and she's still very much in the background. My wife Jenny has now come into it too."
Last year the offering from the butchers shop at 13 Canal Street was expanded, with the opening of Bairds Butchers Wholesale next door, offering products at wholesale/ catering prices to the public.
The Bathhouse
The wholesale department occupies part of a beautiful building known as The Bathhouse. It is believed it was used in the 19th, possibly 18th Century, by sailors coming off Newry Canal for a good clean up with no doubt local residents also using the facility. It was also most likely the location for Newry's first Cinema. A garage was also on the site from 1910's/20's right through until the 70's!
The back part of the building was idle for around 18 months and owner William Baird had been thinking of a wholesale initiative. "We bought this property about 2000 as a derelict property and rebuilt it in 2005/2006 and had it leased out of and on since, and we had a notion for doing this wholesale project for a number of years and bit the bullet and decided to do it." he said.
Products
Bairds Butchers Wholesale offer a wide variety of cut meats and cooked products in larger packs, especially useful for cafes, restaurants or large families.
They have a large fridge and large freezer stuffed with bargains. From uncooked pies to sausage rolls and burgers, large bags of mince or sausages or bacon as well as steak, brisket, chicken fillets, turkey, lamb and much more.
Packaging is also available along with a large selection of knives, kitchen utensils. condiments rubs, sauces and jams and pour over sauces. Additionally food hampers on display can be purchased from £15 or you can make them up yourself with whatever you want in them.
With Barbecue season just around the corner, all your Barbecue needs are also available from large bags of webber charcoal to boxes of frozen burgers.
From Farm to Fork
In the present climate where traceability is so important and customers want to know where their meat has come from, William Baird Butchers supply the shop and wholesale business from their own farm.
Baird adds "We supply our own cattle through the shop. We farm down at Loughbrickland and have done for a number of years. A farm to fork idea, a bit more traceability, you've better control over the quality side of it, especially in the run up to the slaughter stage."
As well as the Canal Street business Baird's supply local hotels, restaurants and stores including Killeavy Castle, Craft Restaurant, Finegan and Son, the Patrick Street Spar and Fegan's Farm shop, Loughbrickland.
Opening Hours
The new enterprise can be accessed through the back of William Baird Butchers or via New Street/ Canal Quay Car Park. Doors are open from 8am-6pm Monday to Saturday. The facility is Self Service so you can just work away, with a Self-Service Checkout on site or assistance is always available.
Business Profile: Note If you would like your business profiled on Newry.ie please send us and email to news@newry.ie and we will discuss.
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Newry is now once again home to a bonded whiskey warehouse. The 6000 sq. ft facility, picked due to Newry being an ideal location between Dublin and Belfast will supply a global whiskey market.
Irish Craft Beverages (ICB), a successful and enterprising producer and exporter of Irish whiskey, other spirits and beers, has set up its headquarters in Newry and has invested in a substantial facility for blending, bonding and international marketing of all its products.
The launch of the new facility coincided with the small company’s outstanding success last week in winning gold in the influential London Spirits Competition for its game changing Dram in a Can and silver for its Blender’s Cut Irish whiskeys, both of which are being marketed worldwide under Two Stacks, a fast developing brand.
Shane McCarthy, ICB managing director, says the new bonded whiskey warehouse, which will also be branded under Two Stacks, is the first of its kind in Newry in over a century.
“It’s a major stepping stone for Two Stacks to choose Newry as its city of choice. The location offers major benefits for us as an ideal location between Belfast and Dublin, offering access to a thriving population and a prosperous future ahead of it with lots of technology companies headquartered here in Newry. There’s also a new infrastructure investment coming to the city in the short-term,” adds Shane, who runs the business with directors Liam Brogan and Donal McLynn.
The expansion, he continues, has come off the back of the success of the Two Stacks Irish whiskey range in global markets, expanding to over 20 countries in the past 12 months. “We’ve just signed a substantial deal in Australia and have identified other opportunities for us in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the US, Canada, India and South Africa. Invest NI’s trade support helped us to win the business in Australia and the US,” he says
The revolutionary Dram in A Can, the first-ever handy canned whiskey which has attracted endorsement from expert judges in the London Spirits Competition, had been picked up by Woolworths in Australia, Qatar Duty-Free, Total Wine and More and Wholefoods in the US. Dram in a Can had also been acclaimed by influential publications in the US.
The new enterprise will see Two Stacks becoming one of the largest whiskey bonders and blenders in Ireland, working with a handful of top distilleries and breweries “to continue bringing unique and innovative spirit products into the world of whiskies”, Shane says.
“The new warehouse is completely self-sufficient, running off renewable solar panels, with all-electric machinery on-site, and electric car chargers for the staff,” he adds.
Two Stacks will continue to develop collaborative projects with other distilleries in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The company, for instance, has a longstanding relationship with Killowen Distillery in the Mournes, which has influenced the development of some highly original small batch whiskeys using historic pot still techniques
Shane expects the new investment in Newry to lead to employment opportunities in the near future. A new canning line for Dram in a Can is being installed and is the first of its kind in Europe for the distinctive Two Stacks 100ml cans.
Two Stacks Irish Whiskey is the outcome of an ICB drive to revive the tradition of independent bonding, blending, and bottling on the island of Ireland. “Where once many towns and cities and even villages across Ireland had merchants, grocers, and public houses developing their own unique expressions of whiskey very few now have.
“The craft of whiskey bonding and blending in Ireland virtually disappeared as the artisan industry declined throughout the 20th century. We are reviving this rich heritage and showcasing how uniquely brilliant Irish whiskey can be through our blends, finishes and cask strength offerings,” Shane adds.
He continues: “Every release from Two Stacks is different to the one before. Each handcrafted expression is carefully sourced, managed, finished, blended or matured here from different distilleries across Ireland.
“In an age of increasing automation in the drinks industry, Two Stacks relies on traditional techniques that have earmarked high-quality whiskey distilling for more than 100 years – from determining timing through taste and nose while in cask to manually disgorging casks and hand labelling each bottle,” he adds.
Two Stacks gained its first international award at World Whiskies 2021 for its blended First Cut, which first went on sale late last year. The company has since won acclaim for its creation of distinctive and limited edition whiskeys from unique casks sourced from around the world.
An excellent example of this focus in the first whiskey in the company’s Polaris Collection, a limited edition release at a premium price, launched successfully in the year. This is a 9-year old Irish single malt aged in a first fill ex-bourbon barrel before a final six-month finish in ex-Cabernet Franc Red Ice Wine cask from the Niagara region of Ontario, Canada.
Check out their website at TWOSTACKSWHISKEY.COM
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Warrenpoint Port has released details about its performance for year ending 31 December. 2021, a year which brought exceptional challenges, not least in relation to Covid-19 and Brexit!
The Port continues to experience unprecedented demand. In 2021 overall tonnage was up 12.6% compared to 2020, with vessel calls up more than 14% and containers up more than 16%.
This has come on the back of 2020 being an extraordinary year, with Covid driving a 20% reduction in volume compared to 2019 in the first half of the year. As restrictions eased, there was a significant, concerted effort in the second half of the year, to reduce this deficit to (-4.2%) on 2019 volume.
Warrenpoint Port now handles circa 12% of Northern Ireland’s port activity, with 51% export and 49% import in 2021. This is a shift for the Port over last two years as historically it would have been a net importer.
David Holmes, CEO Warrenpoint Port said, “2021 was another extremely challenging year. Our team were tested to the limits in terms of Covid-19 and in delivering to meet demand throughout the restrictions. We would like to thank our team for all their efforts.
“We recorded a tremendous year with Warrenpoint Port really delivering as an economic driver for the region and offering resilience in the regional infrastructure network outside of Belfast. The Port has put more than £10m GVA back into the local economy in the last 12 months. With a recruitment drive in 2021 the fulltime team has increased to more than 70 and indirectly generates more than 400 additional jobs through Port activities.”
David Holmes continued, “All commodities and formats showed strong favourable growth while support from Department of Infrastructure in 2021 allowed the Port to invest in Covid safety measures and equipment. This greatly benefited the productivity capacity at the site during the pandemic.”
In 2021, the Port continued its investment in and outreach to the local community. It hosted a Big Spring Litter Pick, supported local initiatives including a water safety campaign for young people and a fundraising activity for local walking group, the Hiking Hens. The Port hosted its second annual Community Christmas Fund, raising more than £22,000 which has been distributed to 43 different local organisations. This brings the total raised over the last two years to more than £34,000. The Port continues to drive its ‘open door’ policy with quarterly community ezines called ‘On Board’ and quarterly meetings with locally elected representatives.
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AbbeyAutoline have signed an agreement to acquire family-owned brokerage, BMG Insurance.
Established in 1972 by Brian McGurgan, BMG Insurance has headquarters in Portadown with an additional office in Newtownbutler.
With a strong portfolio of commercial clients, BMG Insurance also offers a wide range of personal policies and specialises in motor and haulage insurance.
The forthcoming acquisition arrives as AbbeyAutoline, which is part of the Prestige Insurance Holdings Group, continues its expansion strategy. The company with a presence on the Rathfriland Road in Newry was created in 2020 after a merger between Abbey Insurance and Autoline, has quickly become a market leader in Northern Ireland and has plans to continue to grow its 430-strong team.
Currently in the signing stages of the acquisition, is anticipated that it will take up to six weeks to complete.
AbbeyAutoline Managing Director, Julie Gibbons said this deal is a key part of the company’s expansion plans.
She said: “BMG Insurance has an excellent reputation within the insurance industry here in Northern Ireland and with its customers.
“It is a company which has a proven track record of forming lasting relationships with its customers and for offering excellent advice. These are values which are closely aligned to AbbeyAutoline’s and the acquisition is an exciting one for both parties.
“As part of the deal, we look forward to welcoming the 13-strong team from BMG Insurance to the company.
“Since the merger in 2020, our business has remained buoyant despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the pandemic, and we are continuing to look for the right opportunities to support our expansion.”
Brian McGurgan said he was proud of what BMG Insurance has achieved since he opened the business 50 years ago.
He said: “Everyone at BMG Insurance is looking forward to the next chapter as we look ahead and work towards joining the AbbeyAutoline fold. Our business has been built on a determination to offer excellent advice and friendly service, values which are a fundamental part of AbbeyAutoline.
“It’s about getting to know the needs of customers and tailoring policies which are right for them. As our team moves under the AbbeyAutoline umbrella, I can assure our existing customers of a continuity in service.”
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