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Capital grants up to a maximum of £4,999 are now available to rural businesses to support the sustainability, recovery and development of micro businesses through DAERA’s Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programme administered and managed by local Councils. Capital grants can provide up to a maximum of 50% grant rate and are available to existing micro enterprises based in rural areas of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
In response to the recent announcement, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Cathy Mason said, “The announcement by DAERA to provide a fourth round of funding is fantastic news for rural businesses across our District and very much welcomed. I urge our indigenous rural businesses to apply for the opportunity of funding up to £4,999 to assist with capital costs. With 137 businesses already benefiting from this funding throughout the Newry, Mourne and Down District area in the last three years, the investment is testament to the drive and passion of our local businesses to overcome challenges and emerge stronger in a better position.”
The capital grant scheme can assist with funding new capital equipment/machinery; computer equipment and software; e-commerce websites; and Covid-19 business recovery equipment. Grants are available to support the recovery, sustainability and development of existing micro businesses based in rural areas who have not previously received funding under the TRPSI Rural Business Development Grant 2021. Businesses who were successful in 2019 and 2020 are eligible to apply.
Similar previous Rural Business Development Grant Schemes provided under DAERA’s Tackling Rural Poverty and Social Isolation (TRPSI) Programmes in 2019, 2020 and 2021, resulted in 137 successful projects with a total grant funding of £412,412 resulting in a total investment value in the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area of over £825,000 to include grant funding and match funding.
A mandatory pre-funding workshop must be attended prior to applying for the scheme which opens for applications on Wednesday 4 May 2022, closing on Tuesday 31 May 2022 at 12noon.
Guidance notes and details of pre-funding workshops are available on the Newry, Mourne and Down District Council website: www.newrymournedown.org
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Newry based Exact Group have embraced the past few year challenges seeing them as opportunities, something that has led them to increase their colloboration with other like minded businesses.
During a recent visit to the company’s facility by Minister of State, Conor Burns MP, Stephen Cromie stated that post COVID, the world of manufacturing has changed and that there are increased opportunities for companies, especially in the aerospace sector, where many organisations are now looking for valued and trusted partners that are not based in a low-cost country (LCC).
Stephen said, “The last two years presented many challenges, but also highlighted issues with not only logistics, but stock availability. This in turn has caused many organisations to look for other like-minded organisations to ensure their supply chain is future proofed.”
The Exact Group believes that it is one such company and is well positioned to avail of these opportunities given its capabilities, which include engineering, fabrication and many cosmetic finishings. Stephen admits this suits many of his customers, as sometimes they need the extra knowhow and capability and when it is all in the one place, it doesn’t just save time, but also money.
Stephen spoke to the Minister of State during the visit about the need to maximise these opportunities for growth, and to further strengthen the manufacturing capability within the region. Acknowledging the need to be competitive, having built up his company over the last 20 years, Stephen said the key to overcoming these adversities is finding solutions as a sector in order to grow.
Stephen said, “The Exact Group, and many companies within the region, need to maximise the opportunities that are being presented right across NI and the UK. We are all facing the same challenges, however, one aspect that could stunt that growth is the ongoing skills gap. To overcome this, a change at secondary level education is needed. Whilst it might be financially beneficial for educational facilities to encourage the route of third level education, it is important that the individual student’s aspirations and best interests are first and foremost when being advised on their future career path.
General Manager at the Exact Group, Ronan Callan, continued, “We are working very closely with Southern Regional College (SRC) on its apprenticeship scheme to recruit and provide on the job and expert training to apprentices who will gain a recognised qualification and more importantly, much needed experience meaning that they are able to operate the machines as soon as it is safe to do so.
“We currently have 10 apprentices employed with the company and are hoping to recruit a further four in the coming months, which will significantly help fill the skills gap we are facing.”
Minister of State, Conor Burns MP said, “I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit Newry and meet with The Exact Group’s senior team. It was great to hear of the many opportunities for future growth and the determination of Stephen and his team to find solutions to the challenges they are facing.
“Working with the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy, we’ve provided £15m to support their Skill Up programme. This will fully fund approximately 15,000 training places across local Further Education colleges and universities over the next three years.
“The Government is committed to skilling and levelling up Northern Ireland and this funding will help to address some of the issues that I have heard here today. “
One of the leading precision engineering firms in Northern Ireland, the Exact Group was recently awarded the SC21 Silver award for the second consecutive year.
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The Minister of State for Northern Ireland, Conor Burns MP visited Newry based testing company, Resonate Testing recently to engage and gain a detailed understanding of the company’s work, the sectors it services and the ongoing challenges it faces, as well as its future plans for growth.
Established in 2016, Resonate Testing found a niche in the testing services market, offering a range of high-quality testing and certification services across all industrial sectors, which has driven significant growth and demand for the testing facilitator’s services.
Having recently diversified into the space sector, Managing Director of Resonate Testing, Tom Mallon, sees huge potential and opportunity for SMEs looking to enter the space industry across the UK. Northern Ireland is engaging in a Northern Ireland Space Strategy to create a firm and realistic foundation from which to grow the space sector, and enhance the region’s standing in the space community.
Following the visit, Tom said, “Resonate Testing was delighted to host the Minister of State for Northern Ireland and have the opportunity to show him our highly innovative testing facility, meet some of our expert team and give a demonstration of high shock and fire testing, and how we integrate practical solutions with key software to deliver results to our customers.
“We explained to the Minister about the many capabilities that we have from fire, flammability and packaging to shock, environmental and climatic testing, and the opportunities that are available to our company within the space sector throughout the UK. It is important that we maximise these opportunities and realise the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda, otherwise the region may be left behind its British counterparts, if support is not provided.“
Following the visit, Minister of State Conor Burns MP said; “It was wonderful to visit Resonate Testing and hear about the great success of a family run business, seeing how alive its entrepreneurial spirit is and innovative in its approach.
“The space sector in the UK is going from strength to strength, with the UK Space Industry recently reporting that the size of the space industry in Northern Ireland has tripled in the past year.
“The UK Government is committed to supporting Northern Ireland, and businesses like Resonate Testing show the importance of Northern Ireland to the UK, showcasing the world-class talent and expertise that exists here.”
Resonate Testing’s customer base ranges geographically from Europe, USA and Brazil, to Canada and Japan, as well as across the Island of Ireland and the UK. During the global pandemic, the company minimised any disruption to services thanks to the introduction of its innovative and forward-thinking high quality video stream service in 2019, which was recognised with a platinum level Innovate NI Innovation Accreditation.
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Newry based independent accountancy and business advisory firm FPM today announced a merger with Anderson Anderson & Brown (AAB), the tech-enabled business critical services group, to fast-track ambitious growth plans and create a significant regional presence across the UK and Ireland.
FPM is an independent audit, accounting, tax and business advisory firm with revenue of c£9.5m and a team of over 120 people across 5 office locations in Newry, Belfast, Balbriggan (Dublin North), Dungannon and Mallusk. The 9 FPM shareholder directors are all remaining in their current roles and will continue to drive the growth of FPM as part of the AAB Group.
Managing Director at FPM, Feargal McCormack added “We are delighted to be merging with AAB. The synergies across our teams, service provision and sector specialisms, provide a fantastic platform for exciting future growth. In addition to this, we were attracted to AAB as the group has impressive global connections and experience working with high-growth SME businesses and large corporations internationally. This instantly gives us the capabilities to do even more for our clients, wherever they wish to do business across the world, whilst also providing our teams with enhanced opportunities to progress and develop as part of a larger group.”
AAB Group has grown rapidly in the last 12 months, following 3 M&A transactions and investment from August Equity in October 2021. FPM’s complementary geographic presence will further enhance the wider AAB Group as a key player in the UK & Irish accountancy and business services markets, adding Ireland to its other regional hubs across Scotland and England. The merger with FPM is another major step forward in AAB’s growth journey as it becomes a group with £50M+ revenue and 550+ team members in 10 offices across the UK and Ireland.
Following the merger, AAB shall continue to actively pursue its organic and M&A growth plans, looking to strengthen its team with further recruitment across all locations, and continue to identify attractive M&A opportunities which augment the group’s current activities.
Graeme Allan, Chief Executive at AAB added “This merger is a very important milestone for the group. With FPM, we gain an impressive team with a great reputation and significant presence across the island of Ireland. There is a strong cultural fit between our firms, and at the heart of this is a passion for helping team members and clients achieve their goals, which makes us hugely excited about the opportunity this merger presents.”
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Around Noon, the award-winning food-to-go manufacturer, has secured a new contract to supply its Scribbles range of sandwiches and wraps to 60 Tesco stores across Northern Ireland.
The deal will see the Newry-headquartered firm, which produces an extensive range of products – such as sandwiches, salads, wraps and fruit pots – supply the Scribbles range across the retail giant’s supermarkets, Tesco Extra and Tesco Express stores, including its petrol forecourt sites.
Around Noon has been in business for over 30 years and employs over 300 people. It already supplies a broad range of high-quality chilled, hot, frozen and bakery products to customers including forecourt and convenience retailers and cafes throughout the UK and Ireland.
Commenting on the new supply deal, Philip Morgan, Around Noon sales director, said: “At Around Noon we work hard to help our customers move with and stay ahead of changing trends and our Scribbles range is an enticing and engaging proposition for the on-the-go consumer.
“We currently occupy a strong foothold in the convenience retail and foodservice markets. Our new supply deal with Tesco Northern Ireland further expands our market presence as we grow our product offering with the large multiples.”
Michael Crealey, Tesco buying manager for Northern Ireland, added: “We’re proud to support local and our new partnership with Around Noon reflects our commitment to continually improving and expanding our popular lunchtime meal deal offer. The Scribbles range, with its unique personality unlike anything else in the local market, is the perfect addition to complement our existing food-to-go offering and has been an instant hit with consumers.”
Alongside its own-brand products, which include Scribbles and Twelve, Around Noon offers a white label service for blue chip convenience retail and coffee house brands. In 2016, it established Around Noon Bakery, which supplies well-known high street retailers and independent stores under the Sweet Things brand.
Last year, the business secured rank in the prestigious Food & Beverage Fast 50 report produced by global advisory firm Alantra.
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Newry Chamber have launched their annual NI Small Business Conference. The event, which has been online only for the last two years, will take place in person this year on Thursday 9June 2022 from 8:30am to 4pm in the Canal Court Hotel & Spa, Newry. It will include keynote speakers, case studies and a larger exhibition space.
The conference will include expert speakers from specialist organisations and local employers who have continued to grow.
The Workshops
Keynote Speakers
Speaking about the Conference Tony McKeown, CEO of Newry Chamber said “We have been engaging with our members over the last number of months to better understand what the current challenges they face and opportunities they see. This conference is all about connecting our small business community with each other and with organisations that can support them.”
“Our conference programme covers the main areas we hear about when talking to businesses. We have inspirational case studies from many small businesses that have not only grown but thrived during the pandemic. Some hot topics include accessing finance for growth, the emerging gig economy to address the skills gap, growing sales online and across export markets, the desire to shop local and support our high streets, being proactive about net zero and how to deal with the surge in energy costs.”
The event is supported by principal sponsors, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and supporting sponsors, Federation of Small Businesses NI and Southern Regional College. It is open to organisations from across Northern Ireland, not just the Greater Newry Area.
Oonagh Magennis, Deputy Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council who are supporting the Conference said “We are delighted to support Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade with this important initiative. As a Council, one of our key objectives is to support the development and growth of our businesses. This conference offers a vital opportunity for businesses to learn of the range of business supports on offer right across our District. The Council’s own businesses support programmes will be promoted at this event and I encourage local companies to contact the Council to find out more on the support available.”
Brendan Kearney, Regional Chair of FSB in NI said “The business community have shown remarkable resilience over the last two years. For many it was about survival. However, we are now looking to a better future. The FSB are here to help and this conference is a fantastic way to come together and discuss how we can work together to create a better economy for all. In Northern Ireland, we know that the economy is driven by small and medium enterprises. So please get involved and see what help is available.”
Tracy Rice, Head of Business Engagement at SRC added “SRC are delighted to be sponsoring this important conference and work with Newry Chamber and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council to support local businesses. We are thrilled to see small businesses in the Greater Newry Area taking such a proactive approach. We work with many local firms and feedback from employers is that initiatives like higher level apprenticeships and upskilling current workforce is making a positive difference to their bottom lines.”
The conference is FREE to attend for Newry Chamber and FSB NI Members and £35.00 + Booking Fee for Non-Members. Breakfast and Lunch will be provided on the day.
Book your place atwww.newrychamber.com
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In April 2021 Newry BID (Business Improvement District) commenced its second five-year term. A revote in March 2021 saw a 90% majority of member businesses revote to have the service retained.
Newry BID was delighted to take on the new mandate to support the continuous improvement of Newry city centre. As part of its campaign for the 2021- 26 mandate Newry BID committed to three core values - to help businesses to ‘Belong’, to ‘Invest’ in the city centre and to ‘Deliver’ for its members.
Eamonn Connolly explains what has been achieved in year one, “It was so important for us to get a mandate for a second term from our members. There was, however, no opportunity to rest on our laurels. We made a commitment to members, and we hope that in year one, while still managing Covid challenges, we have delivered as their voice in the city centre. Those early few months were spent supporting businesses through Covid Grant applications, supporting with HR issues relating to Furlough and lobbying for delivery of, and eventually an extension, to the business rates relief scheme.
“In the early part of the new term from last April onwards cleaning continued to be extremely important as we welcomed more people back to Newry. As we learned to live with restrictions, people appreciated that BID were out on the streets cleaning touchpoints such as public furniture, cash points, door handles, shop fronts and the pavements. The increased usage of our free car park at North Street is a good barometer that things are slowly improving.
“People may not realise that BID is also involved in lobbying in terms of disruption to trade in the city centre. With coordination and discussion between contractors and businesses BID was for example, able to recently help shorten a road works programme on Sugar Island from six weeks down to two weeks.
“As we moved towards the later part of the year, the focus switched to welcoming people back to Newry and trying to encourage shoppers back into the city centre. We launched and managed our ‘TAP into Newry’ campaign which saw more than £10.6 million of ‘Spend Local’ vouchers utilised in businesses in Newry, Mourne and Down. It is expected that a large proportion of this was spent in Newry city centre. During that campaign more than 100 businesses got involved; more than 120 customers won vouchers in our ‘Random Taps of Kindness’; there was extensive press coverage; and with the support of local influencers had a reach of more than 185,000 on social media.”
Eamonn Connolly added, “We were involved in many other activities in 2021-22 including lobbying for the Albert Basin Park; leading the Lower Hill Street Revitalisation Grant Scheme; the Murals at the North Street underpass; the retention of Purple Flag for the night-time economy; and numerous competitions and celebrations including Butcher’s Week, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and 12 Days of Christmas. We have many community partnerships and stakeholder organisations who support us. We also continued to provide training, marketing, access to billboards and VMS signage for our members as well as general business support. Ultimately, we are there to help our members with problems whether it’s providing training, addressing anti-social behaviour issues or simply raising the profile of their business.
“We are looking forward to year two where we have many activities and events already in the planning. We are proud sponsors of Newry City Half Marathon taking place on Sunday 29th May. This promises to be a fantastic event for the city. We are organising stand up paddle boarding clean ups on the Canal; Summer Saturdays and Sundays entertainment in the city; and continuing to work to deliver a number of parklets in Newry.
“We are here to listen to and support our members. We aim to provide good value to everyone who pays the BID levy and to make sure they get much more back than they put in. We live by our values of Belong, Invest, Deliver, and hope to make Newry city centre cleaner, greener and safer - a great place for all who live, work and do business here.”
For further information about Newry BID please log onto newry.com
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Newry based marine outfitter, MJM Marine is in the running for three upcoming local awards. Two of the awards celebrate the individual skill and talent within the company and the third is for overall company success.
Shea Rooney, Third Year Apprentice Joiner in MJM, has been shortlisted for Apprentice of the Year at the Insider Media Made in Northern Ireland Awards 2022. The company has also been shortlisted in the same awards in the category of Manufacturer of the Year (over £25m). The awards take place this Friday 13th May at a lunchtime ceremony in Titanic Hotel, Belfast.
In another testament to the level of talent MJM attract, Placement Quantity Surveyor, Sean Hughes, has been shortlisted in the Ulster University Innovation in Placement Awards. The awards, run by the Ulster University Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment, offers a prize for the top student in each of the three subject areas. The winning students will be those who, in collaboration with their employer, contributed to innovation during their placement. Sean, who’s studies focus around the Built Environment, took the initiative to develop a guide for the Quantity Surveying team on usage of the new Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) which MJM launched in September 2021. Sean’s contribution is helping to improve employee efficiency, improve usage of the new system, save time and increase productivity. The awards ceremony will take place on the 17th June when the winners will be announced.
Elizabeth O’Connor, Director of HR and Legal at MJM Marine said, “We are immensely proud of the talent that we attract here at MJM Marine. Not only have two individuals, Shea and Sean been nominated for awards for their own contributions to the company, but the culmination of all our staff’s efforts have also resulted in the company being shortlisted in the Manufacturer of the Year Category (over £25m).”
Elizabeth continued, “This is a very exciting time at the company, we are looking forward to seeing ambitious and talented people joining our team over the next few months as we continue to grow and expand at an exponential rate. We have filled a significant number of new roles already this year and will be recruiting for numerous other roles over the next few months, all details of which will be on our website and social media.”
MJM has been investing in the future by training staff and continuing to develop their ERP system. They have also struck up new partnerships, developing innovative products to expand their offering in the marketplace and the company has also launched a carpet and upholstery division, offering a range of additional services to the marine industry.
MJM Marine is a leading international specialist in cruise ship refurbishment with over 38 years’ experience. The company are Investors in People Gold accredited and carry the Bronze Diversity Mark. The company recently won the Collaboration Award at the Cruise Ship Interiors Expo in London for their work with antimicrobial lighting producer, Vyv.
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Newry Chamber, which represents over 300 businesses across the Greater Newry Area, has called on political parties to return to Stormont to create a functioning government.
Julie Gibbons, President of Newry Chamber said “We have been consistent in our message with all NI political parties, GB and EU government officials and a range of stakeholders we have met with this year that the business community deserve and desperately need stability.
We need mature politics where all parties work collectively to come up with creative solutions to problems. This is exactly what the business community does on a daily basis. For every challenge, there is an opportunity. The business community simply want more certainty to ensure this region fulfils its undoubted potential.
Our members have shown tremendous resilience during the Covid pandemic. Just when we thought that the economy was starting to recover, the war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, energy inflation and staff shortages are presenting fresh challenges.
Therefore the last thing we need is a lack of a functioning Executive with political parties refusing to return to Stormont over the protocol. Our members have adapted to the protocol and many have benefitted from its existence. We know that some aspects of protocol related goods checks are not currently happening due to grace periods being extended, but we firmly believe that these are practical operational matters to be resolved so the best way to resolve outstanding issues and create long-term solutions is by getting around the table.
The business community in our region see the potential of NI having dual access to the GB and EU markets as a positive competitive differentiator which goes some way to make up for decades of trading in such a difficult environment during the Troubles. Already our members are reporting that cross-border trade has grown significantly over the last two years as we are ideally placed in a strategic location on the Eastern Economic Corridor between Belfast and Dublin.
Our internationally focused companies across many sectors have pivoted, adapted and flourished due to our innate levels of creativity, innovation and entrepreneurialism.
This year, we celebrate 20 years of City Status being attained, and currently Newry is at a momentous crossroads on the back of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council securing significant funding from the Belfast City Deal to progress the Newry City Centre Regeneration Programme as well as the announcement pre-Christmas by the Department of Finance pledging funding for a City Centre Park.
The next ten years could be a real decade of opportunity with Newry and the surrounding area receiving investment, long overdue, seeing life being breathed into projects like the Southern Relief Road, Albert Basin Park, Narrow Water Bridge and Mourne Gateway projects all of which will bring much needed increased visitor numbers.
In line with the global trend businesses in this area are also suffering from a skills recruitment and retention crisis which is a potential growth inhibitor.
As a Chamber, we are working hard with school principals in an education and skills cluster group to think of ways to counter this, but the lack of a progressive NI government is affecting young peoples’ willingness to stay and pursue their careers within the NI economy. It is challenging but it is essential to keep our talent local and to fuel the growth and innovation that we are so capable of, therefore young people, the Generation Z population of NI and frankly, businesses, want and need an environment of mature politics and political stability.
The business community in this area have become used to pushing on regardless of what is happening at a macro-level surrounding it. There is so much potential opportunity, imagine what this entire region could achieve if we were all aligned in our strategic priorities.
Newry Chamber as the leading voice for business in the Greater Newry Area is here to help and assist in any way we can.”
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