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A rich and diverse range of talent throughout the South East region of Northern Ireland is being featured in a new digital app, allowing creative industries to develop their business by connecting them with the tourist market.
The ‘NI Creative Trails’ app, built through the Creative Momentum project in partnership with app design and interpretation agency Oli, is now available for free download. It showcases County Down and County Armagh’s most talented creative businesses offering ‘see and do’ experiences.
With two separate trails available to follow, anyone downloading the app will be able to navigate their way around a variety of independent creative businesses. The featured businesses share an impressive variety of traditional skills, from potters to leathermakers, blacksmiths to jewellery designers and glass blowers to weavers.
James Adair, specialist leathermaker and owner of Newry-based business The Journey Man Saddler, is amongst the businesses featured in the trail and showcased his expertise at the launch of the App.
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council is the lead council behind the Creative Momentum Project, representing the South East Economic Development (SEED) region, which also includes Ards and North Down Borough Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council. The EU Northern Periphery and Arctic Regions Programme (NPA) and SEED fund the Northern Ireland partner on the €2m transnational project ‘Creative Momentum’ supporting the development of the creative industries sector across Europe’s Northern Edge.
Councillor Colin McCusker, Vice Chair of the Economic Development & Regeneration Committee of Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council, said "This new app shines a spotlight on the wealth of creative talent in County Down and County Armagh. Anyone taking a Creative Trail through this app will be able to enjoy a unique experience – and even people familiar with the area will unearth some of our hidden creative gems.
"Celebrating local creative businesses is crucial to support our local economy, harbour and cultivate a healthy culture of innovation, and keep the exceptional skills of people within our communities alive. We have world-class talent on our doorstep and it is fantastic to have this packaged within an easy to use tourist trail,” Councillor Colin McCusker said.
Businesses featuring in the Creative Trails app are also listed on www.mycreativeedge.eu, a platform that showcases the work of businesses in the creative industries in Mid-Sweden, North East Iceland, Northern Finland, South East of Northern Ireland and the West of Ireland as well as further digital marketing to potential creative industries clients in US, UK, French and German cities.
The Creative Momentum Creative Trails app is available for download for IOS and Android devices.
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Newry headquartered company Around Noon has announced a significant acquisition in London to expand its presence within the UK.
The business which already has a market-leading position on the island of Ireland, has acquired Chef in a Box, a premium sandwich and snack manufacturer with market-leading customers in the corporate sector.
The purchase from Donegal Investment Group PLC will enable Around Noon to initially gain a strong foothold in Greater London and provide a platform for further UK expansion.
The Newry company has been in business for more than 25 years and employs over 300 people. It supplies a broad range of high-quality sandwiches, wraps, salads and fruit pots under its Scribbles brand. It also markets bakery items from its in-house operation, Sweet Things, which it acquired last year, and cold pressed juices.
The deal will enable Around Noon, which has built a strong reputation for innovation, to access Chef in a Box’s manufacturing, sales and distribution infrastructure, as well as its high-end client-base, as it seeks to realise its growth ambitions.
Gareth Chambers, CEO of Around Noon, said: “Chef in a Box is an excellent business with an impressive client portfolio, and acquiring the company from Donegal Investment Group PLC gives us the presence and infrastructure required to have a significant impact in the UK market.”
Howard Farquhar, Chairman of Around Noon, said: “Food-to-go is a high-growth category and we see London as a very significant opportunity for us, as well as a platform for further UK expansion, including other potential acquisitions. We are delighted to be expanding our geographical reach, adding to our manufacturing capacity and welcoming new colleagues to our business.”
The food-to-go market in the UK is estimated to be worth over £16billion, driven in part by the rise of little-and-often shopping, and the popularity of coffee culture.
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Seatruck operate a twice daily roll on roll off ferry service connecting Warrenpoint Co Down with the Port of Heysham in Lancashire. The operation commenced in April 1996 and has gone from strength to strength with a €70m investment in 2 purpose built ferries which were introduced in 2007. At the same time Warrenpoint Harbour Authority also provided a new loading ramp and upgraded terminal facilities.
Seatruck are the largest tonnage operator in Warrenpoint and in 2016 the service had a record year with well over 100,000 shipments for the first time in its history. The Seatruck Warrenpoint service saw the fastest percentage freight growth of any Northern Irish ferry service in 2016. As part of the new agreement Warrenpoint harbour have committed to provide additional terminal space in Warrenpoint as is required to cope with future growth predictions.
Seatruck specialise in the shipment of unaccompanied trailers on routes which reduce road mileage for operators compared with the more traditional transit through Scotland or Wales. Continued HGV driver shortages, particularly in the UK, are contributing to an increasing market switch to the Seatruck model.
CEO of Seatruck Ferries Alistair Eagles comments Warrenpoint is where the Seatruck story began and we are absolutely delighted to extend our agreement with the Port and in turn our commitment to the local area. The wider financial benefits of having a successful Port in this area should not be underestimated. Warrenpoint Harbour is the economic heartbeat of Newry and Mourne and more widely on both sides of the border. We now need to ensure that we have the arteries clear to ensure that the blood can flow freely and we welcome the progress being made on the Newry Southern Relief Road.
Chief Executive of Warrenpoint Harbour Authority Peter Conway comments "Warrenpoint Port is delighted to continue its long standing business relationship with Seatruck Ferries with the signing of the ten year extension to the contract. Seatruck is a fast growing innovative Ferry operator with a long and successful history at Warrenpoint. Together both companies hope to continue to grow the business and to provide and develop this modern cross channel Roll on Roll off service. Seatruck is the port's largest customer and this new deal demonstrated its commitment to the port and the region for the long term. As Northern Ireland's second general cargo port Warrenpoint Harbour is a major economic driver for its local region and its position half way between Dublin and Belfast on the island of Ireland is a major benefit in attracting business. The port continues to lobby for the construction of the Newry Southern Relief Road to further improve access to the major road network."
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Newry based business Kukoon.com that sells rugs throughout the world has won the Small Business Marketing Award at the Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards held earlier this month at Belfast's Crowne Plaza Hotel. The business also received a Highly Commended from the judges in the overall ‘Small Business of the Year’ category.
Speaking about the importance of the awards, Head of First Trust Bank, Des Moore, said “Together, small and medium businesses and self-employed people account for more than 75% of turnover across NI’s private sector. As well as contributing significantly to Northern Ireland’s economic fortunes, they have a momentous impact on the social and cultural fabric of our local communities; supporting the supply chain, employing local people and engaging with schools and charities.”
“It was particularly gratifying to see not just a sectoral but a regional spread of businesses taking part. From Ballymena to Belfast and Armagh to Aughnacloy, we received entries from companies working across many industries. While they may have come from different parts of the province and from different sectors, they all shared a common denominator; namely an appetite to innovate and grow. On behalf of First Trust Bank, I offer my congratulations to all the entrants and winners.”
The Awards, which are organised by Business Eye magazine and sponsored by First Trust Bank, aims to shine a light on Northern Ireland’s small business sector and recognises its top performers across 13 different categories. The Awards are open to all businesses in Northern Ireland with less than 50 employees.
Brenda Buckley, Publisher of Business Eye, added “We have been delighted with the success of the Small Business Awards over the past two years, and we're even more pleased with how they've grown year on year. We received a really strong entry from a wide variety of companies based right across Northern Ireland.
“They are already an integral part of the business calendar here, and we've every reason to believe that they will go from strength to strength.”
Another Newry business Bluezone Technologies who develop compliance management software solutions also picked up a Highly Commended award in the ‘Start-up Business of the Year’ category.
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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council has provided a series of business development workshops throughout the district over recent months covering topics such as building your brand, facebook advertising, family businesses, local search engine optimisation, mobile movie making for social media, procurement, selling on platforms such as amazon and ebay, tendering and overseas export opportunities.
Over 200 businesses participated in themed and focused sessions and the Council plan to provide additional workshops between September and December 2017.
For more information place contact the Councils Economic Development Unit on 0300 013 3233.
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The President of Newry Chamber, Michael McKeown has urged businesses from throughout the Greater Newry Area to showcase their business excellence and “show confidence” in the future at a Chamber launch of the Greater Newry Area Business Awards in Bellinis.
With 21 categories there is ample opportunity for all businesses in the Greater Newry Area to enter. Deadline for Entry is 11th August with the Gala Ceremony to take place in the Canal Court Hotel on 28th September.
Gold Sponsors and supporters of this biennial business awards competition include The Bank of Ireland, Flogas Natural Gas and Newry Mourne & Down District Council, together with individual category sponsors.
Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Cllr Roisin Mulgrew stated, “The Council is delighted to be a Gold Sponsor and to endorse the Greater Newry Area Business Awards 2017. These awards support our new Council’s strategic objective of attracting investment and creating jobs by recognising business excellence, entrepreneurship and celebrate all that is good within the Greater Newry business community”.
Geraldine O’Hagan, Senior Branch Manager and Gold sponsor of the 2017 Awards, welcomed the search to identify, recognise and reward some of the region’s top businesses. She said, “Banking lies at the heart of business activity and our involvement in these awards reflects our continued drive and commitment in supporting the local business community in their continuous improvement”.
Mark Gannon, Managing Director of Flogas Natural Gas commented “With the availability of natural gas to businesses throughout the Greater Newry area, we are delighted to be Gold sponsors of these awards. We pride ourselves on quality customer service and similarly look forward to rewarding business excellence across the area”.
If you would like more information on the categories and entry procedure or to request a brochure please contact Newry Chamber office on (028) 30250303 or email admin@newrychamber.com. Organisations can also enter online at www.newrybusinessawards.com
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ABP Food Group which has operations in Newry and Lurgan has become the first food processor in the world to achieve triple certification to the Carbon Trust Standard for the third consecutive time.
The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s leading independent certification awarded to organisations that can demonstrate they are taking effective action to tackle their environmental impact, verifying reductions in carbon emissions, water use and waste output. It recognises good management and year-on-year improvements in sustainability performance.
The achievement is driven by ABP Food Group’s “Doing More with Less” sustainability strategy, which initiated a number of ambitious targets to be achieved by 2020 with a view to substantially reducing ABP Food Group’s environmental footprint.
Commenting on achieving triple certification to the Carbon Trust Standard for the third consecutive time, Dean Holroyd, Group Technical and Sustainability Director at ABP Food Group, said: “In 2014, ABP Food Group was the first food processor globally to achieve this prestigious recognition for the progress made on sustainability across our business. To now achieve it three times in a row is tangible proof of our industry leading standards and the real progress we have made in reducing our environmental footprint.”
John Newton, Associate Director at the Carbon Trust, added: “Great Britain and island of Ireland produce some of the world’s most sustainable meat. Within this market, ABP Food Group has once again demonstrated its leadership credentials through achieving significant ongoing reductions in its own environmental impact. We are delighted to recognise this by awarding recertification to the Carbon Trust Standard, thanks to the company’s achievements in once again cutting carbon emissions, water use and waste from its operations.”
In 2015, ABP opened the world’s most sustainable beef processing facilities at Ellesmere in Shropshire. The site generates all of its own heating and hot water needs and up to 100% of its electricity requirements from bio-fuel produced as a by-product of the beef processing operation. Last year, all of ABP’s Republic of Ireland sites received the international energy management standard ISO 50001 in recognition of the processes implemented to improve energy efficiency.
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The third annual Business Eye First Trust Bank Small Business Awards, the premier awards for SME businesses in N Ireland took place last Thursday in Belfast with Newry's BlueZone Technologies being Highly Commended in Start Up Business of the Year.
Newry based BlueZone Technologies have developed an innovative software specifically for the management of health and safety within the built and compliance environment, which helps ensure your people are safe and healthy and your building portfolio compliant.
Adrian Byrne, CEO, commented: “With a very high calibre of businesses shortlisted, we were delighted to be recognised by the judges and this is acknowledgement of the dedicated staff and quality product we have here at BlueZone”.
BlueZone Technologies was chosen by the judges as they were deemed to be one of Northern Ireland’s most promising enterprises and illustrated what can be achieved by a Start-Up business.
You can follow BlueZone Technologies on Twitter @BluezoneTech1 or LinkedIn.
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The Buttercrane Shopping Centre is the latest location for leading food-on-the-go retailer, Greggs, bringing 14 new jobs to the city.
It's the tenth company-managed Greggs’ shop in the province with the company having 1,800 shops operating across the UK.
It will offer the full range of Greggs’ products – from its famous baked savouries and freshly ground-to-order coffee menu to confectionery products, soups and sandwiches. Also available will be Greggs’ great value breakfast deal, which includes a bacon, sausage or egg roll plus a hot drink from only £2.
As part of its commitment to offer lighter, healthier alternatives, the shop will stock Greggs’ popular Balanced Choice range, including the Chicken Katsu Bake which is less than 300 calories.
And to coincide with the arrival of summer, local customers will be able to try the new salad menu from Greggs, a range of exciting options which includes Coconut, Lime and Chilli Chicken, as well as Falafel, Harissa, Roast Veg and Grains.
All summer salads are under 400 calories and meet green and amber on the Food Standards Agency traffic light system for fat, saturated fat, salt and sugar.
The shop layout offers customers a food-on-the-go experience, with lots of space for browsing. Seating is also available for customers who wish to relax and enjoy their purchases inside the shop.
Jason Eskdale, manager of Greggs Buttercrane said: “I’m delighted to be leading our team in this new shop. Newry is a very popular and thriving town and we’re excited to bring a taste of Greggs to all who shop, visit and work here!”
Peter Murray, Manager of Buttercrane Shopping Centre added: "We are extremely pleased to welcome Greggs to Buttercrane and regard it as a great addition to our retail offering. There has been a lot of local interest in its arrival with many of our customers eager to be among the first to try the famous Greggs’ product range.”
The new shop is open Monday to Saturday (8am to 6pm) and Sunday (1pm to 6pm)
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