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A new media and marketing company has been launched in Newry this week.
Sugar Island Media based in the historical Sugar Island area of Newry city was set up by Keven Sands Tony (Riser) Smith and Micky Dodds.
The team have pooled talent resources including Printing, Web Design, Photography, Promotions, Commercials and Brand Development to form a one stop shop for all marketing and media needs.
Gillian Fitzpatrick, Chairperson, Newry, Mourne and Down Council was on hand to cut the ribbon earlier this week at the new Banter Show studio run in conjunction with Sugar Island Media.
Keven is no stranger to getting the best out of business, running a successful Newry based enterprise, The Curvy Gurl that ships clothing world wide, with franchisee’s starting to appear in other parts of Ireland and the UK. Tony and Mickey are also well known local media personalities with their Banter Show recognised as a great way for local organisations from businesses to community groups to get their message across.
Newry.ie photographer and manager, Columba O’Hare is one of the teams photographic suppliers.
You can find out more at www.sugarislandmedia.com
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Norbrook Laboratories parent company Norbrook Holdings Ltd have announced their financial results for the year to July 2016 which show a turnover increase of £23M taking revenue to £239m, up 11% year-on-year.
The year saw increased revenue in all main markets with strong organic growth and new product development contributing. Significant capital investment was made in many areas of the business throughout the year.
The company launched five new products in the last year helping to drive business in the US and EU, up 16% and 24% respectively with Asia Pacific and the Middle East and North Africa performing strongly.
Newry based Norbrook Laboratories farm and companion animal categories were up 8% and 15% respectively and total exports outside of the UK now account for more than 80% of Revenue.
Liam Nagle, Chief Executive Officer said, “We have had another strong year, where we have seen increasing revenue in all regions. We have further strengthened our product offering in both the EU and North America with a number of new product launches, and we continue to work closely with our customers in each market to identify product opportunities.
We have embarked on a significant multi-year capital investment programme, which includes the upgrading and expansion of our manufacturing capability, new laboratory facilities, and the strengthening of our IT infrastructure. We are investing for the future and have developed a clear strategy for the business to take advantage of what continues to be a buoyant sector.”
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Newry Junior Chamber held their AGM at the weekend in The Bank Bar Newry where the new committee for 2017 were elected.
Ryan Sheppard takes on the role as incoming President taking over from Nicole Curran of PKF-FPM. Other committee members include Suzanna Hall, Vice-President, Grainne Mulgrew, Public Relations Officer, Caroline Courtney, Secretary and Stephen O’Hare, Treasurer.
Nicole Curran thanked the Newry Junior Chamber and the committee for their support throughout the year with so many fantastic milestones and events including welcoming Taoiseach Enda Kenny, hosting the Digital Vault event, raising almost £9k for Southern Area Hospice through the shops challenge and the effort put into the Secret Santa appeal at Christmas to name a few. Nicole congratulated Ryan Sheppard as the new President and wished him the very best of luck in this fantastic position.
Speaking for the first time in the new role, Ryan Sheppard said “Roughly two years ago I arrived at my first Newry Junior Chamber meeting and taking a seat at the conference table I cautiously formed an image of what the NJC was about, its drivers and the benefits for its members. It very quickly became apparent that the term 'Business Group' was totally inadequate for Newry Junior Chamber is a business community. Now to be officially elected as the new President of Newry Junior Chamber, I’m excited for the year ahead albeit slightly anxious but entirely confident that the strong team around me will help make these next 12 months great for the Newry Junior Chamber”.
Ryan closed off with a huge thank you to the former President, Nicole Curran and her team for a very enjoyable 2 years with highly commendable and incremental results.
If you are interested in joining Newry Junior Chamber or would like more information, visit the website www.newryjuniorchamber.com
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Newry based family firm The Rug House has rebranded as Kukoon in a move that has seen them expand their team to over 30, while increasing the number of rugs they stock by over 100% from last year, bringing the total to an amazing 250,000 different rugs!
A new website has been launched Kukoon.com with multiple language and currency options to accommodate their ever-growing international customer base and expand on the 5,000 rugs sold globally across 35 countries every week.
The sleek new site already features more than 15,000 rugs.
The firm have undergone a significant expansion with the aim to boost their presence in new markets and maximise their success as the largest retailer in Ireland and the UK for stylish and affordable rugs.
As part of their expansion, Kukoon have recruited a number of new employees, taking their team to over 30 people compared to 23 in 2015. They are also in the process of expanding their retail presence in the province by opening a new store in Boucher Road, Belfast. The new store is expected to be open before Easter this year.
As part of their continued growth, Kukoon have developed an exclusive range of luxury wool rugs. The rugs in The Meraki Range come in an an array of colours and sizes, with prices to suit any budget.
Kukoon’s Head of e-Commerce Richard McKnight says that over the last year their biggest challenge has been: “automating our stock management system and purchasing analysis, and improving overall cost efficiencies of the business while maintaining over 30% year on year growth across all channels.”
There’s been lots to celebrate since the company first launched, but Richard says Kukoon biggest success over the last year has been “the huge growth of our website compared to 2015 with sales up over 135%”.
“As a business we are delighted that given our overall growth in sales and revenue we have maintained our quality in customer services and customer feedback scores which currently ranks us 9.5/10. “
“The improvements made across the operational side of the business has been excellent ensuring that the volume increase of orders has been meet with ease.”
Kukoon, formerly known as The Rug House, was established by brother and sister duo Paul and Clare Vallely in in 2007. The company started out from a shed adjacent to Paul and Clare’s parents’ house in Newry.
Since then the company has flourished and has been recognised for their success picking up various awards including ‘Exporter of the Year’ in the DANI Awards 2014, the UTV Business Eye Award for ‘SME of the Year’ in the same year.
To celebrate their new website relaunch, Kukoon will be launching a competition in February, giving you the chance to win money towards a rug for your home from their exclusive Meraki range.
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Buttercrane Shopping Centre has won the top award Best Disabled Bathroom facility in a shopping centre or retail location across all of Ireland and the UK and achieved Platinum status for their Mother & Baby Room and Male/Female bathroom facilities.
The major national award highlighted their recently added ‘Space to Change’ disabled facility and also mentioned the integrated Sensory Zone in the Mother & Baby changing.
The Centre was up against major competition in the national awards ceremony which had hundreds of entries from retail, hospitality and education and local authorities across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.
The judges cited the centre saying it provided “absolutely superb public toilet facilities” which visitors travelling between Dublin and Belfast should stop off and visit.
Peter Murray, Buttercrane Centre Manager said he was delighted with the win. “It’s wonderful to be voted the Best in Ireland & the UK against schemes such as The Trafford Centre, Manchester, Asda, JD Witherspoon, Lakeside Thurrock and McDonalds amongst others for our customer toilet facilities.
“Customers often remark how much it enhances their visit to our centre and their shopping experience. We’d also like to thank all our cleaning staff for maintaining such excellent levels of cleanliness even on very busy days and supporting this wonderful award. ”
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The Infrastructure Minister Chris Hazard met with members of the Business community in Newry on Friday and reaffirmed his determination to take forward key north south projects such as the Narrow Water Bridge. He also stated that he had instructed his offficials to take forward planning and development work on the Southern Relief Road.
Last week the minister announced that he had instructed officials to take forward planning and development work on the Newry Southern Relief Road as well as setting out a commitment to take the Narrow Water Bridge Project forward.
Members of the Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade and members of The Greater Newry Vision Partnership were some of the local business people who met with the minister.
The Southern Relief Road is a top policy priority for Newry Chamber and members were briefed on the Department’s commitment to take forward planning and development work on this key project which is now in the Programme for Government and starting within six years.
President of the Chamber of Commerce, Michael McKeown commented “Newry Chamber welcomes the progress that has been made and will continue to lobby and work with stakeholders to ensure that this valuable economic project is brought to fruition”.
The Minister's colleague Newry & Armagh Sinn Féin MLA Conor Murphy commenting on the meeting said "This meeting in Newry today was informative and positive. The infrastructure issues discussed are key to the development and economic sustainability of this area. Whilst concerns were raised about public confidence in the institutions and the current political situation,there was also an acknowledgment that the work being pursued by the Minister and the direction his Department was focusing on would ultimately be of benifit to this region"
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If you are thinking about starting up your own business you might be interested in the ‘Go For It’ programme launched this week by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
The ‘Go For It’ programme is a key driver for growing the local business base across the district. Business ideas will be explored, and participants will gain the support to turn their business idea into a well-designed business plan.
Speaking at the launch, Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson, Councillor Gillian Fitzpatrick said, “The Council is delighted to launch the ‘Go For It’ programme, which is a comprehensive package of advice, training and support for anyone thinking of starting out on their entrepreneurial journey”.
Delivered on the Council’s behalf by Newry and Mourne Enterprise Agency and Down Business Centre, the programme of support will offer participants a business planning workshop, with mentoring support and advice to assist with the business planning process. Participants will complete the programme with a new business plan, providing them with a focus and direction for their business idea, objectives and goals to help get them started.
The programme is open to residents of the district aged 16 or over. For more information phone 0800 027 0639 or visit goforitni.com. Information can also be found by contacting Newry, Mourne and Down District Council on 0300 013 2233 or email business@nmandd.org
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Newry girl Niamh Downey has won the Chartered Institute of Marketing Award for achieving the Best Student Performance in Global Marketing award at the annual Ulster University Business School’s Student Awards organised by the Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy. Niamh a former pupil of St Paul’s High School, recently graduated with a BSc Hons degree in Marketing at the University.
Niamh Downey is presented with the CIM Award for Excellence by sponsor representative Kathryn Pyper (right) watched by Course Director Dr Mary Boyd (left). Photograph: Darren Kidd / Press Eye
Speaking at the Awards ceremony, Dr Danielle McCartan-Quinn, Head of the Department, said, “These Awards recognise the top performers across the range of marketing, entrepreneurship and strategy related programmes. The Ulster University Business School prides itself on delivering courses which enable students to not only reach their academic potential but also allow them to experience the subjects through practical application, developing skills and raising ambition. The fact that so many of our leading private sector companies and professional bodies are engaged with both the Awards and the learning experience at the Ulster University Business School is testament to the importance of the integrated approach towards preparing students for careers across the business sector.”
A total of 15 sponsored awards were presented. Sponsors included Belfast Telegraph, Stakeholder Group, Wrightbus, First Trust Bank, Hastings Hotels, Envision Management Consultants, Moy Park, CIM, CAI, CIMA, Marketing Institute of Ireland, Whale, Shredbank, Pure Running and Marketstall.
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Newry Junior Chamber Member and Marketing Co-ordinator, Denise Cowan of Digital Den Marketing Limited was recently shortlisted for 2 national marketing awards for her work on a cultural tourism and event marketing campaign, which was supported by The Public Health Agency, Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Department for Social Development and OFMDFM.
The self-employed Digital Marketing Consultant was a Finalist at the recent Women in Business NI Awards in the Best Marketing Campaign Category for her role in setting up the digital infrastructure for Belfast Orangefest, a registered charity which facilitates, develops and celebrates the positive impacts of Orange celebrations on local communities and the economy. Digital Den and the wider Orangefest team were also runners up (2nd place) at the CIM Ireland Awards for Marketing Excellence in the Not for Profit Sector.
Denise project managed the website build, wrote the website copy, set up and delivered the organisations email marketing and developed social media profiles and audiences on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. She was also responsible for developing a content marketing strategy, creating promotional content and running digital advertising campaigns on Facebook to promote the ‘Battle Not Bottle’ Campaign. This bore the tagline, “It’s About the Battle, Not The Bottle!” and marked the 100th Anniversary of The Battle of the Somme.
These accolades follow on from Denise’s success last year, where she was also a finalist in the Best New Business category in the Greater Newry Area Business Awards, and Commended in the Digital Business Person of the Year Category at the Digital Advertising Northern Ireland Awards.
Digital Den was set up by Denise early in 2014 after many years of academic study and industry experience in business development, management and marketing. Denise worked in marketing roles within the utilities, construction, engineering and environmental sectors, and within market research, web design and digital marketing agencies before striking out on her own. With almost 15 years’ experience behind her, she brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to the projects she delivers and to the marketing of Newry Junior Chamber and The Business Network Banbridge, where she is also a committee member.
Her services include digital audits, strategy development, project management, content marketing, social media marketing and copywriting. She is also an experienced mentor and trainer and has worked on many SME business support programmes on behalf of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council, South East Economic Development, Southern Regional College’s i3 Business Support Centre and Women in Business NI.
Denise would say that in her life, there's no time called spare time! When she isn’t working she’s a keen runner, likes to sweat it out at classes in her local gym and volunteers as a youth leader.
She is thrilled to be recognised for her work and is keen to talk to individuals, businesses, community organisations and charities about their marketing support needs so get in touch!
Denise can be contacted via email on denise@digital-den.co.uk or on 07736067608. Also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
www.facebook.com/DigitalDenMarketing
www.linkedin.com/in/denisecowan
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