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Inspired by a lack of plus size clothing throughout Ireland, Newry’s latest addition to the local business sector, The Curvy Gurl has given a much appreciated boost to the area, with the recent opening of their headquarters and store at Sugar Island.
Formerly from Michigan in the US but of Irish descent, Keven and Shelly Sands together with their son Zach and Keven’s mother Kay run the bustling business selling Clothing, Handbags, scarves, jumpers, underwear, hats, trousers and much much more.
For Newry customers virtually anything that is available on their website www.thecurvygurl.com can be bought in store.
Keven adds “You have the ability to browse online and then take your time and come in to the shop and know what you are looking for already. You will always get a good deal.”
Speaking on how the company began Keven said “The first time I was here in 2012 it was very hot in Michigan and I forgot to bring my jacket with me, I thought no big deal I’ll just pick up a jacket when we are in Ireland, and I found I had to search an entire day and go to about 12 different shops before I found one to fit my size and I thought, what an inconvenience that is.
“Then the following year Shelly was here, she knew the story and she was looking around purposely to find ladies clothing in the plus size market and found that Belfast was the only option”
Evidence of the Business’s growing popularity can be gauged from almost 90,000 followers on Facebook (Probably the highest of any company in Newry).
It’s evident The Curvy Gurl is doing something right and their sales to Ireland, UK, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey and more are a testament to that.
Keven’s Grandfather was formerly from Ballinacraig Townland and his Grandmother hailed from Rathfriland but both emmigrated to America. Although they were both from Newry they didn’t know each other until a chance meeting in Detroit and they ended up getting married.
Although Keven’s family were from Newry and Shelly’s from Tralee neither had actually visited here but when Keven’s father, who always wanted to live out his days in Ireland passed away in 2011, it led to an Irish visit and set the wheels in motion for what was to be a live changing move.
“My Father’s final wish was to have his ashes buried in his grandmothers grave in Portadown so we came home in 2012 to bury him.
We stayed for two weeks and just fell in love with the place.”
They decided to return the following year inspired by ’The Gathering’ and Shelly who hadn’t visited in 2012 came over and visited her relations in Tralee
“When we came home from that trip we just kind of sat down and talked and said lets move.”
They talked to their family and made the trip back for good in December 2014.
Reflecting on the move Keven commented “It is definitely a different way of life. I worked for General Motors as a Software Developer, before that it was Hewlett Packard, I’ve always come from huge IT companies. We had the nice big house and the luxury cars and we were like, lets get rid of everything. We sold it all off and we made the move over here to try our lot”
And the outcome there can be no question “No Regrets, we are all happy, we love it here”
When they originally decided to move the initial idea was to stay with General Motors and work remotely from Dublin while Shelly would run a boutique but things turned out more complicated and with a lot of travelling on the cards they decided to throw all their energy into the company.
Kevin's experience in IT proved invaluable for building the Curvy Gurl Website, especially the technical ‘back end’. They started selling locally, selling out of their home with most business coming initially from England. They moved to premises in Kildare Street in Newry but six months in realised they would be outgrowing it pretty quickly so in March this year started looking around for alternatives, finding along the way that getting warehouse space in Newry is next to impossible.
When the Sugar Island building came up they went for it and now all operations, shipping, sales etc are out of Sugar Island, The Curvy Gurl Headquarters.
On Brexit Keven thinks in the long term it could be good for the firm but he certainly couldn’t imagine a border in place and thinks it won’t happen as it would be counterproductive to both Ireland and the UK.
“Maybe it’s the American side of me but, you know we weren’t too fond of having another country tell us what to do, and I think maybe the UK can stand a bit on it’s own.”
Priced competitively with all of the major companies they don’t see the local boutique as their competitor, rather the large companies.
“If you were going to go to Belfast, you’re not going to get a better deal than you would with The Curvy Gurl”
The firm see themselves heading down the franchise route. Commenting on the Sugar Island HQ Kevin points out “This is the flagship store, so everything there is set up for a reason, not just to be convenient to the customers. We want potential franchise owners to be able to come in and see how an operation can be run”
“We are going to offer a franchise opportunity that is unique to the market place, it has never been done before. One of the areas of expertise I have from my IT background is outsourcing so it’s something I know very well.
“We are going to support the stores as if they are part of the corporate structure but yet they are going to be independently owned, so everything from all the technology that goes in, their point of sale system, their security system, everything will be managed by The Curvy Gurl Corporation and they will buy from us at wholesale and then sell their products in their stores.”
Keen to support local enterprises they have recently added a line of hats from Ratty Tat Hats based in Ballynahinch.
Karen Christie from Ratty Tat walked into the shop one day and mentioned her business and it was exactly the type of product they were looking for.
“She is designing one of a kind bowler style vintage hats and that really fits in with our market” Keven said.
They would love to deal with local small businesses and if you’ve got a good product they want to hear about it.
Looking to the future they want to open up franchise stores across the island of Ireland and eventually expand to England, Scotland, Wales and Jersey.
Exciting times ahead indeed for the new Newry based company.
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Local Business Entrepreneurs Emma Marmion and Lorraine Rooney of Prestige Business Solutions Ltd, St Colmans Park, Newry have been nominated for Northern Ireland Most Inspiring Women 2016 by Business First Magazine and you can vote for them to win the competition.
Both nominees said “It was a lovely surprise to be nominated we had no idea, however it is an honour to be recognised for your achievements”. Emma and Lorraine are in their 10th Year of business having successfully steered their way through a local and global recession, as like many businesses in Newry and Northern Ireland and hope to achieve 10 more years.
"The business started with Lorraine and Emma and has grown, now employing 10 employees over the last 2-3 years, they said “We are extremely proud of how Prestige has developed its services over the years to meet the needs of our clients and especially the expert team we have around us”
Prestige Business Solutions Ltd, provide expert HR advice, Health & Safety support and Training. Emma said “It is a privilege to be able to support or clients with their HR needs and develop our service to enable them to have one source for all HR and H&S”.
Lorraine and Emma have demonstrated over the years their entrepreneurial spirit by bringing proactive solutions to businesses ensuring they remain No1 in the market place. Lorraine commented “Our wide range of high standard training courses in HR, Management and Health & Safety have been designed by our team of experts to specifically develop the skills and knowledge of our client’s employees enabling them to develop their businesses further. This is an area we continue to develop and strive to deliver the best at all times”.
If you would like to vote for Emma Marmion and Lorraine Rooney just click www.businessfirstonline.co.uk and place a tick at their names.
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The Discount Voucher Book - Greater Newry area has been launched by local woman Rachel Douglas and you can check out the exclusive offers on her stand in the Buttercrane Shopping Centre this weekend.
Having recently returned home from Australia she saw an opportunity to promote local businesses and encourage consumers to shop, spend, and enjoy local through the discount voucher concept.
Featuring exclusive discounts from over 40 top locally owned businesses covering: Eating Out, Hair & Beauty, Shopping & Retail, Health and Wellbeing and Entertainment there is something inside for everyone.
All discount vouchers are valid right through to June 2017, giving you plenty of time to make the potential savings of up to £1750 locally.
Priced at £12.00 The Discount Voucher Book can be purchased online at www.NEWRYBOOK.com, where you will also find details of local stockists - many of whom feature discount vouchers inside.
Check out the website for further info or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/NewryBook where you’ll find details of a competition to name the new recruit ‘The Duck with no Name?!’.
Buy your copy this weekend in Buttercrane Centre and you could even meet ‘The Duck’ himself.
This is a great opportunity to make everyday savings on everything from fuel and pet supplies to children’s activities and pamper days while supporting our local businesses.
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Newry company Resonate Testing Ltd, based at Bridge Technology Park, Carnagat has been praised by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness both for their investment of 2.3 million in Newry and their creation of 17 advanced engineering jobs locally. Mr McGuinness was in Newry yesterday to officially open the facility.
The company will establish a dedicated testing and certification facility in Newry.
The investment will allow Resonate Testing to offer commercial fire and vibration testing to international engineering and manufacturing businesses across a range of sectors, including aerospace.
Speaking at the official opening, the deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness said: “This is an exciting new business venture by a local group with global ambition and aspirations.
“This new testing facility and functionality will complement the design and product development activities of Resonate’s parent company, The Nacelle Group.
“The 17 new advanced engineering jobs being created in Newry will generate £389,000 in annual salaries and provide a welcome boost to the manufacturing industry in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council area.
“One of Resonate’s target sectors, Aerospace is growing rapidly and this investment supported by Invest will ensure these unique engineering capabilities are available across the north and beyond.
“I wish Michael Thompson and everyone connected with Resonate Testing Limited and The Nacelle Group continued success for the future.”
Invest Northern Ireland has offered Resonate Testing £230,000 to support the construction and marketing of its facility as well as the creation of the new jobs. Recruitment of the 17 new jobs is underway. Six of the positions are already in place with the remaining expected to be filled over the next 18 months.
Michael Thompson, General Manager of The Nacelle Group, said: “This investment marks an important move to diversify the Nacelle Group into new sectors. Through the careful selection of technology, we have the unique capability on the Island of Ireland to integrate environmental and vibration tests to replicate operational conditions, an increasing requirement within the aerospace sector.
“We have worked closely with Invest NI to position ourselves competitively to target supply chain opportunities among our international customer base. We are pleased with our progress to date and hope to achieve our export sales targets in the coming months.”
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Norbrook Chief Executive Liam Nagle will be the keynote speaker at Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade's Gala Dinner later this month.
The dinner will be held at 6.30pm on Wednesday 29 June in the newly refurbished Clanrye Suite in the Canal Court Hotel.
The Chamber are inviting members of the local business community to attend this prestigious annual social and networking event to hear from the Chief Executive of one of Northern Ireland’s finest success stories on its phenomenal growth from humble beginnings in Newry to one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturers with an annual turnover in excess of £200 million.
President Michael McKeown, Newry Chamber of Commerce stated, “Newry is renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit and there is no greater example of this than Norbrook so we are delighted to welcome Liam Nagle as our guest speaker. This event is an opportunity for businesses of all sizes to come together and celebrate the successes of our region.”
Principal Sponsor of the event Mark Crimmins - Regional Director for Ulster Bank said “Ulster Bank is delighted to be the principal sponsor of the Newry Chamber Annual Dinner which rightly recognises and celebrates the outstanding achievements of businesses based in the Newry area.”
Speaking at the launch of the Annual Gala Dinner, Venue Sponsor, General Manager at the Canal Court, Gavin O’Shea, said that it was a privilege for the team at the hotel to once again be hosting such a prestigious local event and that the hotel is very proud of its long standing relationship with the Newry Chamber of Commerce.
To reserve a place or book a table at the Gala Dinner please contact Newry Chamber office on 028 3025 030 or 078670302199 or email info@newrychamber.com. Tickets are £40+VAT for Newry Chamber members, £50+VAT non Chamber members. (Price includes a four course meal).
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Last weekend Armature picked up two awards at the Tile Industry Awards in Birmingham. These are described as the ‘Oscars’ of the Tiling Industry in Ireland and the UK.
It was a very special night for Armatile’s founders Seamus & Pat McCann, with Seamus receiving a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ acknowledging years of hard work in the tiling industry.
Seamus paid tribute to his wife Pat, his 'rock' of 51yrs, his family and everyone in Armatile who has contributed it's success.
Armatile work on the restoration and transformation of St Patrick's Church, Donaghmore also won an award for ‘Best use of a Tile in a Commercial Contact’ a very competitive category with Armatile was up against five other entrants; three projects in London, as well as Harvey Nichols in Birmingham and Dublin Airport.
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Specialist in premium sandwiches and snacks, Newry's Around Noon has linked up with Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, another local artisan business, to develop an innovative breakfast ‘on the go’ product for clients in the Republic of Ireland.
The new product, part of Around Noon’s quirky ‘A Bit on the Side’ portfolio of quality snacks has already won significant business with a leading café chain in the Republic, features Clandeboye Greek Style Yoghurt with layers of nut free granola and a rich fruit compote developed by the Newry business, now a leader Irish innovator in quality convenience and snack foods. The compote is currently available in mango and strawberry flavours in a handy tub.
Both companies are based in county Down - Around Noon in Newry iand Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt in Bangor.
David Graham, Around Noon’s Executive Head Chef, commenting on the new yoghurt granola product, says: “We saw a gap in the market for a top quality and richly flavoured snack product for breakfast and other times in the day.
“Flavour was key as far as we were concerned. All the components had to be excellent especially the yoghurt. This focus on product quality and taste underpins our approach to all our products. We opted for Clandeboye Greek Style because it’s a strained yoghurt which provides a thick and creamy taste.
“We were also keen to work with another local company, another important consideration in our business approach. Most of our products now use ingredients and other supplies from other Northern Ireland companies.
“Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt works exceptionally well with the other quality ingredients to provide a delicious snack at breakfast or indeed any time of the day or night. It’s proving to be extremely popular with our customers in the Republic. Our objective now is to grow sales in Britain using the quality and taste of the snack pot and other products,” he continues.
“We are operating in a very fast moving sector that’s driven by the demands and preferences of consumers who look to our customers for deliciously different taste experiences.
“One of our great strengths is that all our snacks are still handmade. This gives us the flexibility to be able to respond quickly to the requirements of our customers seeking to attract more consumers by offering them different taste,” he adds.
Bryan Boggs, Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt’s general manager, says: “We were delighted to work in partnership with Around Noon in helping to create the new snack pots featuring our think and creamy Greek style yoghurt.”
Around Noon, a family-owned and managed business has been growing strongly particularly in the Republic of Ireland, where it achieved 40 per cent growth last year. Overall, sales to all markets have grown by an average of 35 per cent year-on-year over the past three years.
Formed by husband and wife team Francis and Sheila Chambers in 1989 as a kitchen table enterprise, Around Noon has developed into one of Ireland’s most enterprising food businesses. It operates from a 27,000 sq ft state-of-the-art production complex outside Newry.
The company now employs 230 people and has a portfolio of 600 products including sandwiches, wraps and paninis along with salads, smoothies, juices and desserts.
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Around Noon in Newry has won a top award at the Henderson Wholesale Local Supplier of the Year awards announced during a special ceremony at the Balmoral Show.
The company was awarded the Best Direct to Store Supplier, in recognition of the extensive range of products they supply for the Henderson Group brand.
Around Noon makes ‘hand-held food for people on the move’; sandwiches, wraps, salads and snacks. The company began trading with Henderson Wholesale in 2013 and in any given month, will deliver over 100,000 units to Henderson’s 400+ company-owned and independent stores.
Renowned Agricultural journalist and member of the independent judging panel for the awards, Richard Wright, attended the ceremony and presented Philip Morgan from Around Noon with the award. Also in attendance was Stevan Millar, Head of Agri-Food Support Services within the Department of Agriculture, Environment & Rural Affairs (DAERA) who spoke of the importance of growing our local agri-food industry.
Now in their fourth year, the prestigious awards scheme allows the Henderson Group, who owns the SPAR and EUROSPAR franchises in Northern Ireland to recognise the outstanding efforts of local supply companies their Wholesale business is developing fresh and ambient ranges with.
Joining Richard Wright on the judging panel this year, were some of the most respected names in agri-food and business including Head of Food Technology Development at CAFRE, Joy Alexander, Chairperson of the UFU’s Rural Affairs Committee, Freda Magill and Ulster Business editor, David Elliott.
Neal Kelly, Fresh Foods Director at Henderson Group said; “We had an outstanding level of entries for the fourth year of our awards and we’re hugely grateful to both our local suppliers and panel of judges for embracing this initiative each year.
“Around Noon demonstrated a high level of commitment to innovation and awareness of our brand, retailers and consumers to go forward to win the Best Direct to Store Supplier award. They are a key supplier to our stores and we are confident our relationship will only grow stronger to create even better products for our shoppers.”
“I wish to congratulate every one of our shortlisted, winning and highly commended local suppliers as we simply couldn’t provide the fresh and local range at the value we do for our shoppers without them.”
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Local food company Around Noon has been shortlisted for the Henderson Wholesale Local Supplier awards with winners being revealed in a special ceremony taking place at next week's Balmoral Show.
The Newry-based producers of high quality sandwiches and snacks are hoping to be crowned the Best Direct to Store Supplier at the ceremony which takes place on the Friday of the Show, which runs from 11 – 13 May.
Now in its fourth year, the prestigious awards scheme allows The Henderson Group, who own the SPAR and EUROSPAR franchises in Northern Ireland, to recognise the outstanding efforts of the local supply companies their Wholesale business is developing their fresh and ambient ranges with.
This year, companies were invited to submit entries across five categories which included Enjoy Local Supplier of Year, open to companies who supply goods for Henderson Wholesale’s popular range of own brand products; Best Direct to Store Supplier; Brand Innovation Award; the CSR focused Tomorrow Matters Award and the Overall Local Supplier of the Year. (Full shortlist in notes to editors)
Organisers were delighted with the high level of entries received which came from a range of companies of varying size and structure from across Northern Ireland.
An esteemed panel of judges including agri-journalist Richard Wright; UFU Rural Affairs Committee Chairperson, Freda Magill; Ulster Business Editor, David Elliot and Head of Food Technology Development at CAFRE, Joy Alexander, had the unenviable task of deliberating over the entries to select winners to be announced at the biggest food and Agri fair on the island.
SPAR is a platinum sponsor of the Balmoral Show, giving Hendersons the perfect opportunity to showcase the excellent produce, practices and ranges of the suppliers it works with all year round, especially as the Show marks the 2016 Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink Initiative.
Commenting on the awards scheme, Neal Kelly, Henderson Group’s Fresh Foods Director, said “The Balmoral Show is the highlight in the calendar year for the agri-food industry in Northern Ireland and so for us it’s the perfect time to give back to our fantastic supply companies who enable us to deliver the very best quality, fresh, local food to our retailers and shoppers.”
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the high volume of entries this year and blown away by the excellence suppliers can so easily demonstrate. I’d like to thank our panel of judges for coming on board and bringing their food, agri and business expertise to our awards.”
“We look-forward to welcoming all of our shortlisted companies to a special breakfast event taking place at the Show were the all-important winners announcements will be made.”
Outside of the awards, SPAR will have a much wider presence at the show than ever before with a broad range of activities planned across the 3-day event. The popular enjoy local marquee will be twice as big this year and visitors are invited along to watch live cookery demonstrations by celebrity chef and SPAR Ambassador Paula McIntyre who will be showcasing the enjoy local range of fresh meat and produce.
The marquee will also be hosting a whole range of family fun and providing samples of some of the new additions to SPAR’S own brand range which has been created using top-quality suppliers from across Northern Ireland.
Other highlights include the welcome return of the SPAR Arena where show-goers can enjoy an array of family entertainment over the three days as well as the fully functional SPAR store where essentials for exhibitors and visitors can be found.
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