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Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association has met with Cllr Naomi Bailie, Chairperson of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council and discussed the challenges facing independent retailers in the current economic climate.
Mr Roberts outlined the principles of the ‘Local First’ policy priorities for local economic development as identified by NIRTA and encouraged Council to develop and deliver initiatives which promote local goods and services.
Councillor Bailie confirmed her support for ‘Make it Local’ initiatives and highlighted the need for Council to work in partnership with local retailers. Cllr Bailie said, “I intend to work with Council officials and representatives from the local chambers of commerce to develop a culture of ‘make it local’, thereby enhancing the sustainability of our vibrant city and various town centres across the district. I would encourage as many businesses as possible to embrace the ‘make it local’ approach to trade practices.”
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To mark Autoline’s 40th year in business and, to celebrate the milestone, the broker six months ago launched a year-long series of fundraising initiatives and customer reward promotions, setting the ambitious target of raising a total of £40,000 to be donated to 40 Northern Ireland-based charities across the year.
Thanks to a Gala dinner in Newry attended by nearly 400 people the Insurance group has smashed its £40K charity fundraising target just half way in to the initiative!
Over £25,000 was raised from the Gala dinner, a sum which included monies raised from ticket sales and donations as well as an auction and raffle on the night. This takes Autoline’s fundraising total achieved to date in excess of the ambitious £40,000 target set at the start of 2015 by the broker’s Managing Director, Michael Blaney.
A wide range of local companies were represented at the dinner, which took place in the Canal Court Hotel on Friday evening, as well a number of the 40 charities set to benefit from the fundraising initiative.
Michael Blaney, Managing Director of Autoline Insurance Group, said“To have raised £25,000 from one event is truly astonishing, but the fact that this takes us above our target for the entire year makes it even more remarkable. This is the biggest standalone event Autoline has hosted in our 40-year history – we’ve been overwhelmed by the support we received and would like to thank everyone who attended or donated money.
“It was fantastic to see the local business community come together in support of a number of extremely worthwhile causes. We have a programme of events scheduled to deliver over the next six months, and given the fundraising success achieved to date, we will be in a strong position to offer each of the 40 charities selected more than the £1,000 we had originally hoped.”
Charities were invited to apply to be one of the beneficiaries and receive £1,000 from the anniversary fund, with charities such as NI Cancer Fund for Children, Diabetes UK, Cry and British Heart Foundation among those who were successful.
Autoline Insurance Group is headquartered in Newry, with branches across Northern Ireland. For further information about Autoline’s fundraising events and activities, visit autoline.co.uk
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The Rug House based at Carnbane in Newry took the Exporter of the Year Award at the Business Eye Small Business Awards held in the La Mon House Hotel last week.
As well as taking the top exporter award the company was also nominated for Small Business of the Year and they received a Highly Commended Certificate in that category.
Rug House owners Clare and Paul Vallely collected the prizes at the First Trust Bank sponsored event.
Twelve categories attracted hundreds of entries representing all that is good about SME's in Northern Ireland.
After a record breaking 2014 The Rug House have continued their success with this latest award adding another bit of sparkle to their brimming trophy cabinet.
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Almost a thousand jobs have been promoted in the Newry, Mourne and Down area with Invest NI support in 2014-2015 according to latest statistics from the body.
The new jobs will be created over the next few years and are the result of £106 million of investment by companies in the area. This investment included almost £12m of assistance from Invest NI to help secure new investors to the area and support local businesses to bring forward their growth plans.
Mark Bleakney, Invest NI’s Southern Regional Manager, said: “Invest NI’s strong performance in 2014/15 is making a positive contribution towards business growth in the region. This is reflected in the 400 per cent increase in the level of investment by firms last year. As well as helping secure 964 new jobs as part of future projects, Invest NI support has also resulted in 721 new jobs actually created in Newry, Mourne and Down during 2014/15.
“During the course of the year we supported First Derivatives Group’s investment which will lead to 484 new jobs and helped Autoline Insurance to expand and create 60 new jobs over the next four years. We also announced two new investors for Newry, Shotclip and Netwatch, which is the direct result of the hard work and continued focus of Invest NI and Executive Ministers to promote Northern Ireland as a great location to invest, and a great location to grow your business.
“Through working in partnership with local firms we have helped support them to expand, look to new markets, invest in skills training for their staff and undertake R&D to remain ahead of the competition. For example, CM Precision Components Ltd benefited from Jobs Fund support to create five jobs as part of its export growth plans, while Burren Balsamics in Ballynahinch used an Invest NI Innovation Voucher and has secured its first business in Britain as a result.
“As well as this strong in-year performance, across the four years of this Programme for Government, we have helped leverage £160 million of investment in the local economy and supported projects which will create 2,209 new jobs.”
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A grand total of £1470 was raised at Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade’s Annual Gala Ball at the end of May in the Canal Court Hotel.
This year the money was split between local charities Southern Area Hospice and Head Injury Support.
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Over 170 guests attended Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade’s Gala Dinner in the Canal Court Hotel recently where they celebrated the massive achievements of local company Glen Dimplex with their Guest Speaker being Sean O’Driscoll, CEO of the company.
The high profile event was sponsored by the Canal Court Hotel. It was attended by dignitaries, government decision makers and distinguished guests including Minister Danny Kennedy, Mickey Brady MP, Margaret Ritchie MP, Cllr Naomi Baillie, Newry Mourne Down Council and local business leaders.
President Deborah Loughran stated, ‘we in Newry Chamber are immensely proud of the success of Glen Dimplex. From its humble beginnings in Greenbank, Glen Dimplex has expanded into a global phenomenon employing 10,000 people with an annual turnover of £1.5bn. Sean O’Driscoll’s keynote speech was truly inspirational; his reflections on the Northern Ireland, European and worldwide economies were frank and enlightening. We are delighted that Sean took time out of his very busy schedule to come to Newry to meet with the local business community in what he referred to as the ‘spiritual home of Glen Dimplex’.
President Loughran added, ‘Newry Chamber offers it appreciation to Canal Court Hotel for generously sponsoring this annual event and to the Chamber members, patrons and guests who made this event a great success’.
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Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade is inviting business representatives to attend a special Business Breakfast Seminar on the devolving of Corporation Tax rate setting powers to the NI Assembly which it is hosting in partnership with PKF-FPM Accountants on Tuesday 16th June in the Canal Court Hotel.
At the seminar, business representatives will hear from PKF-FPM’s Tax expert, Malachy McLernon on how a lower Corporation Tax rate may impact an indigenous company, an inbound Foreign Direct Investor (FDI) or a local investor.
Danske Bank’s Chief Economist Angela McGowan will provide an overview on how a lower Corporation Tax rate could impact the local economy and its wider implications for Northern Ireland. Feargal McCormack will facilitate a Q&A session between the business delegates and the panellists to enable further insight into this complex subject and encourage local business leaders to start thinking about how it will impact their own businesses.
Speaking on behalf of Newry Chamber of Commerce, President Deborah Loughran stated, ‘We are delighted to be hosting this very topical business seminar with our colleagues in PKF-FPM. The potential reduction of Corporation Tax in line with the Republic of Ireland will have a profound impact on our economy for generations to come. I would highly recommend that representatives from all sectors of our local business community attend this informative business breakfast seminar’.
Malachy McLernon, stated, ‘PKF-FPM are delighted to support this Newry Chamber event to discuss the opportunities and challenges that a lower corporation tax rate will have for businesses operating in NI - there are lots of traps that business owners need to be aware of’.
This event will take place on Tuesday, 16 June from 7.45am-9.15am in the Canal Court Hotel. Attendance is free of charge for Newry Chamber members and £15pp non members. To book your place at this event, please contact Newry Chamber on (028) 3025 0303; info@newrychamber.com
or book online: www.newrychamber.com
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Newry-based Ashtree Financial Services, the financial planning division of Autoline Insurance Group held a Breakfast Seminar last week delivering the message that SME owners throughout Northern Ireland are placing the future success of their companies at serious risk by not focusing heavily enough on business protection and succession planning.
Guest speaker Dave Dawson, Corporate Business Development Manager of Bright Grey, provided guests with an overview of the key business risks and financial planning issues affecting companies.
With a dozen accountancy firms in attendance, Mr Dawson outlined how accountants and financial planners can work together to ensure business clients put in place safeguards against threats to the value of their firms.
Speaking after the seminar, Kevin Curran, Client Services Director of Ashtree Financial Services, commented “SME owners, particularly those of family-run firms, are becoming increasingly vulnerable through not paying enough attention to business protection and succession planning. They are focused on looking after their clients on a day-to-day basis, but are not ensuring that the value the business has worked hard to accumulate is adequately protected against all potential threats.
“Business owners need to take a step back and focus on issues such as making sure the value of a business is fully protected in the event of death or illness of key staff, or that wealth is passed tax-efficiently to the next generation. We work closely with accountants to encourage our business clients to think more seriously about financial planning and hope that events such as the breakfast seminar can help reinforce the message.”
Today’s seminar is the first in a series of events Ashtree is planning which will highlight a range of key financial planning issues and advice on how to address them.
Financial advisor Karl Murphy, of Ashtree Financial Services, added:
“Across all sectors, business owners need to develop a strategy which ensures their business succeeds for them and their staff as well as delivering effectively for clients. All businesses face risks on a daily basis and one important risk to consider is the death or serious illness of a key employee, director or business owner.
“The loss of such an individual would not only impact the business financially, it could also cause financial uncertainty for the business owner’s family. Successful business planning provides the right strategy to prepare for these eventualities.”
Headquartered in Newry with branches in Downpatrick, Ballymena, Coleraine and Enniskillen, Ashtree Financial Services is the financial planning division of the Autoline Insurance Group. Established eight years ago, Ashtree integrates financial planning with tax planning to provide a complete wealth management service.
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The iOTA Programme hosted a celebratory event recently in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry. The event was held to celebrate the success of the Programme and highlight the positive effect it has had throughout the East Border Region.
The iOTA Programme is part funded through the European Union’s INTERREG IVA Cross Border Programme and is managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). It is one of many projects being delivered by The East Border Region Ltd.
Mrs Lorraine McCourt, Director of the Joint Technical Secretariat opened the event commenting “Encouraging innovation and competitiveness is a key strand of the INTERREG IVA Programme as it seeks to promote cooperation for a more prosperous cross-border region.
iOTA is a prime example of this strand of the current programme, as the project works directly with businesses and individuals to develop and diversify the economy.”
Cllr Peter Savage, Chairperson of East Border Region Ltd in his opening notes said “Given today’s severe economic climate, the timing for an intervention such as the IOTA Programme was extremely significant to supporting both potential, new and existing SME’s and micro businesses in the region. He went on to praise all those involved in the delivery of the programme and on reaching their targets.
The key speaker at the event was Susan Hayes, Managing Director of Hayes Culleton Ltd and author of ‘The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom’ and ‘Positive Economics’. Susan is also known as the Positive Economist and is, herself an entrepreneur. Susan’s uplifting speech gave the attendees an overview on the meaning of innovation and the impact it can have on a business. Susan was impressed with the results the iOTA Programme had achieved and wished all participants every success for the future.
Out of 350 businesses assisted 72 developed new products, 49 entered new markets, 58 participants created a new business, 29 new jobs were created and 177 jobs sustained. With results like these it is evident that the positive effects of the Iota Programme will be felt throughout the region for many years to come.
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