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Best Property Services Annual Review saw both residential and commercial property markets performing positively in 2015, with Land prices continuing to strengthen across the year despite the downturn in the dairy sector.
The residential property market saw price increases of 5-7% across 2015 while demand continues to grow for larger family properties. Strong rental demand is also reported in all sectors of residential property and due to continue into 2016.
Adrian Patterson, Residential advisor pointed to a very positive December as evidence of an active market place. “Traditionally there is a tailing off of new sales in December as we approach Christmas but in the last working week of 2015, over £1.2M of residential property was agreed for sale.”
2015 saw further signs of recovery for the commercial sector Ciara Aiken commented. “Significant sales include a substantial industrial property in Greenbank Industrial Estate and retail premises in Newry City Centre to include Monaghan St, Hill St and Kildare Street.
Increased transaction levels were also evidenced by sales of commercial premises in Armagh, Portadown and Dungannon as well as a rise in commercial EPC requests,” she added.
During 2015 Best were also involved in negotiating claims on behalf of a number of tenants in Millennium Way extension, Lurgan and also the Ballynahinch By Pass. The Lurgan scheme is due to commence ground works January 16 while the Ballynahinch scheme goes to Public Inquiry at the end of the month.
Agricultural Land prices, during 2015 have continued to strengthen in spite of the downturn in most farming enterprises, especially the dairy sector.
Managing Director Garry Best said: “There has been an increased level of interest from the non-farming sector during the past year, both from an inheritance tax perspective and from successful business people seeking farmland as an alternative investment.
“The outlook for 2016 is likely to be more of the same with modest increases in farm land prices set to continue.
“Development Land, on the other hand is currently in strong demand with very little supply, particularly land for Residential housing. We would envisage strong growth and prices increases for this sector in 2016.
“Rural Building Site transaction levels improved significantly during 2015, with competitive bidding apparent in most sales and in some areas prices edging above the £50,000 barrier, not apparent in 2014,” Garry concluded.
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Around Noon has appointed Maynard Mawhinney to the Board of the Newry-based specialist in ‘food to go’ solutions. Mr Mawhinney has extensive experience in the food industry especially in business strategy and marketing and holds a masters in marketing from the Ulster University .
Mr Mawhinney was previously Director of Food and Tourism at Invest Northern Ireland and is a Board member of the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise. Maynard has recently been re-appointed by Minister Bell to the Board of the Health and Safety Executive. He is adviser to international consultancy BDO on food and drink.
Around Noon is a family owned and managed business which has established reputation in the delivery of innovative food solutions for customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. The company employs 170 people in Newry and has a clear vision and strategy for growth focussing on both consumer trends and a strong management and operational team.
Gareth Chambers, Chief Executive of Around Noon, commenting on the appointment said, “Maynard will bring strong marketing and PR skills to Around Noon and will exercise a robust challenge function to decision making.”
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The 2016 Cross Border Business Support Expo takes place on Wednesday the 27th January in the Carrickdale Hotel between 9.30am until 12.30pm.
If you are in business and want to know about the support you can obtain or business grants you can apply for or which funded programmes will help you grow your business, you should go along.
Perhaps you need to secure finance? Thinking of entering new markets? Do you need help on how to survive? Are you looking to expand and/or recruit? Want to start your own business? Are you unsure of where to look for guidance, support and advice?
All the Business Support Agencies catering for the needs of businesses located within the Newry Dundalk region will be exhibiting at this unique event. This event will provide an ideal opportunity for local businesses to speak to all relevant Business Support Agencies in one morning, on a one-to-one basis, under one roof!
This is event is joint hosted by Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade and Dundalk Chamber of Commerce and is supported by InterTradeIreland and Louth Local Enterprise Office.
President Michael McKeown, Newry Chamber of Commerce stated "We are delighted to co-host this joint Chamber Cross Border event with InterTradeIreland and Louth Local Enterprise Office once again. The aim is to provide a forum where businesses can find out all they need to know about the support they can and should avail of."
Mr Thomas Hunter McGowan, Chief Executive, InterTradeIreland, stated "Cross-border trade presents businesses with an invaluable opportunity to increase their sales, develop new markets and benefit from all-island expertise and innovation.
"We encourage all SMEs from Newry and Dundalk and the surrounding areas to attend this event to see exactly what opportunities are available and how to access them."
Confirmed exhibitors at the event include, InterTradeIreland, Louth Local Enterprise Office Invest NI, Newry Mourne & Down Council, Louth County Council, Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, Southern Regional College, Department of Employment & Learning, Regional Development Centre,EnterpriseIreland, EURES, Employability Louth, all of the main lending institutions, plus many more.
This event is open to all businesses in the Newry Dundalk region. Entry is free of charge. It will operate on a ‘business drop-in clinic’ format; whereby business representatives can call in to the event at any stage between the hours of 9.30am to 12.30pm on the 27 January.
To register for the event or if you require further information, please call Brenda in Dundalk Chamber on Tel: 042 9336343 or email Brenda@dundalk.ie You can also register on line by logging on to www.dundalk.ie/event/cross-border-support-expo
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Where toilet facilities are concerned some just think of them as somewhere to 'spend a penny' but thanks to an investment of ten million pennies or £100k Buttercrane Shopping Centre has won the top award Best Baby Changing facility in a shopping centre or retail location in all of the UK and Ireland and achieved Platinum status for their toilet facilities.
The major national award commended their recently upgraded toilet facilities which include a ‘Space to Change’ disabled facility and an integrated Sensory Zone.
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 “excellent facilities for young and old and those with a disability in their recently updated customer toilets”.
Peter Murray, Buttercrane Centre Manager said he was delighted with the win. “We’ve been highly commended before, and last year won a Gold Award, so it’s wonderful to be voted the Best in Ireland & the UK against schemes such as The Trafford Centre, Manchester for our customer toilet facilities. Alongside our children’s wear brands, this award enhances Buttercrane’s appeal to families and makes the centre a great place to visit for parents.”
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Newry Chamber of Commerce President, Michael McKeown is inviting all businesses in the Greater Newry area to join with the Chamber for an historic business lunch with a keynote guest speaker from the Office of First and Deputy First Minister on Wednesday 24 February in the Canal Court Hotel Newry from 12noon - 2pm.
Mr McKeown said, “we are absolutely delighted to be hosting this influential decision maker from the Northern Ireland Executive in Newry City. Newry is a significant economic driver for this region; it has a proud and vibrant business community, an educated and skilled workforce and an abundance of entrepreneurial ambition but it requires the support of central Government to fully maximise its true potential. Hosting events like this is an important aspect of the Chamber’s lobbying activities to generate profile and showcase the very best this City and its hinterland has to offer’.
President Michael McKeown continued, “this is also an excellent networking opportunity for new and established business people in the City. We would encourage all business people in the area to come along to the Canal Court to support this event and show the strength of the business community in the greater Newry area.”
Steven McDonnell, Recruitment Manager, Servisource, stated, ‘we are delighted to support Newry Chamber in hosting this important event. As an organisation operating in this cross border region we recognise the importance of events like this in promoting this region as a key place to work and do business’.
A limited number of tickets are still available for this event priced at £20 each for Newry Chamber members and £30 each for non- members. For more details or to book a place at the lunch please contact Newry Chamber on (028) 3025 0303 or email: info@newrychamber.com
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Southern Regional College’s (SRC) business support unit, i3, recently hosted their first event of 2016 with a Health & Safety theme - CE Marking for local Mechanical Engineering companies. The event was designed to bring Engineering companies together to share and gain expertise on what CE Marking means for their business and was delivered by guest speaker and CE Marking specialist, Alan Edgar from Queen’s University.
i3’s Engineering Innovation Specialist, Alistair Quinn, informed the companies present how i3 can take their business to the next level through the wide range of funded support packages available.
Alistair’s expertise is in New Product Development, Computer Aided Design (CAD), Technical Drawing, Prototyping, Material Evaluation/Selection, Product Testing, and Manufacturing.
If you are interested in finding out more on how the i3 Business Support Centre can help your company, please contact the team on 028 38397 778 or alternatively email us at i3@src.ac.uk.
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Over 200 business delegates attended a Cross Border Business Support Expo hosted by Newry and Dundalk Chambers of Commerce and supported by InterTradeIreland, Louth Local Enterprise Office on the 27th January in the Carrickdale Hotel.
President Michael McKeown of Newry Chamber stated, ‘as joint organisers of this annual event, Newry Chamber was delighted with its success in terms of networking opportunities created and the opening of communication channels between local businesses and Support Agencies’.
‘There is a wide selection of business support programmes currently offered to small businesses; however, there is some confusion within the business community about where to look for support and exactly what businesses can avail of. In this evolving economic climate local businesses need to take advantage of all appropriate support opportunities open to them. This event provided a unique forum for business owners and managers to speak directly to all the local Business Support Providers on a one-to-one basis, on one day, under one roof’.
Over 25 Business Support Agencies catering for the needs of businesses located within the Newry Dundalk region exhibited at this Expo; exhibitors included, InterTradeIreland, Invest NI, Newry Mourne & Down District Council, Louth County Council, Newry & Mourne Enterprise Agency, Southern Regional College, Department of Employment & Learning, Louth Regional Development Centre, Enterprise Ireland, Employability Louth, all of the main lending institutions.
Mr Paddy Savage, Operations Manager at InterTradeIreland said, ‘we are delighted to support this important cross – border business event again this year. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind local companies that we currently have a broad range of support packages for businesses interested in doing cross – border business or looking for networking/ partnering opportunities across the island. Details are on our website www.intertradeireland.com’’
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Newry based FM Environmental has won a significant contract with Grand Central Station in New York with their Grease Guardian technology.
Announcing the project at Grand Central Station at the end of a week-long visit to the US, Enterprise , Trade and Investment Minister, Jonathan Bell said “This is an impressive development for a very ambitious Northern Ireland company. FM Environmental identified the US as a target market for its Grease Guardian products and took the strategic decision to open a US office to enable it to capitalise on the emerging business opportunities.
“This commitment has certainly paid off. In the first 12 months, the company has successfully installed its products in over 300 different locations across the US, and can now include the magnificent Grand Central Station on its long list of customers.
“This is an excellent example of how a growing Northern Ireland company can prosper in a global market with the right focus and investment. I hope this deal will act as a springboard for FM Environmental to generate even more business here in New York, and beyond.”
FM Environmental established its New York headquarters in 2014, and this latest contract adds to their existing business with leading US fast-food restaurants and coffee houses.
Over the last number of years, the company has invested in innovative products and services that differentiate it from its competitors. It has also identified key export markets including Russia, Malaysia, Australia and Mexico.
Invest NI has offered the company £50,000 of support to assist it with its export growth plans, including market development activities, IT support and the creation of two new jobs.
Des Murphy from Grease Guardian USA said: “Our Grease Guardian technology allows restaurants, hotels, airports and other major industries to comply with regulations for the disposal of waste.
“Our product has been upgraded and developed to a range of models in recent years and Invest NI assistance has helped us to enhance our offering to suit particular markets such as the US and Asia.
“Initially, we did our research which allowed us to gain information about the steps we would have to take to enter the US market and as a result, identified a gap in the US market for our Grease Guardian grease trap products.
“We have been on a number of Invest NI trade missions and are starting to reap the benefits of all our hard work, with significant new business being signed in this market. We now hope to continue to develop relationships in the US which will be vital to our future exporting success.”
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A competition by the Sunday Times has seen local business Best Property Services named Silver winner in the NI division of the newspaper's Estate Agency of the Awards
The local firm beat off stiff competition to scoop second place in the national agency awards hosted annually by the Sunday Times.
Delivering their comments the judges felt the company, “Offered services and tools which are unavailable at many of their competitors and these are proving a point of difference which is very well received by potential clients.” They added that the: “instruction to completion time is impressive…the directors had created a relaxed environment conductive to retaining and motivating the skilled, enthusiastic team and the long established company had proved its reputation and expertise.”
Garry Best, Managing Director said: “We’ve entered previously and have been highly commended so I’m thrilled to jump to the silver award this year. It’s a real testament to the team and our many long serving staff members so I’d like to pay credit to them.”
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