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Lidl have announced a major push to reducing plastic waste on their fruit and vegetable products with other initiatives in the pipeline.
At present with the introduction of new loose fruit and veg options more than 25% of their range are package free in their Newry and other Irish stores.
Lidl will remove black plastic packaging from its entire fruit and vegetable range across all 195 Ireland and Northern Ireland stores before Christmas.
Newry and Armagh MLA and Sinn Fein Energy, Environment & Climate Change spokesperson Cathal Boylan has welcomed the move: “Moves by Lidl to remove all-single use plastics and black plastic packaging from the fruit and veg range in their stores is a positive step in the fight against plastic pollution.
“Black plastic containers cannot be recycled and it’s estimated that this initiative will result in the removal of 65 tonnes of plastic waste each year.
“This figures should act as an incentive for other stores and manufacturers to get involved in tackling this manmade problem.
“With over 10 million tonnes of plastic waste leaking into our oceans each year, we are reaching a critical point.
“We all have a responsibility to make the right choice and move to renewable alternatives that will help drive the fight against plastic pollution.”
Black plastic packaging is not recycled in Ireland or the UK because recycling sorting systems cannot detect the carbon black pigment. Lidl will also scrap the packaging from fresh fish products by February 2019, followed by fresh meat, poultry and cured meat ranges before August.
As a result of this move by Lidl, over 65 tonnes of black plastic waste will be avoided annually from fruit and vegetables alone.
Lidl, named Ireland’s ‘Green Retailer of the Year 2018’, said it has also scrapped the sale of single-use plastic items including drinking straws, disposable plates, cups and cutlery, with plastic-stemmed cotton buds next on the list in the coming months. The single-use plastic items are being replaced with biodegradable alternatives.
No other supermarket on the island of Ireland has committed to such firm and imminent commitments in relation to either type of plastic.
“These are significant steps,” Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland Managing Director, J.P. Scally said. “Sustainability is core to our business and we are proud to continue leading the retail sector in implementing ambitious measures which will deliver real and lasting benefits for everyone.”
The move is one of many steps that the retailer is taking as part of its plastic reduction strategy. Already this year the company confirmed it had achieved ‘zero waste to landfill’ and announced a ban on microbeads in all cosmetic and household ranges.
It also published several ambitious plastic reduction targets, including using 20% less plastic packaging by 2022 and having 100% recyclable own-brand packaging by 2025.
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A new 'Click and Collect' service for online deliveries has been launched in the Buttercrane Shopping Centre.
It means that members of the public can now select Buttercrane as a place to deliver their online delivery, eliminating the worry about missing the postman or courier if it needs signed for.
The customer receives a unique code from the help desk to pick up their item from the locker any time Buttercrane Centre is open.
The service was launched earlier this month as part of Customer Service Week and it's the latest in a series of initiatives by Buttercrane for a more convenient customer shopping experience.
The launch event was hosted by Radio personality Kevin McAllister who invited customers to unveil a code to open one of the 14 new Click & Collect lockers to win surprises!
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A recent visit to Asia by a delegation from Newry has resulted in a series of co-operation agreements being signed with Changchun in Jilin province, China.
It's hoped that the agreement with Changchun, a city with a population greater than the island of Ireland (7.7M) will promote the development of economic, tourism, skills, education, trade and enterprise exchanges between Newry ctiy and Changchun.
Attending the international visit was Cllr Mark Murnin, Chairperson, Newry, Mourne and Down Council who signed a Friendly Exchanges Agreement; Paul Convery, President of Newry Chamber of Commerce of Trade, who signed a Memorandum for Establishing Friendly Cooperative Relations with Chanchun Chamber of Commerce; Keith Kilpatrick, Director of Curriculum at Southern Regional College, who signed a Friendly Cooperation Agreement with Chanchun Vocational College, and Yan Liu, Director of Confucius Institute at Ulster University who signed a Friendship Agreement with Jilin HuaQiao University of Foreign Languages.
The Agreements follow a 12 month period of negotiation, including meetings with Changchun leaders at the UK China Regional Leaders Summit held in Belfast in December 2017, and further communications throughout the year with Changchun Municipal Government officials, and Changchun Foreign Affairs Office, supported by the NI Bureau in China, and the Confucius Institute.
The Friendly Exchanges Agreement with Changchun builds on the Council's aim of establishing mutually beneficial exchanges with international regions that can contribute to advancing economic, tourism, skills and education development through cooperation.
The Friendship Agreement was signed between Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairman, Councillor Mark Murnin and Wang Junzheng, standing member of the CPC Jilin Provincial Committee, Secretary of the COC Changchun Committee. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Councillor Murnin said, "Securing a Friendship Agreement with Changchun is a critical step forward for the Council. Through the exchange of information and cooperation in areas as such as trade, education, skills, tourism and culture we can together grow and develop our regions for the mutual benefit of our businesses, our communities and visitors".
As the capital of Jilin Province, Changchun is the second largest city in Northeast China and the political, economic and cultural centre of the province.
Speaking at the signing of the agreement in the city of Changchun, the President of the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Paul Convery said:“Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade represents more than 200 businesses in the Greater Newry area. The purpose of this agreement is to jointly promote the development of economic, trade and enterprise exchanges between the City of Newry and Changchun. It covers the promotion of cooperation in a range of areas including economy, trade and technology.
“Several local businesses have key trade links with China and this agreement is an important step in our relationship building between our two countries. We hope that the agreement will result in further exchanges and provide new opportunities for our local businesses.”
At meetings following the signing ceremony, all partners outlined their commitment for long term cooperation and a return visit to the district by Changchun representatives is expected early next year.
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The Grafton Barber have launched officially launched a Store in Newry’ s Buttercrane Centre.
It’s the 41st barber shop for the Irish brand from directors Hugh & Conor McAllister and a homecoming of sorts for the brothers who’s grandmother was born and lived in Newry City.
The new store owners are Monika and Vinil Kaveri who welcomed celebrity brand ambassador Simon Delaney to the store.
Simon is a familiar face in Irish TV & Movies, best known for the iconic Dublin sitcom Bachelors Walk as well as appearing in movies such as This Must Be the Place, Begin Again & Deliver Man, to name a few. He is also a mainstay on Virgin Media One’s Ireland AM on both Saturday & Sunday.
The Grafton Barber have been grooming the Gentlemen of Ireland since 1961, from their iconic flagship store on Grafton Street, the company now boasts over 40 locations across the country. Their move across the border and into Newry, amidst Brexit uncertainly is a positive endorsement of Buttercrane Shopping Centre and the border City.
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Bertie Ahern was guest speaker at the Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade Annual Dinner, in Newry last evening. The former Taoiseach talked about the border, Brexit and the signing of the Good Friday Agreement and commented how the Chamber and it's members were at the forefront of promoting and supporting North South co-operation. "North-South economic and social cooperation has benefited people across the island, and supported the development of an all-island economy that has enhanced the prosperity of all. Protecting these gains is not just about ensuring frictionless trade; it is also about facilitating peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Fundamentally, this is about peace, reconciliation and prosperity."
The Backstop
Talking about the Brexit 'Backstop' Mr Ahern added "There are arguments being made that the backstop will disrupt Northern Ireland’s economy in terms of trade with the UK but this discounts the very real economic situation of Northern Ireland. Northern Ireland, economically, like in so many other ways is a place apart from the rest of the UK. Statistics can tell us almost anything but one of the most important statistics that I have heard is that whilst the value of trade between Northern Ireland and the rest the United Kingdom far outstrips that between Ireland North and South – that same North South trade supports more jobs than the trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
"That means people in border regions like this employed in SMEs trading across the border. We also know that 98% of the businesses involved in cross-border trade are small businesses and they make up 80% of the value of cross-border trade. This is delivering for Northern Ireland. Looking at top line trading statistics doesn’t give the full picture."
No Going Back to Borders of the Past
Paul Convery, the President of Newry Chamber of Commerce added that we must not go back to the borders of the past
Highlighting the story of Newry’s economic success, the President of the Chamber said: “Today, we have created one of Northern Ireland’s fastest growing regions, strategically positioned as we are at the heart of the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor. It is an area renowned for its entrepreneurial spirit, dynamic business leaders and talented workforce.
“The Greater Newry Area is home to 7 of Northern Ireland’s top 100 companies. Small local businesses, like Norbrook Laboratories, the MJM Group and First Derivatives have developed into global players.”
Calling for clarity on Brexit he said: “We do not want to go back to a period of barriers, borders and bureaucratic customs checks, which will make our businesses uncompetitive and our area unattractive to visitors, investors and the people who want to do business with us.
“To exploit the opportunities and continue to generate growth we need a resolution to Brexit. The arrival of the Single Market and the Good Friday Agreement led to a situation where the border could quite simply disappear. Since then, businesses and communities, lives and livelihoods have developed and prospered beyond any previous measure.
“As business leaders we owe it to the young people growing up in our city where full employment is now the norm, we simply cannot turn the clock back.”
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Delegates from almost 50 businesses from throughout the Newry, Mourne and Down District area have attended an event focusing on how new technology, such as AR, can be used to add value and enrich visitor experiences at hospitality and tourism destinations in Northern Ireland. ‘Exploring Augmented Reality for the Hospitality & Tourism Industry’ was held at the Montalto Estate in Ballynahinch.
The event was held by Digital NMD, an innovative collaboration led by Newry, Mourne and Down District Council in conjunction with Southern Regional College and South Eastern Regional College, partnered with the BCS NI - The Chartered Institute for IT.
Speakers included Dr. Nick Whitelegg, senior lecturer in Computing at Southampton Solent University and developer of "Hikar" - an augmented reality Android app for hikers; and Dave Vincent, Chief Digital Officer at Tourism NI who spoke to attendees about how new technologies can be exploited to the benefit of businesses in the tourism and hospitality sector.
Augmented Reality (AR) can be broadly defined as any video or 3D augmentation overlaid on a screen that is used to view the real world (most commonly via a smartphone camera) and is increasingly being used to improve tourism experiences.
Speaking after the event, Cllr. Michael Savage - Chairperson of the Strategy Policy and Resources Committee, in Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said:
“It was great to see so many businesses interested in learning about the benefits of Augmented Reality and how the technology can present many opportunities for our tourism businesses.
“Tourism continues to develop as a major growth sector bringing both economic benefits and reputational advantage to Newry, Mourne and Down. It is a priority for our Council to continue to support local businesses to ensure that they are as fully equipped as they can be to tackle what has become a highly competitive business environment.”
Dave Vincent, Chief Digital Officer with Tourism NI, took the opportunity to launch the 2018 Small Business Research Initiatives (SBRI) Tourism AR Challenge at the event, providing attendees with an overview of the competition and the opportunity to secure funding to aid in the development of new innovative and creative solutions that address a challenge or need in the market.
"We're very excited to launch this year's Tourism AR Challenge and with a substantial investment of £200,000 to develop the winning project, this will encourage developers to be even more creative and innovative in their tourism-focussed digital proposals," said Dave.
Following talks from both speakers, attendees at the event were given the opportunity to experience AR technology for themselves with a live demonstration of the Hikar app in the grounds surrounding Montalto Estate. The Hikar mobile application uses AR to clearly map and highlight path and trail options to hikers and walkers.
Paul Kelly, BCS Northern Ireland commented: “We are thrilled with the success of today’s event. It’s great to see so many local businesses that operate in the tourism and hospitality sector take an interest in the emerging technology of AR and how they can use this to their advantage. Tourism is an area of huge growth for Northern Ireland, particularly in this area and BCS Northern Ireland is delighted to support Newry, Mourne and Down Council in raising awareness of these types of technologies and how they can be incorporated by businesses to add value to visitor experiences.”
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Newry companies are being offered an opportunity to visit one of London’s top Construction and Design exhibitions by Newry Chamber of Commerce and Trade, with the support of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
The event in London on 3rd and 4th December will offer companies the opportunity for face to face meetings with a range of prospective buyers.
Announcing details of the event the Chamber’s Chief Executive, Colm Shannon said “As a result of the support from Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, we will be supporting the attendance of a number of local companies at this year’s Construction and Design Platform in London. The event offers the opportunity to meet some of the UK’s top companies and suppliers. These companies are seeking to buy products and services across a wide range of categories in design, construction and refurbishment.
With the financial support from the local Council, the Chamber is able to reduce the cost for local companies interested in attending and can also offer tailored support to set up face to face meetings with prospective buyers.”
Confirming the Council’s support, Chairman of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Mark Murnin said:
“In the Construction Industry, there has been a considerable shift from new build to refurbishment and upgrading of properties in commercial offices, retail, healthcare, leisure, entertainment and the education sectors. Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is delighted to support the Chamber in securing access for local companies to this important market.”
Further information on the event is available via the Newry Chamber website www.newrychamber.com
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Six years on from their first Coworking space opening at St Colman's Park in Newry, husband and wife team, Patrick and Suzanne Murdock have launched their third hub at Margaret Street in Newry.
As well as the usual essential such as hot desks, private office spaces and meeting rooms a unique feature of their new hub is the addition of a 12 seater mini cinema!
Having lived in London for a number of years, Suzanne and Patrick were keen to bring a little bit of what they loved about London home to Newry. Suzanne is a founding member of The Irish Coworking Assembly which aims to promote coworking spaces throughout the north and south of Ireland as demand for such facilities continues to grow both locally and globally.
The Hub Newry launched its first coworking hub at St Colmans Park in the city back in 2012 and such was its success that a second space in Abbey Yard was launched in 2016, and now a third space two years later.
The Hub’s latest coworking space is located in Margaret Street and its facilities are spread across three floors of the building. The fully furnished and equipped workspace offers hot desks for occasional or daily use, private office spaces for rent, meeting rooms and event space as well as a garden area and coworking cafe. Virtual office facilities including a registered office address, mail/parcel delivery and mail forwarding services are also available. Members benefit from key card access, fibre broadband, shower facilities onsite and the space is fully DDA compliant to cater for those with disabilities.
Whilst all of The Hub’s coworking spaces offer these facilities, there are a few key features that make the Margaret Street coworking space that little bit unique. The venue is the only one of the three to have a coworking cafe, which can double up as event space. It is envisaged that the café will be primarily aimed at the business community as a venue for informal meetings, networking events or simply as a space to have a coffee and work when you’ve time to spare between meetings.
The second unique feature of this new coworking space is its mini cinema. This area has been kitted out with a number of the old style red velvet covered cinema seats and can seat up twelve people. If you want a cosy space which is that little bit different for a team meeting, focus group or to deliver a presentation to a group, this is just the place! Additional meeting room spaces are available to hire. Individuals can check availability and book online, where pricing information for all three coworking spaces is also readily available.
ABC Business Network will be the first group to receive a tour of the new Margaret Street Coworking space on Thursday 25th October. The business networking group is well known for hosting monthly business networking events in various venues in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon areas. As a member of the group, Suzanne is keen to host members and show them what Newry has to offer. Breakfast will be served on arrival and Suzanne will provide a tour of the premises. She will also educate participants on the benefits of coworking and brief them on changing working trends and ideas that employers can introduce to create a positive and modern working environment for employees.
Chris McCabe, a Software Developer at The Péarlaí Group and Area Director for Toastmasters International will be the guest speaker at the meeting. Chris will share his career journey to date and some tips on how to improve or tackle your fear of public speaking. Having successfully set up a Toastmasters group in Newry, Chris will also be providing details of his latest group which recently launched in Banbridge.
ABC Business Network welcomes visitors to its monthly meetings and members of the local business community as well as The Hub’s own member businesses are encouraged to register to attend the event.
To book a tour of The Hub’s new coworking space for yourself, your team or your business networking group or to find out more about coworking, call Suzanne and the team on 028 3026 0122 or email info@thehubnewry.com
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Newry city Councillor Michael Savage has called on Debenhams to outline its future intentions for the Newry store as soon as possible to allay staff fears.
Debenhams which opened their store in Newry in 2004 at The Quays Shopping Centre today announced that they would be closing up to 50 stores over the next 5 years due to an annual loss of almost £500M at the company.
Councillor Savage said: "I can understand the rationale behind Debenhams making this announcement to close 50 of its stores in order to calm the markets but to do so without any clarity as to what stores are earmarked for closure is leaving staff in limbo.
"It is unfair to leave staff of the Newry store in such a state of uncertainty in the mouth of Christmas. They deserve to know what the future holds.
"Debenhams has played a major part in Newry's retail success story and to lose the store would be a huge blow. It is part of the retail fabric of Newry and an anchor tenant of The Quays.
"I hope Newry is not one of the stores earmarked for closure and the fantastic local staff retain their jobs. I urge Debenhams to provide clarity on the future of the Newry store and give certainty to staff and this worrying time."
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