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A Camlough Barbershop owner has won a lifetime achievement award from global hair styling brand, Hairbond UK.
Vanessa Crilly set up The Village Barbers in Camlough 19 years ago and is looking forward to seeing her customers again when she re-opens after the present lockdown.
Scott Michaels from Hairbond said the company is always look to merge their brand with the best practiced and most hard working people in the barbering industry.
Commenting on the nomination Vanessa thanked Hairbond and said “This is such a great achievement for me and my barber shop in the small village of Camlough which I set up nearly 19 years ago. We are in such a competitive industry, so I’m glad to hear my actions stand out on an international scale to global brands like Hairbond. We always say the top products help you look your best but it’s the impact it has on making you feel better which we say is so much more important, even more so at the moment. So thank you again for this award, if anybody is looking for a free hairstyling consultation with Hairbond products please come and see us when we are back open again.”
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Deli Lites has started 2021 on a high after securing a major deal to supply sandwiches to Boots stores across Northern Ireland.
The new deal builds on the Warrenpoint company’s already strong relationship with the leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, with whom it has worked in the Republic of Ireland for four years.
Deli Lites is run by husband and wife entrepreneurs, Brian and Jackie Reid, and employs a team of almost 300 people supplies a range of products to a host of other major retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Costa.
The business produces more than 20 million products every year, including gourmet sandwiches, nutritious salad bowls, hot sandwiches, heat-to-eat meals, award-winning bakery treats and a new chef-led vegan friendly range. As well as selling throughout the UK and Ireland it exports to a range of European and other international countries.
Deli Lites will be the first local food company to supply fresh food-to-go solutions to Boots stores in Northern Ireland, which had previously relied on GB-based suppliers.
CEO Brian Reid commented: “We have had a fantastic working relationship with Boots for four years and we are excited to now be supplying the Northern Ireland stores.
“It is an exciting opportunity for us to profile our ranges and work together on new products over the coming years.
“Given the supply chain benefits and the ‘source local’ advantage it is of mutual benefit to both companies to be working together at this time.”
The multi-award winning firm, set up by Brian and his wife Jackie in 1998, has been a huge local success story.
The company has built its reputation on quality, using only the finest ingredients from the best of Irish producers.
A team of chefs are constantly innovating with a food range which is inspired by emerging global food trends.
This innovation continued throughout the pandemic when the company also focused on strengthening its branding and ranges of products into retailers and Cafes. In September Brian Reid was honoured in the 2020 Institute of Directors Awards when he was named International Director of the Year.
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Newry business CRASH Services plans to open a new vehicle Bodyshop Training Academy in Newry in Autumn 2021.
Plans were recently drafted and submitted by local Architect David Maxwell for the new academy, which will be based in Greenbank, Newry.
The new facility comes amid an escalating shortage of skilled and expert body shop workers.
The planning application is expected to be approved in Spring 2021, with Crash Services saying the facility will open for enrollment in September 2021 for new apprentices and courses aimed at up-skilling existing members of the industry.
CRASH has moved into the forefront of promoting rewarding career opportunities in body repair and enjoys a close relationship in the industry with independent repairers and the Northern Ireland Bodyshop Alliance (NIBA).
The company already runs a successful body shop apprentice scholarship to attract more apprentices to the local car body repair industry.
Jonathan McKeown, CEO, CRASH says it will help promote the independent industry as an attractive career path for young people.
“There is a widely acknowledged skills shortage for body shop repairers; not just in Northern Ireland, but also in GB and Ireland. It’s an industry that needs support to continue to provide its highly technical and essential services,” Jonathan says.
“The premises will be based at the former site of Duffy Accident Repairs in Newry. PJ Duffy is a well-known and highly valued member of the local vehicle repair fraternity and his retirement from it came at a time when we were looking to see how we could support NIBA achieve its objectives.
They recently launched a TV ad campaign to promote its members and we see our assistance with a training scheme as another way to increase the public’s awareness of what the industry does.
We are really excited about our Bodyshop Academy, and we think it’ll be a great way for both young people and those thinking of switching careers to enter a challenging environment where their talents will be recognised.” he continues.
The Newry-based centre is expected to provide Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) accreditations for Vehicle Damage Assessors (VDA), Panel, Paint and Mechanical Electrical Trim (MET) Technicians.
The academy will also provide up-to-date training for experienced independent body shop repairers too, Jonathan explains.
“Through this initiative we will raise the profile of independent vehicle repairers and their employees and ensure they are equipped with the qualifications, skills and experience to compete with the high-volume insurer controlled body shops.
This will set the independent network apart as they will have the skillset necessary to fix the sort of high value, complex repairs required for modern vehicles which are probably more difficult to repair than an Airbus or Boeing jetliner,” he adds.
The academy also aims to offer and deliver apprenticeship standards in all vehicle repair disciplines, including Electric and Hybrid qualifications in line with government plans and initiatives.
Explaining the vision for the new building, Architect David Maxwell says, “We’re delighted to be working with CRASH Services once again.Trainees at the academy will enjoy a fully equipped centre with modern facilities to cater to practical and classroom-based education."
"It will have welding booths, a spray room, classrooms, car lifts, and a canteen for apprentices to learn and thrive in an environment unlike any other in the country,” David adds.
Discussions have already taken place between representatives of CRASH and the Southern Regional College aimed at ensuring complimentary educational outcomes can be achieved by both institutions.
To find out more about CRASH Services visit crashservices.com
For more information on NIBA see NIBodyshop.com
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The once world-famous whiskey brand, D’Arcy’s Old Irish Whiskey, has enjoyed an incredible return after a century with launch retail sales of their products topping £100,000 in the Christmas trading period. Three products were launched in 2020, a 17 year old single malt, a 10 year old port finished blend and 'Old Newry' whiskey.
Matt D’Arcy and Co was first established in 1817 in Newry, gaining a global reputation, before closing in 1918. The brand has now been revived by local businessman and historian Michael Mckeown who plans to re-establish a distillery incorporating a bar and visitors centre on the site of the former ArmaghDown Bar in Monaghan Street.
Michael commented “Our launch was planned for earlier in 2020, but with COVID-19 delays, we didn’t get to the local market until mid-November. We are delighted with the response from off licences and their customers. We are now stocked in over 70 outlets across Northern Ireland and hope to announce further stores in the coming weeks.”
“Our initial range includes some limited-edition bottles to celebrate our return. The Matt D’Arcy 17-year-old single malt, which was voted best Irish whiskey at two major international competitions in the USA last year, has already become a real collector’s item. If you are lucky enough, you may still pick one up from the few retailers who still have them. In addition, we brought out an Old Newry whiskey bottle with the tagline ‘since 1144 and before’ to commemorate the fact that Newry is the world’s oldest whiskey manufactory.”
The proof of this claim is laid out in the recently published “Matt D’Arcy and Old Newry Whiskies”, a history book which highlights documentary evidence showing that whiskey production in Newry can be traced back to before the foundation of the Cistercian Monastery founded by Royal Charter in 1144 AD.
The company’s longer-term plan is to re-establish a working distillery on the original Matt D’Arcy site on Monaghan Street in the heart of the city. The project will also include a visitor’s centre, Victorian bar and restaurant. Construction tenders are expected to be issued as Covid recedes but in the meantime D’Arcy’s intend to launch further products on the home market whilst exploring export opportunities.
For more information about where to buy the whiskey, please visit mattdarcys.com.
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Despite Brexit and Covid-19 resulting in a total drop off in volume at times last year, Warrenpoint Port saw its tonnage for 2020 down by less than 5% on 2019 volumes and only 0.9% behind pre- Covid expected volumes.
The port have attributed the robust figures to several factors, including a strong relationship with existing customers, an investment in the Port team; and a focused effort by hauliers to front load prior to Brexit and to find routes that minimise disruption, post Brexit.
David Holmes has been at the forefront of this delivery since he took over as CEO of Warrenpoint Port in August 2019.
David said, “We have been in a period of transition and change literally since I joined the Port. We have a small senior management team, so we’ve had to work efficiently and effectively. We spent the best part of 2020 preparing for what impact Brexit would have on our services, while dealing with a global pandemic.
“We continue to do this as we navigate new systems and processes with our customers. We have had some success including the granting of Office of Transit Status and AEO Status. Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status is an internationally recognised quality mark that shows your business’s role in the international supply chain is secure and has customs control procedures that meet UK and EU standards. Office of Transit status means that Warrenpoint Port can be used as an office of departure or office of destination for any unitised cargoes transiting the port. This may be used for goods with origin or destination in the EU.
“It has certainly been a challenging year but one which we have worked together as a team and delivered for our customers. Managing Covid-19 and protecting our employees has been a key theme across the last 12 months. Like Brexit it is a challenge that we continue to navigate. We have however, continued to improve our internal communications as well as working on our place in the community. Over Christmas, with the support of our customer and supply chain base, we were able to donate almost £12,000 to 23 organisations in our local community to deliver some festive cheer.
“The theme of communication and engagement is something we will continue to build on in 2021. This is particularly true for anyone in the local community who wishes to have meaningful engagement with us.”
David Holmes added, “I am immensely proud of what the team has achieved in 2020 and how we turned the year around after the first lockdown. I want to thank our team for the effort and commitment they put in to making us such a vital component of our island economy.
“We can all see from the start of this year; how important it is for us to keep goods flowing. We are poised and ready to continue to do this in 2021 with new and existing customers. We are prepped and ready for the challenges that lie ahead, and we look forward to working with our local community, our customers, and stakeholders to deliver post Covid economic recovery for our area when the time comes.
“In a final note I would like to pay tribute and thanks to our outgoing Chairman Stan McIlvenney for all the wisdom, knowledge and good counsel he has brought to our Trust Port over the last five years. We wish him well in his future endeavours and we look forward to getting to know our new Chairman Dr Gerard O Hare when he joins us in February.”
Warrenpoint Port is the north's second largest port by volume. It is almost 250 years in existence as a Port and Warrenpoint Harbour Authority will celebrate its 50th Anniversary later this year.
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Newry Business Improvement District is currently working towards its revote date in March 2021. If successful, this would see Newry BID remain in place for another five years and investing in the region of £1.4million over that period in our city centre. During the first BID term they invested over £1M in Newry City Centre.
Eamonn Connolly, Newry BID Manager said, “It couldn’t have come at a worse time, but it couldn’t have come at a better time in some ways, as we believe the only way we will get through this pandemic is by working together. We were due to have our revote in February but due to the current restrictions we have pushed it back as far as we can until March.
“After 31st March, without a successful revote BID simply ceases to exist with nothing to replace it.
“We will be working harder than ever to make sure we reach businesses over the coming weeks to encourage them to vote YES. With many premises closed it is difficult to engage face to face with businesses to discuss their issues.
"If we are successful however, we have a clear business strategy shaped by our members who have been telling us what they want from as far back as October time.
“If voted through we will be focusing on the issues businesses want us to address including lobbying on the excessive traffic enforcement in Newry and fair rates for all; as well as supporting with Covid recovery; keeping Newry cleaner, greener and safer with our clean team out on the ground bio fogging, sanitising and power hosing; supporting with social distancing signage etc, vacant property painting and providing green spaces in the city centre. We also have a full programme of activities to support promoting Newry as a safe place to return to, to stay, eat and shop when we are able to do so.”
Eamonn Connolly continued, “We cannot do any of this without our businesses voting YES in the postal vote between 11th February and 25th March. We need at least 25% turnout for the vote to be valid so every vote counts. We will be continuing to contact businesses in the days and weeks ahead to make sure they check their premises for their ballot papers. They will be sent out from 11th February, so we expect them to have arrived by Monday 15th February. Business owner/managers then have six weeks in which to place their postal vote.”
During the first term Newry BID invested more than £1 million in the city centre including recently providing free training courses for approx. 2000 attendees, painting 30 vacant properties, free car parking at North Street for more than 1,000 cars per week, 125 members received free Social Distancing signage and 350 businesses have availed of support with applying for grants and rate relief amongst other activities.
Please vote Yes from 11th February to 25th March to retain all these services and more in our city centre.
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Mulkerns EUROSPAR on the Forkhill Road in Newry has started the year as they mean to go on, bagging an array of awards from two top UK-wide retail award schemes. A competition judge even called it "one of the best stores I have ever had the privilege to judge"
The family-run supermarket picked up the top awards for Community Engagement at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards and Sustainable Initiative of the Year, Community Retailer of the Year and Food to Go Retailer of the Year at the Retail Industry Awards, both of which were held virtually recently.
At the Retail Industry Awards Enya McAteer, a member of the team for the past year, also took home the Newcomer of the Year title.
The business also received Highly Commended for Kelly McKeown in the Manager of the Year category, and for Best Use of Technology, earning the store a total of seven accolades in the past two weeks.
In their entries, the team shared their community focused initiatives with judges, from colouring competitions raising funds for Barnardos NI and Women’s Aid Armagh & Down, to coffee mornings, charity bike rides and everything in between.
The bespoke community and charity partnerships the supermarket’s teams were involved in during a difficult year also included a Steak Night which raised £20,000 for The Southern Area Hospice.
Judges said Mulkerns was a “wonderful example of a community store” and “It is one of the best stores I have ever had the privilege to judge”. Another added, “it’s a shining example of how a business can be part of the community from which it derives its trade and people”.
Fingers on the Pulse
The Retail Industry Awards commended Mulkerns for being “customer-centric” and were impressed with the efforts taken to increase food-to-go sales, increasing sales by 25% in just 12 months thanks to meal deals, “fakeaways”, specific celebratory themed days, resulting in judges saying Mulkerns has “their finger on the pulse of new food trends”.
Taking its influence in the community seriously, the retailer committed to Zero Waste Wednesdays to communicate its new sustainability initiative to shoppers, encouraging the community to make little changes for a big difference. The campaign earned them the Most Sustainable Retailer Initiative of the Year thanks to the introduction of compostable packaging for the butchery and salad bowls, the removal of 80% of its plastic packaging from fruit and veg, cleaning product refill stations and reusable cups for hot drinks.
Rounding up the impressive flurry of awards was Enya McAteer, taking home the Newcomer of the Year Award for her implementation of many productive initiatives and policies since she joined the team 12 months ago. Judges were extremely impressed with how McAteer has used her experience to “deliver a great retail environment for the community”. One judge said; “Her range of retail skills is very impressive. Add to this her ability and willingness to work in every department… she clearly leads by example”.
Terry Mulkerns is bowled over to have such a fantastic start to the year; “I am so proud of how the team has brought the store and the whole community through the past year. These awards just go to show that we are performing at a level that sets the standard for community retailing across the UK.
“Engaging with local schools, charities and community initiatives is so important to us as a team, as well as providing an example for sustainable living and wellbeing, and importantly, making it accessible.”
Patrick Doody, Sales & Marketing Director at Henderson Group added; “We wish to send huge congratulations to the Mulkerns EUROSPAR team for all their extra effort in a year where their community really needed them as a hub of engagement and safety.
“We are constantly inspired by what our independent retailers do for their communities, from school initiatives to making health and wellbeing easier, and Mulkerns more than deserve these awards.”
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Irish food-to-go manufacturer Deli Lites has announced plans for a multi-million pound investment as part of its strategy to support growth internationally.
The Warrenpoint-headquartered company recently switched banking partner and Ulster Bank is now supporting the company with its business banking needs and providing additional funding facilities to accelerate growth in its food-to-go ranges over the next five years.
Deli Lites Ireland is run by husband and wife entrepreneurs Brian and Jackie Reid and employs a team of almost 300 people. The company supplies a range of food-to-go products to a host of major retailers including Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Costa.
The business produces more than 20 million products annually from its extensive range of fresh gourmet sandwiches, nutritious salad bowls, hot sandwiches, heat-to-eat meals, award-winning bakery treats and a new chef-led plant-based range.
Currently they export to customers throughout the UK & Ireland and in European markets. With support from Ulster Bank, the company has earmarked a significant investment for the implementation of new technologies to maximise its sales in these markets and other international countries.
Plans include further investment in research and innovation as well as capital projects at its Warrenpoint headquarters to support automation and sustainability, a key focus for the food-to-go manufacturer.
Commenting on the company’s five-year plan, CEO Brian Reid said the business has a clearly defined path to sustain future growth.
“Despite the challenges the sector faced in 2020, our retail business and export markets remained strong. As we invest in the future of the company, we aim to further develop our international business where we see significant opportunities. We are entering a very exciting period in our growth story and are ready to showcase what an Irish producer can do on the world stage.”
Renewing the company’s commitment to the local market, Brian added: “Deli Lites has significant foothold locally, supported by our local customers and team who remain the foundation of our business. As we continue to grow, we’re fully committed to strengthening our market presence in Ireland through future investments which will greatly improve efficiency and capacity to fulfil growing demand for our product ranges.”
Speaking about the switch to a new banking partner, Brian said: “The bank’s understanding of our needs and proactive approach putting together a package for us was hugely encouraging. With the funding facilities, resources and expertise offered by the bank and our relationship manager, Caroline, we are now in a very strong position to execute our ambitious growth plans and achieve our company’s vision to bring the best quality Irish food-to-go to the world.”
Caroline McKeown, Senior Relationship Manager at Ulster Bank, said: “We are extremely pleased to support Deli Lites as it enters an exciting period of high growth. Understanding the company’s current market position and its growth aspirations, we developed a financial package that caters for its routine business banking needs as well as providing the funding injection required to capitalise on huge export market potential.
“We look forward to working closely with its passionate management team whose vision for the business is now within reach through this new partnership.”
Customers include major retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Boots and Applegreen, as well as local food service companies. At the 2020 Sammies, the British Sandwich Association Awards, the business won in the New Sandwich Category (Hot) for its innovative Irish Stout Pastrami Tósta. The company has also won numerous Great Taste awards, including for its Kitchen Vegilantes range. CEO Brian Reid was announced as IOD NI International Director of the Year 2020.
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Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is urging local entrepreneurs to ‘Go For It’ in 2021 with the support of the Go For It Programme. The Programme has supported over 7,200 would-be entrepreneurs across Northern Ireland in the last three years.
This project is part funded by Invest Northern Ireland and the European Regional Development Fund under the Investment for Growth & Jobs Northern Ireland (2014-2020) Programme.
The programme is delivered free of charge by a team of experienced business advisors across Northern Ireland. It provides expert advice and help with developing a robust business plan, covering everything from financial forecasting to marketing and long-term sales growth.
Councillor Laura Devlin, Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, said: “The Go For It Programme, delivered byNewry, Mourne and Down District Council, helps candidates create a business plan tailored to their business idea, focusing on important elements such as financial forecasting and accounts, sales and marketing, and how they can potentially access funding.
“This tried and tested business plan provides candidates with a blue-print for building a successful and sustainable business model, and it gives them the final push they need to finally launch their business.
“So if you’re thinking about starting a business in 2021, I would encourage you to get in touch and seek the support that the Go For It Programme provides.”
Dr Eugene McGuckin, Programme Manager, Northern Ireland Business Start Up Programme said: “The Go For It Programme continues to be a fantastic asset in helping entrepreneurs across Northern Ireland access the advice and support they need to develop a business plan.
“Over 7,200 new business plans in three years is a remarkable milestone, and local Councils are really proud that so many entrepreneurs have seized the opportunity to establish the business of their dreams with the support of the Go For It Programme.
If you have a business idea you’d like to develop or if you are thinking about starting a business call 0800 027 0639 or visit: visit WWW.GOFORITNI.COM
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