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Newry Chamber of Commerce &Trade has released a statement expressing disappointment at the absence of indicative dates for reopening in the NI Executive's review of their COVID-19 recovery plan.
In a statement, the Chamber’s CEO Colm Shannon, said “The NI Executive announcement brought further disappointment for businesses in the retail and hospitality sectors. At a time when Scotland published indicative dates for their businesses, the Executive remained steadfast in their refusal to do so. After a year, businesses understand the difficult choices the Executive must make, but indicative dates that may have to be pushed back are more acceptable than none.
“The extension of click and collect to all retailers was welcome but it is disappointing they will have to wait until 12th April. More welcome was the extension of rates support for a further twelve months and the Finance Minister’s announcement of £178m in new business support grants.”
Stressing the need for businesses to plan after a lengthy period of closure, the CEO added “Businesses want this to be the last lockdown and do not want to reopen before it is safe to do so. Equally, after a year of COVID there is real uncertainty and worry in the business community.
“We are coming into the Spring which is an important period for both the retail and hospitality sectors. They need to plan for reopening to maximise the opportunities this will provide. Indicative dates would give businesses the opportunity to plan for a time when they might reopen. They can’t wait until the 15th April for the Executive to provide a further update. The Chamber would call on the Executive to publish indicative dates before their next review date of 15th April."
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Crilly’s Confections, Ireland’s leading manufacturer of boiled sweets, has won its first export business in Spain.
The family-owned business, based in Newry is supplying its successful premium range of traditional handmade sweets in bags to a distributor in Malaga for stores in the region.
The deal, according to Crilco director David Crilly, follows an approach from the specialist confectionery distributor who had heard about the company’s popular range of boiled sweets and was keen to introduce them to consumers in the Malaga region.
“We were delighted by the approach from the distributor who indicated that he was impressed by the outstanding quality and variety of our successful range of bagged sweets which has also won export business in other parts of Europe as well as China.
“We had to develop the business by email, phone and social media due to Covid-19 restrictions. We aim to meet the distributor when the restrictions are lifted and we are able to travel again. We’ll be keen in particular to host a visit to our plant by him.
“Our market research shows that Spain has considerable potential for premium confectionery and especially in the Costas where there are significant numbers of people from Britain and Ireland.
“The Malaga deal gives up an important springboard to grow our business in Spain in the months and years ahead. To this end, we’ll be working closely with the distributor to explore further business opportunities.” he adds.
The successful Northern Ireland business also sell its range of boiled sweets, all produced at its manufacturing operation in Newry, to customers in the Republic of Ireland, the US, Australia, Germany, Italy, France and the Czech Republic.
The company currently employs more than 30 people in Newry.
Crilco, which was established in 1974 by Mr Crilly’s father Peter, is the last remaining producer of boiled sweets in Ireland and among a small number in the UK. Great Britain remains a vitally important markets and customers include discount retailer B&M Bargains
Crilco produces its confectionery by traditional methods of mixing sugar and glucose and adding acid and flavours. It currently produces 50,000 bags of sweets every day, which equates to a million bags a month.
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Infrastructure Minister, Nichola Mallon has announced a recruitment campaign to appoint two Non-Executive Members to Warrenpoint Harbour Authority.
Explaining the positions Minister Mallon said: “These key posts offer an excellent opportunity for individuals to make a valued contribution to the management and continued growth of one of Northern Ireland’s main commercial ports.
“Warrenpoint Port’s Vision is to continually grow whilst maximising its contribution to the regional economy and community. I would therefore encourage anyone who considers that they meet the criteria for these posts and who has a genuine desire to make a contribution to the work and Vision of the Port to seriously consider applying.”
The time commitment for the post will be one to two business days per month. The Non-Executive Members will be expected to attend all Board meetings and other ad hoc meetings as required. The Members will receive remuneration of £7,807 per annum (under review) and reasonable travel and subsistence costs.
The appointment will be effective from 1 August 2021 and will run for a period of up to four years.
The competition documents, including the Candidate Information Booklet which provides details of the role and competition criteria at can be accessed at: WWW.NIDIRECT.GOV.UK or WWW.INFRASTRUCTURE-NI.GOV.UK
Alternatively contact the DfI Public Appointments Unit:
Applications will be welcomed from all sections of the community.
Women, younger people, people with disabilities and people from ethnic minority communities are currently under-represented on DfI Boards. Applications from members of these groups would be particularly welcome.
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The Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor was launched today in an online presentation hosted by Economist, David McWilliams. Speakers included discussions from Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD and Stormont Finance Minister, Conor Murphy MLA and Trevor Lockhart, CEO, Fane Valley. Newry, Mourne and Down Council CEO, Marie Ward spoke in a video shown as part of the presentation.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council is one of eight local authorities from either side of the border which came together today to launch the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor in response to challenges facing the region, which have been identified by a joint report from Dublin City University and Ulster University. In the next 20 years 60% of the islands population will live in the corridor.
As well as Newry, Mourne and Down seven other local authorities were involved: Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council; Belfast City Council; Dublin City Council; Fingal County Council; Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council; Louth County Council and Meath County Council.
The report, entitled ‘The Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor: Current Profile, Potential for Recovery & Opportunities for Cooperation’, states that this is an opportune time to create a North-South Economic Corridor given the challenges the region faces as it comes to terms with the impact of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commenting on the initiative Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chairperson Councillor Laura Devlin said “Opportunities exist to grow indigenous business, establish clusters of key sectors, leverage the appetite for collaboration and use the Corridor as the driving force for economic development in the region and nationally.”
In 2018, the eight Councils located along the Corridor and the two Universities came together to work collectively to find ways of realising the potential benefits of further development of the Corridor. This led to the establishment of a Partnership Steering Group made up of the eight Council Chief Executives and the Presidents of the two universities who committed to meeting quarterly.
The Steering Group’s immediate objective is to leverage the network’s resources in areas which can have a positive impact and add significant value to the economic development of the region at a time of great economic and social uncertainty.
A working group of local government and university staff was subsequently formed and tasked with developing a series of cooperative initiatives and projects to begin to realise this objective. The report published today is the first output of their collective work over the past three years.”
Moving forward
Following today’s launch and the publication of the Report, the next step will be to establishing working governance structures which will balance oversight and day to day activity. Oversight will be provided by an Oversight and Governance Board. This will comprise of 24 councillors, three from each Council, and they will shortly hold their first meeting to elect a Chair and develop a programme of works.
There is awareness among all those involved in the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Project that developing a strong ethos of co-operation will require time, energy and support. Objectives will be set for achievement in the medium to long-term and based on a realisation that local actions can deliver strategic objectives in a practical way.
Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chief Executive, Marie Ward speaking of local cooperation said "We are developing a Greenway along Newry Canal and Carlingford Lough which will initially link Carlingford and Newry. We came together to make a joint application for funding from the EU's Interreg Fund and received nearly €3.5M towards developing this Cross Border Project."
The CEO added: “There is awareness among all those involved in the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Project that developing a strong ethos of co-operation will require time, energy and support. Objectives will be set for achievement in the medium to long-term and based on a realisation that local actions can deliver strategic objectives in a practical way.”
The region has a population in excess of 2 million people and is younger and more diverse than any other part of Ireland with 15% born off the island. It also has the best educated workforce with 34% of the population holding Third Level qualifications thereby creating an excellent pipeline for concentrations of jobs requiring graduates.
In 2019, there were 125,000 firms located along the Corridor with entrepreneurship and survival rates higher than elsewhere in Ireland and more people employed in mid-sized and large businesses than anywhere else.
Key sectors along the Corridor include Advanced Manufacturing, ICT, Agri-Food, Professional Services, Financial Services, Constructions and Tourism while among the challenges facing the region in the coming years are adapting to Brexit, Climate Change and transformation to a low carbon economy, low population density and an ageing population.
A video about the long-standing co-operation between Louth County Council and Newry, Mourne and Down District Council was also shown and featured interviews with Joan Martin, Chief Executive, Louth County Council; Newry, Mourne and Down District Council Chief Executive, Mare Ward; Sean O’Connor, Chief Operations Officer, STATSports; and Eamon McKey, Chief Operations Officer, Deli Lites.
A moderated panel discussion featuring themes of business, agencies and politics set out the vision for what’s happening and what’s possible and featured AnnMarie Farrelly, Chief Executive, Fingal County Council; Niall McEntegart, Director, Data Center Site Operation (EMEA & APAC), Facebook; Margaret Hearty, Designated Accounting Officer & Director of Business Services, InterTradeIreland; Trevor Lockhart, Chief Executive, Fane Valley Group; and Professor Daire Keogh, President, Dublin City University.
Dr Eoin Magennis speaking from Warrenpoint represented University of Ulster and Professor Deiric Ó Broin of Dublin City University who, along with Neale Blair and Jordana Corrigan, researched the subject and developed the report, outlined the strategic vision for what is possible along the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor while Owen Keegan, Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, and Suzanne Wylie, Chief Executive of Belfast City Council addressed the online audience which was drawn from the political, business and education spheres in both jurisdictions.
Great economic potential – Murphy
Finance Minister, Conor Murphy welcomed the launch of ‘The Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor: Current Profile, Potential for Recovery & Opportunities for Cooperation’ report.
Speaking at the Conference Minister Murphy said: “I want to commend the eight councils from the North and South for coming together to produce this landmark report. The report shows that by operating and marketing itself as a single economic unit, the Corridor can galvanise domestic growth and attract FDI.
“It is important that the Corridor drives balanced economic growth across the island. For example a high-speed Belfast to Dublin train should be part of an all-Ireland rail network that includes Derry, Cork, and Limerick.”
“This report highlights tremendous opportunities. An action plan is needed so that the Corridor can form part of an investment-led recovery from Covid and Brexit.”
The Minister also mentioned the Southern Relief Road.
Chambers welcome launch
Dundalk, Newry, and Drogheda Chambers welcomed the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Initiative launched today. The Chambers constitute the region in the centre of that corridor, the fillet, and have long worked together promoting the region as a whole.
Speaking after today’s launch, Chief Executive Officer of Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade, Colm Shannon said:
“Newry Chamber welcomes the launch of the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor Initiative, which clearly demonstrates the potential of a region with a population of over 2million. Newry, Dundalk and Drogheda Chambers and the two local councils already have good working relationships. Post Brexit and COVID 19, these relationships will provide a platform for future economic cooperation and growth.
“We have the people, the skills and the infrastructure to attract future investment and grow the economy both sides of the border. The growth of the hybrid working model will also make our region an attractive place to live and work.”
The three chambers welcome how the initiative has clearly set out the benefits of the region.
The region has 2,300,000 living within an hour’s drive with many having third level plus and other skilled qualifications; excellent broadband; three international airports, 7 universities/third level and two deep water ports. We are an investment ready region capable of supporting green field Foreign Direct Investment projects; second locations or companies that require a presence in one or both locations post Brexit. We offer second locations from 200 plus to a small hub of 5 to 10 working in small units.
The three chambers have a long and successful record of assisting both established and potential businesses in establishing or enhancing their position in the area.
We offer ready access to both Dublin and Belfast and still offer a high quality of life with mountains; sea and countryside to explore.
The tourism offering from the UNESCO world site at Newgrange to the mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea into Carlingford Lough is a relatively underdeveloped product.
Over the years the Chambers have run 5 annual conferences on Brexit; collaboration on Skillsnet and other training and for may years a tourism conference in April focussing on supporting our tourism providers.
We look forward to working with the Shared Island Project which we have already started to engage with Chambers Ireland and the Department of An Taoiseach.
Armagh and Down Flags
Host David McWilliams perhaps summed up perfectly the whole point of the project saying "The amount of Armagh flags and Down flags on the back of cranes (in Dublin) - This is the real synergy because the north has more capacity than the south, wages are lower, house prices are lower, costs of business are lower. The south has demand but not enough supply. The north arguably has too much supply and not enough demand. How do we meld those together" Check out the presentation below.
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Work has started on the brand new £5M Lidl store at Buttercrane Shopping Centre in Newry with 15 new jobs being created and 200 more supported through the construction and development period.
The brand-new state-of-the-art store at Buttercrane will see Lidl relocate from their existing store beside Bagenal’s Castle on Abbey Way and will transform a strategic site in the heart of Newry city which has lain vacant for almost a decade.
The store will occupy an entire space of 2,190 sq. metres, including an expansive sales floor of almost 1,400 sq. metres, and replaces a unit previously occupied by Easons, as well as part of the former M&S space.
Construction encompasses Lidl Northern Ireland’s bold ‘concept’ design which prioritises sustainability, spacious, wide aisles, long tills, restrooms, staff and baby-changing facilities which will dramatically enhance a high-quality shopping experience. Customers will also be able to avail of a new ‘Lidl-to-Go’ coffee machine and a larger bakery area offering a wide range of freshly baked goods.
First opened in 1988 and located alongside the canal, Buttercrane Shopping Centre has played an important role in developing the city’s reputation as one of the best provincial shopping destinations in Northern Ireland.
Conor Boyle, Regional Director for Lidl Northern Ireland, said “We are delighted to confirm that work is now well under way to create a new, exceptional and transformative store right in the heart of Newry city which reaffirms our investment commitment to create new job opportunities and to bring our successful Big on Quality, Lidl on Price proposition to more shoppers across the region.”
The region’s fastest-growing supermarket retailer, Lidl Northern Ireland opened its first store in Newry more than a decade ago at Bagenal’s Castle and added a further store at Damolly Retail Park in 2011.
Designed to accommodate growing customer numbers in a new, modern and convenient location, the new store at Buttercrane Shopping Centre will replace the Bagenal’s Castle outlet which will remain open during construction.
“As a major investor in our team, our communities, suppliers and in our local economy, Lidl Northern Ireland is at the forefront of exciting new retail growth and I’m delighted that our bright, modern and futuristic new store in Newry will help to regenerate and revitalise an important part of the city,” Conor Boyle added.
The company employs more than 1,000 staff across its 40-strong store network and Regional Distribution Centre in Nutt’s Corner, Co. Antrim, and recently announced it will recruit an additional 170 employees this year.
Lidl Northern Ireland contributes around £180 million a year to the local economy, sustaining 3,500 jobs while buying and exporting as much as £290 million worth of local goods and products.
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After a six-week postal ballot process Newry BID has been successfully voted in for its second five-year term.
Of the 300+ eligible businesses that cast their vote in the ballot, 88 % voted YES to another five-year term. Newry BID legally required 25% turnout for the vote to proceed but achieved more than double this. The turnout surpassed even the figures that the BID team had hoped for. The vote also required at least 25% of the total rateable value of members to cast a ballot. This was achieved with 86% of the rateable value of ballots cast, voting YES. Approximately 2% of votes were spoiled due to lack of signatures.
Eamonn Connolly, Newry BID Manager said, “We would like to thank every single business and organisation who took the time to cast their vote. It was a particularly difficult time to have to undertake a revote process; when so many businesses are closed or experiencing financial hardship. We appreciate that many people went out of their way to make sure their vote was cast. We also understand with premises closed, vacant or uncontactable there were some organisations who were not able to place their vote. We are delighted to have been given an overwhelming mandate. The hard work starts today, and we will not let our members down.”
Eamonn continued, “We have a full business plan available on our website (newry.com), outlining how we plan to help our members #Belong to the local business community over the next five years; what we are going to do to #Invest in the city centre and how we will encourage others to do so; as well as what we plan to #Deliver in that period.
“Over the coming weeks we will be announcing details of how we plan to support our businesses to safely reopen when we are given indicative dates by the Executive. Recovery will not be quick, and it will not come easy, but we are committed to supporting our members every step of the way.
“It is our Vision to ‘be the leading Business Improvement District in Northern Ireland offering tailored support to every one of our existing members. We want to increase our membership by supporting and encouraging investment in the city centre. We look forward to having the opportunity, over the next five years to help realise this Vision.”
Newry Business Improvement District is a business led initiative created by legislation which gives businesses the power ‘to raise funds locally to be spent locally’ on improving a defined commercial area. A BID is formed when the majority of business ratepayers within that area vote to invest collectively in that area, in this case it is all the businesses in Newry City Centre.
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Following the announcement of plans to build a £22 million self-funded ‘circular economy resource park’ in Newry this year, Re-Gen Waste has committed a further £20 million investment in the local manufacture of two, innovative new products.
Derived from local household waste, the advanced, absorbent paper product is currently undergoing R&D testing, in association with Queen’s University Belfast. Both manufactured goods should be ready to bring to market in 2023 and will drive improvements in local Circular Product use.
This new tranche of investment is expected to create 250 local jobs, deliver £20 millions of value to the NI economy annually and provide a strong alternative to incineration and shipping recyclable materials overseas.
Managing Director Joseph Doherty said: "In the last ten years SMEs in the NI Waste Sector have been innovating and developing processes and plant, to move Northern Ireland towards a circular economy.
“This can’t happen overnight, but Northern Ireland is hitting its targets to become a zero-waste society. In 2019/20, Northern Ireland achieved a Household Waste Recycling and Composting Rate of 51.9%. This is a dramatic step forward in our recycling rate, which continues to grow.
“The volume of household waste landfilled has decreased by 352,837 tonnes, down from 561,173 tonnes in 2009/10 to 208,336 tonnes in 2019/20 and is continuing to fall rapidly year on year. According to DAERA’s Compositional Study 2017, 55% of the black bin (residual waste) is recyclable material, which we will also extract for use in manufacturing these new products.”
Mr Doherty said that: “New policy and legislative measures such as Extended Producer Responsibility, Plastic Tax and a Deposit Return Scheme, will dramatically change the nature and volume of waste, post 2023.
“We are positioning our business to meet these new policies and are proud that the 23.1% increase in our recycling rate, has been achieved through private investment by SMEs in the waste sector, to extract and recover recyclable and compostable materials.
“We are pushing hard to innovate and develop manufacturing facilities that close the recycling loop, create jobs at home and boost the NI economy.”
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Translink has taken a major step towards reducing its carbon footprint by striking a deal with Shelbourne Motors to add award-winning 100% electric Renault Zoe and Kangoo vans to its fleet of support vehicles.
The family-owned vehicle retailer has provided Translink with the electric vans as a key part of Translink’s Net Zero Emissions Strategy aimed to create cleaner and greener transport to positively impact the climate emergency and air quality.
The new Renault ZOE was recently voted ‘Best Small Electric Car For Value’ at the 2021 What Car? Car of the Year Awards. It boasts a driving range of up to 245 miles with a running cost of 3p per mile.
The Renault Kangoo Z.E Van is an established market leader and was voted ‘Best Electric Van’ in 2018. It has a driving range of up to 124 miles from a single charge and can be fully recharged in six hours.
Paul Ward, Director of Shelbourne Motors, added; “Shelbourne Motors is delighted to expand its relationship with Translink with the supply of these award-winning 100% electric Renault vehicles as part of their network of support vehicles.
“Translink is leading the way towards a greener, more sustainable era for public transport in Northern Ireland and the Renault Kangoo Z.E Van and Renault ZOE will play an integral role in their drive towards zero emissions, as well as providing day-to-day functional support at ultra-low running costs.”
Speaking about the introduction of the Renault zero emission vehicles, Ian Campbell Director of Service Operations with Translink said; “Translink recognises that climate change is a major environmental issue and we actively promote the environmental benefits of travelling by public transport as a better, more sustainable travel solution.
“We have some of the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly buses in the region and were delighted to recently introduce new Hydrogen Double Deck buses into service in Belfast – a first in Ireland and announced an order for 100 further Zero Emission Hydrogen and Battery Electric buses that will enter service in 2022. These vehicles when introduced, will further reduce our overall Greenhouse Gas emissions,and improve air quality along key routes.
“We are also taking steps to minimise the environmental impact of our day-to-day support operations and this move in conjunction with Shelbourne Motors, will be a further step in our plans to help reduce our carbon footprint.
Shelbourne Motors is a family-owned vehicle retailer that employs over 170 staff across its multi award-winning dealerships in Newry and Portadown. It operates Toyota, Renault, Nissan, Kia and Dacia franchises, as well as a Used Car Supermarket, Accident Repair Centre, Vehicle Rental Division and Valet Centre.
For more information on Shelbourne Motors please visit: www.shelbournemotors.com.
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firmus energy has appointed Eric Cosgrove as its new Director of Engineering and Sustainability to lead the company’s adoption of new technologies and help maximise the environmental benefits to be realised by using renewable gas sources in its natural gas network.
Eric has been firmus energy’s Director of Engineering since 2013 overseeing the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of the company’s gas network. The potential injection of hydrogen and biomethane will mean firmus energy can continue to play a leading role in helping Northern Ireland transition towards Net Zero Carbon.
Speaking about his new role Eric said: “firmus energy has over 1,800 km of strategically placed gas network which can be harnessed, adapted and optimised to help Northern Ireland reach its sustainability goals. The Northern Ireland Executive’s ambitions are clear in terms of reducing Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions and decarbonisation. Right now, the Department for the Economy is working on a new ten-year energy strategy, which will set out renewable and energy efficiency targets to be achieved by 2030.
“By utilising new technologies to harness renewable gas such as biomethane and hydrogen, firmus energy is poised to play a dynamic role in reducing carbon emissions in Northern Ireland and make those ambitions a reality. Work has already started on a number of projects that will deliver results within the next few years.”
Over 68% of households in Northern Ireland still use oil to heat their homes which has significantly higher CO2 emissions than natural gas. The current firmus energy natural gas network is available to over 150,000 households and businesses and every home converting from oil to natural gas benefits from an immediate CO2 saving of 48%*. Customers connected to the firmus energy network are already saving over 220,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.
firmus energy has also appointed Neil Gallagher as its new Sustainability Manager to support Eric in his new role.
To find out if you can get connected and benefit from more space around the home, call 0330 024 9000 or visit www.firmusenergy.co.uk.
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