Today's Grocery Magazine September 2011

In this months issue....................................................................................................

September/October 2011

2 NEWS

10 LAZY KIDS LEAVE IT TO MUM

12 TRANSITION COMPLETE

16 RECYCLING AGENCY WARNS AGAINST TAX

26 TGM- FOCUS BREAKFAST CEREALS

22 Q AWARDS 3 YEARS IN SUCCESSION

30 TGM- FOCUS CONDIMENTS - SAUCES

36 TWO STRATEGIES FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

Todays Grocery Magazine Tel 2809466 (6 lines)The Mews email: [email protected] Road Upper [email protected] LaoghaireCo. Dublin www.todaysgrocery.com

Small PrintTodays Grocery Magazine is circulated to all proprietors, directors and managers of allrelevant manufacturers and distributors, to every cash and carry, every multiple supermarket,group head office and wholesaler, all group affiliated shops and Londis outlets in addition toover 6,300 unaffiliated independent retailers and the country’s leading off-licence outlets. Allarticles are copyright of Todays Grocery Magazine and cannot be reprinted without the writtenpermission of the editor. All letters to the editor of this magazine will be treated as havingbeen submitted for publication. The magazine reserves the right to edit and abridge them.Disclaimer While every effort has been taken to ensure that all information is accurate at thetime of going to press, neither TGM Ltd or Todays Grocery Magazine accept responsibility forany inaccuracies or omissions. Please note that the opinions expressed in the articles arestrictly those of the authors.

40 BORD BIA’S FDI AWARDS 2011

44 TGM- FOCUS IGNITION PRODUCTS

50 NEWS

58 A HABITUAL PURCHASE

62 MINISTER TO TACKLE OBESITY EPIDEMIC

64 TGM- FOCUS MEAL KITS

66 TGM- FOCUS SOUPS

68 TGM- FOCUS SNACKING

54 C&C ACQUIRE US CIDER BRAND

56 TGM- FOCUS CAKES

52 GREENCORE IN TALKS WITH US GROUP

M.D/Editor: Frank MaddenDeputy Editor: Ruth TimminsBsn. Dev. Managers: Niall P. Madden

Sarah GriffinContributors: Emma Maguire

Daire WalshCirculation: Margaret CorryDesign: 90% Proof

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2 TGm

The latest grocerymarket figures from KantarWorldpanel in Ireland showshoppers spending cutshave stalled growth rate to0.0%.

Consumers are tradingdown to discount outlets tooffset price increases of4.4% with the discountersposting robust figures thismonth, with sales growth of25% and 6% for Aldi andLidl respectively.

The latest grocerymarket figures from KantarWorldpanel in Ireland,published for the 12 weeksending 7 August 2011,show flat marketperformance as shoppersmake further cuts to theirspending.

The latest data showsthat the grocery market

growth rate is now at 0.0%,when compared to thesame period last year, withno value growth in themarket for the first time in12 months despitecontinued price increases.Shoppers are now paying4.4% more for generalgroceries compared to lastyear, with ambientgroceries increasing in priceby over 9%.

David Berry,Commercial Director atKantar Worldpanel,explains: “Shoppers havetried to offset the pricerises by seeking out morevalue products and stickingto tighter budgets thismonth. As a result we haveseen more trading down todiscount outlets andincreased sales of cheaper

products.“Two areas benefitting

from this are retailer ownbrand labels and thediscounters. Sales of ownbrand products haveincreased by 6%, whilebranded goods have fallenin value by 3%. While thediscounters have posted aneven stronger performancethis month, with respectivesales growth of 25% and6% for Aldi and Lidl,pushing their combinedmarket share up to 10.7%.”

Elsewhere, Tescocontinued to cement itsposition in the market withsales growth of 1.7%,increasing its share of themarket by half a point to27.9%. Tesco’s lead in themarket over second placedDunnes Stores now

stretches to more than fivepercentage points, thelargest gap ever posted.

Grocery inflation itself isat 4.4% for the 12 weekending period 7 August2011, up from 3.9% in theprevious period.

*This figure is based onover 75,000 identicalproducts compared year-on-year in the proportionspurchased by Irish shoppersand therefore representsthe most authoritativefigure currently available. Itis a ‘pure’ inflation measurein that shopping behaviouris held constant betweenthe two comparison periods– shoppers are likely toachieve a lower personalinflation rate if they tradedown or seek out moreoffers.

N E W S

GROCERYMARKET FLATLINES

•=Percentage

shareoftotalgrocery

September/October 2011 3

Connacht Gold is set tobuy Donegal Creameriesmilk and retail businessesin a deal worth a potential€21 million.

The pair confirmed thatco-operative Connacht Goldhad agreed to buy the milkand retail store operationsof Dublin-listed DonegalCreameries.

Connacht has agreed topay €13.5 million for thetwo operations oncompletion of the sale.

The agreement providesfor a further payment of€7.4 million, depending onthe division’s financialperformance in 2012.

The sale is subject tothe approval of theCompetition Authority.

The two businessesearned profit of €1.85million last year on aturnover of €69.3 million.

The milk businessconsists of liquid milk solddirectly to consumers,retailers, restaurants, food

service companies andother customers.

The retail business ismade up of 11 stores in thenorthwest selling fertiliser,feeds and general farmsupplies. DonegalCreameries will use theproceeds for generalcorporate purposes. Itintends keeping its seed,dairy, feeds and propertyoperations.

Connacht Gold Co-Op isbased in Tubbercurry, CoSligo. It is a large, multi-purpose co-operative withbusinesses in dairyprocessing, consumerfoods, feed milling,retailing, livestock andsawmilling.

It has 30 storesthroughout Connacht andLeinster. It had a turnoverof €300 million last yearand pre-tax profits of €5million.

The co-op has morethan 14,000 farmershareholders.

TGM

Donegal Creameriesmilk devision sold

Bewley’s Tea big hit on QVC

As Roses from acrossthe globe descended on thetown of Tralee, Ireland’sleading fresh coffee and teacompany Bewley’s will bemaking a trip across theAtlantic to represent Irelandin front of 98 million UShouseholds.

Following a verysuccessful showcasepresentation of theirfamous teas on the USretail channel QVC’s StPatrick’s Day Special inMarch, Bewley’s has beeninvited back to appear onthe channel’s Rose of TraleeShow.

Bewley’s will showcaseits famous teas on retailchannel QVC which isviewed by over 98 millionhouseholds across theUnited States. Bewley’s isIreland’s longestestablished tea and coffeecompany and was the firstto import tea directly intoIreland in 1835.

Mark Saunders ofBewley’s comments:“Given that over 98 millionUS viewers tune in to QVC,we are delighted to beasked back by them fortheir Rose of TraleeSpecial. Our appearancein March was a terrificopportunity for Bewley’s tobuild on our existing UScustomer base. Thefeedback we received wastremendous and indicatesthat there is strongrecognition of our standingas an iconic Irish brand thatis known and lovedthroughout the world.

“We’ve been blendingtea in Dublin for over 170years and we continue thistradition day in and dayout. We’re really proud tobe showcasing our awardwinning teas in the USA.”

Bewley’s Master BlenderPaul O’Toole will appear liveon QVC to present aselection of traditional Irishteas blended and preparedin Dublin including IrishBreakfast Tea, DublinMorning Tea and IrishAfternoon Tea, in a speciallydesigned presentation casefor QVC customers

The Germanndiscounter Lidl is to opena new store directlyopposite Stillorganshopping centre in CoDublin.

The company hasagreed letting terms for1,624sq m store, which iscurrently being upgraded.

A store of this size in aprosperous suburb likeStillorgan would normallyrent for around €400,000per annum.

Lidl opens store in Stillorgan

Profits plunged by 80per cent to €2.2 million atbiscuit and jam makerJacob Fruitfield in the yearbefore the company wassold to to Valeo Foods

Accounts posted at theCompanies Office showexceptional andrestructuring charges actedas a drag on the Dublin-based group in 2010, withthese costs including €1.2million relating to a reviewof the group’s “strategicoptions”.

A further €5.5 million inrestructuring costs reflectedissues in the group’spension scheme.

The company saw itsturnover fall by 11 per centto €72.7 million in t he2010 calendar year, with itsdirectors pointing to a“highly competitive” tradingenvironment.

It emerged in Augustthis year that JacobFruitfield was being sold toValeo Foods in a deal thatwould net Jacob’s ownersroughly €30 million in cash.

The biggest beneficiaryof the acquisition, which hassince been approved by theCompetition Authority, wasJacob Fruitfield’s chairman,Michael Carey, who ownedjust over half the company.

Carey and Jacob’s otherowners are, in turn,reinventing in the enlargedValeo by taking a 26 percent stake.

Jacob Fruitfield wasformed in 2004 and housesbrands including Fig Rolls,Chef sauces, Fruitfield jamsand Silvermans. Most of thecompany’s production isnow based overseas.

Valeo came into beinglast year through themerger of Batchelors withOrigin Foods which ownedthe Roma, Odlums andShamrock brands.

Notes with the 2010accounts show that Jacob’sexisting debt will be repaidunder the terms of theValeo deal, and replaced byfunding given by the newbusiness.

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N E W S

Profits plunge at Jacob

The President of theIrish Pharmacy Union, DaraO’Loughlin, says he is“frightened to speculate”about how manyindependent pharmacistsmight lose their jobsfollowing Tesco’s decision toenter the market.

The retailingheavyweight chain openedits first Irish pharmacies instores in Naas, Co Kildareand Balbriggan, Dublinrecently, with eight moreoutlets planned over thenext two to three years.

It has pledged toimplement only the HSE-

recommended mark-up of20 per cent onpharmaceutical products aswell as an inbuilt dispensingfee of €3.50.

While the union wasunable to provide figuresfor what the averageindependent pharmacistcharged, it is widelyconsidered to be higherthan the 20 per cent mark-up recommended by theHSE. Tesco’s move into themarket has been welcomedby the National ConsumerAgency.

Tesco has more than300 pharmacies in the UK.

The Agnes Rose range ofinfused oils & vinegarsenjoyed its official launchrecently with a host of guestsfrom the speciality foodindustry including foodcritics and journalists.

The Agnes Rose culinarycreations has a range of 13hand made condimentsinspired by Naomi

Darbishire’s passion recentlyreceived notoriety winning 5GOLD Great Taste awardsfrom the Guild of Fine Foodas well as regional accoladesfrom Food NorthWest.

The Agnes Rose range isnow available nationally inretailers as well as LakelandLtd and via the Agnes Rosewebsite.

Agnes Rose launched

Fears for pharmacy jobs

Michael Carey

6 TGm

Moét & Chandon Etoile Award

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Pre-tax profits at Coca-Cola’s Irish operationjumped sharply last year at€33.9 million, up from€1.4 million in 2009,according to documentsfiled at the CompaniesRegistration Office.

Accounts for Coca-ColaHBC Ireland Ltd show thatthe company’s turnover ofabout €206 million in2010 was down 3 per centon the previous year. Some€199 million of its turnovercomes from the distributionof soft drinks, down onlyslightly on the year before,while revenues from beer,stout and non-beverageproducts fell 40 per cent to

€6.9 million. The companyhad incurred restructuringcosts of €11.6 million in2009, when it made 130staff redundant afterdeciding to outsourcedistribution jobs in fourlocations.

The Coca-Cola HBCIreland Group employed424 people at the end oflast year, some 351 of themin sales and marketing andthe bulk of the remainder inadministration. This is downfrom a workforce of 552 in2009 and 623 in 2008,indicating that the numberof employees at the grouphas contracted by aboutone-third over a two-year

period.The Irish operation is

owned by Coca-ColaHellenic Bottling CompanySA, a companyincorporated in Greece. It isone of a number of bottlersthat hold a franchise fromthe Coca-Cola Company todistribute its product. Thegroup has a productionfacility in Lisburn, NI, whichbegan operation in 2007and is part of Coca-ColaHBC Northern Ireland Ltd.

More than 20 Coca-Cola-owned brands andmore than 40 products aredistributed by the group inIreland.

The world of fashion, artand culture united in Londonfor a spectacular event tocelebrate the career ofMario Testino as he ishonoured with the Moët &Chandon Etoile Award in itsinaugural year.

The Moët & ChandonEtoile Award recognises anoutstanding individual in hisor her field to celebrate anindividual of exceptionaltalent who has had alongstanding influence onour cultural society.

In this, the Moët &Chandon Etoile Award’sdebut year, who better toembody the spirit of theaward than Mario Testino,who in 2011 is celebrating30 years as one of the mostinternationally respectedand iconic photographers ofthe century. Possessinguniquely personalrelationships with hissubjects, Mario has theremarkable ability tocapture spontaneousintimate moments, which

captivate audiencesworldwide.

Jo Thornton, ManagingDirector of Moët HennessyUK says “We are absolutelydelighted that Mario Testinowill be the inauguralrecipient of the Moët &Chandon Etoile Award.Mario’s career mirrorsperfectly the spirit ofgenerosity and creativepassion that the awardcaptures and we lookforward to acknowledginghis achievements with themost glamorous ofcelebrations”.

During Mario Testino’sexpansive career, he hasworked with some of theworld’s most famous womenincluding Kate Moss,Penelope Cruz, GwynethPaltrow, Nicole Kidman andMadonna. Within the past30 years Mario Testino hasbeen entrusted with manyRoyal sittings for TRH ThePrince of Wales and TheDuchess of Cornwall, the lateDiana, Princess of Wales and

most recently, the iconicengagement portraits ofTRH The Duke and Duchessof Cambridge.

Mario Testino hasworked across the mostexclusive high fashionmagazines including Britishand American Vogue, VanityFair and V Magazine andshot some of the mostenduring campaigns forleading high fashion brands .

In addition, Mario hasbeen lauded with awardsfrom all over the world andis frequently recognised forhis achievements andcharitable work. Amongthem, his recent accoladesare a Doctor Emeritus fromthe University of the ArtsLondon, the MedalhaTiradentes from the city ofRio de Janerio, Brazil andthe Order of Merit from thecity of Lima, Peru.

In December 2008 hischarity work included a tripto his native Peru with Savethe Children to visit thecompleted El Salvador Clinic

in the Pueblo Nuevo Districtin Chincha. This clinic wasbuilt for children withTuberculosis in the areabadly affected by thedevastating earthquake,which hit the coast of Peru inAugust 2007. The ElSalvador clinic was entirelyfunded from the sale of asingle print from MarioTestino’s iconic portraits ofthe late Diana, Princess ofWales.

Coca-Cola’s Irish profits increase to€33.9million

MORE FOR YOUR MONEY

Be 100% ISO 9994 Compliant - Sell a BIC®

3 out of 4 Lighter models sold in the EUdon’t conform to ISO 9994 International Safety Standards*

Selling non-compliant lighters may result in being fined up to 3,000per lighter sold

MORE FOR YOUR MONEY

Be 100% ISO 9994 Compliant - Sell a BICBe 100% ISO 9994 Compliant - Sell a BIC

Selling lighters that are non-compliant with ISO 9994 safety standard and/or with child-resistant requirements or novelty lighters, may be punished by fines: up to 3,000 per lighter sold.*Lighter models tested by PROSAFE (2008-2010) a non-profit organisation established by market surveillance officers from various countries throughout Europe who deal with the safety of products.

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How SafeAre YourLighters?

N E W S

''Food shopping hasbeen a total nightmare foryears", said Fiona Unwin,mother of two children withsevere food allergies, one tonuts and the other tochicken." It took ages tocheck all the labels whensupermarket shopping. Yethowever careful I was, I stillmade mistakes and missedthe information on thelabel.

Studying labels beforebuying products wasdifficult and often I justended up throwing foodaway, having boughtsomething inappropriate inthe rush.

Well, the good news isthat the 'magic wand' hasbeen created and it is calledFOODWIZ! Tesco and Asdahave joined forces and, forthe first time, have sharedtheir food and drinkproduct databases with athird party, the FoodWizteam. These databaseshave been downloaded ontothe smartphones of allergysufferers, who then inputtheir own foodrequirements and they canthen go shopping withconfidence. They simplyscan the barcode of any of100,000 products storedon their phones via theFoodWiz app and getinstant feedback as to

whether it is safe for themto eat or not.100 newproducts are added to thedatabase every day. It evenworks in the corner shop,as all branded products areon the database.

Children as young as 6are using the app.Shopping is fun, as they zapthe barcodes on the readymeals or branded goodsand all the time they arelearning to takeresponsibility for their ownfood choices." The childrenlove it" says Fiona. "Onelady in my village has 2little girls with coeliacdisease. She downloadedthe app for both of then theday it came out and theyhave never looked back.Shopping is now a learningexperience. You can'texpect children to readlabels to find out if aproduct is safe for them toeat, but the girls love usingtheir phones to check thebarcodes. It really is amagic wand."

Children are encouragedto take their phones whenvisiting friends orgrandparents to doublecheck packets and labels.This is very reassuring fortheir parents." It is so awfulbeing ' different' when youare a child" commentsFiona. “But the app is cool.Everyone wants to have ago. Children are teachingolder people how to use it.It's fantastic."

The average shoppingtime for mothers shoppingfor families with allergieshas been cut by 45 minutesand users are daring to trynew products instead ofsticking to the ' safe onesthey always buy'.

The FoodWiz is a gadgetin an age of gadgets.

8 TGm

Food app to control nut allergy

Donegal’s potatofarmers face a wipeout thisyear because of the wetweather which couldendanger next year’snational crop because of thehigh level of native seedgrowth there.

They estimate up to2,500 acres of the crop, or80 per cent of the total, isstill in the ground, much ofit set aside for theproduction of seed for the2012 crop.

The Irish Farmers

Association has called onthe Minister for Horticultureto ask Teagasc to carry outa detailed assessment ofthe losses farmers facethere.

The IFA’s national potatocommittee chairman,Thomas Carpenter, askedthe Minister to make aspecial case for theirassistance.

The October rainfall was204mm compared to62mm lat year and 90mmthe year before.

Kerry brushed off theimpact of input costinflation to report a 7.3 percent like-for-like increase inrevenues for the first ninemonths of the year, thoughthe company’s Irishconsumer food divisionremained under pressure.

An interim managementstatement showed Kerry’sconsumer foods divisionrepresents just under athird of the company’s sales.

However the division’sperformance in Irelanddeteriorated further in thethird quarter, with volumesdown 2 per cent in the firstnine months, compared to a1 per cent fall in the firsthalf.

Kerry’s ingredients andflavours division, its mainstrategic focus for the lastnumber of years, continuedto see growth in the thirdquarter, with Kerryachieving 3.6 per centgrowth in business volumesin the Americas region, a2.6 per cent rise in theEMEA region, and a 10.1per cent increase involumes in the Asia-Pacificmarket.

Kerry, one of the world’slargest food and ingredientscompanies, acquired theflavours business of US foodgiant Cargill during the thirdquarter, as well as Germanfavours company SuCrest.

Potato crop faceswipeout

Kerry reports 7.3% growth

10 TGm

Household chores arestill a prime cause ofarguments betweencouples, according to arecent study, carried out byPivotal Research Ltd onbehalf of Malones, the Irishrange of natural cleaningproducts. In a recentnationwide survey of 350homes, it was discoveredthat although over 67% ofmen say they do an equalshare of the housework,over three quarters (75.5%)of women responded thatthey still do ALL the work.

In addition, children’slevels of expectation aboutgetting involved in cleaningup their own messes athome is extremely low.Staggeringly 63% ofparents felt it was their joband not their children’s topick up, clean up and washup after themselves.

Within the currentclimate many womencontinue to work full time

and return home in theevening to - more work.Household responsibilitiesare still firmly seen asMum’s job with 52.7%believing housework iswomen’s work. It seems asif the next generation ofIrish adults will grow upwith the same attitudes!

Clinical Psychologist Dr.Tony Humphreys is notsurprised by the findings,“Many men are under theillusion that if they emptythe dishwasher, they aredoing an equal share ofhousework!” He points out“it is very interesting thatchildren are not beingasked to help around thehouse. In this situation aparent should askthemselves, why they donot allow their child to dothings for themselves. It isoften an unconsciousmotivation for carers to doeverything, to prove theythemselves are needed and

in some cases children are aparent’s whole reason forliving. But they arefundamentally doing adisservice to those children,especially the boys, who areoften expected to do less.Behaviours within familiesare learned and passed on,so the next generationmimics the last.”

Imelda Graham, TrainingCo-ordinator for Children’sCharity, Barnardos agrees.“Parents will often mentionon parenting courses choresare an area of contention -usually with older children.However, when parents ofyounger children are askedthey, [as your surveyshowed] do not allencourage or in somecases, permit, them toshare household tasks. It isa good idea to encouragechildren to participate;because they have aninnate willingness which ifnot harnessed can

disappear. It also fostersindependence, encouragesdevelopment of self esteemthrough feelings ofachievement and it ishealthy for the family forchildren to play their part inmaking family life easierand sharing what can beseen as a burden. Childrenmay need support at firstfor some tasks but they willenjoy it if it is broached atright stage, and after that itcan become habit”

The message from theexperts is clear: Do it all foryour kids and you’re notdoing them any favours. Ifyou want your offspring togrow up independent andcapable then start whenthey are small.

At the very least youmight be saving them fromtheir own domesticsquabbles in the future!

The data was gatheredfor Malones, whose MD,Liz Waters has developed anew, natural range ofcleaning products for allaround the home. Liz’sconcerns about usingstrong chemicals aroundher young family was hercatalyst to re inventing the107 year old brand .Interesting, the survey alsoshows that while one inevery two homes lives anenvironmentally awarelifestyle and are concernedabout toxicity levels in thehome, 55% do not checktheir cleaning productsingredients. Malones arecorporate partners of theIrish Asthma Society, astheir natural cleaning rangemay be may be moresuitable for people withasthma and the manypeople who are sensitive toharsh cleaning products.

Lazy Kids - leave it to Mum!

N E W S

TGM


Retailers AgainstSmuggling, therepresentative group forIreland’s tobacco retailers,has said that smugglers areusing every route to bringillegal cigarettes intoIreland.

Speaking about a recentseizure at Dublin Airport,where Customs officialsarrested a 29-year-oldMoldovan national with9,780 'Bond' brandcigarettes, the organisationsaid that smugglers were nolonger only shipping illicittobacco into the State incontainers.

The recent seizure had aretail value of €4,200 anda potential loss to theExchequer of €3,700.

Retailers AgainstSmuggling spokesmanBenny Gilsenan said: “Thisis the second time in oneweek that a criminal has

been caught with a suitcasefull of cigarettes at DublinAirport. It is becomingincreasingly clear thatsmugglers are trying tobring in illegal cigarettesthrough every port andairport in the country.

“We would like tocongratulate CustomOfficials for their hard workin making this latestseizure, but they needgreater resources to fightcigarette smuggling. Irelandcan avail of EU funds topurchase a scanner forports and airports - we arecalling on the Governmentto use this money as matterof urgency,” he added.

Gilsenan also pointed tothe ease with whichcriminals could buy largequantities of illicit tobaccoonline, collect them in adesignated country andthen fly them into Ireland.

As summer draws to aclose and autumnencourages us to hibernateand experiment with food,Riverview Eggs is launchinga national campaign toreignite Irish people’s longstanding love affair with theegg. Nutrition guidelinesrecommend that a healthyindividual can enjoy up to 7eggs per week and those ona cholesterol lowering dietcan have 4 to 6 eggs aweek. These recipesdemonstrate the versatilityof eggs and their value formoney.

As part of theircelebrations of 45 years inbusiness, Riverview Eggsare going that eggs-tra mileand are offering 21 luckyfamilies the opportunity to

‘staycation’ at one of the‘crackingly’ good DoyleCollection Hotels(www.doylecollection.com)with a Golden EggCompetition.

Employees at Riverviewhave put together 10recipes for eggs: A pair ofsoft boiled eggs; egg fried‘sunny side up’; colcannoncakes topped with poachedeggs and hollandaise sauce;egg mayonnaise; cheeseand onion omelette; slicedhard boiled eggs withcreamy mayo; pair the eggswith leftovers for a pancakeetc; scrambled eggs withsmoked salmon; poachedeggs and homemade chipsand last but not least eggwhite meringues.

Smugglers using every route

The next time your dogbarks at the television, takenote. It might be trying totell you something.Advertisers claim to havedevised a commercial thatonly canines canunderstand.

The adverts, developedby Nestlé for its Purina petfood, uses high-frequencysound to grab dog’sattention. The idea is theywill jump up and wag theirtail at the television, so theowner will buy the product.

The advert is beingshown in Austria, and maytransfer to Britain next year.

Ads for pets

Eggs are amust have item

T R A N S I T I O N C O M P L E T E

stablished by the Gleesonfamily in the late 1960’sin Borrisoleigh, Co Tipper-ary, Gleesons was amanufacturer of softdrinks and a bottler of awell-known stout brand.

The company wasacquired by brothersPatrick and Nicholas

Cooney in June 1974. The first depotwas opened in Dublin in 1976.

Despite the economic downturnthe Gleeson Group almost doubled itsprofits to €4.5m last year, up from€2.5m the previous year.

“We have been badly hit by a rangeof factors but we’ve been careful andcost management is the key thing,there’s no great mystery to it,” said ceoPat Cooney.

The company operates 21subsidiaries including alcoholic drinkdistribution, the Tipperary Waterbrand and units manufacturing cider,soft drinks and ice-pops.

Cooney said income for 2009 and2010 was it by a major loss on alcoholstocks and the end of 2009, afterexcise duty was cut in Budget 2009.

“We took a €1 million hit on thatbecause the rate changed two weeksbefore Christmas when warehouseswere full and we had to sell the stock atthe lower prices,” said Mr. Cooney.

Profits surged in 2010 even thoughthe group’s turnover fell by €10m to€220m. Gross profit for the year wasstable after administration anddistribution costs were cut by €1m,cost of sales was cut by €10m to€181m.

Commenting on the results, Mr.Cooney said the company is profitabledespite serious pressure from cheaperimports and competition fromsupermarkets.

This year the business is also beinghit by higher fuel, packaging andenergy costs as a result of rising oilprices.

Over the years the company hasgradually expanded acquiringwholesale companies across Ireland.

The largest of these acquisitions

was the purchase of United Beverages’business outside of Dublin fromDiageo in September 2005. In 2010the company had further business withDiageo, when they acquired theGilbey’s Wines business from them for€6 million, further expanding theirportfolio.The deal was signed off andfollowed approaches from a number ofpotential bidders. The Gleeson Groupwill continue to use the Gilbeys nameand all staff working at the wine firmwill transfer to the new owner. GleesonGroup owns and distributes a numberof well known brands including

Tipperary Water, Finches soft drinksand Bavaria beer.

The firm did a refinancing dealwhich gave it a €25 million war chestfor future acquisitions.

“Gilbeys was always that ‘big prize’that we kept an eye out, as we alwaysviewed it as a perfect fit tocomplement our own business andbrands,” says Sally-Anne Cooney,general manager of Gilbeys.

“But, in saying that, we have alwayslooked at ways to strengthen our ownbrand and portfolio and this was justanother way to do that.”

Transition Complete

E

12 TGm

Sally-Anne Cooney

With the deal finally cemented lastSeptember, the combined forces nowaccount for 15% of the overall winemarket, ensuring the company’sposition as one of the leading suppliersin the country. The value of the wine

market in 2010 was €1.65bn in theROI with the on-trade shrinkingby13% from €393m to €342m(source: Mintel and DIGI).

Sally-Anne Cooney says the focus ison the brand building.

“It’s naturally taken a bit of time tobed down everything. The marketingteam have been in place for the last sixmonths, and we feel confident that wehave everything in place to build onour brands,” says Cooney.

The Gleeson Group acquired over50 wine brands under the Gilbey’sumbrella, which in its entiretyaccounted for 15% of overall winesales in Ireland. However, a smallnumber generated significant sales -Blossom Hill, Faustino and Santa Rita:hence Gleeson’s attraction to thecompany.

The company has spent the lastyear analysing all of the brands’performance, in terms of potentialsales and market position. It has beena small number of its own wines thathave ‘fallen out’ of the portfolio, saysCooney, despite expectations that

Gleeson’s would offload some of theGilbeys brands. Cooney says that mostof these were at the premium end ofthe scale.

“We now have a range from entrylevel to the very premium end,” saysCooney.

Whether more brands will bedropped in the future is somethingCooney says is impossible to predict.

“At the moment, we will justconcentrate on those, as its very hardto judge how one brand will performnext year, let alone a few years downthe road.”

Raising brand awareness is top ofthe Gleeson Group agenda with suchassociations as the Blossom HillLadies’ Day at Dublin Horse Showwhere the company launched the newBlossom Hill Zinfandel rose Sparkling;the Santa Rita 120 Local Herocompetition which is backed by a€450,00 marketing campaign.

Cooney believes that through socialnetworking functions the awareness ofvarious brands to consumers can beachieved.

TGM

Like anybusiness, if a

good opportunityarises that we

feel would benefitus in the long run

we wouldconsider it, but ithas to be theright fit.”

“


“We are using a third partycompany to analyse all of the data andthis will allow us to create campaignsbest suited for end users. We need toget as close as possible to ourconsumers, to know what they wantand how best we can tap into thatmarket.”

There are 1.4m wine drinkers inIreland. The two age groups whichtogether account for 55% of winedrinkers are the 25-24 year olds and23% 35-44 old age group. Thenumber of bottles purchased permonth by Irish consumers ranges from1 to 30 averaging at over 7 bottles.

Annual wine consumption in Ireland at15.3 litres per capita per annum is lessthan 30% of wine consumption inother European countries such asFrance, which is 48.5 litres percapita.The Irish market is considerablysmaller than that of the UK, yet it isworth €1.65bn to the Irish economy.With so many players vying for a pieceof the relatively small market, Cooneysays it may not be a case of ’survival ofthe fittest’ but survival of those thancan adopt and be as efficient aspossible.

“It’s the case for any suppliers, wecannot just think that because we havea good brand that sold well in the past,it will continue that way. We have to beas innovative as possible, and that isalso the case for retailers. The marketis the way it is, but we have to respondin the best positive way we can tosurvive and, over time, grow.”

Top 5 wine companies

Gilbeys

Edward Dillon

IDL

Findlaters Wines & Spirits

Top Brands in Gilbeys PortfolioBlossom HillSanta Rita[yellowtail]FaustinoBarton and GuestierBlack TowerBarry and FitzwilliamCantiLatourDrouhinPiat D’or

14 TGm

T R A N S I T I O N C O M P L E T E

16 TGm

More than 626,000 tonnes ofpackaging was recycled in Ireland lastyear, including enough paper andcardboard to save almost five milliontrees, according to the Repak annualreport.

The non-profit recyclingorganisation is calling on theGovernment not to introduce apackaging tax which it says will divertfunds from recycling.

At just under 290,000 tonnes,cardboard and paper accounted foralmost half of all recycled material,followed by glass (106,619 tonnes);wood (96,783 tonnes); plastic(89,130 tonnes) and steel (41,292tonnes). Some700 pieces of packagingwere recycled or recovered everysecond in 2010, including enoughplastic to save the equivalent of200,000 litres of petrol and enoughmetal to make 118 Ferris wheels,Repak said.

Ireland ranks eighth out of 27European countries for packagingrecycling, and is exceeding the EUrecycling/recovery target of 60 percent, with an estimated 65 per cent of

all packaging recycled in 2010.However, there was an overall

drop of 2.8 per cent in the amount ofpackaging recycled, with the exceptionof used plastic which grew by 12 percent, linked to an increase in the useof refuse-derived fuels. The biggestdrop was in glass recycling, which fellby 9 per cent last year.

While the general fall in recoveredpackaging could be attributed to theeconomic situation, which saw lesspackaging being produced, the badweather contributed greatly to thedrop in glass recycling, with manypeople unable or unwilling to visitbottle banks last winter. The totalvolume of packaging brought to bottlebanks fell by 17 per cent.

While Repak welcomed theincrease in landfill levies, it urged theGovernment not to introduce apackaging tax.

“The Repak scheme is actually apackaging tax, but because it’s in theform of a levy it is a ring-fencedenvironmental fund. There is nosuggestion that a new packaging taxwould be ring-fenced and it would beduplicating costs and could impact onRepak’s ability to operate,” head ofmarketing Darrell Crowe said.

Recyclingagencywarnsagainst tax

N E W S

18 TGm

N E W S

Tesco is continuing toconsolidate its dominantposition in the Irish grocerytrade by opening severalmore Tesco Expressconvenience-style storesbefore it launches threemore larger outlets in Dublinand Kildare.

The opening earlier thisyear of a Tesco Express inthe former ESB showroomsin Temple Bar kick-started a

new round of expansionwhich included Celbridge,,Mulhuddart, CardiffsbridgeRoad in Finglas and Kilcock.

The UK multiple’sproperty director, JohnGibney, is apparently lookingfor other suitable locationsin the greater Dublin areafor these stores whichusually have a floor area ofabout 1,500sq ft. Thecompany has a policy of

either buying or rentingsuitable premises.

In the meantime, Tesco iswell advanced on thebuilding of a 30,000sq ftstore beside Kildare Village,the highly successfuldiscount outlet fashioncomplex beside Kildaretown.

Tesco has had severalinquiries for three retail unitsbeing completed alongside

the supermarket.In north Dublin, Tesco is

planning a Novemberopening of a 40,000sq ftstore in Cabra which willservice a densely populatedarea from Phibsborough toBlanchardstown.

Also under the way is a20,000sq ft supermarket inRush which is expected toservice a large area includingLusk and Skerries.

Convenience store chainADM Londis has announcedthat it has handed out morethan 200 Apple iPads to itsretailers to enable them“take the shop with themwherever they are”.

The move is theculmination of a €5 millionfive-year transition toelectronic retailing by the57-year-old system group.

Chris Donnelly, head ofIT at ADM Londis, said theiPad was the first device onthe market that enable theretailers to manage theirbusiness from the shop floor

rather than from a backoffice.

“With the iPad they arefreed from the office andthey can take the shop withthem wherever they are,”said Chris Donnelly, head ofIT at ADM Londis.

The Apple tabletcomputers were handed outto retailers at at the Londisannual conference which washeld recently in Kerry.

They are pre-configuredto access the Londiswholesaling platform Isis,allowing the retailer to orderstock directly from the shop

floor or from a remotelocation.

Donnelly said Londis hadinvested in “shock-proofcovers” for the devices inorder to encourageshopkeepers to carry themwith them at all times. “Wehave used other portabledevices in the stores but thescreens have been too smallto provide the kind ofcapabilities we can now offerthrough the iPad,” he said.

Donnelly said Londiswould continue to use itscurrent RFID hand-heldscanners.

Tesco expands stores nationwide

iPads for Londis retailers

20 TGm

Everyone knows thatputting money aside now forthe future is advisable andthat the earlier you start thebetter.

“Contributing to apension now offers a taxefficient means of saving foryour future. Not only do youbenefit from tax relief oncontributions paid but alsofrom tax free growth onfunds invested”, says YannHarrison, Financial Adviserwith Russell Brennan Keane.

“This October may wellbe the last for which taxrelief at up to 41% isavailable on contributionspaid.

Maximising contribu-tions while high rate taxrelief is still available isadvisable but individualsneed to understand whatexactly they are investing in”.

Before making yourpension contribution, Yannrecommends that you:

1. Consider whether ornot pension investment isright for you

Take independent adviceon your pension options andmake sure you understand

how and when you will beable to access your funds inthe future.

Invest only what you canafford to lock away untilretirement.

2. Understand chargesapplied

There has been much

coverage recently on thecharges that are applied bysome pension providers.Ensure you have all chargesexplained so you clearlyunderstand how much ofyour money is actually beinginvested for your futurebenefit.

3. Know where yourmoney is invested

It’s your money, so investwisely. Make sure you areaware of risks and ensureyour investment

is suitable to yourindividual risk tolerances.Spend time deciding whereyour funds are to beinvested.

4. Avoid volatility if youare nearing retirement age

If you plan on accessingyour pension benefits soon,avoid risky investment fundsnow. Choose low risk cashfunds to preserve value.

Review your existinginvestments and de-riskwhere possible.

5. Monitor performanceKeep track of your

investment and take action ifyou are not satisfied.

Above all, Yann urgespension investors toremember that “actionstaken today may justdetermine the actions thatcan be taken in the future.Investors owe it tothemselves to get thingsright”.

The drinks industrylaunched an unapologeticassertion recently of itsimportance to Irish culture,sport, tourism and economicrecovery.

Calling on theGovernment to “do no harm”in current budgetpreparations, the DrinksIndustry Group of Ireland(DIGI) published a reportdetailing the contribution ofthe industry to the State’stourism, festivals and sport.

Commissioned fromAnthony Foley of the DCUbusiness school, the report

detailed support given bythe industry to small andmajor sporting and culturalevents. These include rugby,soccer and GAA fixtures,events such as the Jamesonfilm festival and many otherswhich attract tourists toIreland.

Foley said the pub was avery important element oftourists’ interest in Ireland,coming in behind thescenery, friendliness andwarmth of the people.

Some 800 festivals,horse races and other eventswere supported by the

drinks industry and allpromote Ireland in a positivelight abroad “conveying animage of conviviality,pleasantness andhospitality”. But thecontribution of the industry“tends to be unquantifiedand one could sayunappreciated byGovernment”, said Foley.

IRFU chief executiveBrowne welcomed the reportand the support the drinksindustry gives to sport. “It isa model that works verywell,” he said.

DIGI chairman Kieran

Tobin urged the Governmentnot to increase taxes on “oldreliables” and to “do noharm” in the budget.

Yann Harrison

N E W S

Five Areas to Consider before investing

Calls for Government to ‘do no harm”

Kieran Tobin

There will be a ‘surge’ in tobaccosmuggling if the Government increasesexcise on cigarettes in the forthcomingbudget, a retail organisation haswarned.

Retailers Against Smuggling, whichwas set up to combat the illicit tobaccotrade in Ireland, made the claim in itspre-budget submission, which was sentto Minister for Finance MichaelNoonan.

The organisation, which represents3,000 independent retailers across thecountry, pointed out that the price of apacket of illegal cigarettes had fallenfrom €4 to as little as €3.20, whereasit cost over €8.55 for a packet legalcigarettes in a legitimate retail outlet.

The fall in prices in the illicit market“indicates that the illegal market isgrowing. This is also borne out by thefact that 69% of retailers surveyed inour 2011 jobs survey felt that illicittobacco was ‘readily available’ in theircommunities,” the organisation’sspokesman, Benny Gilsenan said in thesubmission.

Retailers Against Smugglingpointed to a report produced by theRevenue Commissioners which statedthat high excise was a majorcontributory factor in the rise ofcigarette smuggling here. Theorganization also said that EU policingagency Europol conducted a studyearlier this year which identified Irelandas one of five countries in Europe as a‘preferred destination’ for cigarette

smugglers due to its high excise.“Our organization believes that any

gain for the public finances in the formof raised excise would be offset by a fallin revenues from legitimate tobaccosales and through the need for greaterresources for law enforcementauthorities to combat a surge intobacco smuggling,” Gilsenan said inthe submission.

Among the other measuresRetailers Against Smuggling are callingfor in its pre-Budget submission totackle cigarette smuggling are:

•The Introduction of a Minimum Fineunder the Finance Act:

There is a fine of just over€126,000, but no minimum fine. Themost recent Revenue defaulters’ figuresshow that the average fine was just over€1,600 for cigarette smuggling andillegal cigarette selling in the secondquarter of 2011. Retailers AgainstSmuggling believes there should be amandatory minimum fine introduced asa deterrent.•Reform of the Casual Trading Act:Illicit tobacco is sold in an

unregulated manner at markets, fairsand door-to-door. Retailers AgainstSmuggling proposes that the Casual

Trading Act be amended and that itbecomes an offence to sell anyexcisable product at markets; that theAct include all forms of casual sellingand that the current fine of €63 beincreased to reflect fines under theFinance Act.

•Provision of an Extra Scanner forRevenue & Customs:

The EU Hercules Fund providesfunds for Ireland to procure an extradetection scanner for use at ports TheState would have to pay half of thecapital costs for a new scanner, with theEU funds providing the remainder.

The capital cost of a mobile X-raycontainer scanner is in the region of €3million, but Retailers Against Smugglingbelieves it would help to increasedetection rates and would return lostrevenues to the public finances.

Retailers Against Smuggling (RAS)was established in June 2009 tobecome the voice of the tobaccoretailers of Ireland in the fight againstthe illicit trade of cigarettes. RAS isfunded and supported by CSNA,RGDATA, NFRN, Topaz, ITMAC,Applegreen, Londis, Nightline, BWG,Musgraves and more.

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Pre-Budget Call for No Increase in Excise

Benny Gilsenan

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Joseph Brennans Bakeries is the market leader in bread and one of the largest foodmanufacturers in the country. Brennans Bread is synonymous with freshness andquality and delivers fresh bread on a daily basis to every part of the country on theisland of Ireland. Brennans produce a broad range of premium fresh quality productsthat includes their iconic white and brown sliced pans, Batch, Sandwich, Toast and their

Natural Recipe bread range to mention a few.

(l-r):Sean Gaffney; Tommy Walsh; Donna Charlton and Stephen Baker

N E W S

QAward 3 years in Succession

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Joseph Brennan Bakeries QualityManagement Systems have beenrecognised for the third year insuccession at the 2011 Q Mark Awardswhich were held recently at theBurlington Hotel.

One of Ireland’s leading foodmanufacturers, Joseph BrennanBakeries were awarded the Q Award forQuality Management Systems at theprestigious awards ceremony.

Commenting on the award, Colm

Brennan, Deputy Managing Director,Joseph Brennan Bakeries said;

“This is the third year in a row thatBrennans have been awarded the QMark for our Quality ManagementSystems which is a remarkableachievement for the organisation andproves that our commitment toquality remains a top priority. Seeingour quality management systemscontinuously recognised is a greatsource of pride for us. I would like tocommend all the staff who work atBrennans, whose consistentdedication and effort ensures that ourmanagement systems are of thehighest standard.”

EIQA (Excellence Ireland QualityAssociation) is the Irish NationalQuality Association which auditsthousands of organisations on anannual basis, both nationally andinternationally. EIQA has a nationalaudit team of qualified auditors whohave extensive experience across abroad range of sectors and whoundertake comprehensive qualityassurance checks to maintain aconsistently high audit standard. TheNational Q Mark Awards are heldannually and award more than 100companies every year for their drive forquality and excellence within theirorganisations.

I would like tocommend all the staff who workat Brennans, whose consistent

dedication and effort ensures thatour management systems are of the

highest standard.”“

24 TGm

N E W S

A Cork-based foodingredients and cheesemanufacturer, CarberyGroup, has acquiredSensus, an Americannatural essence and extractmanufacturer based inOhio, for an undisclosedamount.

The acquisition of thecompany by Carbery isintended to furtherCarbery’s position in theglobal flavours market,according to ceo DanMacSweeney.

As a result of the deal,Carbery’s flavour division,Synergy, will get access totechnology used by Sensusin the manufacture ofnatural essences. It alsostrengthens Synergy’spresence in the fast-growing tea and coffeesector.

Carbery, which has itsheadquarters in Ballineen,Co Cork, employs 40people and reportedturnover of €220 million in2010.

Irish consumers are stillpaying almost 20 per centmore than the Europeanaverage for goods andservices, despite a drop ininflation, according to thelatest Central StatisticsOffice figures.

The public balancedeficit, the differencebetween Governmentborrowing and lending,remained the highest of anyEU member state in 2010.Government debt was atjust over 96 per cent ofgross domestic product(GDP), up from 25 per centof GDP in 2007, the officesaid.

Consumer prices fell in2010 and the only othercountry where prices fell in2010 was Latvia, but they

remained high by EUstandard. Ireland was thefifth most expensive EUstate in 2010, afterDenmark, Finland,Luxembourg and Sweden,with prices 18 per centabove the EU average.

This represented aconsiderable improvementon 2009 when Irish priceswere 26 per cent above theEU average and secondonly to Denmark.

The value of goods andservices produced inIreland remains among theEU’s highest, despite therecession.

In population terms theState had the highestproportion of young peoplein the bloc, and the lowestproportion of old people.

Carbery buys Sensus

Irish pay 20%more

92% shoppers buy organic

Women behind 90% of purchases

Some 92 per cent ofIrish consumers purchasedorganic produce in the last12 months, according tothe latest research from theIrish Food Board.

Details of the researchout by Kantar for Bord Bia,showed singles, couplesand young families weredriving the return to growthin the organic market.

Organic vegetables,yogurts, fresh meat, milk,

breakfast cereals andsnacks had all experiencedgrowth over the last year,the research found.

It said organicvegetables and organicyogurts accounted for 26per cent and 18.5 per centof organic sales respectivelyby the 1.5 million Irishconsumers who purchasedin the last 12 months.

Women are the original“super-consumers”influencing nearly 90 percent of all purchases,according to new research.

Their choices areoverwhelmingly the onesthat prevail when buyinghealthcare,pharmaceuticals, food,financial services, holidaysand new homes.

The survey was carriedout by market researchcompany iReach andinvolved a representativesample of 1000 womenwho were surveyed in July.

Women also account fro58 per cent of all purchasesin Ireland. They are directlyresponsible for thepurchasing of 60 per centof new homes, 60 per centof food, 60 per cent ofpharmaceuticals and 59per cent of healthcare.

They even account forthe majority of purchases ofpersonal computers - 51per cent and cars - 54 percent.

Despite their collectivepurchasing power, 41 percent of Irish women feelmisunderstood bymarketers, advertisers andbrands, according to theiReach survey.

TGM


A ban on the advertisingof junk food to children is tobe considered as part of anew broadcasting code.

Such a move wasintroduced in the UK in2006, when a ban wasannounced on junk foodadvertising surroundingprogrammes that have a“particular appeal” to 16-year-olds.

In Ireland, no suchprovision exists. Instead,under the existing children’scommercialcommunications code, therehas to be an on screenmessage encouraginghealthy eating andcelebrities are not allowedendorse foods high in sugaror salt.

Many healthcampaigners were unhappythat the last time the codewas updated in 2008, it didnot go far enough. Theauthority has sought theadvice of an expert groupwho have compiled a reportabout the issue.

The expert groupincluded representativesfrom the department ofHealth and Children andthe Food Safety Authorityof Ireland.

Its report states that thecurrent code for children isinadequate and needs to beupdated.

However, it did notmake any specificrecommendations, though itdid also propose that thecurrent “threshold” forrestrictions on junk foodadvertising should beextended because manychildren watch programmesthat are also suitable foradults.

A public consultationprocess on an updatedchildren’s commercialcommunications code willbe launched. The authorityis seeking views frombroadcasters, food retailers,parents, teachers and thoseinvolved in health andfitness.

If a clear requirementemerged to amend theexisting rules on diet andnutrition, the authoritywould produce a draft set ofrevised rules.

These would be put to asecond public consultationto determine their finalshape.

The revision of thereport is being proposedagainst the backdrop ofrising obesity levels amongchildren in Ireland.

Recent studiesestimates that there areapproximately 300,000children in Ireland who areeither overweight or obese.

The first own-brandproducts in Ireland faredbadly but now foodshoppers are bypassing thebig names and savingserious money.

By switching just threestaples- bread, milk and tea- in the shopping basket€338 can be saved over a12 month period. Replicatethat across 10 or 20 or 50products used regularly andit doesn’t take long for thesavings to mount up.

Through the 1990’s andthe last decade, own-brandproducts from all retailersstruggled as Irish shoppersstayed loyal to their big-name brands despite thefact that even byconservative estimates, ashopping basket filled withbranded products costs 25per cent more than abasket of similar own-brandproducts.

Then the Germandiscounters came to townand the recession hit.

The amount of ownbrand products bought byIrish consumers hasincreased steadily over thepast five years and is upfrom just 9 per cent in2005 to 35 per cent thisyear. The number of own-brand labels on oursupermarket shelves is setto increase as retailers usethem to grow their volumeof sales and as a bargainingchip to get bigger discountsfrom suppliers,

However, there aresome lines that peopleremain loyal to, particularlywhen it comes to theirchildren and big-namebrands dominate the babyformula, rusk and nappymarkets. Similarly peopleseem to dislike toexperiment when it comesto toothpaste and beans.However, increasingly thedairy sector is being hitwith consumers switching togeneric own-brand labels.

New code on junk foodadvertising

Own-Brand FaresWell

26 TGm

Breakfast Cereals - OatmealBreakfast Cereals - Oatmeal

Breakfast cereals are consumed bymost adults and children and havebeen a staple part of the Irishbreakfast for a number of decades. Asa result, the market is currently in astate of maturity, with activity andcompetition remaining fierce acrossthe board. Manufacturers aredesperate to hold onto (or expand)their market share, and have engagedin plenty of above-and below-the-linepromotion as a result.

On the whole, the breakfast cerealcategory is a very steady one, but ithas, like the entire food industry, beencriticised over the nutritional levels oftheir products. Irish society isbecoming more and more concernedwith the issue of child obesity, whichmeans that the salt, fat and sugarcontent of breakfast cereals have comeunder scrutiny. On top of this,manufacturers have also had to dealwith falling levels of consumptionamong some key consumer groups.

If you couple this with the currentdownturn in the Irish economy, itwould be very easy to assume that thebreakfast cereal category wouldcurrently be facing into a period ofdecline. However, this is not the caseand, in fact, 2009 saw a substantialincrease in the value of the marketfrom the previous two years.

In 2007, the value of the breakfastcereal market stood at €109.5m. Twoyears down the road, and it has risento €114.3m, which gives it an averageannual growth of 2%. Even though theconsumption levels among certaingroups is off, overall it is quite healthy,with breakfast consumption havinggrown by 1.5% over the past year.

This tells us that there isn't too muchwrong with the market, and the task ofwinning back those who may have lostinterest in breakfast cereals isn't asdaunting as it may seem from theoutside. It appears that the cerealmanufacturers are on the right track atthe minute, with the recessionproviding opportunities for producersof breakfast products.

Consumers are trading up in thebreakfast category with the homebreakfast market in the UK performingvery well in particular. Convenienceand health are key trends for thesector, and this has seen up to 16billion occasions for eating breakfastcereals in the United Kingdom. This issomething that the Irish market woulddo well to heed, as it could makebreakfast cereals an even morepowerful commodity than it already is.

Cereals feature in 60% of all breakfastmeals and sales rose by 2.8% involume and 5.5% in value last year.With 32% of all sliced bread beingconsumed in the morning as toast, thisis the largest bread consumptionoccasion and represents a keyopportunity for bakery companies toincrease sales.

Category research highlights ademand for healthier breakfast optionsand innovation in the sector focussingon health with ingredients such aswholegrain, vitamins, minerals andfibre proving popular choices,presenting opportunities for bakeryand cereal manufacturers.

With Cereals proving to be so popular,it is inevitable that certain brandswould dominate over others in termsof the overall market share.

Flahavan’s is Ireland’s favouriteporridge and has a loyal Irish customer

base with over four million servings ofFlahavan’s consumed nationwide eachweek. The distinctive Flahavan's taste,quality and innovative format varietiescombine to make Flahavan's Oats theNo.1 brand that consumers can trust.

Today, consumers are taking a greaterinterest in managing their own healthand Flahavan’s through its focus oninnovation and research hasbroadened its portfolio to includeproducts that concentrate onconvenience, flavour and taste tailoredto the demands and lifestyles ofhealth-conscious Irish consumers.

Flahavan’s use the finest locallysourced Irish wholegrain oats in

TGM

their porridge oat products and theycontain the natural nutrients, vitaminsand fibre that are naturally low in salt,sugar and saturated fat. Oats havemany health benefits; they help to fightobesity, lower cholesterol and have alow glycaemic index, which means thebody burns energy slowly, ensuringyou are less likely to be hungry beforelunchtime.

Flahavan’s porridge oats range is ahealthy, nourishing breakfast that is100% natural delivered from farm, tothe mill, to your table and tastessimply delicious.

Flahavan’s, has been operating its oatmill in Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford

for generations, making it one ofIreland’s longest private family- runfood businesses. As the hot oats cerealcategory leader with over 65% marketshare, Flahavan’s has delivered moregrowth to the oats category in line withconsumers’ increasing interest inporridge as a healthy breakfast cerealchoice.

Odlums have been milling flour in theRepublic of Ireland for 164 years. Withover 120 different products, Odlumsproduce premium flour products inIreland for traditional home bakers,novice cooks, bakeries big & small,and retailers nationwide.

The business was originally establishedby the Odlum family in 1845 whenthey opened their first mill inPortlaoise. This formed the basis forthe present business which today millsover 173,000 tonnes of flour annually.

Odlums Porridge Oatflakes are packedwith all the goodness of 100%wholegrain oats - nothing added andnothing taken out. Research showsthat the insoluble fibre in oatmeal mayhelp to reduce cholesterol levels andimprove heart health - as part of a lowfat diet and active lifestyle. The slowrelease of energy will also keep youfeeling fuller for longer. OdlumsPorridge Oatflakes are available in500g, 1kg and 1.5kg packs.


Odlums Pinhead Porridge Oats aremade from the finest quality oats. Thisis a totally natural and unprocessedproduct, full of goodness and flavour.Rich in protein, energy and dietaryfibre, make sure it is part of your dailydiet.

The oat grain consists of the outerhusk and the inner grain, or groat. Thetraditional way of milling oats is to takethe oat, remove the outer layer and cutthe remainder into about three smallpieces. This is how Odlums PinheadOatmeal is made.

Oatflakes have long been recognisedas one of nature's super foods. Odlums

Organic Oatflakes are unprocessedand unrefined. These oats are grown incarefully controlled conditions inaccordance with strict organicguidelines and certified by the OrganicTrust Ltd. Odlums Organic Oatflakesare 100% wholegrain offering a pure,natural and healthy breakfast option.Odlums Organic Oatflakes areavailable in 1.5kg packs.

Odlums have taken wholegrain oatsand made them even better withadded fruits, healthy seeds and grains.Odlums Harvest Fruit Porridgecombines delicious wholegrain oatswith 7 fruits and grains, includingvitamin rich sunflower seeds, juicy

raisins, wholegrain rye andapricots. Odlums Fruit Porridge Feast,with 35% added fruit, contains tastyred apple, sultanas and mineral-richpumpkin seeds.

Both products can also be served coldas a muesli. As oats are naturally highin Beta-Glucan (soluble fibre) they canhelp lower cholesterol and maintainheart health*. Odlums fruit porridgerange is high in fibre, low in saturatedfat and salt and contains wholegrains.Foods that are high in fibre make youfeel fuller for longer and may assistwith weight loss*. Both of theseproducts can be prepared on the hobbut can also be microwaved in just 3minutes!

Ready in just 90 seconds OdlumsQuick & Easy Microwaveable PorridgeOats is a delicious way to kickstartyour day! What's more, Odlums Quick& Easy packed with all the goodness of100% wholegrain oats. Not only arethey high in fibre but they are low insalt and saturated fat too.

With 44% of the market share,Kelloggs are, without a doubt, the topdogs in the Irish Breakfast CerealsMarket. Founded in 1906 by Will KeithKellogg, the company has itsworldwide headquarters in Michigan,USA, and a current global revenue ofUS$12.6 billion.

Their European Headquarters arebased in Swords, Co. Dublin, whichserves as a major boost to the Irisheconomy to have such a largeoperation on these shores. It certainlyhas the desired impact on the market,as the company tends to be worth upto €220 million in value each year.

They have a vast number of productsin their range, with Corn Flakes, RiceKrispies and Special K being probablythe most popular of the ones that theycurrently in stock. They also housecereals like All-Bran, Apple Jacks,Frosted Flakes & Mueslix, as well asselling Beverages, Cookies, Crackers,Snacks & Frozen Breakfasts amongstother items.

Breakfast Cereals - OatmealBreakfast Cereals - Oatmeal

28 TGm


Considering the variety of productsthat Kelloggs have available to them,it is quite commendable that Weetabixhave managed to secure a 16% shareof the breakfast cereal market. Thisshows us that the UK-based companyis held in good esteem in Ireland, andcan be found in a number ofhouseholds across the country.

It helps that there is plenty of nutritionin their products, and with the family-friendly packaging that is available, itis more than ideal for a busy breakfasttable on a weekday morning. It can beeasily dissolved and broken up intosmaller pieces, which means that(along with the accompaniment ofwarm milk) it can easily be eaten bytoddlers as well as young children.

Nestlé employs almost 7,000 peopleacross 23 sites in the UK and Ireland.The company is structured into NestléUK Ltd (food and beverage,confectionery and Nestlé Nutrition),Nestlé Ireland, Nestlé Purina Petcare,Nestlé Waters, Cereal Partners UK (ajoint venture with General Mills) andLactalis–Nestlé Chilled Dairy CompanyLtd, a joint venture with Lactalis.

Nestlé UK is an important componentof this international company. Thestory started in 1868, when HenriNestlé set up a sales office in London.In 1901, Nestlé opened its first UKfactory, and in 1905 merged with theAnglo–Swiss Condensed MilkCompany. Over the years Nestlé hasacquired other names almost asfamous as its own – notablyRowntree's – as well as gaining areputation for innovation. In 1913chocolate production began at Hayes,including the launch of the famousbrand of white chocolate Milky Bar in1937.

Nestlé breakfast cereals aremanufactured by Cereal Partners – ajoint venture between Nestlé andGeneral Mills. Cereal Partners is one ofthe UK's leading cereal manufacturersand also makes many of the leadingUK brands. You'll recognise many ofour well–known brands, like ShreddedWheat, Shreddies and Cheerios.

"Breakfast like a king, lunch like aprince and dine like a pauper." Likemost proverbs, this one holds morethan a grain of truth. Breakfast isarguably the most important meal ofthe day. It is a time when we 'break thefast' of the night, which can beanything up to 10 or 12 hours. First

thing in the morning our bodies havelow energy reserves and breakfasthelps to replenish these and to fuel usthrough the morning. In addition tothe nutritional benefits of breakfast,evidence suggests that this importantmeal provides a number of otherbenefits to give us the best start to theday. An amazing 72% of all breakfastsin the UK feature ready–to–eatcereals.

Among the many breakfast cerealsavailable from Nestlé are: Cheerios;Honey Cheerios; Shredded Wheat;Clusters; Shreddies; Frosted Shreddiesand many moreIn this time of uncertainty, there isalways room for Independently-labelled products to make their mark.Consumer boredom starts to kick in aspeople start to grow tired of spendingmoney on the same brand over andover again. Therefore, this has seen arise in private label brands in recenttimes, with the breakfast cereal beingan especially advantageous sector inthis regard.

Recent figures have shown that privatelabel brands have a 13% control of themarket share, which puts it withintouching distance of the popularWeetabix. For the record, private labelbrands are typically thosemanufactured or provided by onecompany for offer under anothercompany's brand. Companies inIreland who tend to offer their own-labelled brands include Tesco,Dunnes Stores, Centra, Aldi and Lidl.

They offer a cheaper alternative tobrands/products that are alreadywell-established, but may not beeasily affordable for all consumers.Products like Orange Juice, Coca-Colaand Tea Bags are sold as private labelbrands, and usually enjoy somepretty decent sales at peak times, aspeople feel that they will get goodvalue from their purchase.

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Condiments & SaucesCondiments & Sauces

As a market, Condiments tends to fallin alongside Sauces and Dressings asthe one category in the overall Irishmarket. This helps to make the marketa lot more valuable than it would be ifthey existed as three differentseparate markets. Indeed, the periodof 2001-2006 was a particularlysuccessful one for this market, as itgrew at an estimated annual rate ofaround 4.2%. It is expected that thissort of rate will continue up until 2011and, if it is given the right level ofmarketing and distribution, it may wellexperience an even larger growth. It isalso has a strong link to the barbecuemarket, which has a value of €335million approximately.

Though most consumers would be fullyaware of the kinds of products thatwould be regarded as sauces anddressings, many buyers wouldprobably struggle to properly definewhat condiments are. For the record, acondiment is like a sauce or seasoning,which is added to food to impart aparticular flavour or to complementthe dish. Due to the distinctive tastethat it offers, it is usually added infairly small quantities. Examples ofpopular condiments would be salt,pepper, ketchup, mustard, olive oil,vinegar and sugar.

In the past, H.J. Heinz has beenregarded as the market leader in thecondiments sector, and it is easy to seewhy, because ketchup (and tomatoketchup especially) are extremelypopular in Irish households. Alongsidethem, the likes of Unilever and Mars.Inc have also performed quite well.However, the Unilever-producedColman's Mustard has come on inleaps and bounds in the last couple ofyears, and are now seen as being astrong market leader within both themustard and condiments sectors.

In what is a very competitive market,there are a few brands that tend tostick in the minds of shoppers more sothan others.

30 TGm


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As stated above, Colman's Mustardare now fully-deserving of theirposition as a top brand member inboth the mustard and condimentsmarket. Based in the area of Norwichin England. Colman's were formed wayback in 1814, when they were knownas Colman's Of Norwich. They are seenas a British icon brand, but it is nowsold around the world, includingIreland of course, through a networkby distributors that are managedUnilever's own export department,who are based in Leatherhead in theUK.

Colman's advertising has always beenquite effective in their efforts tomaintain demand for the brand downthrough the years. For example,Dorothy L. Sayers worked on theiraccount back in the 1920s, and theyproduced a number of media slogansduring the latter part of the 20thcentury such as "Come on Colman's,light my fire". Sayers was employed byS.H. Benson, and her collaborationwith artist John Gilroy resulted in "TheMustard Club" for Colman's Mustard.They were also the main sponsors ofthe Norwich City football team fromthe years 1997-2001, which would nodoubt have helped to bring awarenessof their brand to a much wideraudience. Getting their name acrosshas never been too much of a problemthough, as Colman's has long beensynonymous with mustard. They arefamed for being the original makers ofmustard with clout, and are firmfavourites with households the countryover.

Barbecue season is a particularlystrong period for them in terms ofsales, as they are an ideal flavouringfor burgers and hot dogs, as well asbeing a supplement for marinades andsalads. Their production line is far frombeing one-dimensional however, asthey provide a wide variety of choice,from traditional English mustards, towholegrain and Dijon.

Last summer also saw them offeringconsumers an even bigger and betterselection from the range with the

introduction of a new bigger squeezypack for its English mustard. Beforethat, they launched new squeezy HotDog Mustard, which is a tasty, mildflavoured mustard designed to beappealing to a younger consumer.Lakeshore is another strongcompetitor on the condiments market,and they make a range of mealcondiments including mustards,dressings, marinades, sauces andchutneys, which cover pretty muchevery meal occasion. Their seasonal

range uses quality ingredients toenhance any Christmas meal includingChristmas puddings, goose and duckfat for perfect roast vegetable, hamglaze, brandy butter and brandycream, as well as mincemeat.

The past few months has also seenLakeshore launch their latest brandextension, which is a new range of'squeezable' products that match thecurrent consumer demand for ease ofuse and maximum convenience

32 TGm


at affordable prices. You don't have togo back too far to trace Lakeshore'sorigin, as they were launched asrecently as 1982. Since then, theyhave produced a range of condimentswhich have become renowned withconsumers who have long enjoyed topquality dressings, marinades, mustardsand sauces.

Lakeshore Tantalising Tomato Ketchupis a prime example of one of their best-known products. It is made from juicytomatoes, and is available in upsidedown squeezable bottles, with a rangeof sizes varying from 407g to 1050g.Brown sauce has long been a familyfavourite, but this variant has extraingredients that set it apart from otherbrown sauces.In spite of the growing threat from thelikes of Unilever, Levi and Mars Inc.,Heinz is still a strong player in thismarket, and this will continue to be thecase for some time to come. HeinzKetchup is synonymous with taste, andthe Heinz Tomato Ketchup range, inparticular, is an excellentaccompaniment for summertimebarbecues. Boasting a large variety ofsizes, Heinz Tomato Ketchup isavailable in glass, squeezy and topdown form.

Heinz Top Down Tomato Ketchup offersthe benefits of a no mess, no waste,

stay-clean cap along with the taste ofIreland's favourite tomato ketchup. Infact, this tomato ketchup range is thenumber one selling tomato ketchupbrand in Ireland with a 60% volumeshare of the tomato ketchup category.

Heinz Barbecue sauce is also popularwith Irish consumers, and is used forboth indoor and outdoor occasionssuch is the taste that they provide. H.J.Heinz are the market leader in thebarbecue sauce category as well withan estimated 33.3% volume share.There are two Heinz barbecue varietieson offer, Original and Hot 'n' Sizzling,both of which are available in the nowinstantly recognisable Top Downformat.It was only after the Second World Warthat Kikkoman’s business abroadexpanded significantly. Following thewar, Occupation forces, journalists andother foreigners resided in Japan.Seeing that they were becomingfamiliar with Japanese cuisine and itsuse of soy sauce, Kikkoman saw greatpotential in overseas expansion.

In 1957, Kikkoman opened its firstoverseas sales base in San Francisco.To meet steadily increasing demand,Kikkoman then built its first overseasproduction plant in the United Statesin 1972. Following on its success in theU.S. market, Kikkoman began to

establish production and salesnetworks throughout the world. Today,Kikkoman has three soy sauceproduction plants in Japan and nineabroad, and sells to marketsworldwide.

Kikkoman Soy Sauce is produced fromvery carefully selected ingredients; itsaroma is composed of roughly 300different components, and its wellbalanced mix of five basic flavourssatisfies the palate.Remarkably, for such a well-known,internationally recognised brand,LoSalt has only been around for arelatively short time.Back in 1979 the company now knownas Klinge Foods started manufacturingpotassium chloride. But it wasn't until1983 that the mineral's consumerapplication was first realised. Within ayear potassium chloride was blendedwith sodium chloride to match theflavour profile of regular table salt - butwith 66% less of that harmful sodium.

In 1984, LoSalt was successfullylaunched in the UK, creating thereduced sodium salt market. Today,LoSalt holds 82%2 market share inthe UK and has an established andgrowing presence in over 30 othercountries worldwide.


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The sauce market is showing signs ofgrowth all the time, and it isresponding to increased demand forpremium, organic and more authenticproducts, which is a major reflection ofthe rising interest in health, as well asin food and cooking.

As we move forward into a difficultperiod in Ireland's economic history,the above factors will continue toinfluence the choice of consumers asthey consider whether or not to investin sauces and, if they do, what theyshould buy.

However, the category can also expectsomething of a shift in buying patternsacross a number of differentdemographics, as consumers seekformats which will offer them morevalue for money during this toughereconomic climate.

Pasta sauces showed a growth ofapproximately 4.4% per annumduring the period of 2000-2007,which was significant at a time whenthe pasta market itself showed anaverage annual rate of 3%. It is reallyno surprise that pasta and pastasauces are on the increase, as studieshave shown that over 94% ofhouseholds buy Italian food, whichmakes it one of the country's best-loved cuisines.

As consumers enjoy eating out andtravelling the world, they areincreasingly being exposed to newcuisines and flavours that they thenseek to re-create in their own homes.Consumers are always looking for new,interesting flavours and textures,which allows them to have greatercontrol over what they eat, while at thesame time still offering a quick andeasy option, which Oriental cuisine,particularly stir-fry cooking methods,provides.

For instance, according to BlueDragon, consumers purchase ambientOriental sauces on average four timesa year, which highlights the potentialto increase frequency of purchase,which increases value for retailers and

manufacturers alike.

As retail analyst Mintel states: “Thecooking sauces market has gone fromstrength to strength, changing with thetimes to remain relevant to consumerneeds”.

New products using authentic recipesand ingredients appeal to value-conscious consumers who are seekingconvenience, and the taste adventuredelivered by restaurant-quality food,through entertaining at home at afraction of the price.

There are a number of brands in thismarket, who compete quite well formarket share in this category.The leading brand in the pasta saucemarket at the moment is Dolmio fromMars, who currently hold a 65% shareof this particular market. They are alsoshowing a growth of about 7%, whichis helping to fuel growth in thecategory itself. A lot of their successcan be attributed to the strength oftheir somewhat extensive portfolio,which is able to provide consumerswith a wide range of nutritious, tastyand easy-to-prepare pasta sauces.

While they do supply a wide number ofproducts though, their Bolognesesauces range is at the core of theDolmio brand. This has been a high-performer for them for quite a while,and they no doubt benefited from thefact that the entire Dolmio Bologneserange was re-launched as recently asthe autumn of 2007, and now containsonly good, honest, kitchen cupboardingredients with absolutely no artificialcolours, flavours or preservatives.

The Italian sauce market has beendoing extremely well in the past fewyears, and the premium segment of ithas grown significantly during thisperiod. Dolmio has responded to thisneed from consumers and hasidentified a number of changing trendsthat have occurred by introducing arange of premium, ready-made pastasauces called 'Taste Of Italy'. This'Taste Of Italy' range consists of fivevery different pasta sauces that help to

capture the flavour of five Italianregions (Calabria, Tuscany, Sorrento,Rome and Sicily).

Dolmio also offer a Dolmio Expressrange, which consists of a wide choiceof pasta and, more importantly in thissection, pasta sauces. It offers acomplete meal solution in a matter ofminutes, which is quite popular withconsumers as it provides plenty ofconvenience for the everydayconsumer.

Dolmio also provides pasta sauces forkids under their My Dolmio selection,which once again offers a lot ofconvenience to customers, but it isimportant from a health point of view,as parents are always looking forsomething that will gives their childrenplenty of nutrition.

The entire Dolmio brand continues tobe supported with heavyweight TV andother media, using the highlysuccessful puppet campaign which hasbecome a firmly established favouritewith Irish families.

34 TGm


Roma, which was founded in 1958,has a large portfolio including pasta,tomatoes, olive oils, pasta sauces, rice,passata’s, puree and antipastos. Thebrand’s focus on providing thesequality, affordable Italian foodingredients and meal solutions hasbeen central to its success to date.

This success is most evident in thedried pasta category where Romaenjoys a leading market share of 36%,which is 34% more than its leadingbranded competitor. New productssuch as Penne Lisce, Tortiglionil,Linguine and a new Wholewheat rangekept Roma as Ireland’s FavouriteItalian food brand.

The most versatile of ingredients formany a Mediterranean recipe, Roma’srange of quality canned tomatoes isunrivalled. Tomatoes are picked in latesummer and their freshness is sealedinto tins that you see on shelves allyear round.

Roma’s pasta sauce range has alsoenjoyed great success since its launchin 2006 and appeals directly toconsumers who want a complete pastameal solution, but don’t have the time.The sauces are made with the finestItalian tomatoes, herbs and vegetablesin order to deliver the true taste of

Italy direct to Irish consumers. The newlook, new taste sauces are available in500g and 700g family size jars and therange consists of Original, LightChunky, Garlic & Onion, and Spicy.Irish consumers have a big interest inauthentic food offerings, as they feelthat they will help them to derive thegreatest satisfaction possible from aparticular product. This is why Buitonihas proven to be a rather popularchoice with many people in Ireland, asthey offer top-of-the-range pasta andsauces in convenient little packages.As consumers continue in their searchfor convenience, nutrition and quality,the Buitoni fresh sauce range is startedto expand, which means that shoppersare prepared to pay more for thesefresh products.

They currently enjoy a good share ofthe fresh sauces market, with a generalpercentage of around 57% or 58%,considered to be the norm over thepast couple of years. Their support ofthe point of purchase has helped toaccelerate their growth, and they haveshown a major focus on the areas oftrial and education in their efforts inthis regard.

In total, Buitoni offer five fresh sauceproducts, with the most popular beingPesto Genovese. They are available in

four different formats, namely family,kids, for one, and for 2-3 persons.Uncle Ben’s sauces maintain theirposition as the number one brandleader in the ethnic sauce categoryholding 22% market share whichcovers Indian, Mexican and Orientalcuisines. Uncle Ben’s sauces offer awide range of meals from around theworld and contain no artificial flavours,colours, preservatives of MSG.

The latest addition to the Uncle Ben’ssauce family is the ‘Stir Fry’ rangewhich provides consumers with highquality stir fry sauces that can beprepared with minimal effort, meetingconsumers needs for speed andconvenience without compromising ontaste. There are five varieties to choosefrom across the Oriental and Thaicuisines.

Barilla pasta sauces are authenticItalian sauces with a rich homemadeflavour. Fresh diced tomatoes and oliveoil provide the same richness andthickness found in homemade sauces.The freshest ingredients–likemushrooms, garlic, sweet peppers,olives, and basil–to are used to createan authentic, premium collection ofItalian pasta sauces.


TGM

Traditional Red Sauces bring theflavours of Italy to the range of sauceswhich include Garden Vegetable;Italian Baking; Marinara’ Mushroomand Garlic’ Roasted garlic’ SweetPepper; Tomato and Basil and ThreeCheese Sauce.

The Knorr Ragu offers a choice ofseven flavours. All Knorr Ragu saucesare free from artificial flavours,preservatives and artificial colours.Thick and chunky the are very versatileand consumable in a variety of ways.

The Knorr Curries range from KnorrMild Curry to Knorr Hot Curry, as wellas a Knorr Fruity Curry cater for alltastes. Equally, Knorr Chicken Tonightrange of cook-in sauces also comes ina number of interesting varieties, suchas Sweet & Sour and Spanish andcontain no artificial flavours or colours,and only quality herbs, spices andvegetables.

Also quite popular in the sauce marketis Blue Dragon, which is an authenticJapanese brand that offers a veryunique alternative to a morerecognisable form of sauce. Thoughsome of the range isn't quite asconvenient as it perhaps could be, assome selections come in big jars whichcan be quite awkward, as well as beingsusceptible to damage.

They are part of the ambient Orientalfood category which, according to thebrand itself, is primarily comprised ofChinese and Thai cuisine products,while Japanese cuisine is alsoincreasing in popularity. Blue Dragonhave been quite innovative as wellthough, as they are able to recognisethe importance of continuing toimprove and extend their Orientalofferings to reflect the evolving tastesof consumers.

December of 2009 saw an example of

this, as Blue Dragon became the firstOriental food brand to pioneer theemerging consumer trend forJapanese cuisine by launching anauthentic tasting range to the masses.Their aim is to attract new consumersinto the ambient Oriental foodcategory, while at the same timemaintaining their authenticity.

This is very important for the BlueDragon brand, but also for the saucemarket, as they have introduced anumber of new sauces products ontothe market. Added to their alreadysubstantial sauce selection is threeyaki sauce variants and a katsu currysauce jar, which should ensure that theBlue Dragon sauce range does notsuffer from consumer boredom in thenear future.

Blue Dragon has added more vibranceto its established oriental stir-fryportfolio by revamping its packagingdesign to increase taste appeal toengage new and existing consumers,as well as the addition of two newvariants to the standard stir-fry sachetrange: Blue Dragon Blue Dragon ThaiBasil & Lemongrass. Two furtheradditions to its premium stir fry sachetrange include Blue Dragon Sweet &Sour with Coriander and Blue DragonSweet Chilli & Kaffir Lime, to reflectincreasing consumer demand.

36 TGm

Greater reproductivechoice and measures toreduce resource consump-tion and waste are criticalto reducing humanity'senvironmental impact

As the global populationsurpasses 7 billion peopleaddressing the challengesassociated with a still-growing world populationwill require a two-prongedresponse, according toexperts with the WorldwatchInstitute.

The combined measuresof empowering women tomake their own decisionsabout childbearing andsignificantly reducing globalconsumption of energy andnatural resources wouldmove humanity towardrather than further awayfrom environmentallysustainable societies thatmeet human needs.

Roughly 4.5 billionpeople have been added tothe world population in justthe last 60 years, accordingto United Nations estimates,putting increased strain onthe world's ecosystems andresources. Because humansinteract with theirsurroundings far moreintensely than any otherspecies and use vastamounts of carbon,nitrogen, water, and otherresources, we are on tracknot only to change theglobal climate and depleteessential energy and othernatural resources, but towipe out thousands of plantand animal species in thecoming decades.

To some extent, theseoutcomes are nowunavoidable; we'll have toadapt to them. But in orderto improve the likelihoodthey will not be catastrophic,we need to simultaneously

work to influence the futurepath of population and toaddress the environmentaland social impacts thatcontinued population growthwill have.

"It is precisely becausethe human population is solarge and is growing so fastthat we must care how muchwe as individuals - andnations - are increasingly outof sync with environmentalsustain-ability," said

Worldwatch PresidentRobert Engelman, an experton global population.

"The challenge becomeseven more with eachgeneration. Fortunatelythere are ways to practicallyand humanely both slowpopulation growth andreduce the impactsassociated with the growththat occurs."

Earlier this year, theUnited Nations Population

Fund (UNFPA) launched 7Billion Actions, a campaignto highlight positive actionsby individuals andorganizations addressingglobal development challen-ges. By sharing theseinnovations in an openforum, the campaign aims tofoster communication andcollaboration as the planetbecomes more populatedand increasinglyinterdependent.

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Two Strategies For A Sustainable Future

"Addressing globalpopulation growth is not thesame thing as 'controllingpopulation'," Engelman said."The most direct andimmediate way to lowerbirth rates is to make surethat as high a proportion aspossible of pregnancies areintended, by assuring thatwomen can make their ownchoices about whether andwhen to bear a child.Simultaneously, we need to

rapidly transform ourenergy, water, and materialsconsumption throughgreater use of conservation,efficiency, and greentechnologies. We shouldn'tthink of these as sequentialefforts - dealing withconsumption first, thenwaiting for populationdynamics to turn around -but rather as simultaneoustasks on multiple fronts."

Worldwatch recommends

two main approaches tomitigate the impacts of asoaring global population:

Empower women tomake their own decisionsabout childbearing. Morethan two in five pregnanciesworldwide are unintendedby the women whoexperience them, and half ormore of these pregnanciesresult in births that spurcontinued populationgrowth.

Engelman has calculatedthat if all women had thecapacity to decide forthemselves when to becomepregnant, average globalchildbearing wouldimmediately fall below the"replacement fertility" valueof slightly more than twochildren per woman.Population would then moveonto a path leading to apeak followed by a gradualdecline, possibly well before2050. Women must be ableto make their own decisionsabout childbearing free fromfear of coercion or pressurefrom partners, family, andsociety. And they must haveeasy access to a range ofsafe, effective, andaffordable contraceptivemethods and theinformation and counselingneeded to use them.

Consume fewerresources and waste less

food. Humans appropriateanywhere from 24 percentto nearly 40 percent of thephotosynthetic output of theplanet for food and otherpurposes, and more thanhalf of the planet'saccessible renewablefreshwater runoff. Inaddition to overuse of finiteresources, humans wastelarge quantities of food everyyear. According to the UNFood and AgricultureOrganization, industrializedcountries waste 222 milliontons of food annually. Iffewer resources and lessfood were wasted, the worldwould be able to feed morepeople and use fewerresources.

With nearly 1 billonhungry people worldwide,wasting less food would alsomean utilizing existingresources - not new ones - tofeed them.

Thechallengesbecomeseven morewith eachgeneration.”

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38 TGm

An Armagh refrigerationcompany has won aprestigious national awardfor its energy-savingrefrigeration solution at ameat processing plant.

Shilliday Refrigerationpicked up the prize for‘Industrial and CommercialProject of the Year’ at theRAC Cooling IndustryAwards night at the LondonHilton, where 600professionals in therefrigeration and airconditioning industrygathered to reward thefinest products, projectsand performance the sectorhas to offer.

Entries from nearlyevery major name inrefrigeration and airconditioning were judged,and with the focus verymuch on energy-efficientsolutions, Shilliday’s simple,

but cost-effective, idea for anew centralizedrefrigeration system atLoughgall company HewittMeats was the one whichcame out top in itscategory.

Shilliday’s answer was aconversion from R22 andR404A to R134A. Shillidayspecified four R134Acompressors with a totalcapacity of 162 kW in anew centralizedrefrigeration systemoffering a COP of 3.0 insummer and 5.22 in winter.Electronic expansion valves,EC fans on condenser andevaporators and RDMcontrols were added to thesystem for improvedefficiency.

The team at Shillidayalso installed a Eureka PTSsystem which can recover140 litres of hot water per

hour from the two 3 kW lowtemperature condensingunits.

Providing a morestraightforward answer tothe customer’s needs, thenew centralizedrefrigeration systemresulted in a 19% drop inHewitt’s energy bill over theperiod of a year, and acarbon footprint reductionestimated to be at least 80tonnes a year.

“While we commend theuse of natural refrigerantsfor most food processingfacilities, it was not a viableoption at Hewitt’s due tothe amount of existingequipment on site which wewere able to incorporateinto the new design,” saidShilliday’s TechnicalDirector, Jason Shilliday.

“We were able toprovide a bespoke solutionthat wasn’t overlycomplicated but thathelped the client reduce hisenergy bill. We showed thatit isn’t just the largerorganizations that canbenefit from green thinking,

relatively small businessescan too.”

Congratulating thecompany on its award win,James Annett, Director,Hewitt Meats, said:“Shilliday’s new system iseasily managed and hasresulted in us saving moneyand energy. At a time whenour supermarket customersare encouraging us towards‘greener’ working practices,it’s extremely important forus to be as energy-efficientas we can be.”

The judges’ commentson the award win stated:“This is a contractor that isdoing all the right things,pursuing best practice andconvincing the client toincorporate the best inproven technology.”

One of the leadingrefrigeration and air-conditioning contractors inNorthern Ireland, ShillidayRefrigeration is a family-runbusiness, established in1975 by brothersAlexander and NormanShilliday.

Jason Shilliday

(l-r): James Hewitt, Hewitt Meats; Jason Shilliday andDeclan Fitzmaurice, Consultant

Shilliday wins the day

N E W S

Stock up on ChesswoodMushrooms ahead of theseasonal rush

Malton Foods Ltd.,which trades as Westlers isa rapidly evolving producerof convenience foods, withover 50 years’ experiencewithin both the foodserviceand retail markets.

Westlers is best knownfor its range of hot dogsunder the Westlers brandas well as burgers andready meals within thefoodservice arena. Inaddition to this Westlershas built a growingreputation within the retailmarket and supplies arange of well-known brandswithin the canned foodcategory across readymeals, bean meals,vegetables and soups. Thecompany also produces a

range of canned produce incustomer own label tomultiple retailersnationwide. The pouchedmeal range includes themilitary feeding business inaddition to outdoor brandWayfayrer which is themarket leader within itssector.

Most retailers associatethe holiday season withturkey stuffing andChristmas pudding, butWestlers are urging retailersnot to forget other festivefavourites such asChesswood Mushroomsthat fly off the shelves eachDecember.

Although mushroomsmight not be an obviouschoice for festive foods,Chesswood Mushroomshelp busy mums to createparty favourites and

convenient meals in no timeat all, leaving them moretime to relax and enjoy theholiday season.

Chesswood CreamedMushrooms are best knownas an easy and deliciousfilling for vol-au-vents andpastries but also make agreat store cup board cheatfor creamy pasta dishes oran easy pie filling to helpuse up the dreaded left-over turkey! For extra tasteand flavour, ChesswoodGarlic Mushrooms providea hint of garlic and taste,great as an addition tocasseroles or stews.

Look beyond turkey andtrimmings this Christmas toprovide shoppers with storecupboard essentials withChesswood Mushrooms andVegetable meals .


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Stock Upwith Chesswood

Iceland OpensStores

Iceland is continuing toroll out new stores in theRepublic. The AIM Group,which holds the franchise ofIceland supermarkets inIreland, began trading froma new 743sq m store atGreencastle parade inCoolock, Dublin.Approximately 40 new jobsare being created by theopening.

Iceland is also to openfurther outlets in keylocations across the country.Another shop will begintreading at he Showgroundsshopping centre in Clonmel,and the company will launchstore at Ashbourne TownCentre in Co Meath.

The fourth store will beat Tullow Road in carlow.AIM also has stores in theIlac centre in Dublin citycentre as well as inn Finglas,Balllyfermot and NavanRoad.

SuperValu HopefulRetailer SuperValu is

hoping to extend its 20-yearsponsorship of the TidyTowns competition

The Department ofEnvironment put thesponsorship out to tenderfor the period up to 2016,setting a deadline ofDecember 5th for bids.

“We are very keen tohang on to it,” SuperValu’spublic relations chief SueLamon-Diver said. “Webelieve the strategy we haveis second to none.”

Tidy Towns is believed tocost SuperValu about€450,000 a year. Last timearound, AIB, An Post andthe National Lottery arebelieved to have itched forthe sponsorship withoutsuccess.

40 TGm

On Tuesday 22nd November, BordBia, in association with Rabobank, willpresent its Food and Drink IndustryAwards 2011.

The winners will be announcedduring Bord Bia’s Annual Brand Forumend of year event taking place in TrinityCollege Dublin. Irial Finan, ExecutiveVice President of The Coca-ColaCompany, will be the keynote speakeron the night and the Minister forAgriculture, Food and the Marine,Simon Coveney TD will present theawards.

Bord Bia’s Food and Drink IndustryAwards are open to all food and drinkproducts manufactured in Ireland.Companies must be in business for aminimum of two fiscal years and whererelevant, it is desirable that companies

source materials that are approvedunder the Bord Bia Quality AssuranceSchemes.

This year, Bord Bia received a totalof 184 award entries across the sixcategories:

1. Exporting Award (25 entries)2 Branding Award (23 entries)3. Entrepreneurial Award (21

entries)4. Domestic Success (37 entries)5. Sustainability Award (18 entries)6. Innovation Award (60 entries)Bord Bia is actively supporting the

principle of co-opetition, wherecompanies work together to createsynergies resulting in cost savings,improved returns and/or increasedmarket access. In most cases, entrantsincluded examples of co-opetition intheir application forms.

All entries have been assessed byan independent judging panel chairedby John Fanning, Chairman of BordBia’s Brand Forum. The panel alsoincludes Gilles Boumeester, GlobalHead Food & Agri Coverage,Rabobank International; GordonCampbell, Managing Director, SparInternational; Matt Dempsey, Editor,Irish Farmers Journal; Senator Feargal

Quinn; Margot Slattery, DivisionalDirector, Sodexo Ireland; Tim Mobsby,former European Area President,Kellogg Company; Bartley O’Connor,Head of Sustainability, PWC and FranWalton, Director, The FuturesCompany.

Under each category, the judgeshave selected three shortlistedcompanies under each category.

Bord Bia’s FDI Awards 2011John Kickham Sophie Morris Natasha Czopor

Graham Clarke and Sophie Morris

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Category Recipient Product/Range(if appropriate)

Export Award Irish Distillers Jameson Irish WhiskeyKepak Sonae Own Brand rangeIrish Dairy Board Beo (milk powder brand)

Branding Award Largo Foods TaytoIna’s Kitchen Desserts BrodericksGlenisk Glenisk Range

Entrepreneurial Award Green SaffronZana CookhouseABC Nutrition

Category Recipient Product/Range(if appropriate)

Domestic Success FlahavansKeelingsMcCormack FarmsLoose & Lively range

Sustainability Award(Company Award) Country Crest

Silverhill FoodsGlenisk

Innovation Award Natasha’s Living FoodKale CrunchiesKooky DoughSlice and Bake Cookie RollsDragon NutritionLittle Dragon Shots

John Kickham

42 TGm

Since Irish Distillers joined PernodRicard in 1988, investment in flagshipbrand Jameson has spearheaded acomplete rejuvenation of the IrishWhiskey category, making it the mostdynamic premium spirits segmentglobally. In 1988 Jameson sold466,000 nine litre cases, or c/e*,globally with Ireland its main market.Following years of consistent andsustained investment,

2010 saw the attainment of a keymilestone in this story when the brandsold 3 million c/e globally, of which 1million were sold in the USA. To put 3million cases in context, that is overone billion glasses of Jamesonconsumed around the world each year.

The brand is now poised for evengreater success. Irish Distillers andPernod Ricard are embarking on anambitious programme investing over€200 million in Ireland over thecoming 3 years, in an expansion of

distillation capacity and maturationfacilities in

Midleton, coupled with€80 millionin annual brand marketing and globaldistribution to ultimately makeJameson one of the elite

Top 10 Premium Spirits brandsworldwide. (*c/e = 9 litre caseequivalent) Jameson GlobalPerformance – Jameson is a globalbrand operating in 120+markets andin all retail and on trade channels. It isapproaching 22 consecutive years ofvolume growth. Jameson is the fastestgrowing international whiskey brandglobally in the period 2000 to 2009(Source: IWSR 2009), reaching the 3million case global milestone in 2010.

The USA alone broke the 1 millioncase milestone (Moving Annual Total –12 month rolling – wholesaler sales).

Some 42 markets are currently indouble digit growth worldwide. The USmarket is growing at 30% with all 50

states in double digit growth. FY2010-11 will be the biggest year ever interms of incremental cases added,estimated at c500,000 cases.

Jameson is now the 2nd biggestInternational whiskey brand in Russiaand the 2nd biggest Internationalwhiskey brand in South Africa.

It is the biggest selling whiskey inIreland at 240,000 c/e. Some keycustomers of note are -Tesco, Asda,Sainsbury, Safeway (UK)

Makro, Trade Centre (South Africa)Carrefour (France) DAA, Heinemann(Duty Free), Costco, Walgreens,Albertsons, RiteAid, ABC Liqours(USA)

In order for us to realise ourenvisioned future and vision, "tobecome an Iconic, Global, Top 10 spiritbrand by 2020"; we have ensured ourmarketing strategy, in addition tocontinued growth in establishedmarkets, is built to identify the most

N E W S

IrishDistillers shortlisted for ExportingAward

Rosemary Garth


attractive nurture and seed marketsthat are currently starting to provideus with strong "growth relays" for thefuture. Within our "Seed" marketclassification; our objective is toestablish our presence, enhance ourinternational credentials and establishour strategy for future growth. Withinour "Nurture" market classification;our objective is to invest to establish avolume and equity base for significantlong term future growth.

Citing the following: ‘Jameson - thisyear’s spirit brand of the year is abrand that, simply put, built acategory. Since 1985 through a seriesof skilful advertising campaigns, thebrand has increased by 700,000 casesand today holds a whopping 72 %category share. It’s been on aremarkable roll, having won nineconsecutive Impact Hot Brand Awards.

Length of time to achieveexports:

1988 – 466,000 c/e1994 – 1 million c/e2002 – 2 million c/e2010 – 3 million c/e2012 – 4 million c/e (est)

In late 2010, Jameson launched anew international print advertisingcampaign, “Easy-going Irish”. Launchedinitially in Ireland and Russia, this isnow being rolled out in other keymarkets around the world. Since2009, the “Taste Above All Else”campaign bringing the persona of JohnJameson to life for the first time on TVand in print in the USA continues toroll out nationally.

Film is Jameson’s core sponsorship

platform. Jameson is involved with filmin over 30 countries, including itsimportant association with theJameson Dublin International FilmFestival, which is currently in its 10thyear. Other film connections includethe Jameson

Irish Distillers has been running aGraduate Programme since 1990. Theobjective of the programme is to giverecently qualified graduates real lifework experience. Initially thisprogramme was based around theEuropean Union, however it nowoperates worldwide. Irish Distillers hastaken on 180 graduates since 1990,52 ex-graduates are currently workingacross the Pernod Ricard

This year Irish Distillers have 28graduates in 26 countries across theworld. The Top 10 Markets in which aJameson Graduates will present in2011 -12 will include: USA, NordicCountries, France, UK, Spain, India,South America, Mexico, Russia andAustralia

Volume growth of +20% YTDMarch 2011

Value growth of +22% YTD March2011

Irish Distillers at the forefront ofIrish tourism. In addition to employingover 500 people across Ireland,Jameson plays a key role in thetourism sector with its Visitor Centresin Smithfield, Dublin (“Old JamesonDistillery”) and Midleton, Co Cork(“Jameson Experience Midleton”) withapprox 300,000 visitors, the 2 centresgenerate a spend of approx €8.4million flowing into local economy. TheOld Jameson Distillery in Dublinattracts approx 200,000 visitors

annually and ranks in the Top 10 forpaying Dublin

Tourist Attraction Sites. With theJameson Experience Midleton, the twovisitor centres are the number sixpaying tourist attraction in Ireland.Since their inception in 1996, thevisitor centres have welcomed inexcess of 3.7 million tourists from over50 countries.

The visitor centres’ top 5 marketsare USA, France, Great Britain,Germany and Scandinavia.

The spin-off benefits in Ireland -Farming: Irish Distillers productionplant in Midleton consumes 33,000tonnes of Irish barley purchasedannually, likely to grow by 30% overthe next four years (€5m spend pa,supporting 11,000 acres of farmedland.

500 people are currently employedby Irish Distillers and a further 225direct job opportunities will be createdover next four years as a direct resultof the Midleton expansion; Capitalexpenditure: The combinedexpenditure on the expansion of ourdistillation, maturation and bottlingfacilities over the next 4 years is likelyto exceed €200m.

Irish Distillers and Pernod Ricardidentified this advantage more than 20years ago combining the great brandthat is Jameson sold through the greatdistributor network that is PernodRicard. Since 1988 Jameson saleshave benefitted by growing from466,000 cases to its current 3.4million cases. This success is based onlocal distributors with local marketknowledge and access taking theJameson brand on as their own.

TGM

Employees Turnover Export Sales Branded Sales Profit

2012 520 0 94 100 0

forecast2011 500 0 93 100 0

forecast2010 483 0 92 100 0

44 TGm

Ignition ProductsIgnition Products

With market data revealing that over70% of households in Ireland possessan open fire, the future bodesextremely well for solid fuels thatconcentrate on providing convenienceand cleanliness, as well as possessingstrong environmental credentials.

The ignition category is doingparticularly well, as AC Nielsenreported in September 2009 that itwas worth a considerable €35 millionand 2.2% growth year on year. Zip arecurrently the number one ignitionbrand, though there are other brands

that are seeking to cut into theircurrent share.

The solid fuels category are also doingwell within the larger fuel market withcertain brands seeing their fuel salescontinue to grow year on year.

Fire logs would appear to be thelargest contributor to this growth, withthe brand Homestead claiming thatthey account for 25% of the brand’stotal fuel sales. Logs have grown 4%value year on year.

A further testament to the fuelcategory’s current strong growth is theemphasis that manufacturers have puton NPD. This has led to brandsexpanding value ranges, so that theycan provide an alternative to privatelabel variants while, at the same time,providing robust margin to retailers.

Indeed, both Bord na Mona and Ziphave launched, and will continue tolaunch new products on to the fuelmarket, and other brands will beexpected to follow their lead within thenext 12 months or more.

Certain things do change as time goesby though, and mobile heaters arebeginning to represent an increasinglypopular choice for consumers in thecurrent economic climate, as ‘spotheating’ a room, as an alternative torelying on the general practice ofcentral heating, is becoming morefinancially and environmentallyfriendly.

In a market that will no doubt changeas time goes on, and technologybecomes more the prevalent, thefollowing are currently making bignoises in the ignition category.

Ireland’s number one ignition brand isZip, pioneers of high performancekerosene firelighters and conveniencefire logs, distributed nationally byJohnson Brothers Ltd.

Zip continues to drive category growththrough innovation and excitingconsumer promotions. The winter of2009 saw Zip successfully launch theirEveryday Value Firelog, and in 2010innovation was again high on theagenda, with the introduction of a newGuaranteed Irish made fire log called“Croi na Tine”, the only firelog made inIreland, by the Irish, for the Irish!

26.5% value of the Ignition categorycomes from firelogs – which is worthover €9m annually (based on ACNielsen MAT Oct 10). Zip are the firstlarge scale log producer in Ireland,with other logs being producedpredominantly in Holland. Themanufacturing line has been designedand built by technical experts at thefactory in Castlebellingham, Co Louth.

“Croi na Tine” which, in Irish, means“heart of a fire”, is an innovative, newformula fire log which is 100% natural,using coppiced willow, planted andharvested on Irish soil.This high performance log is extremelyconvenient as it is easy to light andburns with animated flames for wellover two hours. It comes with thepromise of ‘A real fire that lasts – in aninstant”, which is certainly whatconsumers are looking for.

As part of the initiative to driveconsumer awareness, Zip unveiled astriking television advertisement,which has been on screen sinceNovember. The campaign featuresboth the new log and the full firelighterrange.

Never one to rest on their laurels, Zipare also in running their biggestpromotion ever, giving consumers thechance to win their mortgage paid (tothe value of €250,000!), and manyother great prizes include Stovax

Stockton 5 stoves, coupons againstfurther Zip purchases and othersmaller cash prizes. This competitionhas been on-pack across the firelighterrange since October, and is runningthroughout the 2010/2011 winterseason.

For over 50 years, Bord na Móna FuelsLtd, the largest supplier of solid fuel inIreland, has led the way in designinginnovative and convenient ‘real-life’ firesolutions for busy Irish consumers.

Bord na Móna Firepak® is the ultimate‘complete fire in a bag’ solution. All youhave to do is light the pack, sit backand bask in the glow of a perfect firethat will burn for three to four hours.Made of smokeless coal with Irishpeat, Firepak® is clean to handle andwill light with just one match, making itthe No. 1 choice in the ‘real fire in abag’ category.

A new product development from Bordna Móna is ‘Clean Start’, the instantlighting firestarter. Presented in apack of three firestarters, this productis designed with consumers in mind,with recent research showing that themajority of Irish people want a quick,clean and convenient way to light afire.

Another exciting, new and innovativeproduct set to revolutionize theignition category is FireMagicFiremaker from Bord na Móna Fuels.FireMagic Firemaker guarantees thefaster way to a fuller fire every time.

Don’t forget, Bord na Móna Firelog isthe No. 1 choice among Irishconsumers in the firelog category. Therange also includes firelighters, inpacks of 30’s, 60’s and individuallywrapped. As the market leader in solidfuels in Ireland, the company’s range ofsolid fuel products features thepopular line of Eco Friendly fuelsincluding Premium Wood Pellets, Bordna Móna Wood Logs, Bord na MónaReal Logs and Kindling - all made fromnaturally renewable resources and fullyCO2 neutral.


TGM

Red hot productsR

46 TGm


Bord na Mona Fuels Ltd, the largestsupplier of solid fuel in Ireland,recently launched 'FireMagic FireMaker', a revolutionary innovativeproduct that guarantees the fastestand fullest 'real' fire within minutes.Quicker to ignite and generating heatfaster, FireMagic Fire Maker is Bord naMona's biggest new productdevelopment in 2010, representing atotal investment of over €1 million.The new 'light and leave' product is setto be a real game-changer within thecategory, coming with a cast-ironguarantee – Fire Magic will light firsttime, every, time and will create theintense glow of a full, real fire within15 minutes of first lighting it. Theproduct is the first of its kind inIreland.

The €1 million launch campaignincludes above and below-the-linemedia, beginning with a national TVadvertising burst at the end ofDecember. The campaign will runthrough the peak winter months untilMarch 2011.

For over 50 years, Bord na Mona Fuels

has led the way in designing innovativeand convenient 'real-life- fire solutionsfor busy Irish consumers. Innovationlies at the core of all activity in Bord naMona and in accordance with theorganisations strategic businessdirection that promises a 'NewContract with Nature'. Clean, easy andconvenient are the by-words for Bordna Mona's market-leading rang of solidfuel products and its newbreakthrough FireMagic Fire Makerproduct is set to light the way in termsof real innovation in the ignitioncategory.

In addition to Mona Fire Pak andFirelog, there is a hugely popular lineof eco-friendly fuels including PremiumWood Pellets, Bord na Mona Real Logsand Eco-Friendly Logs – all made from

naturally renewable resources and fullyCO2 neutral.

The Homestead fuel range consists oftwo SKUs of firelighters, coming inselections of 30s and 60s and a 1.1kgfire log which was introduced to therange in early 2005.

Having this choice in their fuel rangeseems to be working for them at themoment, as Homestead fuels arecontinuing to grow at year on year. Firelogs are the largest contributor of thisgrowth accounting for 25% of totalHomestead fuel sales.

The sale of firelighters now accountsfor 51% of the total fuel sales inIreland, so it is important for brands inthis market to give plenty of credenceto their firelighter range if they wish toremain competitive. This is not aproblem for Homestead though, astheir firelighters are continuing to growin line with the market.

Indeed, Janice Gibney, the Homesteadbrand manager, had this to say on thematter: “Our new fresh look fuelspackaging has given the range a welldeserved face lift, while maintainingthe same great quality which is noweven better value; coupled with somereally strong activity for 2010Homestead continues to ‘Bring ValueHome’”, Gibney stated.

Strogs are a new straw briquette thathave recently been released into theignition category in Ireland, and it is animportant brand as it is produced by afamily run business. The producers ofthis unique new product are Agri Bio-Fuel Ireland Ltd, a newly formed familybusiness, based in North CountyDublin.

TGM


Those who are involved in thecompany have a background infarming, and have developed the firstproduct of its kind available in the Irishmarket, with all the raw material thatis needed for its construction sourcedin the local areas of Garristown andOldtown in Co. Dublin, from cerealgrowing farmers.

Once they have bought in thenecessary straw, the company thenmakes the briquettes on its familyfarm. Therefore, Strogs can claim to beboth 100% Irish made, as well asbeing 100% carbon neutral.

The makers of Strogs believe that thenew enterprise “will generate local jobsand benefit the local economy at atime when green energy and securityis vital for the Irish economy goingforward into the future”.

The group has also remarked that thepresence of clean and cheap straw“may become an alternative toexpensive coal”. Furthermore, it is easyto calculate the costs of using straw asa fuel. Agri Bio-Fuel claims that thecost of obtaining the same amount ofenergy is, at least in the case of straw-firing, around 35% lower than coal-firing.

Thanks largely to the presence ofmodern technology, boilers nowadaysusing the straw and other bio-fuels canalso reach efficiency of 80-90% at avery low gas emission. Strogs can beburned in a number of different places,most notably open fireplaces, ceramicstoves, culm stoves, kitchen stoves,biomass stoves and central heatingboilers, provided they arerecommended by the manufacturer ofcourse.

Their straw briquette offers plenty ofadvantages, such as providing anenvironmentally friendly fuel with nosparks. Strogs are also a long burningfuel which give excellent heat, and aresuitable in open fires and solid fuelsappliances where recommended.

48 TGm

Last winter’s bitterly cold conditionsprompted a record consumer demandfor Superser mobile heaters. Salesincreased by more than 10% with anumber of retailers running out ofstock at critical times and therebymissing out on valuable salesopportunities,” said Eoin O’Flynn ofFlogas Ireland, the exclusivedistributor for Superser in Ireland andthe UK.

“Long-range weather forecasters arepredicting that December, January andFebruary will be colder than average inIreland with a 33% chance of a whiteChristmas. With this in mind, we areurging retailers not to be ‘left out in thecold’ and to stock up on Superserheaters to meet the potentialdemand,” Eoin O’Flynn continued.

Retailers who want to stock up onSuperser mobile heaters for the wintermonths should contact Flogas, the

exclusive Superser distributors, on041-9831041 or www.flogas.ie

“Flogas Superser heaters are theperfect solution for cost-consciouscustomers looking to control theirheating bills. They are extremelyuseful as an instant, economic andportable way to ‘spot-heat’ a roomquickly, as many customers find it farcheaper than turning on the centralheating for an hour or two,” said Eoin.

For homeowners who want instantheat that’s both stylish and useful,Flogas supplies two very contemporarylooking and stylish mobile heaters, theSuperser Radiant and SuperserCatalytic. In particular, the SuperserCatalytic burns without a flame andhas lower touch temperatures, makingthem safer and it’s fitted with easyglide castors, which allows for trouble-free moving from room to room.

Flogas is of course very much a fuel fortoday. Flogas cylinders are a familiarsight at retail outlets throughout thecountry. The butane cylinder is a cleanand economical choice for consumersand is hard to beat as a low cost,versatile energy package.

Propane direct dealers have beenreporting strong annual sales growthand many of our customers want thebenefits of gas in the home for firesand cooking but are either not on thenatural gas grid or don’t want to gothrough the hassle of changing, so findpropane cylinders in a discreet cornerof their back garden a very practicalalternative.

Flogas was the first company in Irelandto introduce the Securiseal (gascylinder seal) for Propane cylinders,once again proving total commitmentto their bottled gas brands.



Similar to the Butane seal, theSecuriseal is a solid, tamper-proofcylinder seal made from a resilientpolyethylene material of the highestquality - far superior to other shrink-wrapped bottled gas seals currently onthe market.Flogas has an excellent distributionsystem, with maximum coverage. Thecompany has three marine gasterminals, at Drogheda, Cork andBelfast, and a land terminal atBallyhaunis. Flogas operates a nation-wide network of distributors who fillcylinders and deliver bottled gas todealers in their area. Distributors arestrategically located all over thecountry to ensure constant and speedydelivery of bottled gas – even in winteron the cold, icy roads, when demandfor bottled gas is high.

A nationwide network of Flogasaftersales personnel are on 24-hourcall for appliance repairs andmaintenance.

Flogas supports all its products andservices and plans through innovativedealer promotions, excellent point ofsale material, targeted advertising andpublic relations. For furtherinformation on Flogas products and

services, just contact 041-9831041 orvisit www.flogas.ie

For retailers looking to save money ontheir own overheads either at work orat home, Flogas also supply natural

gas to the commercial and residentialnatural gas market. It currently offersSMEs a guaranteed 11% saving on theprice charged by Bord Gais, whichmakes the one of the most competitiveoffers in the marketplace.

TGM

Boyne Valley in Talks

50TGm

N E W S

The Boyne ValleyGroup,the Co Louth foodcompany, is in advancedtalks to buy the Irishdivision of Premier Foods,the British food giant.

The business is beingsold for Premier Foods byStamford Partners, the UKinvestment bank. It includesthe Irish brands Erin soups,Chivers jams and jellies andGateaux cakes, as well asPremier’s wider stable ofbrands, which include thelikes of Sharwoods Indianfoods.

DCC, and Valeo Foods,which was formed whenCapVest teamed up withOrigin Foods to buyBatchelors from Barry’s Tealast year, are alsounderstood to haveexpressed interest inacquiring the division. Noneof the three companiesinvolved would comment.

The Boyne Valley Group,which was set up byMalachy McCloskey,employs 300 people. Itsbrands range from food tohome care and personalcare products. Food brandsinclude such names asBoyne Valley Honey, DonCarlos olive oil andLakeshore mustards,relishes and sauces. Otherbrands include Killeen andIrish Breeze. The group hasunlimited status.

Sources said thatPremier’s Irish business islikely to sell for between€30m and €40m. Thatrepresents a low multiple,as its earnings areunderstood to be close to€10m. A price tag in thisregion would be likely toreflect a need for capitalinvestment.

Premier’s Irish arm’sturnover is more than

€150m and it employsabout 100, according to itswebsite.

The sale of the Irishdivision comes amiddifficult financial times forits parent. Premier Foodsissued a profit warning lastmonth, after turning in a

third-quarter performance“significantly” belowexpectations.

It indicated that thecompany would concentrateon eight power brandsincluding Mr Kipling cakesand Hovis bread.

52 TGm

Greencore in talks with US group

Greencore managementis in talks with Clayton,Dubilier & Rice (CD&R), anAmerican private equityfirm, about a potentialbuyout of the company.

Sir Terry Leahy, theformer Tesco group chiefexecutive, is a senioradviser to CD&R, whichmade an approach toGreencore last month.Leahy joined the privateequity outfit earlier thisyear, after stepping down

from Tesco in March.Greencore, led by

Patrick Coveney, makesown-label products forBritish companies includingTesco, Sainsbury’s andWeightWatchers.

The company recentlyannounced it had receivedan approach from aunnamed third party.

CD&R has extensiveinterests in the food sector.It owns a stake in USFoods,a food products

distributor and one of thelargest privately heldcompanies in America, withannual revenues of morethan $19 billion.

It also owns stakes inHertz, the car rentalcompany, Diversey, anAmerican distributor ofcleaning and hygieneproducts, and Rexel, aFrench distributor ofelectrical goods.

The approach forGreencore comes after theIrish company lost out

earlier this year with a€400m bid for its Britishrival Northern Foods.

Its bid was eventuallytrumped by an all-cash offerfrom Ranjit Singh Boparan,the Indian chicken magnate.

Coveney, who is thebrother of the Minister forAgriculture Simon Coveney,then led Greencore into a€125m buyout of Uniq, theBritish chilled foodscompany, which was part-financed by an €80m rightsissue in August.

N E W S

Patrick Coveney Terry Leahy

FRESHNESSWRAPPED UP

BRENNANSBREAD.IE

Drinksmaker C&C advanced itsplans for international expansion withthe announcement that it is to acquirethe second-biggest cider brand in theUS for €20 million.

The Irish company also intends tolaunch Tennent’s in the US early nextyear, having successfully launched thebrand in Canada in September, newlyappointed C&C chief executiveStephen Glancey said.

Hornby’s is the US’s second-largestcider brand, with 35 per cent of theoff-trade cider market there. C&C’sMagners brand is the top importedcider in the US.

The company said the acquisition

would “complement” Magners’ existingposition in the US as Hornsby’s isprimarily an off-trade drink sold on theUS west coast, while Magners is tanon-trade brand sold on the east coast.

“Over time there will be synergieson the sales side,” said Glancey.

Glancey also said the possibility forimporting Californian cider into theBritish and Irish markets.

C&C has increasingly set its sightson the export market as consumerdemand in Britain and particularlyIreland remains weak.

Magners’ exports, driven byAustralia and the US, jumped by 22.7per cent in the first half of this year.

C&C sold 45,000 hectolitres ofMagners into the US during its lastfinancial year.

The total US cider market isestimated to be between 400,000 and500,000 hectolitres. However, cider’scurrent share of the US long alcoholicdrink market is 0.2 per cent, offeringsignificant growth potential, accordingto C&C.

C&C will pay €16.4 million in cashto Gallo, the Californian-based ownerof Hornsby’s, with up to a further €3.6million payable subject to theachievement of performance targets inthe period to April 2012.

54 TGm

C&C to acquire US cider brand

N E W S

The unique freshly baked taste of Brennans has once again reaffirmed our status as Ireland’s number one bestselling bread. In fact, as Ireland’s favourite family bread we’ve retained our ranking of number three in the Checkout Top 100 Brands. So, to get your sales onto a proven winner, make sure you stock Brennans.

The unique freshly baked taste of Brennans has once again reaffirmed our status as Ireland’s number one bestselling bread. bread we’ve retained our ranking of number three in the Checkout Top 100 Brands. So, to get your proven winner, make sure you stock Brennans.

BRENNANSBREAD.IE

56 TGm

While bread continues to show goodlevels of growth during this difficulteconomic climate, cakes have sufferedsomething of a decline, which isn't toosurprising as bread offers much moreof a necessity for consumers thancakes would.

Figures have shown that priceincreases have led to value growth,with volumes falling as households cutdown on frequency of purchase. Thebread category in Ireland continues tobe dominated by ordinary bread itself,with a volume share of around 64.8%,with morning goods having a share ofaround 17.9%. Pastries and ambientcakes have a reasonable share ofaround 17.3%, but this is still a fall-offfrom previous years, which means thatpeople's interests in products like thisaren't quite as strong as they oncewere.

It isn't just Ireland though, as cakes inthe UK are also faring poorly. Like inIreland, bread is showing good

resilience as a staple purchase, but thegrowth of cakes has fallen to 3%, asopposed to the 6% level they were atin 2007. This means that the salesvalue for cakes is now just over £1bn,meaning that brands are facingpressure from renewed retailer andconsumer confidence in private label.

Morning goods have come on in leapsand bounds in Ireland it has to be said,and it has shown continuous growthover the last three years with a further15% value growth recorded in the pastyear. As a result, items like ambientcakes have suffered setbacks, withboth market volume and values beingunder severe pressure. Sales havebeen down some 9% in the last year ortwo, with the category facing pressurefrom other treat sectors such asBiscuits and Confectionery.

There a couple of reasons why cakesare underperforming aside from thisthreat from other sectors though. Oneof these is related to the new trend of

enjoying a healthier lifestyle, which isbeing given widespread promotionacross the board. This makes itextremely hard for the cake market, aswell as the overall biscuit market, tomaintain volume sales.

However, it isn't just advertisementsand promotions that are drivingconsumers this way, as many peoplefeel that eating cakes is notparticularly good for you, and arelooking at suitable alternatives to suittheir needs. This is where promotionscome in, but in a lot of cases thedrifting away from treat foods can beput down to personal choice more thanany other factor.

The cake market tends to have a yearlygrowth of around 3.6%, with theaverage price of cakes having grown byaround ten cent in the last three yearsor so, while the value of the market isin the region of €55m.

While less people may be eating cakes

CakesCakes

than before, they are still digested by acertain group of people and, as such,they tend to buy a certain brand ofcake in particular.

First produced in Finglas, Co. Dublinback in July 1949, Gateaux Cakes nowhave a range of over 70 differentcakes, each traditionally baked withcare and consistent excellence.

They are currently the biggest sellingcake brand in Ireland with a marketshare of around 20%. This is anincrease of some 7% from recentyears, which shows that Gateaux'spopularity among consumerscontinues to grow.

Gateaux has a number of cakes thathelp to form part of the small cakemarkets, but Gateaux will always beknown best for their Swiss rolls andlogs, which have been available on theIrish market for a number of years.Other favourites in their range includequeen cakes, trifle sponges,battenbergs and jam tarts, which allenjoy a niche position in the Irishmarket.

The Gateaux brand falls in under theownership of Premier Foods, which hasa strong position across a number ofmarkets in this country. They continueto support the Gateaux brand withgreat value offerings, such as theregular 50% extra free on all swissrolls and 20% extra free on logs. Lastyear saw the introduction of some newand exciting promotions, as well as thepromise that new products will bereleased onto Irish shelves down theline.

They also provide additional brandsupport out-of-store including regularbursts of the “Gotta Getta Gateaux”advertisements that are regularlyfeatured on radio and television.Gateaux also provide a strong range ofEaster Eggs like Easter Mallows, whichtend to sell extremely well between themonths of March and May each year.Since first appearing on the Irishmarket many years ago, Mr. Kipling's'exceedingly' good cakes have held aplace in the hearts of many people inthis country. Ever since, Mr. Kipling has

been putting a lot of thought andattention to detail into the productionof their output. This has meant thatthey have been one of the top-sellingcake brands in Ireland for more than30 years.

Another brand to fall under thebracket of Premier Foods, Mr Kiplingusually has a market share of around5% or so, though they have shownsigns of increasing their share in recenttimes. They are always experimentingwith new cake flavours and formats,which they feel can help to satisfycurrent buyers as well as enticing newones.

They enjoy even more popularityacross the water, with records showingthat more than 60% of UK householdsbuy the brand every year, with the lackof artificial colours, flavours or

hydrogenated fats proving to be amajor draw for a variety of differentconsumers.

One of the more notable features inthe Irish food and drinks market overthe past few years has been the rise ofindependent labels, and the cakemarket is certainly no different. Whilebranded cakes continue to rule theroost with a value of around €40million, private labels more than holdtheir own and are currently valued at€15 million.

Originally viewed merely as a smallregional bread baker, O'Hara's fromFoxford, Co. Mayo have gone on to beIreland's largest cakemanufacturer.O'Hara's first emergedon the market in the 1950s, and is justafter enjoying probably its best decadein terms of sales and volume to date.

2007, in particular, was a good yearfor O'Hara's with their market valueshowing levels of approximately 7%,seeing off competition from the much-vaunted Mr. Kipling. They combine ISO9002, HACCP, WMP, the Hygiene andQ Marks in their quest for supremequality, customer service, productivityand team-work. Their operations aren'tjust restricted to Ireland though, asthey also have established a positionin the UK and North America marketsas well.

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58 TGm

A Habitual Purchase

N E W S

TGM


The juice category is currently worth over €118 million annually. This issplit into chilled juice (49% value share AC Nielsen MAT Aug 2011) and

ambient juice (51% value share AC Nielsen MAT Aug 2011).The ambient juice category is valued at approximately €60 million per

annum and is therefore considered an extremely important category forretailers. Core flavours such as Orange, Apple tend to dominate the

category but juice drinks such as Cranberry, Pomegranate, Blueberry &mixed blends continue to grow.

60 TGm

Juice is generally a pre-planned orhabitual purchase with little time spentat the section, consumers tend topurchase within a narrow repertoire ofproducts & generally shop by flavour.The top 20 products in this categoryaccount for over 58% of the totalvolume sales.

New products also play animportant role in this category,extending the repertoire of existingshoppers & bringing new users in tothe sector. Over the yearsconsumption patterns have changedsomewhat & juice is no longerperceived as a morning/breakfast onlydrink. It is now consumed on differingoccasions throughout the day.

The ambient juice sector has seenmany changes in the last few years,with the entrance of additional brands& the introduction of new flavors &packs. This sector has also sufferedsome declines as commodity pricescontinue to rise whist the consumerexpects even lower price points. In turnthe value of the category has droppeddue to the ongoing demand for deeperpromotions & price cuts. Despite thisdownturn in juice Sqeez hasmaintained its position as brandleader.

The Sqeez range has been a firm

favourite in Ireland for nearly 30 years& remains the number 1 brand in theambient juice market with 24% valueshare vs the next branded competitorat only 10%. (AC Nielsen Aug MAT)

Produced locally in Dublin Sqeez isproud to be part of the Love Irish FoodInitiative. The brand attributes itsongoing success to a number of factorsincluding; continued commitment toquality, offering value for money toconsumers & the importance of newproduct innovation that meetschanging consumer needs.

Sqeez has always been at theforefront of innovation adding manynew variants to its already diverserange. In August Sqeez released a fun& fresh new range of thirst quenchingjuice drinks. Ideally priced at €1 theSqeez Fusion juice drinks offershoppers fantastic value for money,whilst providing a great opportunityfor retailers to grow their ambient juicesales.

The new range consists of 3 juicy 1litre flavours:

Fruit Burst is tasty blend ofcranberry & apple carefully combinedto deliver a delicious light & fruitydrink.

The Tropical Twist variant appealsto those with a passion for orange, but

with a twist. In this instance the twist isa delightful blast of mango which addsan essence of the exotic to the drink.

The invigorating Paradise Zest is acarefully blended pineapple & limedrink that is both thirst quenching &refreshing & makes a flavoursomemixer when used as a base forcocktails.

Since launch the Sqeez Fusion juicedrinks, have made quite an impact,outselling predicted forecasts, withfeedback from shoppers rating therange extremely positively.

N E W S

NEW

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The Health Ministerhopes to tackle the obesityepidemic with a tax on softdrinks. In the USA MichaelNutter, Mayor ofPhiladelphia and aDemocrat, had proposed atax of two cents on softdrinks as part of a healthcampaign to slim down oneof America’s fattest cities.The soft-drink industry hitback with a campaign oflobbying and negativeadvertising.

So Nutter compromisedwith a proposal for a tax of0.75c an ounce. Zero-caloriediet drinks and fruit juiceswith no added sugar wouldbe excluded. He said theexcise tax would still raise€22m a year.

On the eve of the vote inthe city council, the soft-drink industry gave $10m toa charitable trust inPhiladelphia for “health andrecreation programmes.”

The soda chiefs claimedthat the donation was agoodwill gesture, becausethe debtate over a soda taxhad “raised antenna to thedual problems” of the city’srevenue shortfall andchildhood obesity.

Nutter’s sugar-taxproposal was narrowlydefeated.

“Today the big sodalobby won, and averagePhiladelphians lost,” saidNutter.

At home, James Reilly,the health minister, is nowplanning something similarfor the soft-drink industry inIreland. He is consideringthe introduction of a sugartax, partly inspired bysimilar levies in Denmark,Hungary and France, andsimilar to the soda taxes

operating in 25 Americanstates.

“When you realise thatsome sections of our youthare gaining half their dailycalorie count in liquid form,it’s very worrying,” Reillysaid recently. An actiongroup on obesity, chaired byDr John Devlin, has beenasked to makerecommendations on aproposed tax.

Reilly wants to meetrepresentatives of the drinksindustry, but the two sidesseem to be on a collisioncourse. “Those responsibleneed to get their acttogether or we will becoming with regulation andlegislation to ensure theybehave in a responsiblefashion,” he warned.

Food and Drink IndustryIreland (FDII) an umbrellagroup that representscompanies including Coca-Cola and PepsiCo,responded with a warningthat any new“discriminatory” taxes wouldcost jobs and prompt peopleto cross the border to buytheir soft drinks.

FDII says 230,000people are employed in thefood and drink sector, callingit the most importantindigenous industry, with aturnover of almost €24billion a year.

Such threats are aregular feature of the sugar-tax debate. Last month,Coca-Cola said it wassuspending €17m ofinvestment in a plant nearMarseilles due to France’sintroduction of “unfair” levyof about 1c on a regular12oz can. The company alsocancelled a party to markthe 40th anniversary of the

factory in Pennes-Mirabeau.The French governmentshrugged and Coca-Claeventually backed down,saying it would reluctantlygo ahead with theinvestment in Marseillesafter all.

So will Reilly succeed likethe French, or fail like MayorNutter?

In the mid-1990s=,children’s intake of sugarydrinks surpassed that of milkin America, partly becauseof advertising of soft drinkson TV shows aimed atchildren and teenagers. InIreland, children get about31% of their energy needsfrom sugar, which gives aquick hit but little nutrition.

Kelly Brownell of YaleUniversity, who first wroteabout “soda taxes” in anopinion piece in the NewYork Times in 1994, believesthat sugar is now in a similarposition to that of tobacco40 years ago.

“For each extra can orglass of sugared beverageconsumed per day, thelikelihood of a childbecoming obese increases

by 60%,” Brownell wrotetwo years ago.

He points to evidencethat taxing sugar reducesconsumption. A reviewconducted by Yale foundthat for every 10% increasein price, consumptiondecreases by 7.8%.

The industry disagreeswith this analysis. FDII citesa World Health Organisationreview which “found nodirect scientific evidence of acausal relationship betweenpolicy-related economicinstruments and foodconsumption, includingfoods high in saturated fats”.

It also claims there islittle evidence that the sugartax in Denmark two yearsago was successful.“According to a recentOrganisation for EconomicCo-operation andDevelopment study conduc-ted on the effects of adiscriminatory tax inDenmark on sugaryproducts, it had no impacton reducing obesity or otherlife-style-related diseases,”said FDII.

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Minister to tackle obesity epidemic

Studies by the FoodSafety Authority of Irelandhave found a poor diet withlots of fat and sugar is 10%cheaper than dining on freshfruit, vegetables and leanmeat. Given this pricedifferential, the ideal way touse the revenue from asugar tax is to subsidisewater, fruit and vegetables.

States in the USA couldbring in $10 billion a yearwith a tax of 7c per 12ozcan, while reducing obesity,diabetes and other costlychronic diseases.

So how much pop are wegulping down each year andhow do we compare withAmerica, where drinks areroutinely super-sized?

In 2009, the soft-drinksmarket in Ireland took in€1.27 billion, comparedwith €245m for bottledwater. Yet critics say it iswrong to draw parallels withAmerica, where half of alladults sip a soft drink everyday. The market in Irelandhas gone a little flat in thedownturn.

Although we may notdevour as much fizz as theAmericans, sugary drinksare an issue in schools andclubs. Quite recently StrandCeltic football club in Sligoannounced that it wasbanning players aged four to14 from drinking sportsdrinks.

Professor Donal O’Shea,

a consultant endocrinologistat Dublin’s St Vincent’s andLoughlinstown hospitals,advises parents not to givechildren the type of energydrinks advertised by GAAand rugby stars.

“These drinks are beingadvertised in a way thatsuggests they enhanceperformance for everyone.They help only elite athletesat the peak of their fitness,and at the extreme of theireffort,” he said.

Reilly has yet to revealwhat model his action groupis investigating, but thedesign of the tax will becrucial. The health ministerrecently attended a UnitedNations seminar in New Yorkon the role of the food anddrink industry in diseasesprevention. He is likely tohave heard of New York’sfaltering plans for a sodatax.

David Paterson, then theNew York governor, wanteda “penny-an-ounce” tax in2008, claiming it wouldraise $1 billion. After muchopposition, Patersonsweetened the deal withexemptions for diet fizzydrinks and bottled water. Hestepped down in 2010 withno sugar tax introduced.

Most jurisdictions withthe taxes have imposedthem on manufacturers,rather than at the point ofsale. They have also leviedthe syrups used byrestaurants to make theirown soft drinks. Oppositionin Ireland is likely to comefrom publicans. With thegovernment trying to reducedrink driving, Reilly’s actiongroup may need to examinean exemption for “minerals’in pubs.

If Ireland is serious aboutintroducing a sugar tax,policymakers should bracethemselves for an offensivefrom the drinks industry.


TGM

While Denmarkalready has a sugar tax,it has become the firstwestern Europeancountry to introduce a fattax.

It has imposed a levyof €2.15 per kg ofsaturated fat in foodproducts. It will addabout 30c to the cost ofa small packet of butterand 11c to a burger. Sowhat do locals think?

In a remarkably slimpopulation, where only10% are classed asobese, people see theirnew fat tax as a means ofraising money rather thana way of encouragingpeople to eat morehealthily.

Though research onthe effects of fat taxes issparse, the consumersmay have a point.Evidence from Americaindicates that such levieshave little effect unlessthe are imposed atpunitive levels. One studyby the Forum for HealthEconomics, concludedthat a 10% fat tax ondairy products wouldreduce average fatconsumption by only 1%.

The problem withtaxing saturated fat isthat, as well as hittingtakeaways and the like, italso affects milk andcheese - food universallyrecognised as nutritions.

Despite reservations,David Cameron, theBritish Prime Minister,suggested recently thatthe UK should consider afat tax to help tacklewhat some experts call anepidemic of obesity.

For each extra can orglass of sugared

beverage consumedper day, the likelihoodof a child becomingobese increases

by 60%.”

“

The Meal Kit market is one that hasseemingly increased in popularity overthe past few years, with a number ofbrands in the category becomingknown to a whole host of shoppersright across the country. Meal Kits areideal as they offer convenience, ease ofuse, value for money and excellenttaste.

As such, meal kits are generally splitup into two different types, namelytacos and wraps. In simple terms, ataco is a traditional Mexican dishcomposed of a corn or wheat tortilla,which can either be folded or rolledaround a filling. The advantage thatcan be derived from a taco (and indeedfrom meal kits in general) is that it canbe made with a variety of fillings,including beef, chicken, seafood,vegetables and cheese, which allowsfor great versatility and variety. A tacois generally eaten without utensils, andis known to be accompanied bygarnishes such as salsa, avocado orguacamole, cilantro, tomatoes, onionsand lettuces.Wraps, on the other hand, are a sort ofsandwich made of a soft flatbreadrolled around a filling. The usualflatbreads in wraps are wheat-flourtortillas, lavash, or pita, with the fillingnormally consisting of cold sliced meat,poultry, or fish accompanied byshredded lettuce, diced tomato or picode gallo, guacamole, sautéedmushrooms, bacon grilled onions,cheese and also a sauce, such as ranchor honey mustard dressing.

Wraps can be easily distinguished fromother rolled sandwiches, such asburritos and kebabs, by being filledwith cold ingredients. This is both aunique and lucrative market, and anybrand or manufacturer that managesto forge a strong position in thecategory has the potential to grab astranglehold on it heading into thefuture.Discovery Foods are a major player inthe meal kits market, and theyintroduced a hot wraps concept in2010, which they believe will end upbeing a profitable option for quickservice restaurants, and also bakeryfast food sectors. Their Hot Wrapsvariety is currently available in six

international recipes including ahealthy eating option.

The wraps are made using DiscoverySanta Maria tortillas and flavourings.The brand feels that the hot wrapconcept will be able to steal customersaway from the established paninisector, due to the fact that wraps areeasy to prepare and ready to eat inless than five minutes.

Discovery have also calculated that,with up to 99% of paninis being freshlymade, just one panini bread will cost acaterer at least twice the price of atortilla wrap. As part of the launch, itwas decided that Discovery hot wrapswould come with a competitiveconsumer price point that ranges from€2.99 to €3.89.

Their 10” Discovery tortilla wrap canalso be bought with Discovery brandedparchment wrap and Discovery POSincluding sell sheets, leaflets, tablesands and instructions. Discovery alsooffers a number of seasonings andsauces, encompassing the likes ofSalsa, Guacamole, Cheese Sauce,Sliced Jalapenos and Fajita SeasoningMix.

The Discovery brand also providesMexican Salsa, which is a combinationof tomatoes, onions and peppers, andcan complete any kind of Mexicanmeal. This Mexican Salsa can bestored for up to 14 days once opened,which is something that consumers willfind extremely convenient.

Meal KitsMeal Kits

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TGM

The best-selling seasoning under theDiscovery cannon is Fajita SeasoningMix, which offers a blend of 14 herbs,spices and flavourings, proving to bea must for any chef who wants tocreate the authentic smoky flavour ofTex-Mex wood-smoked fajitas. Thisparticular mix comes in handy 650gscrew-top jars as well.

It should also be noted just howpopular their sliced green and slicedjalapenos are. They are harvested inMexico (processed in one of thecountry’s leading canners), and areavailable in two case sizes according toa retailer’s requirements. If a businessis in need of large quantities, then the2.8kg can is the best choice, whereas500g re-sealable plastic jars are moresuitable for smaller users.

Finally, produced in the exact sameindustry-leading factory as Discovery’stortilla chips, the brand’s taco shellsare made with naturally gluten-freecorn and palm oil, which contributesquite nicely to future sustainability.Old El Paso is another popular playerin meal kits, as a brand that isregularly applied to a range ofMexican-style foods. Included amongsttheir products are dinner kits, tacosand tortillas, sauces, condiments, riceand refried beans.

Their products are marketed rightacross the globe, and the brand itself isowned by the multi-million dollarGeneral Mills Company. Pillsbury is thebrand name used by General Mills inthis area, and they acquired Old ElPaso in 1995, when its then-parentcompany, Grand Metropolitan, boughtPet, Inc., who had taken over thebrand itself in 1968 from theMountain Pass Canning Company.

Though there have been plenty ofchanges made to the product since thisacquisition all of 16 years ago, GeneralMills have nonetheless, in effect,repeated the style of their product line(in simple terms, Old El Paso is arecipe kit with dry ingredients that theconsumer finishes with their choice offresh ingredients), evidenced in theproduction of a Chinese Food rangecalled Wanchai Ferry.

The name of the Old El Paso brand isa direct reference to the city of El Pasoin Texas, and this particular name hasserved them well in the past. They offera very extensive meal kits selection inboth the UK & Ireland, including thelikes of Extra Mild Super Tasty Fajitas,Original Smoky BBQ Fajita Dinner Kit,Original Enchilada Dinner Kit, CrispyChicken Fajita Kit, Big Family SizeFajita Kit, Beef & Bean Chilli BurritoKit, Original Nachos Dinner Kit,Quesadilla Dinner Kit, Roasted Tomato& Pepper Fajita Dinner Kit, Stand ‘n’Stuff Taco Kit and Original Taco Kit.

The Crispy Chicken Fajita Kit creates adeliciously crispy, succulent strip ofchicken, which is oven-baked tocrunchy perfection with a little helpfrom the brand’s Shaker Bag. To createa fabulously crispy fajita, consumersshould grab a warm tortilla, pile on thecrispy chicken strips and top it off withcool sour cream, juicy tomatoes,crunchy lettuce, and some Old El PasoThick n’ Chunky Salsa.

Original Nachos Dinner Kits are alsopopular, as many people find it hard toresist the taste that nachos bring. TheOld El Paso Nachos Dinner Kitprovides a mouth-watering, colourfullayer of Nachips, oozed with meltingcheese, and topped with tasty tomatoand beans from the brand itself. It hasalso been known to be a satisfyingmeal if the likes of hot jalapenopeppers, cool sour cream, or chunkyguacamole are added to it.

In addition, there is also the standardOriginal Taco Kit, which offers theindistinguishable crunch of their well-known taco shells, as well as themouth-watering explosion of hot andjuicy seasoned beef, grated cheese,cool crisp lettuce, and tangy Old ElPaso Thick ‘n’ Chunky Salsa.

Dolmio from Mars are mainly knownas a pasta sauce brand, and theycurrently enjoy a market share ofaround 65% in that category, wherethey are continuing to grow at 7%,which has helped to fuel growth in thecategory overall. Dolmio owes itssuccess to the strength of theirextensive portfolio, which has

constantly provided consumers with awide range of nutritious, tasty andeasy-to-prepare pasta sauces.

However, their portfolio also extendsinto the meal kits market, with theDolmio Lasagne meal kits being quitepopular with a lot of people, whetherthey are Dolmio lovers, or simply mealkit enthusiasts. Dolmio Lasagne mealkits have helped to drive growth in thelasagne category quite successfullyand, as a result, Dolmio now occupies75% of the lasagne ambient market.Over time, Dolmio should also makean impact in the meal kit category,which will also be of the benefit to thesector itself.


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The total Irish ambient soup categoryis a multi-layered one, which has anoverall worth of €35.4 million,according to recent data fromUnilever’s Partners for Growthinitiative. It is currently declining bysome 3% year-on-year at the moment,which has to be something of a worrygoing forward.

However, the same report alsorevealed that total soup sales throughsymbol stores had reached €9.25million and actually grew by around10.3%, which it believes clearlyindicates the great opportunity in theambient soup category forconvenience retailers.

Within ambient, packet soup remainsthe largest segment, with 43% valuemarket share. It is followed swiftly byinstant (29%), pouch (16%) andcanned (12%) respectively. Knorr Soupis the market leader of total ambientsoup by a long distance, currentlyholding a value share that is over twicethat of their nearest rival, Erin Soup.

In the fresh soup category meanwhile,Avonmore Fresh Soup enjoy asignificant dominance with anestimated volume share of around61.9%.

Research by a group named Sparkqaulin 2008 showed that Irish shoppersare brand loyal within the soupcategory and will leave the store iftheir favourite brand is not stocked.Secondary sitings and adjacencieshave also proven to be vital in drivingsoup sales. Partners for Growth has

recommended locating soup in theambient fixture close to stocks andsauces.

Further work done by Unilever Irelandhas shown that placing an extra soupsiting close to bread can lead tosubstantial soup purchase of up to30%, as bread and soups can often beconsumed in the same meal sitting.

The introduction in recent years ofmore filling 'meal' soups has alsohelped to create growth, and theaward-winning Cully & Sully is set tocapitalise on this trend through theintroduction of its brand, spanking newHotpot concept.

With social and home entertaininggrowing by an estimated 14% in thelast two years, and looking like it willcontinue to grow heading into 2011,Unilever believes an opportunity alsoexists to use soup as part of a foodmeal deal.

With so many brands vying for controlof the market, along with the alwaysimproving own-label brands, it meansthat this is a very competitive market.Yet, as in every market, certain brandsdo emerge to gain a stranglehold onthe sector.As stated above, Knorr is the marketleader in the ambient soup market,with an incredible value share of some64%. It also has an overall marketshare of 37.2%, meaning that itsposition as the number one brand inthe Irish soup market is undisputed.

Its portfolio extends across packet,

instant and wet ambient soupsegments, and it is currently themarket leader in both packet andinstant soup, with 80.4% and 61%shares respectively. Knorr SpecialRecipe soup has 43% of the pouchsector and is driving innovation in thecategory with the launch of an organicpouch soup range last Autumn.

This organic soup range will includethree varieties: Creamy Tomato,Creamy Mushroom and Vegetable.Knorr are also launching a new €1million above-the-line (ATL) campaignin October, building on a successful2009 that saw them record someimpressive sales and revenues in spiteof the economic climate that iscurrently present in Ireland.

This launch came equipped with twonew television commercials, press, PR

SoupsSoups

and a new website, which are alldesigned to encourage consumers toenjoy more meals together more oftenand to try Knorr Packer Soup as aningredient in everyday meals.

Though they are not as powerful asKnorr in this market, Erin are still agood performer in the soups industry,with an overall value share of 27%.Their condensed soup range are alsothe leading canned soup brand with a37.3% value share. Erin Soupfulls isanother strong product for the brand,with a 44.4% value share of the pouchsector.

With over 40 years in the Irish market,Erin Soups offers a wide range ofproducts such as pouched, canned,packet and instant soups. Followingthe 2008 Campbell’s to Erin migration,the revitalised Erin brand is drivinginnovation with new flavours in thehugely popular Soupfulls pouch range.

Erin Condensed Soups are a classicand versatile soup with an overallrange of 13 different soups includingLow Fat, Family and Special Choicepacks that provide easy meal solutionsfor all occasions.

Erin Soupfulls are specially created fortoday's busy lifestyles and are full ofchunky meat, pasta and vegetablesthat are ready in just minutes. Theyhave introduced a number of newvarieties in this area, including

Minestrone and Soupfulls Smooth.

Erin HotCup is the second biggestinstant soup brand on the market witha wide offering for all consumer tastes.The products available in this line caneasily be used as a quick, convenient,anytime snack.

Avonmore are synonymous with thefresh soup segment, and are currentlythe market leader there with a 61.9%volume share of the total category.This is a certain fall-off from 2008,when they controlled over 70% of thecategory. However, with such a largevolume share, they can't exactlycomplain too much.

Avonmore is especially popular duringwinter months, with its range offavourite wholesome, warming andtasty soups acting as a convenient,microwaveable format. It provides Irishconsumers with the taste ofhomemade without any of the hassle.It is available in eight recipes and inthree different pack sizes.

Avonmore Fresh Soup also has adedicated low fat offering for thehealth conscious consumer. Havingonly launched back in 1991 (in theheart of Kilkenny), Avonmore is a trueIrish brand and was established topromote Irish manufactured food anddrink brands to consumers in an effortto safeguard the future of Ireland'slargest indigenous industry.

They are another brand that areconnected to Love Irish Food, and thislogo has been appearing on theirpackets for the last few months. Thishelps to add substantially to a productthat already offers quality ingredientsand great taste with an Irish stamp ofapproval. Marketing is also veryimportant for Avonmore, as theycurrently sponsor various KilkennyGAA sides.

After serving our famous heart-warming soup recipes to you, theBritish public for more than 80 years,the entire Baxters soup range is beingrelaunched, with new recipes,improved flavours and fresh new-lookpackaging. A new Chunky range hasbeen introduced, the luxury rangerenovated,15 recipes improved and 11delicious new recipes introduced.


TGM

From a health point of view, frequentlyeating snacks in between meals wouldnot be seen as the ideal thing to aid aperson's well-being, but numerousstudies have shown that this is fastbecoming the norm for a lot of peoplein Ireland today.

Lifestyle can play a big part in howoften people consume snacks, andcrisps in particular. For instance, forthose who have to work long hours, orhave to deal with an extendedcommuter time (whether it be on bus,train or otherwise), then there is agood chance that they may start to eatsnacks to keep themselves going.

Also, there are those who may notnecessarily possess a strong ability tocook, and would have a strong needfor food on the go, which snacks andcrisps would ably provide for. In termsof value, the Irish crisps and snacksmarket is valued at an estimated€194m per annum. The market haswitnessed a value decline of 6.7% inthe past year, yet remains one of themost profitable FMCG categories.

This shows us that comfort eating hasbeen a notable past time for manyIrish people during the economicdownturn. So, question is, who are thepeople who eat snacks/crisps, andwhen do they eat them?

Well, snacks are generally seen assomething that is aimed at a youngertarget audience, and there is certainlya good deal of truth in this. However,adults have also been known to takesnacks, with adult snacking becomingan occasion in its own right,representing 'me-time' during the busyworking day.

Vending machines, which sell bothsnacks and drinks, are becoming aregular fixture in a lot of workplaces,so it is no surprise that more and moreadults are starting to eat snacks atvarying intervals.

Apart from working hours, researchhas shown that 38% of consumers

snack in the evening, when they arerelaxing at home. 2% of those whohave been surveyed in the past admitthat they snack during or after playingsport, while 5% say they snack whenthey are with their friends.

9% do it when they are at work, orwhen they are at their desk, 13% pick

a specific time of day to do it, whereas15% take snacks if they have missed ameal for some reason. These resultsmake for interesting reading, but it nosurprise to see that many people stillchoose to snack when they are on thego, with 21% of those surveyedrevealing that this is the most likelytime that they would take a snack.

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SnackingSnacking

It should be stressed though, thatsnacks does not just include sweets, asit can also mean food items whichwould be viewed as healthier andmuch more nutritious than what isconsidered the norm. For example,fruit is considered a snack with up to57% saying that they snack on itregularly, with 22% also saying thatthey snack on vegetables and salads.

Consumers tend to divide snacks intocategories based on 'good' and 'bad'.There can often be a trade-off betweenindulgence and health, which leads topeople taking snacks that they feel willbenefit their health, which they will seeas far more important than the actualenjoyment of the product.

The influence of both is fairly evenlyspread, with 54% choosing it forhealth reasons, and 46% for itsindulgence.

Largo Foods is the largest Irish-ownedcrisp and snack manufacturer, and ishome to the Tayto brand. The companyhas a share of about 47 per cent of theIrish crisps and snacks market, withmanufacturing plants in Meath andDonegal, and one in Britain. Otherbrands include Hunky Dorys, VelvetCrunch, Perri, King and Sam Spudz.

Tayto are certainly their No. 1 brandthough, and currently hold a 23.2 %value share of the crisps and snacksmarket, which helps to make them thetop brand in this sector as well. Thefavourite products in their portfoliotend to be Tayto Snax, Tayto Chipsticksand Tayto Mighty Munch, as well asthe traditional Cheese & Onion, andSalt & Vinegar crisps.

They have also released new productslike Tayto Velvet Crunch and TaytoBistro, which have been introduced tothe market following detailed insightsfrom consumers. Snackfood consumersare looking for healthier, great tastingproducts that they can eat on the goand share with friends and family, andthe above two certainly have theingredients to provide for these.

From a health point of view, frequentlyeating snacks in between meals wouldnot be seen as the ideal thing to aid aperson's well-being, but numerousstudies have shown that this is fastbecoming the norm for a lot of peoplein Ireland today.

Lifestyle can play a big part in howoften people consume snacks, andcrisps in particular. For instance, for

those who have to work long hours, orhave to deal with an extendedcommuter time (whether it be on bus,train or otherwise), then there is agood chance that they may start to eatsnacks to keep themselves going.

Also, there are those who may notnecessarily possess a strong ability tocook, and would have a strong needfor food on the go, which snacks andcrisps would ably provide for. In termsof value, the Irish crisps and snacksmarket is valued at an estimated€194m per annum. The market haswitnessed a value decline of 6.7% inthe past year, yet remains one of themost profitable FMCG categories.This shows us that comfort eating hasbeen a notable past time for manyIrish people during the economicdownturn. So, question is, who arethe people who eat snacks/crisps, andwhen do they eat them?

Well, snacks are generally seen assomething that is aimed at a youngertarget audience, and there is certainlya good deal of truth in this. However,adults have also been known to takesnacks, with adult snacking becomingan occasion in its own right,representing 'me-time' during thebusy working day.

TGM


Vending machines, which sell bothsnacks and drinks, are becoming aregular fixture in a lot of workplaces,so it is no surprise that more and moreadults are starting to eat snacks atvarying intervals.

Apart from working hours, researchhas shown that 38% of consumerssnack in the evening, when they arerelaxing at home. 2% of those whohave been surveyed in the past admitthat they snack during or after playingsport, while 5% say they snack whenthey are with their friends.

9% do it when they are at work, orwhen they are at their desk, 13% picka specific time of day to do it, whereas15% take snacks if they have missed ameal for some reason. These resultsmake for interesting reading, but it nosurprise to see that many people still

choose to snack when they are on thego, with 21% of those surveyedrevealing that this is the most likelytime that they would take a snack.

It should be stressed though, thatsnacks does not just include sweets, asit can also mean food items whichwould be viewed as healthier andmuch more nutritious than what isconsidered the norm. For example,fruit is considered a snack with up to57% saying that they snack on itregularly, with 22% also saying thatthey snack on vegetables and salads.

Consumers tend to divide snacks intocategories based on 'good' and 'bad'.There can often be a trade-off betweenindulgence and health, which leads topeople taking snacks that they feel willbenefit their health, which they will seeas far more important than the actualenjoyment of the product.

The influence of both is fairly evenlyspread, with 54% choosing it forhealth reasons, and 46% for itsindulgence.

Largo Foods is the largest Irish-ownedcrisp and snack manufacturer, and ishome to the Tayto brand. The companyhas a share of about 47 per cent of theIrish crisps and snacks market, withmanufacturing plants in Meath andDonegal, and one in Britain. Otherbrands include Hunky Dorys, VelvetCrunch, Perri, King and Sam Spudz.

Tayto are certainly their No. 1 brandthough, and currently hold a 23.2 %value share of the crisps and snacksmarket, which helps to make them thetop brand in this sector as well. Thefavourite products in their portfoliotend to be Tayto Snax, Tayto Chipsticksand Tayto Mighty Munch, as well asthe traditional Cheese & Onion, andSalt & Vinegar crisps.

They have also released new productslike Tayto Velvet Crunch and TaytoBistro, which have been introduced tothe market following detailed insightsfrom consumers. Snackfood consumers

are looking for healthier, great tastingproducts that they can eat on the goand share with friends and family, andthe above two certainly have theingredients to provide for these.

overall category growth and deliveredan outstanding 8% year to dategrowth in volume. Their core crispsgrowth has risen by 14% in volume aswell.

King Crisps has a national marketshare in crisps of 11.4%, and is thenumber two best selling crisp inDublin, making it a very popular choicefor some consumers.

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SnackingSnacking

Known affectionately as 'The crispslovers' crisp', King have performedquite well in the market over the past12 months, and haven't shown muchof a sign of dropping off.

Their market share was higher in 2005(it was 14.5% at that point), but a lotof that can be put down to the fact thatKing Lite was introduced the yearbefore, which would have seenconsumer interest at a greater levelthan usual.

Though King has been viewed as thefastest-growing crisp and snack brandin the past, Hunky Dorys couldarguably now take that tag, as theyhave come on in leaps and bounds inthe past few years. They are currentlythe top-selling crinkle-cut crisp inIreland, and with a 14.1% crispcategory share, are outselling theirnearest crinkle-cut competitor byalmost five times.

They have shown good initiative interms of promotions in recent times aswell, having launched a new adcampaign entitled 'Rugby' on April 26,which presented a somewhat uniquetake on the lineout, the scrum and theplace kick. These ads were shot by theworld famous photographer WalterLooss, with a new website showcasingall of the ads from the campaign andsome additional bonus content for itsdigital followers.

This campaign did cause quite a bit of

controversy as regards the provocativenature of the way the Hunky Dorybrand was being advertised, and it hassubsequently been banned as a result.However, it certainly did get peopletalking, and helped to raise the profileof the brand in a major way.Before the days of KETTLE® Chips, thevery first potato chips were created inSaratoga Springs, New York, by MoonLake House chef George Crum.Frustrated by a customer rejecting hisfries for being “too thick”,the chefreacted by frying paper-thin slices ofpotato to make them impossible to eatwith a fork. To Crum’s surprise, thecustomer was delighted with hisaccidental invention and word of this

delicious new discovery soon spread.

In 1987 Kettle Foods was establishedin the UK. 1997 saw the he launch ofone of the company’s mainstays - thenow classic Sea Salt & BalsamicVinegar .

Having established a strong andlasting legacy in the KETTLE® Chipsbrand, the original founders decided itwas time to move on to pastures new.The new owners recognised thatconsumers would increasingly careabout the products they eat and wherethe ingredients had come from and theproducts have “absolutely nothingartificial” as stated on the packaging.Te range includes sharing bags, smallbags, multipacks, vegetable chips andridge crisps.

TGM


In Short

On the marketOne of the best located

trading pitches inDonnybrook, Dublin 4comes on the market withthe planned sale of the RoyFox gourmet food shop inthe centre of the village. Theguide price of €450,00 isbeing quoted for the longestablished fruit andvegetable outlet.

Ban due as soon aspossible

The sale of raw milk forhuman consumption is to bebanned “as soon aspossible” according toMinister for AgricultureSimon Coveney.

Coveney said there wasno justification for opposingthe advice of experts thatthe sale of raw milk fromcows, sheep and goatsshould be banned becauseof the risk to human health.

Raw milk producers havebeen lobbying hard againsta ban but the Minister citingscientific advice, says thereare serious health risksassociated with drinkingunpasteurised milk.

however, the proposedban will not apply to rawmilk used to make cheeseand to milk which is not putup for sale.

Kilkenny for StillorganThe Kilkenny Group

began trading at theStillorgan Shopping centre insouth Dublin in October, in a2,000 sq ft store, where itsstock will includeassessories, jewellery andNewbridge and other craftedgifts. The Kilkenny group willbe able to avail of aconcession rent for fiveyears.

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Documents

Today's Grocery Magazine September 2011