Top stories in the papers this week 18 – 24 September 2012
Tesco boss sacked for taking €1,000 'gift' from contractor; Farmers take protest to supermarkets; Major cigarette hauls by Customs officers
Print24 September 2012
1. Tesco boss sacked for taking €1,000 ‘gift’ from contractor
Niall Browne, a senior manager with Tesco Ireland, claims he was unfairly dismissed from his €70,000-a-year job after receiving cheques worth €1,000 as gifts from a contractor. The Irish Independent reports the gifts came to light after an anonymous letter was sent to chief executive Tony Keohane, claiming a contractor was giving "substantial gifts" to staff. The case heard at an Employment Appeals Tribunal has been adjourned until 3 December.
2. Farmers take protest to supermarkets
Over 300 farmers from across Ireland carried out a peaceful walk-through of the Portlaoise branches of Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Lidl, Aldi and Superquinn last week; calling on retailers to pay them a fair price. According to The Irish Examiner, IFA president John Bryan said he wants supermarkets to realise that increasing on-farm costs could leave average farm incomes this year at less than half the average industrial wage.
3. Major cigarette hauls by Customs officers
Cigarettes worth €2.9m were seized yesterday at Dublin Port. Breaking News.ie reports Revenue officers discovered 7.6 million "Capital" and "Master" brand cigarettes that arrived into Dublin Port from Belgium in a shipment described as "furniture". The consignment was examined following routine scanning by Revenue’s mobile scanner. An Irish-registered commercial vehicle and a trailer were seized and the driver was interviewed.
Revenue’s Custom Service also seized 3.8 million cigarettes last week, with an estimated retail value of €1.5m in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford. The Irish Times reports ‘821 Red’ brand cigarettes arrived into Dublin Port from Rotterdam and were later seized in Enniscorthy. Two men were interviewed and investigations are ongoing. In another operation 12,000 ‘West’ brand cigarettes were seized at Dublin Airport and a Polish man was arrested.
4. Chicken in catering sector 90% sourced from outside Ireland
Chicken meat used in the Irish catering industry is 90% sourced from outside the island of Ireland and the EU, Safefood has said. Quoted in The Irish Examiner, the body’s scientific support manager Dr Aileen McGloin says consumers prefer "locally produced chicken as they perceive it to be ‘safer’ than imported varieties,” but she highlights that "there is still no requirement on caterers to label the source of their chicken".
5. Shoppers buying ‘less and often’ as Budget fears rise
Shoppers appear to be buying "less and more often" ahead of another harsh Budget. The Irish Independent reports new Kantar Worldpanel figures show the average grocery shopping trip is costing the same now as it did in 2005, with consumers spending an average of just €21.30. While Tesco and SuperValu have both posted moderate sales growth, Aldi remains the standout performer with sales growth of over 28%.
Also:
Maintaining accuracy at the fuel pump (Irish Examiner)
Cork to host food forum (Cork Independent)
Gardai to meet Limerick city retailers and business owners on policing issues (Limerick Leader)
Bristol banks on alternative pound to safeguard independent retailers (Guardian, UK)
Future is still Fresh & Easy (Irish Times)
Why did it take so long for landlords to agree rent cuts? (Irish Times)
Farmers ‘driven into debt’ over milk prices (Newsletter)
New SuperValu store opens in Castleblaney employing 70 people (Anglocelt)
Facebook set to charge businesses to run offers (RTE News)
Northern Ireland to ban cheap alcohol promotions (RTE News)
Wal-Mart to stop selling Amazon’s Kindle (RTE News)
Cork seeks foodie status (Cork News)
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