Top stories in the papers this week 20 – 27 May 2011
Seventy jobs lost as Nenagh supermarket closes; Bruton denies refusing to meet IFA as 8,000 protest; Diageo turns President's PR gift into a nightmare
26 May 2011
1. Seventy jobs lost as Nenagh supermarket closes
Seventy jobs have been lost with the closure of locally owned supermarket, O’Connor’s Nenagh Shopping Centre Limited, in Nenagh, Co Tipperary. RTE News reports the family-owned store which opened 36 years ago, “needed restructuring and refinancing,” but could “not find investors to keep the business afloat." Spokesman Rory O’Connor added more shoppers were now travelling to “out of town developments” and Limerick.
2. Bruton denies refusing to meet IFA as 8,000 protest
Enterprise Minister Richard Bruton has denied that he refused to meet with IFA officials, as an estimated 8,000 farmers marched on his office in Dublin on Wednesday. A spokesperson told the Irish Examiner that "the minister has clearly indicated his intention to meet with representatives of the IFA, “following his consideration of John Travers’ report on a voluntary grocery code of practice, and it was expected that he will contact them within a week.
3. Ireland did its bit for Guinness – but Diageo responds with job cuts
President Obama’s estimated €23 million worth of free publicity for Guinness has left a bitter aftertaste following Diageo’s job losses announcement, reports the Irish Independent. Just 24 hours after Obama sank a pint of Ireland’s famous black stout, the drinks group told 400 of its 1,700 Irish staff to brace themselves for job losses. One advertising executive who spoke to the paper, suggested the opportunity to support companies that were creating and sustaining jobs had been squandered.
4. Cavan County Council defers selling site to Tesco
The sale of a 5.3 acres site to Tesco to build a new supermarket in Cavan town, has been deferred for another week by Cavan County Council, to discuss the sale further with chambers of commerce. The Anglo Celt reports the council had already adjourned its decision for a week so that members could debate the proposal. Councillors were concerned about Tesco’s impact on local shops, yet also feared adverse economic consequences if the supermarket moved outside the urban area or to another county.
5. Retailers oppose EU tobacco laws
European retailers have joined forces to fight tougher tobacco laws which they say threaten half a million small businesses. The Irish Independent reports retail associations from 11 countries, including the UK’s NFRN, met in Brussels to sign a declaration opposing EC proposals for "plain" cigarette packaging, a tobacco display ban and restrictions on addictive ingredients in cigarettes. The retailers said standardised packaging would make tobacco products even easier to counterfeit.
Also:
M&S to dress up and address the basics in effort to impress customers (Irish Times)
Employers criticise JLC report but unions more positive (Irish Times)
-Employers have criticised the recommendations of the Duffy-Walsh report on the joint labour committee (JLC) and employment regulation order (ERO) wage setting mechanisms, while the proposals have generally been welcomed by trade unions.
Man held over €2m cigarette seizure (Irish Times)
Falling rent and labour costs offer trade boost (Irish Independent)
Ireland – 8,000 farmers (including 5780 millionaires) in protest march (Meat Trade Daily)
JLC wage agreements need to be scrapped (Fingal Independent)
Retail Ireland rejects conclusions of JLC Review (IBEC)
Ten jobs created in new shop (Kerry Man)
Good job news for Cork, Kildare (Business And Leadership)
Drivers face new rise in petrol price spiral (Irish Independent)
M&S to test new store formats (Irish Times)
Irish grocery market returns to growth (Irish Examiner)
Save our shops: the potential contenders (Sunday Independent)
Retail sector is in need of therapy (Sunday Independent)
Oil spill settlement lifts BP as Imperial Tobacco falls on price war reports (Irish Times)
Irish rise to the top in Britain (Irish Examiner)
Queen visits English Market (Irish Independent)
Food companies’ continued Success with Horgan’s (Irish Exporters Association)
Clara company grabs a ‘pizza’ the action (Offaly Express)
Dip in oil prices not passed on: AA (Newsletter)
Top-tier SuperValu store put in receivership (Irish Independent)
Tesco – Britain’s biggest retailer targets green growth (Guardian)
State body ‘criminalising farmers’ (Evening Herald)
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