Industry and Manufacturing
sponsored by Ulster Bank

• Clare Spring Water Ltd
• Microsemi Ireland Ltd.
• Panalok Ltd

Retailer of the Year
sponsored by Retail Excellence Ire

• County Boutique
• Crosbies
• Rochford’s Pharmacy

Professional Services Award
sponsored by  AIB Bank

• ETeams (International) Ltd
• Clare FM
• Michael Houlihan & Partners

Innovation in Business
sponsored by Clare County Council    & Ennis Town Council

• Clare Focus
• Clare Spring Water Ltd
• Niall C Garvey & Co, Chartered Accountants

Customer Service
sponsored by Clare County Enterprise Board

• Aillwee Cave and the Burren Birds of Prey
• Aveda C Spa Hair and Beauty
• Moy House

Best Place to Eat
sponsored by Dawn Meats

• Preachers Pub at Temple Gate Hotel
• Souper Café and Restaurant
• The Pantry Restaurant/Deli/Bakery

Best Place to Work
sponsored by Energia

• Armada Hotel
• Microsemi Ireland
• Pacnet Services (Europe) Ltd

Best Use of ICT
sponsored by Microsemi

• Clare Focus
• Clare Vehicle Testing Centre
• Niall C Garvey & Co, Chartered Accountants

Tourism Initiative Award
sponsored by Shannon Development

• Armada Hotel
• Ennis Walking Tours
• Spirit of Killaloe/Spirit of Lough Derg River Cruises

The members of the group were:
- Pat McLoughlin, Chief Executive, Irish Payment Services Organisation and former Deputy Chief Executive of the HSE (Chairperson)
- Donal McNally, Second Secretary General, Department of Finance
- John O’Hagan, Professor of Economics, Trinity College
- John Quinlivan, former County Manager
- Ian Talbot, Chief Executive, Chambers Ireland; and
- Geraldine Tallon, Secretary General, Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government

To read the Recommendations of the Report, please click here Local Government Efficiency Review Group Recommendations

There is a brief summary of the Food Waste Regulations in our Spring /Summer newsletter ‘Managing Waste in Business‘ which is available on our website.

Also of note is a new website encouraging the reduction of food waste at home, www.stopfoodwaste.ie. The website includes plenty of tips on avoiding food waste, as well as advice on home composting.

If you need further information, please contact:

Margaret Murphy, Waste Minimisation Officer

Regional Waste Management Office

Lissanalta House

Dooradoyle Road

Limerick

Tel 061 496596

Fax 061 583955

Web www.managewaste.ie

Email MargaretMInternal@limerickcoco.ie

Both Ministers said unless our banks lend to viable businesses, our economic recovery will be stunted.

“The overriding objective of Government is to ensure that the economic recovery that is now underway sustains existing jobs and creates new jobs. To achieve that objective, it is vital that credit is provided to Small and Medium Sized Enterprises which will be the key drivers of job growth,” said Minister Lenihan.

He welcomed the lending plans of Bank of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank which outline how they will achieve the target of €3 billion lending each over each of the next two years. “These plans have been reviewed by John Trethowan and both his Office and my Department will receive monthly progress reports from the two banks which will allow us to ensure they deliver on the strong commitments given in their plans to support viable businesses in all sectors of the economy and in every area of the country.”

The Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe TD, said:

“The submission of the banks’ tailored lending plans, together with the new internal appeals mechanism and credit review office, are significant steps the Government has insisted on taking on behalf of small businesses-owners who rightly demand a credit return on the investment they have made in our banking institutions.

I look forward to working closely with the credit reviewer and with the Minister for Finance in sustaining pressure on the banks to lend to viable small businesses so that jobs can be protected and created and our economic recovery secured.”

The Ministers also welcomed the inclusion in the lending plans a range of measures help foster business demand and to improve the service banks provide to their smaller business customers.

Credit Review Office

The Minister said that Mr Trethowan’s findings in his first quarterly report would enlighten the debate about the availability of credit to business. He noted that Mr Trethowan had found no evidence of constraints in the supply of credit to any sector of the SME / Farm markets in his review of the banks’ policies and guidelines. Mr Trethowan also found evidence of a lack of experience among some front line bank staff in dealing with SMEs and helping them with loan applications

“I am particularly pleased that the establishment of the Credit Review Office has led to a significant improvement in the banks’ own internal appeal mechanisms, which resulted in 20% of cases being successful although the numbers involved are still small. I would urge SMEs who are refused credit to invoke the internal appeals procedures followed if necessary by the Credit Review Office.”

The Minister set out the work of the Credit Review Office to date:

• The Office operates a web site which received hits from over 2000 different users. The helpline has received almost 200 calls to date.
• Mr Trethowan has completed six reviews. He agreed with the bank in three of them, sided with the borrower in two cases and considered that more work was required by both the borrower and the bank in the other case. A further five applications are proceeding through the process.
• Mr Trethowan also worked with the two banks on placing their internal appeal mechanisms on a more formal basis. Of a total of 49 internal appeals completed between the two banks, 10 resulted in the refusal being overturned or sanctioned with conditions.

Although only a small number of reviews have been completed, the Minister said he was satisfied with the positive impact of the Credit Review Office which has given an independent right of appeal to businesses seeking credit and has resulted in the reversal of some credit refusals.

The low level of reviews to date may reflect a lack of awareness of the Credit Review Office but the Office has publicised its services through the media and in presentations to representative organisations. The two banks are required to make borrowers who are refused credit aware of the existence of the Credit Review Office and have been provided with leaflets on the Office for distribution to borrowers.

The full text of the report and the banks summary plans are available on the Department’s website at www.finance.gov.ie.

The campaign comprises:
- print ads in regional papers and the Irish Times
- radio ads on regional stations Listen to our ad here
- Irish Rail offers

Chamber President, Guy Flouch, commented that “Saturday shopping has been droppiong significantly in town centres accross the country, as shoppers desert to anonymous shopping centres. This promotion is part of our strategy to bring business back to the town centre at weekends”

Ennis Chamber has been asked to invite interested retailers to participate in Feargal Quinn’s Retail Therapy television programme.  This is a six part series for RTÉ One where retail innovator Feargal Quinn offers advice to retailers who are struggling to stay afloat in the current economic climate.  The series is looking to champion independent Irish retailers who represent individuality on the streets of Ireland’s towns and cities.  Feargal is passionate about helping businesses who are putting it up to the multinationals and offering Irish consumers something different than they would get anywhere else in the world.  Feargal will help these businesses to eradicate their weaknesses, exploit their strengths and identify a unique selling point which will make them stand out from the competition and attract customers to their door. 

Last year’s series was a great ratings success and the businesses involved have reported an improvement in both sales and staff morale as a result of their involvement in the programme.  

The series will be on air at the beginning of 2011 and we will be filming over the next six months. 

The makers of the series, Animo Television are looking for all kinds of shops so anyone who is interested should get in touch either by emailing retailtherapy@animo.ie or calling Laura on 01 6468246.

“The fact that Shannon Airport is announcing new routes, and through those, twenty new direct jobs at Shannon, in the current economic climate is a very important development at a time when it is needed most as it will have a positive impact on tourism and investment. The UK is an important market for business and good connectivity is crucial if we are to build competitiveness and attract investment to the region,” the Chambers’ presidents added. 

 “Business is driven by supply and demand. Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, has responded to the supply need of additional flights into and out of Shannon by providing connectivity to regional UK airports; it’s now up to the business and tourism sectors, and the general public, to create and sustain the demand for these additional services. Passenger loads will determine long-term sustainability and route success.”

 Release issued on behalf of Ennis, Limerick and Shannon Chambers.

Click here to read full Aer Arann – Aer Lingus media release on the announcement: Media Release Aer Lingus Regional launches in Shannon

Sponsors at the Launch

Ennis Chamber launched this year the inaugural FBD Clare Business Excellence Awards.

At the launch, Guy Flouch President of the Chamber affirmed that:
“Clare is now ready to proclaim its excellence. As part of its strategy to encourage inward investment into Ennis and the Mid-West, Ennis Chamber has introduced the inaugural FBD Clare Business Excellence Awards. The awards not only give local businesses an opportunity to showcase their strengths and successes and gain the marketing edge of being an award winner, but they also communicate a clear message of excellence to the world at large. The awards benchmark the industrial, retail and service base in the county as a magnet for further investment”

The Chamber will be making awards in nine categories: Retail, Professional Services, Manaufacturing, Best Place to Eat, Best Place to Work, Innovation in Business, Best Use of IT, Customer Service Excellence and Best Tourism Initiative. An independent company will adjudicate all entries and present a shortlist of three businesses for each category.

There is no fee for nominating a business for an award. Businesses can nominate themselves or be nominated by staff, customers, suppliers, colleagues or the general public. The winners of the awards will be announced at an oscar-style evening on Thursday 30th September 2010 in the new conference facility at the Auburn Lodge Hotel

For further information on the Awards you can download the FBD Clare Business Excellence Awards brochure here: FBD Clare Busienss Excellence Awards 2010 Brochure

The attached document containing the Awards criteria can also be downloaded: FBD Clare Business Excellence Awards Criteria

Entries for the awards in 2010 closed on 16th July 2010.

CLICK HERE TO BUY ONLINE TODAY

Over 80 local businesses in the town covering a diverse range of retail outlets appropriate to all tastes and ages are taking part in the scheme.

Chamber President Guy Flouch highlights that “an important bonus of the scheme is that it has ensured that your gift is bought in Ennis, providing a much-needed boost to local retailers. Similar schemes in other towns have underlined that that vouchers such as these have proven very popular gifts but have an important shop local dimension to them”

Guy highlights an important dimension of the scheme in that “numbers of the vouchers are being bought by customers in the UK or the US which ensures that, wherever they are, the Clare diaspora can still shop in Ennis”

The vouchers are available from The Irish Shop.com at Lower Market Street and at the offices of Ennis Chamber at 54 O’Connell Street. They are also available for purchase from this website.

Participation in the initiative is absolutely free for Chamber members with a participation charge for non-members. There are absolutely no handling or other fees for participating stores. All participating stores are listed in the gift wallet and given a window or till sticker to advertise their participation in the scheme. Participating stores are also listed on this website.

Employers! Buy Gift Vouchers Tax Free for your Employees:

Employers may avail of the current €250 small benefits relief by giving each employee one single voucher to a maximum value of €250 on a one off basis in any tax year and the value of the voucher can be disregarded for PAYE/PRSI benefit purposes by the employee.  Ennis Gold Vouchers are an ideal way to reward valued employees while benefitting the local economy.

To follow Ennis Gold Gift Vouchers on Facebook Click Here

For more information, retailers should contact Karen, Ennis Gold Executive, at the Ennis Chamber on 065-684-2988

You can purchase vouchers online here

Participating Businesses