district bulletin · 2019 northern ireland district bulletin northern ireland members have notched...

DISTRICT BULLETINNORTHERN IRELAND DISTRICT

LOCAL NEWS AND VIEWS FOR NFRN MEMBERS

@NFRN_online facebook.com/nfrnonline www.nfrnonline.com

January to June 2019

Taking place on November 28 at the news wholesaler’s Belfast depot it proved to be a great success, despite some of the worst weather we have seen for some time. But gale force winds and torrential rain, courtesy of Storm Diana, could not deter members from attending and there was a great turnout of both retailers and exhibitors.

Those who braved the weather benefited from some great deals and had the chance to chat to representatives from Cadbury, PayPoint, Camelot, RePoss and local suppliers. There were guided tours around the EM News distribution centre, which everyone thoroughly enjoyed and the chance to chat with news wholesale management about trade-related issues. During these conversations it became clear that many retailers spend so much time concentrating on training their team members on other category groups that newspapers and magazines are often ignored. Believe me, after this event I know that will not be the case now!

Thanks to John Cairns and Joe Doyle from EM News for opening their doors and to NFRN national events manager Nigel Smith, membership services manager Chris Appleton, news operations manager Jerry Hayes and RDM Karen McKinney for helping to make the event the huge success it was.

Here in Northern Ireland we are justifiably proud of the fact that when it comes to retailing excellence our independent retailers lead the way and, once again, we have fielded many winners in recent prestigious award schemes.

Over pages 4, 5 and 6, we document our latest success stories – huge congratulations to all of them - and I am very excited to announce that five of our colleagues have been shortlisted for

It doesn’t seem six months since I wrote my last welcome but then what a busy –and successful – time we have had! Last time round I was urging you to come along to our first trade day for a long time which we had organised jointly with EM News and now, as you will see from pages 2 and 3 of this newsletter, this has been and gone.

our glittering NFRN Awards which are being held on Tuesday February 12.

William Donnelly of The Cave is a finalist in the Store2Door Agent of the Year category; Connor Donnelly of Donnelly’s in Rathkeeny is flying the flag in the Convenience Independent Retailer of the Year category while Brian O’Kane of O’Kanes Superstore in Armagh is on the shortlist for Convenience Symbol Retailer of the Year; Joseph Macari of Macari News in County Armagh is shortlisted for Collectible Product Retailer of the Year; and Natalie McKay of McKays in Belfast is hoping to walk away with the Responsible Retailer of the Year title. The NFRN Awards form part of the Federation’s centenary dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London which promises to be a sparkling occasion. Our fingers are crossed for all four members and we will let you know how they get along in our summer bulletin.

Until then, enjoy this newsletter.

Gwen PattersonDistrict President

NORTHERN IRELAND DISTRICT BULLETIN2019

Neither gale force winds nor torrential rain, both courtesy of Storm Diana, could deter members from making their way to EM News’ Belfast depot on Wednesday November 28 for the first ever open day and trade show organised jointly by the news wholesaler and the NFRN.

Once safely inside, there was ample opportunity to discuss current trading opportunities with major manufacturers including Camelot, PayPoint, Cadbury, RePoss, Espresso Essential and national newspaper publisher, the Daily Mail.

For every retailer attending the district’s first trade event for a long time there was a free case of Cadbury Twirl chocolate bars, kindly donated by the Northern Ireland district.

EM NEWS BELFAST PLAYS HOST TO NFRN TRADE DAYAnother highlight proved to be a tour of the depot, which was a real eye opener and much appreciated by all who took part.

As well as having the chance to speak to senior EM News management, Federation representatives present and keen to meet with members included our district president Gwen Patterson, news operations manager Jerry Hayes, membership services manager Chris Appleton and local retail development manager Karen McKinney.

Mrs Patterson was also on hand to present a much deserved Newsagent of the Month award to Belfast retailer William Cave (see page 6).

Afterwards, Mrs Patterson said: “What a fabulous event this turned out to be as all

Gwen Patterson with the NFRN’s Jerry Hayes (left) and key EM management

LOCAL NEWS AND VIEWS FOR NFRN MEMBERS 2019

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members attending left with new ideas for boosting their businesses. The suppliers and publishers also found it to be very beneficial and welcomed the chance to meet first hand with innovative and professional retailers. As a result, they are now looking to attending future NFRN meetings.”


Northern Ireland members have notched up success in the prestigious 2018 Retail Industry Awards, walking away with three major trophies.

First to taste success was McCullagh’s Spar Classic Service Station in Omagh, County Tyrone which was named Food-to-go Retailer of the Year.

With a wide and varied base of more than 17,000 customers a week, it’s a challenge for the team to tailor its food-to-go products accordingly but this they do through breakfast, lunch and dinner solutions.

An in-store chef and his team take complete control of the food-to-go areas, in order to maximise the availability of products and merchandise them by the hour of the day. Digital screens are tailored to advertise certain products at different times.

Hot food options range from Sunday roasts and pizzas to fish and chips and gourmet burgers, as well as meal deals and children’s ranges. The hot food counter also offers specials such as gin-flavoured gourmet burgers and prosecco at Christmas.

Take-home meal solutions are available for customers who do not have time to prepare

MEMBERS RATCHET UP SUCCESS IN PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARDS

their own food at home, while its range of high-protein and low-fat take-home meals has also proved popular.

All the judges were highly impressed with the great food-to-go offering in this store, calling it “outstanding”.

The Independent Chilled Retailer of the Year title went to O’Hares Supermarket, Eurospar, in Mayobridge, County Down in recognition of its efforts over the past 12 months to expand its offering.

The store now boasts 18 bays of meat, poultry and fish, as well as milk, fruit juices, cheese, ham and yogurts. The chillers also feature desserts, ready meals and snacks, and there is one bay specifically set aside for promotions.

A three-metre fridge houses a range of homemade meals that has become a unique selling point among both the local community and customers from further afield.

Having spent some time tailoring its chilled ranges to suit its customer base, O’Hares now works with local suppliers, offers family meal deals and has introduced a range of healthy, low-fat protein meals for younger customers.

Mulkerns: Fresh produce winners for second year Tasting success in Food to Go category


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Pizzas, garlic bread and southern fried chicken products are also promoted as mealtime solutions for busy shoppers on their way home from work.

The Retail Awards judges were impressed by the focus on presentation and felt the team took a lot of pride in their store while maintaining extremely high standards.

For the second year in a row, Mulkerns Eurospar in Newry, County Down was rightly crowned Independent Fresh Produce Retailer of the Year.

Since winning the award in 2017, it has refused to rest on its laurels and has continued to innovate and improve.

First and foremost, the judges were impressed with the overall look of the fresh produce department. “It does look absolutely stunning,” said one, while another added: “The displays are amazing.”

Good promotions – including the use of spider-fridges for chilled produce lines, “fresh three” weekly deals and weekend specials – also drew praise, as did the strong use of point-of-sale material and the store’s regular sampling events.

The past year has seen the development of a huge range of “heat and eat” vegetable side dishes, all prepared and cooked in-store, as well as a ready-to-eat fruit offering and some highly impactful seasonal displays.

The combination of an extensive range, good quality and fresh appeal, together with extremely high standards in-store, have made them worthy winners.

Organised by trade magazine Independent Retail News, the 2018 Retail Industry Awards took place at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in London on September 27.

Meanwhile, the July, August and September winners of the joint NFRN and Mail Newspapers Newsagent of the Month award for Scotland and Northern Ireland have all come from our district!

Lucia Hughes of Top News in Omagh was successful in July; Liam Donaghy of Winnies in Portadown was our August winner; and, having been crowned winner for September, William Donnelly of The Cave Newsagents in Belfast received his award from our district president Gwen Patterson at the EM News and NFRN trade day at the end of November.

These monthly awards are exclusive to NFRN members and are presented for excellence in news retailing.O’Hare’s: Chilling out

August Newsagent of the Month


Several members from across Northern Ireland have been in touch with NFRN Connect of late to complain about receiving third party goods such as confectionery or drinks from their news wholesaler or receiving telephone calls from companies seeking to sell them stock.

As a result, we thought it would be a good time to remind members about our Enough’s Enough scheme. Should you wish to opt out of receiving items such as sweets or soft drinks from your news wholesaler or prefer that they did not pass your contact details on to other parties give NFRN Connect a quick call on 0800 121 6376 or email [email protected]. One of the Connect team will then ensure your news wholesaler is aware of your preferences. Logging this information via NFRN Connect will also come in handy as this will provide evidence of your wishes should a mistake be made and you continue to receive unwanted goods or phone calls or if you find yourself in dispute with a third party supplier.

CONNECT STEPS IN TO EASE CREDIT WORRIES Alarm bells started ringing for one member when he realised that he had returned nearly £300 worth of collectables to his news wholesaler but had not been credited for them.

Concerned and struggling to get a straight answer from his supplier, the member contacted the NFRN Connect team who were swiftly able to confirm with the news wholesaler that the stock had been received and would be scanned and credited in time for the next invoice. If you ever find yourself in a similar position, the NFRN team is here to assist between 7am and 5pm Monday to Friday and 7am to 11am at weekends and bank holidays. Contact details are in the article above.

WHEN ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WITH UNWANTED STOCK!

All winners are automatically shortlisted for the National Newsagent of the Year title which will be presented at the glittering NFRN Awards on February 12 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.

If you think you are worthy of a Newsagent of the Month award simply fill out the online application form at www.nfrnonline.com/mail-award and send in some photographs that demonstrate your commitment to the news sector.

William Donnelly is congratulated

Victorious in July: Luca Hughes

It has been widely reported that retail crime is on the rise and convenience retailers are particularly vulnerable. The high resale value of tobacco stock and the ease with which it can be sold on has meant that newsagents and c-store owners have long been a target, but the increase in ATM crime in recent years has added to the woes of many.

According to industry publication, RN, in 2017 50 per cent of all ATM crimes occurred in convenience stores, with one in every hundred stores affected. Card scams continue to be a major concern, but perhaps more worrying for retailers and insurers alike is the increase in violent ram raids, the results of which can be devastating. With many ATMs mounted on the fascia or just inside the shop entrance, criminal gangs are using heavy vehicles such as diggers, trucks and forklifts to break through, often causing extensive damage.

Even the use of explosives is not unknown. In a recent case in Derbyshire the entire frontage was blown off a Post Office, ravaging not just the shop itself but also damaging the residential units above. Indeed, with such incidents occurring mostly in the early hours of the morning whilst still under cover of darkness, the perpetrators seem to have little care as to whether anyone is on the premises.

At The Retail Mutual we have seen a rise in ATM crime claims from our members over the past two years that echoes the rise in cases nationally. So what can retailers do to minimise the risk of being targeted?

Security is certainly a contributing factor, with many smaller retailers lacking the resources to put sophisticated systems in place. However, alarms and CCTV can be an effective deterrent, and camera footage can help to identify the perpetrators.

It is also important to nurture your relationship with your community – your customers’ loyalty can go a long way in keeping you afloat when you suffer an interruption to your business, and may even make you less likely to be targeted in the first place.

Always make sure you are adequately protected. Check your buildings, contents and stock levels are sufficient to cover any damage or losses, and that you have suitable business interruption cover in place to keep you afloat in the event that you are unable to trade. Sadly, it is not always possible to prevent crimes from being carried out, but having the right cover in place can help to ensure that the repercussions do not devastate your business.

DON’T BECOME A VICTIMOF ATM CRIME, SAYSTHE RETAIL MUTUAL

The Retail Mutual specialises in providing business cover to newsagents andconvenience store owners.

To find out more or get an immediate quote visit www.TheRetailMutual.com or call 0333 2127 263. We look forward to hearing from you.


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The extent of the trade in illegal tobacco in Northern Ireland has been laid bare following a seizure by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) of an estimated 10 tonnes of loose tobacco and 411,000 cigarettes in the Newry area of County Down.

HMRC officers, accompanied by the Police Service of Northern Ireland, searched a commercial premises in the Newry area on November 8. The cigarettes and tobacco, believed to be worth about £5 million in lost duty and taxes, were discovered inside — the site of a suspected illicit tobacco factory.

Steve Tracey, assistant director of the fraud investigation service at HMRC, said: “The trade in illicit tobacco is unregulated and makes cheaper tobacco more readily available to the young and vulnerable.

“The sale of illegal tobacco will not be tolerated by us or our partner agencies. Disrupting criminal trade is at the heart of our strategy to clampdown on the illicit tobacco market, which costs the UK around £2.5 billion a year. This is theft from the taxpayer and undermines legitimate traders.”

Anyone with information about the illegal sale of tobacco is urged to report it online or call the Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887.

HMRC SEIZES 411,000 ILLICIT CIGARETTES IN NEWRY

Contact: Gwen Patterson, District President T: 07885 617923 | E: [email protected]


Camelot chief executive Nigel Railton has presented Belfast retailer Natalie McKay with a plaque to celebrate her store’s National Lottery players who have raised more than £2 million for Good Causes since The National Lottery’s launch in 1994.

Natalie, proprietor of McKays in Queens Arcade, Belfast, said she was delighted that she and her customers had been able to make such a difference to people and projects across the UK. Natalie and her staff always work hard to support The National Lottery – they have hand-painted imagery on their shop windows and create bespoke POS for rollovers and event draws. McKays is a family-run business and old-fashioned sweet shop. In addition, it is one of the few specialist tobacconists in Belfast City Centre and boasts the only walk-in humidor (climate-controlled cigar room) in the city.

BELFAST RETAILER MCKAYS RAISES OVER £2 MILLION FOR GOOD CAUSES

district bulletin · 2019 northern ireland district bulletin northern ireland members have notched...

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