Applications open for national scheme to help small businesses trade online

Fri, Jul 04, 2014

From this week, small businesses throughout Ireland can apply to the Government for digital vouchers to the system in helping their businesses trade online. Announcing the scheme, the Minister for Communications, Pat Rabbitte, said that 1,000 vouchers will be available for qualifying businesses through the network of 31 Local Enterprise Offices between now and the end of 2014, with more on offer next year. Businesses will be able to apply for grants of up to €2,500 as Government has allocated €5 million for the rollout of the trading online voucher scheme. “We want this scheme to help small businesses grow their sales, exports, and ultimately jobs. This will be the test of success, not the take up of vouchers,” said Minister Rabbitte. He went on to say: “We have successfully piloted the new scheme in Dublin City, and six months on, early research into the business outcomes has shown promise.” The key findings to date are, seven out of 10 companies said that the voucher application process haD already helped them in determining how online trading would fit into their business. Seventy per cent of companies saw more customer inquiries, 55 per cent have had more sales. Most companies are primarily trading domestically, but export expectations have increased with business expecting to get 30 per cent of sales from export markets within six months. UK is by far the most important export market initially. Business owners and staff are devoting more time to trading online. Sixty per cent expect to need to recruit with 12 months. Minister Rabbitte continued: “The results so far are positive, and we can expect these findings to improve over time as businesses involved in the pilot stage embed online trading within their overall business model. My Department will continue to review the scheme and improve it iteratively.” The LEOs were chosen as an ideal partner to deliver the trading online voucher scheme, as they are focused on getting business supports directly into the communities where small businesses operate. The Trading Online Vouchers Scheme is a new ‘product’ for these new organisations. The pilot voucher scheme demonstrated that it had the potential to open up a whole new customer base for the LEO service, bringing them closer to businesses in their area and allowing businesses to benefit from locally based experience.

Peacocks opening Castlebar store on Thursday

Fri, Jun 27, 2014

Wales based fashion retailer Peacocks is opening its new store in Castlebar next Thursday July 3.

Friendly business awards recognises top service and care

Fri, Jun 27, 2014

Ireland is famous all over the world for its one hundred thousand welcomes (éad íle áilte) and now JCI Mayo is on the hunt for Mayo’s Friendliest Business.

Eurospar Belmullet wins ultimate accolade at national Five Star Awards

Fri, Jun 20, 2014

Eurospar Belmullet was awarded the ultimate accolade, scooping a Top Of The Tree award at the recent Five Star Awards ceremony.

Business Impact Celebration reveals Mayo businesses contributed more than €450,000 to local charities and community groups in 2013

Fri, Jun 20, 2014

In Mayo in 2013, businesses donated a total of €458,011 in cash and in kind donations to local charities and community groups. More than 1,295 hours were volunteered by local employees and over 134 community partnerships were supported. This information is being captured by Business in the Community Ireland, on an online interactive map entitled the Business Impact Map which gives a county by county breakdown of how companies such as A&L Goodbody, ESB, Intel Ireland, Diageo Ireland and their employees supported their local community groups and charities during 2013.

Hays records three-fold increase in construction and property jobs in Connacht

Fri, Jun 20, 2014

One of Ireland’s leading recruiting experts, Hays, has reported a three-fold increase in the number of jobs on offer in the construction and property sector in Connacht during May 2014, when compared to May 2013. Quantity surveyors, senior building services design engineers (mechanical and electrical), project managers, and site engineers have been most sought after in recent months. The increase in demand for construction professionals experienced by Hays is also reflected in recent economic data, with Ulster Bank’s Construction Purchasing Managers Index for May 2014, reporting that its ‘May data re-affirms the recent view of a sector on the mend’.

‘Linking In’ aiming to deliver a brighter future for workers in the west

Fri, Jun 20, 2014

A new free service targeted at helping employers and employees, who may have an illness or injury, to enable them to return to work is now available across Galway, Mayo, and Roscommon.

Judge’s Daybreak excel at Shelflife GRAM Awards

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

Eamonn and Rowena Judge, Daybreak, Sligo Road in Ballina won the Best Team Performance 2014 award at the Shelflife Retail Grocery Management Awards (GRAMs), held recently in The Royal Marine Hotel in Dun Laoghaire.

Apply for Deloitte’s Best Managed Company Awards 2015 and showcase your power to be the best

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

Deloitte, the leading business advisory firm, in association with Barclays Bank Ireland, has announced the launch of the 2014/2015 Best Managed Companies Awards Programme. The indigenous Irish companies that are successful in this year’s programme will join the growing network of almost 100 leading companies that have been recognised in the six years since the programme began. The Best Managed Companies Awards Programme recognises companies of outstanding quality that have demonstrated superior business performance, and showcases the power of the best Irish indigenous companies. The winners over the first six years of the programme have total revenues of approximately €7 billion. The companies recognised for the first time in year six of the programme alone employ nearly 5,000 people.

Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards open to Connacht companies

Fri, Jun 13, 2014

Ulster Bank is calling on SMEs across Connacht to enter the 20th Ulster Bank Business Achievers Awards.

New Glasgow service takes to the skies from IWAK

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

The first ever service between Ireland West Airport Knock (IWAK) and Glasgow Prestwick Airport, Scotland, has been launched.

Provider of Claremorris Fibre Town project wins Entrepreneur of the Year Award

Thu, Jun 05, 2014

Liam O’Kelly, founder and CEO of AirSpeed Telecom, was awarded the coveted RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Award prize at the European Business Awards.  AirSpeed Telecom along with Enet established Claremorris as Ireland’s first Fibre Town following a €500,000 investment that allows  AirSpeed Telecom to offer 250Mbs broadband connectivity to every business in the Claremorris, providing high performance bandwidth, high speed internet, voice and video.

Liam O’Kelly was announced winner of the RSM Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the prestigious European Business Awards ceremony last week in Athens. Over 17,000 European companies entered the awards, of which there were 100 finalists and 10 overall category winners. RSM International, the sponsor of the Entrepreneur of the Year award category, is the seventh largest worldwide network of independent audit, tax and advisory firms and RSM Farrell Grant Sparks is the only Republic of Ireland member firm.

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