Month: November 2019

Green Friday

Green is the new Black (Friday)

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A national campaign hopes to encourage consumers to buy Irish this Black Friday.

The “Green Friday” campaign aims to encourage people to shop locally and support Irish brands and businesses this Christmas shopping period. Beginning in America, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events have been enthusiastically embraced by consumers here and last year saw more than €50m spent over the course of the weekend.

But there has been growing concern in recent years that the majority of this spending is going to overseas retailers online. The Green Friday campaign is asking people to support jobs and their local economies and contribute to Ireland’s creative community, manufacturers and service providers by buying Irish this November 25th.

The new initiative is led by Marian O’Gorman, CEO of Kilkenny retail group and supported trade associations including the Design & Crafts Council of Ireland, Retail Excellence, Chambers Ireland, the Small Firms Association and Irish brands and retail businesses countrywide.

Up to €4.65 billion will be spent by Irish consumers during the Christmas period, based on research by Retail Ireland. Brands and businesses are being encouraged to get involved and market their products under the Green Friday banner this Christmas to highlighting the value of shopping locally.

“With Brexit uncertainty and trade tariffs lingering, now, more than ever, we need to reawaken people to the significance of buying Irish and shopping local” says Marian O’Gorman “Irish brands and designers are second to none, with many that are leaders on a world stage. We, as consumers, need to appreciate the fundamental fact that by keeping money in circulation in our own communities, we are protecting jobs and public services.”

SFA Director Sven Spollen-Behrens said that Christmas can add a major economic impetus when shoppers back small businesses and help maintain jobs.

“If each adult spent just €20 extra in small local businesses this Christmas, this would amount to an injection of over €73m for small firms and would have a huge, positive impact on local jobs and the vibrancy of town and village centres.”

Nikki Murran, Excel Recruitment's Director of Grocery Retail Recruitment

The Premium Problem

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

Excel’s Director of Grocery Retail Nikki Murran reflects on one of our clients’ biggest headaches, spiralling insurance costs and asks what can be done about them?

One of my favourite parts of my jobs is catching up with our retailers. The last 9 months have been particularly enjoyable as there seems to be so much optimism across the grocery retail sector at the moment. A lot of clients are investing in their stores while others are opening brand new sites. I was invited out to the new store opening of Dunnes Stores and James Whelan’s Butchers in Naas a while back and it was such a treat to see grocery retailing at it’s best and the excitement that comes with new store openings!

However, despite the overall pattern of optimism, there is one issue looming heavy on the minds of retailers: rising insurance costs. It is not only smaller independent retailers being crippled, spiralling insurance rates are also having a heavy impact on all retailers across the country.

The Response from Retailers

Retailers are reacting; many have invested in staff training, improved store layouts and incident reporting policies, which have led to a decrease in the number of claims made in stores. Despite this work, the average insurance premium has seen a rise of between 5% and 10% a year! This is a substantial cost to any retailer – especially when they are actively doing everything in their power to reduce the risk.

These increases are the burden of the retailers, not because they are at fault or have failed to act, but because of a wider culture of claims which despite media coverage and public outcry, is growing. Compounding this culture of blaming and claiming, there exist no clear judicial guidelines for compensation and worst of all – a lack of resources to follow up an insurance fraud. Since the legislation around this was enacted in 2004 to tackle the issue there has been ONE – yes only one – prosecution for insurance fraud! How is that possible?

The Numbers

Ireland’s average whiplash injury compensation in €17,338, vs the UK’s average of €3,798 or Canada’s of €2,215. Australia and Sweden are unlikely to offer any compensation at all for the same soft tissue injury. Such dramatic differences surely raise serious questions about how we are coming up with these monetary values for awards? It is the premiums of ordinary people and the premiums of retailers up and down the country that are paying for these bloated, inconsistent pay-outs!

In an article by Charlie Weston earlier this year he states that “Retailers estimate that on average, for every €1 allocated to an insurance claim, a business must make €100 in sales to recoup this outlay.” (The Irish Independent, May 2019) That is an incredible burden to put on any retailer!

So, what can we do?

The Alliance for Insurance reform have some excellent resources available to tackle this epidemic on their website – https://insurancereform.ie/what-we-want/

They are striving for:

Prevention of exaggerated claims

Consistency in the calculation of awards

Transparency in how premiums are calculated

And really, the most shocking part of this mandate is that these measures are not in place already.

Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year

Brown Thomas win big at Retail Excellence Awards

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Saturday saw the cream of the retail crop descend on the stunning Great Southern Hotel in Killarney to see Ireland’s top retailers and the winners of the 2019 Retail Excellence Awards revealed.

Brown Thomas of Grafton Street scooped the top two awards of the night, taking home the title of ‘Retailer of the Year’ and ‘National Store of the Year’.

Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year
Brown Thomas win National Retailer of they Year

The other Top5 Store winners included Arboretum, Carlow, Hook & Ladder, Limerick, Petstop, Limerick and Windyridge Nursery & Garden Centre, Dublin. Other awards included Best in Ecommerce which went to Vaughan Shoes and Retail Industry Advocate of the Year which was awarded to Enterprise Ireland. The great city of Cork was named as Ireland’s Friendliest Place.

Celebrating excellence across retail, the awards also highlighted exceptional talent within the retail industry. Excel CEO Barry Whelan was delighted to be asked to resume his role as Head Judge for the Manager of the Year and Rising Star categories.

Barry says “The standard of entry for Manager of the Year and Rising Star, is always very high but this year, in particular, was exceptional. The level of energy, passion, drive and innovation on display from retailers around the country is really exciting.”

CEO Barry Whelan presents the award for Manager of the Year to Eamon Kelleher
CEO Barry Whelan presents the award for Manager of the Year to Eamon Kelleher

Barry was delighted to present Manager of the Year to Eamonn Kelleher of Co-Op Superstores while Eoife Clarke of Golden Discs took home Rising Star of the Year.

“We are delighted to recognize and award the very best in Irish retail We are particularly pleased that across all of our categories of awards Irish retailers, both big and small, urban and rural competed to deliver that exceptional standard of service to customers regardless of their size.”

Excel Recruitment would like to say a massive congratulations to each of the 2019 Retail Excellence Award winners. Each of the winners and shortlisted stores and managers represents the best in the retail industry in Ireland. All show an unquestionable commitment to meeting and exceeding customer expectations as well as innovation in store and in-service delivery.

Established by Retail Excellence in 1997, The Awards is the biggest event in the Irish retail industry calendar and aims to promote best practice and encourage high standards in the Irish retail industry.

National Retailer of the Year 2020Brown Thomas Group
National Store of the Year 2020Brown Thomas, Dublin
Top5 Store & National Garden Centre of the Year 2020Arboretum, Carlow
Top5 Store & Restaurant & Coffee House of the Year 2020Hook & Ladder, Limerick
Top5 Store & National Pet Store of the Year 2020Petstop, Limerick
Top5 Store 2020Windyridge Nurseries & Garden Centre, Dublin
National Electronic & Tech Store of the Year 2020Fun Tech Global, Dublin
National Book Store of the YearVibes & Scribes, Cork
National Supermarket of the Year 2020Garvey’s SuperValu, Limerick
National Pharmacy of the Year 2020Cunningham’s Pharmacy, Athlone
National Visitor Store of the Year 2020Nano Nagle Place, Cork
National Home / Interiors Store of the Year 2020Casey’s Furniture, Limerick
National Jewellery Store of the Year 2020Gerry Browne Jewellers, Portlaoise
National Optician of the Year 2020McMahons Opticians, Carrick-on-Shannon
Retail Industry Advocate of the Year 2020Enterprise Ireland
Suppliers of the Year 2020MJ Flood Technology & Seachange
Ireland’s Friendliest Place 2020Cork City
Manager of the Year 2020Eamonn Kelleher, Co-Op Superstores
Rising Star of the Year 2020Eoife Clarke, Golden Discs
Online Retailer of the Year 2020Vaughanshoes.ie

 

Arriving in Ireland

Arriving in Ireland: Everything you need to know to start work

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Arriving in Ireland

*** Rolar pra baixo***

Arriving in Ireland or any brand-new country can be a daunting experience for anyone – follow our step-by-step guide below to successfully get registered for employment as well as set up with a Bank Account, PPS Number and Online Revenue.

Registering with Excel Recruitment

We can offer immediate and flexible work in all areas of the Hospitality Industry across Dublin, for candidates who successfully complete our registration process.

For this – you will need to book an appointment at our Capel Street Offices – you can do this by emailing a CV to gisella@excelrecruitment.com

At this appointment, you will need to bring:

  • Passport or European ID
  • Irish Residence Permit IRP– if required. We can only accept the full IRP card and CANNOT offer work to anyone who has a stamp in their passport but has not received the card yet.
  • PPS number and Bank Details – if you already have these, DON’T WORRY IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE AS WE CAN HELP YOU WITH THIS
  • Any certificates and qualifications you currently have.

When you register with us, we will talk you through the process of employment from start to finish including the required uniform and training. You will be linked up with your own consultant who will be in touch every week, to book you out to shifts which fit around your schedule.

By law in Ireland everyone working in the hospitality or catering industry must have valid Manual Handling and HACCP (Food Safety) certificates. At Excel Recruitment we can offer these courses on site at our centrally located offices – but we do also accept certificates from all accredited trainers.

Once you have been registered and have the necessary certificates, we will get you kitted out in the required uniform and provide shifts with an immediate start!

How will I be paid?

Excel Recruitment pays every Friday directly into your bank account. For those of you who may have just arrived and are yet to set up a bank account – we can organise weekly cheque payments while you get this set up!

Once you are out working for us, we can also provide a letter of employment which you can take to the bank in order to open an account.

PPS Number

To get a PPS number, you will need to fill out an application form in the PPS Number Allocation Centre, provide evidence of your identity and evidence of why you need a PPS number allocated. You must also provide proof of your address. You can find a list of PPS number allocation centres here http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Once you are out working for Excel, we can also provide an employment letter to take along to your PPS appointment which will act of evidence of why you need the PPS number.

Revenue

If this job is your first in Ireland, you must login to https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 in order to register your new job with the Jobs and Pensions Service. You will need to provide Excel Recruitments VAT Registration Number which will be given to you after you register with us.

Work

The more available you are, the more work we will be able to offer you! We can work around your schedule but are reliant upon the requirements of our clients to determine the shifts available. The most common shift patterns by job category are:

Kitchen Porter/Catering Assistant/Barista – Monday to Friday, 7am to 3/4pm.

Waiter/Bar – Every day of the week – Mornings, Evenings and Weekends inclusive. The more you are available the more work we will be able to offer you.

Chefs – 2 distinct options:

Monday – Friday 7am to 3/4pm. Full availability during these times means we will be able to offer ongoing work across Dublin.

Evenings/Weekends – Sporadic availability means we can match shifts to your availability and you will be in many different kitchens across the city.

Chegando na Irlanda

Chegar a um país totalmente novo pode ser uma experiência assustadora para qualquer pessoa – siga nosso guia passo a passo abaixo para se registrar com êxito no emprego, além de organizar uma Conta Bancária, Número de PPS e Receita Online.

Registrando no Excel Recruitment

Podemos oferecer trabalho imediato e flexível em todas as áreas do setor de hospitalidade em Dublin, para candidatos que concluírem com êxito nosso processo de registro.

Para isso – você precisará marcar uma consulta em nossos escritórios da Capel Street – pode fazer isso enviando um CV para gisella@excelrecruitment.com

Nesta consulta, você precisará trazer:

  • Passaporte ou documento de identidade europeu
  • IRP da Autorização de Residência Irlandesa – se necessário. Só podemos aceitar o cartão IRP completo e NÃO PODEMOS oferecer trabalho a quem tem um carimbo no passaporte, mas ainda não o recebeu.
  • Número do PPS e detalhes bancários – se você já possui, não se preocupe se não tiver um, pois podemos ajudá-lo com isso.
  • Quaisquer certificados e qualificações que você possui atualmente.

Quando você se registra conosco, iremos conversar sobre o processo de contratação do início ao fim, incluindo o uniforme e o treinamento necessários. Você será vinculado ao seu próprio consultor, que entrará em contato todas as semanas, para agendá-lo para os turnos adequados à sua programação.

Por lei na Irlanda, todos os que trabalham no setor de hospitalidade ou alimentos e bebidas devem ter certificados válidos de Manuseio Manual e HACCP (Segurança de Alimentos). No Excel Recruitment, podemos oferecer esses cursos em nossos escritórios localizados centralmente – mas também aceitamos certificados de todos os treinadores credenciados.

Depois de se registrar e ter os certificados necessários, nós o levaremos com o uniforme necessário e forneceremos os turnos com um início imediato!

Como serei pago?

O recrutamento da Excel paga toda sexta-feira diretamente na sua conta bancária. Para aqueles que acabaram de chegar e ainda precisam obter uma conta bancária – podemos organizar pagamentos semanais por cheque enquanto você faz esse processo!

Quando você estiver trabalhando para nós, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego que você pode levar ao banco para abrir uma conta.

Número de PPS

Para obter um número de PPS, você precisará preencher um formulário de inscrição no Centro de Alocação de Número PPS, fornecer evidências de sua identidade e evidências de por que você precisa de um número PPS alocado. Você também deve fornecer comprovante de endereço. Você pode encontrar uma lista dos centros de alocação de números do PPS aqui http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Personal-Public-Service-Number-Registration-Centres-by-Count.aspx

Depois de trabalhar para o Excel, também podemos fornecer uma carta de emprego para levar junto à sua nomeação no PPS, o que servirá de evidência do porquê você precisa do número do PPS.

Receita Federal

Se este trabalho for o seu primeiro na Irlanda, você deverá fazer login no https://www.ros.ie/myaccount-web/sign_in.html?execution=e1s1 para registrar seu novo trabalho no Serviço de Empregos e Pensões. Você precisará fornecer o Número de registro de IVA para recrutamentos do Excel, que será fornecido a você depois que você se registrar conosco.

Trabalhos

Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você! Podemos tentar encaixar trabakhos de acordo comseus horarios, mas dependemos dos requisitos de nossos clientes para determinar as mudanças disponíveis. Os padrões de turno mais comuns por categoria de trabalho são:

Porteiro da cozinha / Assistente de cozinha / Barista – de segunda a sexta, das 7:00 às 15:00.

Garçom / Bar – Todos os dias da semana – manhãs, noites e fins de semana, inclusive. Quanto mais você estiver disponível, mais trabalho poderemos oferecer a você.

Chefs – 2 opções distintas:

Segunda a sexta das 7:00 às 15:00. A disponibilidade total durante esse período significa que poderemos oferecer trabalho contínuo em Dublin.

Noites / fins de semana – a disponibilidade esporádica significa que podemos combinar os turnos com a seus horarios e você estará em muitas cozinhas diferentes em toda a cidade.