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Grocery market up

Grocery market heats up thanks to good weather

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The soaring temperatures have had a positive impact on the Irish grocery market, increasing sales of summer grocery favourites by 9% ahead of an overall market growth of 2.1%.

A surge in summer essentials, such as sun care products and ice cream, has boosted the Irish grocery sector by €27 million according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel. Sales of ice cream, barbeque foods and sun care products have rocketed by 12%, 10% and 8% respectively compared to this time last year. Alcoholic drinks have also experienced a surge in demand – cider has seen impressive growth of 14% and beers and lagers are up 5%. According to Dave Berry, director of Kantar Worldpanel, “The influence of the hot weather on sales of summer essentials looks even more impressive when you compare this to overall market growth at 2.1%.”

In the latest standings in the supermarket wars, which deal with the 12 weeks to 17 May 2018, Tesco remains the leader, increasing its market share to 22.4 %, a jump of .3%. The retailer experienced sales growth of 3.7%, with 1.3 million shoppers choosing to shop there and upping their average spend by .80c to €25.50. SuperValu stands in second position, capturing 21.8% of Irish shoppers’ grocery spend, experiencing sales growth of 0.1%. The retailer continues to have a loyal customer following, with consumers shopping more frequently at SuperValu stores.

Dunnes Stores also saw growth during the 12 weeks, posting sales growth of 2.6% and has increased its market share by 0.1 percentage points. The grocer’s success has come from encouraging shoppers to up the value of their baskets to an average of €42.60 – an increase of over €2.50 compared to this time last year. The discounters also performed well with Lidl holding a market share of 11.7% – its highest since October 2017 while Aldi has upped its share to 11.4%, thanks to sales growth of 2.4%, Aldi. Both grocers have performed particularly well in Munster, where they continue to challenge the other major retailers.

IHF Conference- The Key Take Home Points

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Not even the looming threat of the Beast from the East could put a damper on the success of the Irish Hotel Federation’s annual conference last week. Held in the Slieve Russell Hotel, the conference included a fantastic line-up of speakers, interesting insights and informative discussions. General Manager of Excel Recruitment Shane Mclave talks through the main talking points from the event.

2017 success for the industry

There was plenty of positivity new stories from the event. According to IHF chief executive Tim Fenn, 2017 was another strong year for Irish hotels and guesthouses and the seventh year in a row that overseas visitor numbers have grown. The average national room occupancy rate was 73% during the year, a figure driven by a substantial increase in visitor numbers from the US and continental Europe, as well as from the domestic market. This was welcome news for hoteliers and helped to offset the drop in visitors from the UK, where numbers continue to fall. Fenn asserted that the outlook for the sector remains positive with hoteliers confident about the future growth of the tourism and hospitality industry.

Craic alone not enough for tourism

Niall Gibbons of Tourism Ireland also discussed the dramatic drop in British visitors and said “the craic” won’t be enough to recover plummeting visitor numbers. Mr Gibbions said Ireland must hone in on outdoor activities to entice visitors from Great Britain, which is the country’s biggest tourism market. Visitor numbers from Britain have fallen steadily since the Brexit referendum vote in June 2016 and dropped 6% last year to 4.7 million visits. As a result, tourism officials have focused more on opening up ‘emerging’ markets like India and China and winning more business from North America and mainland Europe. Tourism chiefs are hoping to look beyond traditional boozy holidays and hope to win more business in the activities market. Daragh Feighery who will be opening the much anticipated Center Parcs in Longford gave us a sneak peek at what is in store for what will be a huge jewel in the crown for the Midlands with over 1000 staff in employment once the doors are open to the public mid-2019

End to the Chef Crisis in sight?

One of the most exciting talking points from the conference came from TD Brendan Griffin, Minister for State and Tourism. The TD casually mentioned that changes to work regulations for work permits are on the cards for 2018, potentially easing the country’s chef shortage. The statement was met with huge support and enthusiasm from all, particularly hoteliers and business owners all too familiar with the struggle of recruiting and retaining chefs.

Salary Series 2018- Chef Salaries

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Excel Recruitment are delighted to release our 2018 Salary Survey. Our Salary Survey covers all aspects of the Hospitality Industry including Hotel, Chef and Industrial and corporate Catering salaries. In a series of blog posts, Excel’s expert team give their take on the year ahead and the factors affecting salaries in each industry. In To view our Hotel and Catering Salary Survey in full click here. To get General Manager Shane’ McLave’s take on hotel salaries and the effects of Brexit, click here.

The Irish hospitality sector’s chef crisis continued to dominate industry news and discussion last year, a nowhere near new phenomenon that looks to set to continue right through 2018. Businesses of all levels, shapes and sizes are continuing to struggle to attract, recruit and retain a quality of chefs at all levels. While there is much back on forth on about the issue and many solutions suggested, such as re-instating Cert qualifications or promoting apprenticeships, it needs to be stressed that much of the issue is centred around the industry standard pay rates for chefs.

The Average

Chef pay rates are again going up but they are still well short of the average industrial wage which is €36,000 per annum. In most establishments, chefs have to manoeuvre themselves into a management position in order to achieve that salary. The increase in minimum wage which came into effect in January will further highlight the issue as hourly rates above this will be expected to increase in line with the 30c increase to the minimum wage.

The Solution?

There are exceptions, as we are seeing savvy operators within the Hotel and Restaurant sector offering very attractive packages to attract and keep talented chefs. They can see by increasing the salaries they are seeing the benefits of a higher calibre of staff, greater retention and a lower turnover in talent. Retaining staff will be a major objective of businesses in 2018 as recruitment looks set to remain a highly competitive, candidate’s market. We’re already seeing business work hard at this through a mixture of reward and progression.

 

Salary Series 2018- Hotel Salaries

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Excel Recruitment are delighted to release our 2018 Salary Survey. Our Salary Survey covers all aspects of the Hospitality Industry including Hotel, Chef and Industrial and Corporate Catering salaries. In a series of blog posts, Excel’s expert team give their take on the year ahead and the factors affecting salaries in each industry.First up, General Manager of Excel Shane Mclave discusses hotel salaries and the effects of Brexit. To view our Hotel and Catering Salary Survey in full click here. To get consultant Laurence Roger’s take on the much-discussed issue of Chefs salaries, click here.

It’s been an interesting year for the hospitality sector in general, and the hotel industry in particular. Brexit and all its consequences, both real and potential, were on everybody’s mind. Its first effects were definitely felt with a 54% decrease in the national average of UK visitors in the last year, according to Failte Ireland. Despite this, it was still a great year for the industry with 69% of hotels and 63% of national attractions welcomed more visitors than in 2016

The minimum wage

We can see that from a salary perspective, there is not a huge difference on 2016 except for salaries at the lower end of the scale, up to €30,000. The general consensus within the industry is that the biggest challenge in 2018 will be to manage the increase in the minimum wage. The jump to €9.55 at the beginning of January has had a knock-on effect. In previous years, employers could allow for an extra 10c or 15c above the minimum wage to create more attractive packages. However this year, with a jump of .30c, this is not possible. We are seeing employers make the decision to raise the hourly pay rate to €10 per hour for entry-level positions. This is pushing up all the lower pay scales to a higher level making it very difficult for businesses in a candidate driven market.

Retention and reward

The next big obstacle for hospitality is to retain the staff that they already have in place through progression and reward. We can see that there are more and more internal promotions, allowing Owners and Managers to keep their core staff in key positions. While this may be a way of retaining staff without any immediate financial cost for the business, if not managed properly, it could lead to inexperienced staff holding senior positions, for which they are not yet ready. They also run the risk of staff getting frustrated at increased workloads and responsibility without feeling a financial benefit. Reward is a different approach that some key players within the hospitality industry are taking and it seems to be working quite well, rewarding staff financially for achieving milestones within the company, usually loyalty and length of service.

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Hotel Salary Survey 2016

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Shane McLave, General Manager of Excel Recruitment, shares the findings of our company’s recent survey of salary scales in the four star hotel sector.

Overseas visitors to Ireland, as reported by Fáilte Ireland, grew to 7.9 million for 2015, which represents 11% growth on 2014. Record breaking occupancy levels for Dublin and Galway were reported in 2015 and more than 60 hotel properties, with a total value of more than €700m, changed hands in Ireland during 2015. These are just some of the statistics that reflect the positive outlook for the Irish hospitality industry. It also means that demand for a pool of quality potential employees has never been higher. This is good news for recruitment agency Excel Recruitment but the findings of their recent survey of salary scales in the four star hotel sector reveals some worrying trends about the way in which staff shortages are being addressed and the relationship between salary scales and chef shortages in particular.

If you would like to discuss any of the finding you can contact us here. You can view all Hospitality jobs with Excel Recruitment here.

2016 Hotel Salary Survey

Keeling Gold Medal Awards 2016

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The Keeling Gold Medal Awards took place on September 27th 2016 in Lyrath Estate Co. Kilkenny. Now in their 28th year, The Gold Medal Awards are regarded as the leading independent awards within Irish Hospitality. Presented by Hotel and Catering Review, the night recognises excellence across all catering operations, including Hotels, Restaurants, Guest Houses, Spa’s and Leisure Facilities. A nomination is seen as a benchmark of excellence, with the awards becoming more contested year on year.

Excel Recruitment were delighted to sponsor the Industrial Caterer category, awarded to The Pavilion located at The University of Limericks North Campus. It was a pleasure to see so many of our clients duly rewarded for the hard work and excellence in their respective class. Our Hospitality Team as ever were in strong numbers on the night.

Ireland’s City Hotel – Public Vote

  • Absolute Hotel Limerick
  • Hayfield Manor Hotel
  • Limerick Strand Hotel
  • Morrison A DoubleTree By Hilton
  • The G Hotel
  • The Glasshouse
  • The River Lee
  • The Westbury

Winner: The Westbury Dublin

 

European Restaurant

  • Boqueria
  • Clarion Hotel Liffey Valley
  • La Bucca Dunboyne
  • La Bucca Ratoath
  • Talavera – Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel
  • Ristorante Rinuccini
  • Toscana Restaurant Dame St

Winner: Ristorante Rinuccini

 

Event Caterer of the Year

  • John Coughlan Catering – Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby
  • John Coughlan Catering – Irish Golf Open
  • Masterchefs Hospitality
  • Seasons at Guinness Storehouse

Winner: John Coughlan Catering – Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby

 

Ireland’s Business Hotel sponsored by Corporate Catering Services

  • Absolute Hotel Limerick
  • Clarion Hotel Cork
  • Clayton Hotel Leopardstown
  • Crowne Plaza Dublin Airport
  • Crowne Plaza Dublin-Blanchardstown
  • Limerick Strand Hotel
  • The Croke Park
  • The Gibson hotel

Winner: Crowne Plaza Dublin

 

Ireland’s Chef of the Year sponsored by Pallas Foods

  • Boqueria
  • Carrig Country House & Restaurant
  • Gregans Castle Hotel
  • Limerick Strand Hotel
  • MacNean House & Restaurant
  • Pickle Restaurant
  • Wild Honey Inn
  • Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland

Winner: David Hurley at Gregans Castle Hotel

 

Ireland’s Family Friendly Hotel – Public Vote

  • Diamond Coast Hotel
  • Dingle Skellig Hotel
  • Fota Island Resort
  • Galway Bay Hotel
  • Hotel Westport
  • The Dunloe
  • The Garryvoe Hotel
  • The Newpark Hotel with Escape Health Club & Aveda Spa

Winner: The Dunloe

 

Ireland’s Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year

  • Carrig Country House & Restaurant
  • Gregans Castle Hotel
  • Hayfield Manor Hotel
  • MacNean House & Restaurant
  • Mount Juliet Estate
  • Ristorante Rinuccini
  • Tankardstown House
  • The Mustard Seed

Winner: Mount Juliet Estate

 

Ireland’s Five Star Hotel sponsored by Noel Recruitment

  • Ashford Castle
  • Hayfield Manor Hotel
  • Lough Eske Castle, a Solis Hotel & Spa
  • Park Hotel Kenmare
  • The Europe Hotel & Resort
  • The G Hotel
  • The Killarney Park Hotel
  • Trump International Golf Links & Hotel Ireland

Winner: Ashford Castle

 

Ireland’s Healthcare Caterer

  • Milford Care Centre
  • St John of God Hospital
  • St Patrick’s Mental Health Services
  • The Q Cafe Company Limited @ Santry Sports Clinic
  • The Ulster Independent Clinic

Winner: The Q Cafe Company Limited

 

Ireland’s Industrial Caterer sponsored by Excel Recruitment

  • Catering Department at TCD
  • Clongowes Wood College
  • KSG Group at University College Dublin
  • Pavillion at UL
  • St Columba’s College

Winner: Pavillion at UL

 

People’s Choice Awards – Ireland’s Favourite Place To Eat

  • Avenue by Nick Munier
  • Boqueria
  • Pickle Restaurant
  • Raw Food Rebellion

Winner: Boqueria

 

Ireland’s Site Contract Caterer sponsored by Keelings Farm Fresh

  • Catering Department at TCD
  • Corporate Catering Services Ltd @ Regeneron
  • EMC Information Systems International
  • ISS Catering at HPE Galway
  • KSG Group at Microsoft
  • Sodexo, PayPal
  • Sodexo @ VHI, Kilkenny
  • The Q Cafe Company @ Eurofound

Winner: Sodexo

 

Ireland’s Three Star Hotel

  • Carrickdale Hotel & Spa
  • Claregalway Hotel
  • Conyngham Arms Hotel
  • Dingle Benners Hotel
  • Killeen House Hotel & Rozzers Restaurant
  • The Ardagh Hotel & Restaurant
  • The Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort
  • The Riverside Hotel Sligo

Winner: Killeen House Hotel

 

Ireland’s Hotel Spa – Five Star sponsored by Sodexo

  • Ashford Castle
  • Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa
  • Lough Eske Castle, a Solis Hotel & Spa
  • Muckross Park Hotel 7 Spa
  • Park Hotel Kenmare
  • The Europe Hotel & Resort
  • The G Hotel

Winner: The Europe Hotel & Resort

 

Ireland’s Hotel Spa – Four Star

  • Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa
  • Galgorm Resort & Spa
  • Hodson Bay Hotel
  • Ice House Hotel
  • Kelly’s Resort Hotel
  • Kilronan Castle Estate & Spa
  • Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel
  • The Brehon

Winner: Galgorm Resort and Spa

 

Ireland’s Wine Experience sponsored by Febvre & Company

  • Ashford Castle
  • Harvey’s Point Hotel
  • Hayfield Manor Hotel
  • Hodson Bay Hotel
  • House wine and taproom
  • Ice House Hotel
  • MacNean House & Restaurant
  • Ristorante Rinuccini

Winner: Hayfield Manor Hotel

 

Ireland’s Four Star Hotel

  • Armada Hotel
  • Harvey’s Point Hotel
  • Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa
  • Mount Falcon Estate
  • Mount Juliet Estate
  • Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel
  • The Lodge at Ashford Castle
  • Waterford Castle Hotel & Golf Resort

Winner: Mount Juliet Estate

 

Ireland’s Front of House Team/Team Member

  • Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa
  • Armada Hotel
  • Ashford Castle
  • Carrickdale Hotel & Spa
  • Castle Leslie Estate
  • Corporate Catering Services Ltd @ IMI
  • Dunraven Arms Hotel
  • Gregans Castle Hotel

Winner: John Burke – Armada Hotel

 

Ireland’s Hotel Breakfast – Public Vote

  • Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa
  • Ballyvolane House
  • Brook Lane Hotel
  • Castle Leslie Estate
  • Dunraven Arms Hotel
  • Gregans Castle Hotel
  • Moy House
  • Park Hotel Kenmare

Winner: Castle Leslie Estate

 

Ireland’s Wedding Venue – Public Vote

  • Armada Hotel
  • Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa
  • Ballyvolane House
  • Castle Leslie Estate
  • Dromoland Castle Hotel
  • Fernhill House Hotel & Gardens
  • Fota Island Resort
  • Tankardstown House
  • The Brehon
  • The Garryvoe Hotel

Winner: Ballygarry House Hotel and Spa

 

Ireland’s Casual Dining Experience

  • Anocht Restaurant
  • Boqueria
  • Fitzpatricks Bar and Restaurant
  • Hayfield Manor Hotel
  • La Bucca Ashbourne
  • La Bucca Ratoath
  • Randaddy’s Taste of Adventure
  • Saba Restaurant
  • Seafield Golf & Spa Hotel
  • Toscana Restaurant Dame St

Winner: Anocht Restaurant

 

Ireland’s Country House & Guest House Experience

  • Ard na Sidhe Country House
  • Ballyvolane House
  • Carrig Country House & Restaurant
  • Castlewood House
  • Gregans Castle Hotel
  • Moy House
  • Tankardstown House
  • The Mustard Seed

Winner: Castlewood House

 

Ireland’s Guest Experience sponsored by Robert Roberts

  • Aghadoe Heights Hotel and Spa
  • Ballyseede Castle
  • Ballyvolane House
  • Crowne Plaza Dublin-Blanchardstown
  • Inchydoney Island Lodge & Spa
  • Killeen House Hotel & Rozzers Restaurant
  • Mount Falcon Estate
  • Moy House

Winner: Crown Plaza – Blanchardstown

  • Service To The Industry Winner – Lee Kidney – Mespil Hotel
  • Overall Supreme Winner – Mount Juliet Estate

 

 

The Chef Crisis : Opinion Piece

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It has been widely publicised in the media that the shortage of chefs is approaching crisis point. One thing that we’ve noticed while surveying, is that in many cases this shortage can be traced back to the pay scale for Chef de Parties.

In most cases a Chef de Partie will have completed 2/3 years in College and spent an average of 4/6 years working in kitchens. Yet a large majority of establishments are paying a rate of €12 per hour for CDP. In most cases this is an annual salary, so a Chef working 45 hours a week will take home an hourly rate of pay of just €10.40 per hour.

I last worked as a Chef de Partie 16 years ago. I was on £12 an hour, old money at the time. In the last 16 years the minimum wage has increased several times. There is now, justifiable, a strong movement being led by a large group of chefs. Utilising the power of social media they are pushing for a minimum wage of €15 p/h for Chef de Partie. This in my mind would go a long way towards solving the existing chef shortage.

Shane McLave – June 2016

What is HACCP

What is HACCP?

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If you are interested in getting trained individually or in a group, JobsatExcel offers the most affordable training courses in a central Dublin location. All courses are done by a registered and certified trainer with certificates of completion issued on the day. Contact info@futureprooftraining.ie for more information and to register your interest.

HACCP stands for Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point. It is a system that identifies where and when hazards may occur along food production and processing. HACCP puts into place action to take to prevent hazards from happening.

What are the seven principles of HACCP?

1.Identify The Hazards

Look at each step along the production line and food processing to identify potential hazards that may occur. This includes purchasing, delivery, storage, chilling, preparation and cooking and all the possibilities that could occur and go wrong. This include biological, physical and chemical hazards like salmonella and cross contamination.

2. Identify The Critical Control Points

Critical Control Points are regarded as steps or procedures along the process/production that can be applied and as a result a food safety hazard can be prevented, or reduced to an acceptable level. A Food Safety Hazard is any biological, chemical or physical property that may cause food to be unsafe for consumption.

3. Establish Critical limit

Set limits to which allow you to identify when a critical control point is eliminated. This point is the minimum or maximum value in which a physical, biological or chemical hazard can be prevented or made safe to an acceptable level.

4. Establish A System To Monitor Control Of The CCP

Monitoring ensures that processes are under control under each identified CCP. This step ensures that CCP’s and critical limits have been identified, they are monitored and recorded. This will depend on the size and type of business you have/work in.

An example: Probe refrigerated food to ensure that it is being maintained below 5°C.

5. Establish Corrective Action

When monitoring indicates that a particular Critical Control Point is not under control, corrective action must be taken.

6. Establish procedures and verification

Review and correct the system whenever you make changes to your operations.

7. Establish procedures for verifying the HACCP system is working as intended.

A successful HACCP plan will have the verification to prove its effectiveness. Verification procedures will include HACCP plans, CCP records and critical limits. Appropriate documentation and records must be kept and be readily available, with the complexity and length of HACCP records depending on the business.

What Is A Critical Limit?

A Critical Limit is a maximum or minimum value to which a biological, chemical or physical parameter must be controlled at CCP, to prevent, eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level.

Temporary and Seasonal Job Interview Questions

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A job is a job, whether it’s temporary or permanent. Employers who hire seasonal workers look for the same qualities they seek when hiring long-term employees. Attitude, professionalism, and a good work ethic are all crucial in landing a job. Hiring seasonal employees is fairly similar to hiring anyone else, and you can normally expect the usual set of interview questions. However, at the same time, there are a few key differences that separate seasonal and permanent positions and the same inevitable questions for temporary jobs will always creep up.

Why are you in the market for temporary employment?

This question will almost definitely come up in every interview you undertake for temporary work and you shouldn’t be put off by the employer’s frankness at asking it. Make sure you develop a convincing answer avoiding any responses that may tend to make you sound less than reliable.

Are there any gaps in your résumé?

Gaps are a standard thing in even the most experienced CV’s and they arise for numerous reasons which employers understand. However, a lot of seasonal workers look for jobs cyclically with the idea to try and make extra money around the holidays and if they are previously familiar with temporary employment. The point to stress is that seasonal employees need to be reliable. No-one wants to be stuck with inadequate staffing. You will be asked to explain any CV gaps. Be honest, as a recruiter or employer will immediately see through you if you aren’t. They will notice the gaps and chase you on the dates from the offset so be honest from the beginning, highlighting why and how the gaps arose and emphasising your ability and reliability towards the job.

Choose responses that pinpoint your professionalism.

Employers are looking for the candidates most likely to get up to speed quickly with little or no difficulty. Act as professionally as you would if applying for a permanent, career-enhancing position, and don’t be shy about highlighting your experience. Some people have a tendency to overlook and under prepare for temporary or seasonal jobs.

Clearly outline your level of schedule flexibility.

Hospitality and Retail are the main sources of seasonal employment and are often the most demanding, customer focused and fast paced jobs possible. They require constant customer communication, thus flexibility is imperative considering the influx of customers throughout the extended busy period and how all types of consumers need to be catered too. Often when hiring, the employer will give a guideline of the rough hours of work, most commonly being evening and weekends. If you cannot adhere to these, or have very little flexibility it is not worth your time. What employers want is someone who is either fully flexible or able to abide by the agreed hours. Not being honest will only lead to contention down the line and a bad rapport between you and employer.

Use examples that demonstrate your ability to learn quickly.

Job seekers who can easily adjust to new work environments and swiftly get up to speed in an unfamiliar setting are exactly what employers are looking for. In your interview answers, choose past experiences and scenarios that illustrate this and your instant adaptability and ability to the job.

Long term availability

Temporary work, for the most part is for a fixed term and like name suggests, is just temporary. However, there is often a possibility that particularly promising temp staff may be offered permanent positions after the busier period cools down. Most temps would be enthused at the possibility of a long term and permanent job. Subtly skew your answers to this in the interview if you feel that the interviewer would be receptive towards these. However, remember that for the majority of the time, temporary work will only be for the agreed period.

 

Bank of Ireland Hotel Review 15/16

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Bank of Ireland Business Banking released their 15/16 review and outlook for Irish Hotels, combining data from the CSO, Fáilte Ireland and Savills. Undoubtedly Irish Hospitality remains incredibly positive and proposed figures suggest it is likely to further grow in 2016. The report was led by Gerardo Larios Rizo, Head of Hospitality for Bank of Ireland. You can view the full report from Bank of Ireland, here.