Category: News

Three young Irish chefs in semi- finals of the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Three young Irish chefs have qualified for the semi-finals of the San Pellegrino Young Chef of the Year, beating thousands of chefs from over 90 countries.

Killian Crowley from Michelin-starred Aniar, Michael Tweedie from Adare Manor, and Romuald Bukaty from The Clayton, Dublin Airport have all qualified for the semi-finals of the prestigious semi-final of the competition.

Killian Crowley is Chef de Partie at Galway’s Aniar Restaurant will hope with his Turbot, kohlrabi, sea purslane dish will win out at the finals in London this month. Limerick Chef Michael Tweedie, head chef at The Oakroom Restaurant at Adare Manor, will present his Duncannon Lobster- a ravioli of scallop, lobster and basil, lightly spiced lobster bisque while Chef de Partie at The Clayton, Dublin Airport Romuald Bukaty will present his ‘Hey John Dory’ dish for the competition.

The three young chefs have been progressed to the semi-finals out of thousands of applications submitted from over 90 different countries. The semi-final will take place in Aveqia, London on Monday 20th of November, with the finals taking place in June 2018. Michelin-starred chef Mickael Viljanen from The Greenhouse, Dublin, will judge the semi-final along with chefs Angela Hartnett, Alyn Williams and Phil Howard.

Each finalist will be assigned a “Mentor Chef” (a member of their regional jury), who will provide them guidance on how to improve their signature dishes and support them in their preparation for the international finals.

Irish chefs have a successful track record in the competition with Irishman Mark Moriarty the inaugural winner in 2015. Moriarty went on to become an international ambassador for Irish food.

Dublin Hotels

Dublin hotels full over 300 nights of the year

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

There has been a call for the development of new hotel properties after a Fáilte Ireland report found that limitations on accommodation capacity in key areas are a major barrier to future growth. Reports have shown that business is strong from overseas visitors and bookings and performance are ahead of last year, despite a decline in U.K candidates.

Total overseas arrivals to Ireland from January to August show a record 6.7 million visitors, which is an increase of 2.5%. This increase comes from an increase in the number of North American visitors, up by 18%. This increase shows that North Americans have overtaken UK visitors, traditionally the most important group to the Irish hospitality industry, in terms of revenue spent.

There have been 5 hotels opening this decade in Dublin City Centre and only 1 new hotel opening this year. Property management company JLL have called upon industry stakeholders including planning authorities, hoteliers and developers to encourage and pursue the development of new hotels in the capital’s city centre.

Commenting on the report, Senior Vice President at JLL, Dan O’Connor said, “New hotel rooms are urgently needed in Dublin City and we welcome the publication of Failte Ireland’s latest SOAR report which calls for new hotel supply now.” He added, “With one of the highest hotels occupancy levels of any European City, new hotel supply is necessary to cater for the significant leisure, corporate and group demand now facing Dublin City. We will lose out on millions of spend for the capital, if we don’t deliver new hotel and apart-hotel supply swiftly.”

 

 

Retail News Roundup

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Hotel Chocolat to open first Irish café

British chocolatier chain Hotel Chocolat has announced its plans to open its first ever Irish café. The brand will open an Irish branch in Dundrum Shop will be opening its first ever Irish café this October. According to Retail Times, the new venue will occupy a 102 square metre space in Dublin’s Dundrum shopping centre and will be offering customers a number of new cocoa-based beverages as well as the firm’s full range of exclusive chocolates. Commenting on the announcement, Simon Betty, director of retail for Ireland at the company that owns Dundrum shopping centre, Hammerson, asserted, “Hotel Chocolat is a perfect fit for Dundrum, where it will trade alongside other premium brands…Since taking ownership of Dundrum last year, we have worked to leverage our relationships with domestic and international brands in order to ensure an exciting and fresh retail mix, and this latest debut is a testament to the success of that strategy.”

Arnotts to get further €4m refresh

The Selfridges Group will invest €4m of fresh capital into Arnotts, the iconic Dublin department store. The capital will be used to enhance both the group’s store as well as its online presence and IT capabilities. There has already been significant work done to the store, which will continue over the next 12 to 24 months. The store has redesigned its interior layout, with its famous ‘Shoe Garden’ moving from the ground floor to the first in order to bring women’s footwear and clothing together. The store’s accessories and beauty halls will be refurbished and popular fashion brand Michael Kors will be added to the store’s offering. The store is working on an overhaul of its website, Arnotts.com, which will soon be relaunched following a substantial investment as well as a redesign.

Release date announced for Heidi Klum’s fashion line with Lidl

Supermodel Heidi Klum’s much-anticipated clothing line with supermarket Lidl has been given a release date. The line will be officially launched at New York Fashion Week on September 7th and will be available in 10,000 stores worldwide from September 21st. The collection will feature clothing, along with shoes and accessories. Prices said to be starting from €5.99 with Klum saying she wanted to “create fashion with a wow effect that is easy to combine and makes every woman look fantastic – and all at an unbeatable price.” The new collection is titled “Esmara by Heidi Klum: Heidi and the City” and both Klum and Lidl have shared teasers of the collection ahead of its fashion week launch.

Increase in minimum wage to primarily affect hospitality and retail says Taoiseach

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Business groups have expressed their concern about the impact of increasing the minimum wage on small businesses ability to remain profitable.

Yesterday, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar announced that the minimum wage is set to rise to €9.55, an increase of 3.2%. The increase comes after recommendations from the Low Pay Commission. The increase will come into effect from January 1st, 2018. It will be the fourth increase in the past five yea Taoiseach Leo Varadkar , speaking at the announcement yesterday said “It’s an increase well ahead of inflation, well ahead of average wage growth in the economy. It is modest. It works out at about an extra €12 per week but it is still an important step in the right direction,” he said.

Mr. Varadkar said the cost would fall primarily to private sector employers in industries such as retail and hospitality. He said they had more than five months’ notice before the increase took effect on January 1st, 2018.rs and at least 150,000 workers will benefit.

Business groups representing employers in retail and hospitality industries have pointed out that Ireland’s minimum wage is already one of the highest in Europe and have claimed there is “no economic basis” for a 30 cent per hour increase in the minimum wage as Brexit looms on the horizon.

In a statement following the announcement, employers’ group Ibec said the increase was not justified and warned that it came at a time when businesses were exposed to competitive threats from Brexit.

 

 

retailers

Retailers say €200m in local authority rates lost due to inefficient collection

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Retailers have called for a complete reform of the system local authorities use to collect rates.

According to Retail Ireland, the Ibec group representing retailers, more than €200 million is lost each year in local authority rates that go uncollected. The group say that a lack of consistency and clarity in how the charges are applied and collected is impacting Irish retail competitiveness and negatively affecting town centre renewal.

The group today launched a new policy paper ‘Tackling the Rates Burden’ in which they say there are ‘serious deficiencies’ in the current system governing how local authority rates are levied and collected, resulting in over €200 million in uncollected rates each year.

According to the policy paper, under the current system retailers who operate on a nationwide basis have to deal with 31 local authorities, most of which have radically different ways of operating. This makes business planning on a national level difficult and deters investment.

Retailers are also calling for a disassociation between rents and rates. Retailer say that linking the two charges has led to many retailers paying disproportionate costs as a result of upward-only rent reviews becoming increasingly common.

Retail Ireland have proposed that local and national government make the following changes in policy-

  1. Introduce a centralised collection process
  2. Stop linking rents to rates
  3. Reform the revaluation system
  4. Progress on local government reform
  5. Increase local property tax intake

Retail Ireland Director Thomas Burke said: “Local authority rates make up a significant portion of total input costs for Irish retailers. The current system is opaque, inconsistent, inefficient and expensive to operate.”

Mr Burke also said “Retailers have seen a significant increase in rates in recent years with very little return in terms of new service provision. This is of particular concern as retailers feel the pressure of rising costs across a range of other inputs such as labour, rent and utilities.”

 

Hotel News

Hotel News

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Skellig Star due to reopen

The Skellig Star hotel, formerly known as the Watermaque Hotel, is due to reopen later this month after a €3 million refurbishment and is expected to give tourism in the area a major boost.

The 56 bedroom hotel has been rebranded as the Skellig Star as well as being upgraded to include adjoining apartments, function rooms and other additional facilities

The coastal area is well-known for its stunning views of the Atlantic and has in recent years has, also, benefited significantly in the past few years by the filming of Star Wars on nearby Skellig Michael.

The hotel’s reopening later this month comes as preparations continue for the opening of the nearby Hog’s Head Golf Club, which is the first course in Ireland to be completed by the architecture firm of Robert Trent Jones II and also incorporates a hotel.

Gleeson’s pub in Booterstown to become hotel

Gleeson’s pub in Booterstown is to be extended into a boutique hotel to meet the demand for hotel accommodation in the city.

The well-known pub is expected to invest around €1.6 million into the development, adding 16 bedrooms above the existing extensive food and beverage facilities. The premise’s existing restaurant will undergo a redesign to include a lobby for the new hotel.

Gleeson’s is expected to pitch its new rooms within the mid-to-upper range of the market and the bedrooms are expected to be larger in size than the city standard. The overall business is expected to be rebranded to mark its entry into the hotel market.

239 bedroom coming to Dublin’s Liberties

A new hotel has been confirmed for the Liberties area of Dublin. The hotel is a part of a multi-million euro regeneration of the area in the capital’s south inner city and is in the early stages of development along with an indoor market, micro-brewery and retail and office space.

The regeneration development scheme will be based around Newmarket is set to be centred around the Newmarket Square area. The works will begin with the demolition of a 1970s enterprise centre.

The overall development will extend to over 400,000 square foot, generating 1,700 permanent jobs as well as augmenting the already established Teelings Distillery.

Cushman & Wakefield, commercial partners of real estate agency, Sherry Fitzgerald, are handling the development, while the design team for the project is a partnership between Reddy Architecture + Urbanism and Mola.

Planning permission is currently in the process of being lodged with Dublin City Council.

Lifting of Good Friday alcohol ban will extend to restaurants and hotels

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

The Good Friday ban on the sale of alcohol is to be lifted from all premises including hotels, restaurants and clubs, by 2018.

The Government is to ensure that the lifting of the ban on the sale of alcohol on Good Friday will apply to all premises rather than be restricted to pubs and off licences.

Minister for Justice Frances Fitzgerald has announced that the Government would not oppose a Private Member’s Bill submitted earlier this year by Independent Senator Billy Lawless. Mr Lawless’ bill sought to remove the 90-year-old ban for pubs and off-licences.

Ms Fitzgerald had pointed out, however, that it would lead to further legal anomalies, and she will today ask her Cabinet colleagues to consider amendments to ensure that the abolition will also apply to restaurants, clubs and hotels.

The Government’s initial intention had been to lift the ban with its own legislation that would aim to reform the sale, supply and consumption of alcohol. The Sale of Alcohol Bill is expected to come before the Dáil later this year, but the Government will remove the prohibition through amendments to Mr Lawless’s Bill, so that the proposals can pass through the Oireachtas well in advance of Good Friday 2018.

A Government source speaking to the Irish Times newspaper said: “While the Bill would, if enacted in its current form, permit the sale of intoxicating liquor on Good Friday in public houses and off-licences, it would not permit such sales in other categories of licensed premises, such as restaurants and hotels. Moreover, it would not apply in the case of registered clubs. It would therefore introduce further anomalies and unfair trading conditions in respect of the sale of alcohol on Good Friday.”

The changes that are to be considered by the Cabinet aim to “to remove these anomalies by allowing for the sale of alcohol in all categories of licensed premises on Good Friday”.

nearly 20,000 jobs created

Nearly 20,000 jobs created in first three months of 2017

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Nearly 20,000 jobs were created within the Irish economy in the first three months of 2017 as employment growth in Ireland continues to accelerate.

The latest Quarterly National Household Survey (QNHS) is considered the most accurate indicator of the state of the labour market and today shows there was an annual increase in employment of 3.5% or 68,600 in the first quarter of 2017. This brings total employment to 2.04 million, which is still below the State’s peak employment level, recorded as 2.16 million in the first quarter of 2008. Quarterly, employment grew by 19,300 in the first quarter of 2017, which was the fastest rate of growth recorded in nearly four years. This follows increases of 16,800 and 14,600 in the previous two quarters.

Employment increased in 11 of the 14 sectors reviewed as part of the survey. The largest rates of annual increase were recorded in the information and communication sector, which saw employment rise by 7,500 or 8.8% and the construction sector, where employment rose by 8.5% or 11,100. However, there were falls in employment in three sectors with the biggest decline coming in agriculture, forestry and fishing (-1,600), which one analyst linked to Brexit.

The QNHS showed there were 146,200 people classified as unemployed in the State in the first quarter of 2017, following an annual decrease 33,200 or 18.5%.Analysts are predicting unemployment will fall to below 6% before the end of the year.

As a result, the Republic’s headline rate of unemployment for April was put at 6.4 per cent, which represents a slight upward revision on the monthly series. Having had one of the highest rates of unemployment in Europe only a few years ago, the Republic’s Ireland’s unemployed rate now stands significantly below the euro area average of 9.5%, impressive considering the country had one of the highest rates of unemployment in Europe a few years ago.

Improving conditions in the labour market has turned the tide on emigration, which had been a feature of the early part of the financial crisis, with the most recent population figures indicating the State was now experiencing net inward migration.Employers’ group Ibec welcomed what it described as “exceptionally strong jobs numbers”, suggesting they were a sign of the strength and substance behind the State’s business model, while noting that the economy was weathering Brexit uncertainty “very well”.

Irish Restaurant Awards 2017- Best Restaurants and Chefs in Ireland Announced

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

The best and the brightest of Ireland’s culinary scene gathered last night for the Restaurant Association’s annual awards.

The awards, the most awaited night in the restaurant industry’s social calendar and dubbed ‘the food Oscars’ took place in the Clayton Hotel in Dublin and were presented by Sile Seoige and Barry Murphy.

The biggest awards of the night went to of Best Restaurant went to Chapter One in Dublin owned by chef Ross Lewis and Best Chef went to Danni Barry, Ireland’s only female Michelin starred chef.

Ms Barry from Co Down is head chef at Deanes Eipic in Belfast. She previously worked with UK chef Simon Rogan at L’Enclume, as well as running the kitchen at Rogan & Co in Cartmel.

Six chefs, all previous winners of the regional titles, plus a representative of the hotel hosting the event, were each responsible for one course at the awards banquet, served to more than 900 industry figures. The panel of chefs was made up of Gary O’Hanlon (Viewmont House), Finbarr Higgins (The Clayton, formerly of The K Club), Jonathan Keane (The Lodge at Ashford Castle) Kevin Aherne (Sage, Cork), Gareth Mullins (The Marker Hotel) and David Gillmore (James Street South).

AWARD WINNERS

Best Restaurant

All -Ireland – Chapter One, Dublin

Dublin – Chapter One, Dublin

Connaught – Kai Café & Restaurant, Galway

Leinster – Sha-Roe Bistro, Carlow

Munster – Wild Honey Inn, Clare

Ulster– MacNean House & Restaurant, Cavan

Best Chef

All -Ireland – Danni Barry of Deanes Eipic, Antrim

Dublin – Ciaran Sweeney of Forest & Marcy, Dublin

Connaught – Shamzuri Hanifa of The Cottage Restaurant, Leitrim

Leinster – Gary O’Hanlon of VM Restaurant at Viewmount House, Longford

Munster – Keith Boyle of The Bay Tree Bistro, Waterford

Ulster – Danni Barry of Deanes Eipic, Antrim

Best Restaurant Manager

All -Ireland – Alain Kerloc’h of Ox, Antrim

Dublin – John Healy of Suesey Street, Dublin

Pub of the Year

All -Ireland – Morrissey’s, Laois

Dublin – The Long Hall, Dublin

Connaught – John Morans Bar, Mayo

Leinster – Morrissey’s, Laois

Munster – Davy Macs, Waterford

Ulster – The Coach House & Olde Bar, Monaghan

Best Hotel Restaurant

All -Ireland – The Dining Room at Gregans Castle Hotel, Clare

Dublin – The Saddle Room at The Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin

Connaught – Wildes at the Lodge, Mayo

Leinster – Ballyfin Demesne, Laois

Munster – The Dining Room at Gregans Castle Hotel, Clare

Ulster – St Kyrans Country House Restaurant, Cavan

Best Newcomer

All -Ireland – Forest & Marcy, Dublin

Dublin – Forest & Marcy, Dublin

Connaught – Cian’s On Bridge Street, Mayo

Leinster – No. Three Old Bar & Restaurant, Louth

Munster – Holy Smoke, Cork

Ulster – Bull & Ram, Down

Best Gastro Pub

All -Ireland – Walled City Brewery, Derry

Dublin – The Exchequer, Dublin

Connaught – Keenans of Tarmonbarry Gastro Bar, Roscommon

Leinster – Mary Barry’s Bar, Wexford

Munster – Morrissey’s Bar and Restaurant, Clare

Ulster – Walled City Brewery, Derry

Best Customer Service

All -Ireland – The Maigue Restaurant at Dunraven Arms Hotel, Limerick

Dublin – Chapter One, Dublin

Connaught – Library Restaurant at Belleek Castle, Mayo

Leinster – Lennons @ Visual, Carlow

Munster – The Maigue Restaurant at Dunraven Arms Hotel, Limerick

Ulster – MacNean House & Restaurant, Cavan

Best Casual Dining

All -Ireland – The Muddlers Club, Antrim

Dublin – Etto, Dublin

Connaught – Bar One, Mayo

Leinster – Wild and Native, Wexford

Munster – Momo Restaurant, Waterford

Ulster – The Muddlers Club, Antrim

Best Wine Experience

All -Ireland – Ox Cave, Antrim

Dublin – Etto, Dublin

Connaught – Sheridans Cheesemongers Wine Bar, Galway

Leinster – Greenacres, Wexford

Munster – L’Atitude51 Wine Café, Cork

Ulster – Ox Cave, Antrim

Best Kids Size Me

All -Ireland – Café Rua, Mayo

Dublin – Farmhill, Dublin

Best World Cuisine

All -Ireland – Wa Café, Galway

Dublin – 777, Dublin

Best Café

All -Ireland – Lost & Found, Derry

Dublin – Meet Me in the Morning, Dublin

Local Food Hero

All -Ireland – Michael Kelly of GROW HQ, Waterford

Dublin – Brid & Colm Carter of Honest2Goodness, Dublin

Best Emerging Irish Cuisine

All -Ireland – Forest & Marcy, Dublin

Dublin – Forest & Marcy, Dublin

Best Digital Marketing

Two Boys Brew, Dublin

Best Cookery School

Riot Rye Bakehouse & Bread School, Tipperary

Best Private Dining & Club Restaurant

Pullman Restaurant at Glenlo Abbey Hotel, Galway

Best Seafood Experience

Fish Shop Queen St, Dublin

Best Cocktail Experience

Candlelight Bar at Siam Thai Dundrum, Dublin

Retail News- New brands coming to Ireland and planned revamps

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

New Homesense stores coming to Ireland

Popular homeware retailer Homesense has announce plans to open two brand new Irish stores.

The new stores will stock household items and decorations and be similar in size in TK Maxx stores. The stores will open this summer with two locations in Dublin and Cork and will create 60 jobs.

Homesense is the sister company of TK Maxx and specialises in soft furnishings and homewares at what they say are hugely discounted prices. TK Maxx’s homeware selection is hugely popular with Irish shoppers, with the company being open in Ireland for the last 20 years.

The first of the Homesense stores will open on June 8th at Westend Shopping Park, Blanchardstown, with a second store, on Grand Parade, Cork, opening on June 15th.

€50 revamp planned for Blanchardstown Shopping Centre

Blanchardstown Shopping Centre is set to get a makeover as its owner US asset manager, Blackstone, is expected to pump €50m into the shopping complex within the next few years.

over the next few years as part of a planned revamp of its ageing West Dublin shopping centre.

New York-based Blackstone bought the centre last year from Green Property for €950m, one of the largest real estate deals in the State’s history.

The company have not confirmed the refurbishment but are said to have set aside money to overhaul the 20-year old Blanchardstown Centre under a multi-year programme.

Blackstone have a successful history of turning around struggling shopping centres. Occupancy rates and footfall at Blanchardstown are already high but retail sources claimed rent increases at the shopping centre were piling pressure on retailers.

Gourmet food range Dean and Deluca launches in Brown Thomas today

Dean & DeLuca launches today in Brown Thomas’ Grafton Street store today. This will be the gourmet food brand’s first European store.

There will be “an extensive range of gourmet goods” available to Brown Thomas customers both in the stores Soho-inspired Level 3 space and online, including a selection of Dean & DeLuca gourmet products and speciality items such as the famous pasta sauces and signature pasta, along with risotto kits, truffle oils, porcini sea salts and a French seasoning collection.

The brand’s famous confectionery range will also be available which includes including almonds and hazelnuts in fine chocolate, toffee caramels and cheesecake caramels, as well as a selection of kitchenware.