Dublin hotels saw highest occupancy in Europe in 2016

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Dublin hotels had the highest occupancy in Europe in 2016 and are forecast to stay on top in 2017 and 2018, according to PwC ‘s European cities’ hotel forecast 2017 and 2018.

The report found that hotel occupancy in Dublin was higher than London, Amsterdam, and Berlin within the same period. Dublin’s average daily room rate ranked ninth most expensive in Europe at €128.This average is expected to reach €138 in 2017 and even further to €147 in 2018.

The report showed that Geneva and Zurich in Switzerland had the highest average daily rate on the continent. The most expensive city is Geneva at €300, followed by Zurich at €245 and Paris at €229. PwC said while security concerns saw mixed fortunes for some city destinations in 2016, overall it was another record-breaking year for European tourism with 12m more visitors and almost 3bn nights spent in tourist accommodation.

Dublin Airport had a record-breaking 28m passengers in 2016, which exceeded the 2015 record by more than 2.8m. The report found that European hotel deal activity did see a slow down of nearly nearly 10% from the record high of €21bn in 2015 to €19bn in 2016, still the second-highest level ever recorded. The drop was largely driven by a slowdown in transaction volumes in the UK which fell by over 60%, due to Brexit uncertainty.

Barry Whelan Excel Recruitment

Why benefits are important for finding and keeping top talent

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Attention Employers! Barry Whelan, CEO of Excel Recruitment, discusses why benefits are important in a retail industry that more and more is becoming a candidate’s market….

Each year we complete a comprehensive salary & benefits survey to benchmark roles in the industry and examine the competitiveness of retail to attract talent.

With unemployment at 7.1% in February, it seems pretty obvious, that when it comes to retail, it is a candidates market.

With this in mind, we have seen a real increase in the benefits offered to employees. How employees value these benefits is a matter for debate, but when you look at global players and what they offer, taking a leaf from their benefits book, may help a business become the employer that stands out without putting employee costs through the roof.

Glassdoor, the American job site identified the ‘top 20 work benefit’s’ according to how the company’s employees enjoying those benefits rated them. The company’s employees write a comment on the Glassdoor site and they analyse these comments to come up with the most popular list. Interestingly as a US survey, top of the list is paid maternity/Paternity leave and health insurance, two benefits that we often take for granted in the Irish employment market.

So what could we learn from Employees in the world’s largest economy?

The retail industry in Ireland has some pretty significant players and whilst it’s not filled with Facebooks and Googles, with the stereotypical view of skateboards and ping pong tables in offices or employees able to take unlimited vacation time, these are not the benefits that employee’s value. According to Glassdoor, these don’t feature at all.

It is more worthwhile looking at what may be exciting to employees, whilst possible and affordable to the company. It is these benefits that lead companies to become that employer brand of difference. Remember these are not a list of the wildest or most comprehensive benefits, just those that employees valued.

As you can imagine companies operating in the tech and finance space feature heavily, but we also have a smattering of retail/hospitality businesses.

The top employee perks for 2017 that Glassdoor USA rate best are-

IKEA. Paid Paternity for four months

Reebok. On-site gym with Cross fit classes.

Bain & Company. Bain & company Soccer tournament

Goldman Sachs. Health cover for gender reassignment surgery since 2008

Facebook. Free housing for Interns

Scripps Health. Free pet insurance

Starbucks. Full reimbursement for all workers taking an online BA Degree.

American Express. Parents are given access to a 24-hour lactation consultant, and mothers traveling for business can ship their breast milk home.

Eventbrite. The company offers workers a monthly $60 wellness allowance that can be used on anything from juice cleanses to a gym membership.

Wholefoods Market. 20% staff discount

Gap. Provides free access to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to corporate employees. Gap founders Doris and Donald Fisher worked closely with the museum to feature their prominent private collection.

Swiss RE. Insurance company Swiss Re’s “Own the Way You Work” program encourages employees to embrace flexibility with their schedules and work remotely.

Southwest. Southwest offers all employees and their dependents access to Clear Skies, an employee assistance program that provides confidential counselling, work/life services, and legal consultations.

Genentech. Genentech offers unique on-site amenities, including car washes, haircuts, childcare centre, mobile spa and dentist.

Timberland. Timberland employees can take up to 40 hours of paid time off per year to volunteer.

Microsoft. $800 towards Gym membership

Deloitte. Two paid Sabbaticals

Amazon. Parental Share. Either Parent can take paid leave if one does not receive paid leave from their employer.

USAA. A high level health care plan

In-N-Out. Free Lunch

We all know the success of our businesses depend on the people working in them. Retail will become more and more competitive for talent as the year progresses. Perhaps adding some progressive benefits will help retain the talent and attract more.

Live events drum up 1.7 bn in revenue for Irish economy

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

A massive €1.7bn in revenue was created over a 12-month period by live entertainment events. Events such as concerts, festivals and theatre performances saw people attending in huge numbers, resulting in a major boost to the economy.

This number applies revenue created outside of the actual ticket price of the event which means that for every €1 spent on a concert or show, some €6.06 is generated in the rest of the economy. More than four million people attended Ticketmaster events on this island between March 1, 2015 and February 29 2016, generating employment for nearly 11,500 people. This included almost 300,000 overseas visitors.

In total, live events were the reason for approximately 3.7m bookings in Irish hotels and guesthouses, the equivalent of 54 ‘sold out’ All-Ireland finals at Croke Park. In the Republic alone, €1.3bn was generated by live events during those 12 months. In total, the events were attended by 3.4m people. Of these people, nearly 440,000 came from the North or overseas. Justin Green, of Wide Awake Communications, who carried out the study, said the entertainment industry was “frequently overlooked” when it came to its importance to the economy.

Of the nearly three million tickets sold for live events in the Republic during the period covered, some 2,262,090 were for music gigs, 860,946 were for arts, theatre and comedy events, and 293,375 were for family events and exhibitions.Music events generated up €900m in additional revenue, while arts, theatre and comedy generated €300m. Family events created a surge of €61m to the economy.

The report does not represent the total attendance at live events in Ireland, given that it only covers The report only covers Ticketmaster sales so does not represent the total attendance of live events.It also does not include the estimated 100,000 people who went to free live events during the same 12-month period.

The average age of most attendees at events in the Republic was 25 to 34 at 30%. Just over 25% of attendees were in the 35 to 44 age group, and 20% of people in the 16 to 24 age group.When it came to rating their experience at Ticketmaster events in Ireland, most attendees gave the events a positive review. Of nearly 6,000 respondents surveyed, they gave an average rating of 8.8 out of 10 for the quality of the event.

Some of the biggest concerts during the time period covered would have included Fleetwood Mac at the 3Arena, rockers AC/DC, and Foo Fighters, who played a huge gig at Slane Castle in May 2015.

Planning permission granted for a 175 bedroom hotel in Smithfield

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

Dublin City Council has granted planning permission for a 175 bedroom, five to seven-storey hotel in Smithfield.

The development will be undertaken by the Dublin Loft Company and will be situated at 6-11 Hendrick Street. The development will replace an existing 3,000 square foot single-storey property and will extend to 60,000 square feet.

The design statement as carried out by Hussey Architects detailed the planned look of the hotel. “The style of hotel will be in between a standard [Fáilte Ireland-classified] hotel and a contemporary boutique hotel aimed at younger visitors,”

The hotel’s ground floor is to have a bar, dining areas, bedrooms and ensuites, offices, with the remaining bedrooms and ensuites spread across the above stories. There will also be an outside landscaped courtyard area.

The planning report, filed by RPS Group on behalf of Dublin Loft Company said: “A key aim of the proposed development is to revive and reinstate the continuous line of street frontage which would have existed historically along Hendricks Street. A hotel use at this location in close proximity to Smithfield, the LUAS and a variety of visitor attractions will contribute to the vibrancy, vitality and overall continued regeneration of this area.”

Centra to open 20 more stores employing 460 people

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

centra

Centra have announced plans to open 20 more stores over the next year. Overall, the new stores will employ 460 new workers.

The convenience store brand had a massive year in 2016, with profits of more than €1.5bn, up 3% from the previous year. This success has encouraged the brand to expand their operations. The announcement was made at the chain’s annual conference in Killarney.

The brand will continue to re-energise its store network with the aim of capitalising on the shift in convenience grocery stores towards healthier options for consumers. The chain, which competes with the BWG-owned Spar stores as well as Mace and Londis, is continuing to roll out its “Live Every Day” store design, which gives greater prominence to fruits and salad offerings.

Martin Kelleher, Managing Director of Centra, said that, in the context of Ireland’s fiercely competitive convenience sector, the shift towards more healthy options is “definitely not a fad”. He said Centra had cut shelf space normally designated for fizzy drinks in favour of water sales, and have also tweaked the recipes for its baked in-store bread to reflect changing customer tastes, which has boosted sales by 10%.Sales of salad boxes are up 80%, while the range of fruits and other healthier options have been extended under the Live Every Day scheme.

Meanwhile, sales of in-store hot coffee have risen to €5 million a year across its network since Centra introduced its Frank and Honest brand, which was developed in-house. The chain will also accelerate the rollout of its Frank and Honest brand. It is currently available in 260 out of 450 Centra stores. This number will increase to 330 by the end of March.centra

Hotel Salary Survey

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Excel Recruitment are delighted to present our 2017 Hotel Salary Survey. 2016 was a phenomenal year for the Irish hospitality industry. Ireland’s food service industry experienced massive growth in 2016, reaching a record €7.5bn. 2016 was a record breaking year for visitors to Ireland, showing the number of international visitors increased to 8.8 million – up 10% on the previous year. 2017 is expected to see further growth of 4.5%, all of which means exciting times are ahead for the hospitality trade in Ireland. In terms of recruitment, the current market is incredibly competitive. It continues to be a candidates market with Chefs and HR Managers continuing to be in high demand. To see the results of our survey, please click below.

If you would like to discuss any of the findings or need advice on your staffing, please get in contact with us here. To view our current vacancies within Hospitality click here.

 

Hotel Salary Survey 2017 (2)

Barry Whelan Excel Recruitment

Part 2: Interview Questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Part 2: Interview Questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Following on from Part 1 of Interview Questions designed to trip you up, CEO of Excel Recruitment takes you through more tricky questions and how best to answer them…

The best interviewers develop their ability to ask the fewest number of questions that give the most amount of information. Strong recruiters manage to get the interviewees to do all the work. The best interviewers also have the ability to gain the truth from a candidate. This can be done in two ways, ask the same question multiple ways watching out for conflicting or different answers or by asking seemingly simple questions that get the interviewee to reveal information they may have been trying to conceal

In other words: questions designed to trip you up

Can you name three of your strengths and weaknesses?

Why do they ask this? The interviewer is looking for red flags and deal breakers, such as inability to work well with colleagues and/or an inability to work under pressure.

Each job has its own unique requirements, so your answers should really show your applicable strengths, whilst each of your weaknesses should have a silver lining that indicates that negative attributes have diminished because of positive actions taken.

How does this question trip you up? You can sabotage yourself revealing either. Exposing your weaknesses can hurt you if not ultimately turned into positives while the strengths you list may not align with the skill set or work style required for the job.

What response you should give? The Interviewer wants to know that your strengths will be a direct asset to the new position and none of your weaknesses would hurt your ability to perform.

Can you tell me about yourself?

Why do they ask this? They ask to determine how you see yourself in relation to the position. The interviewer is listening for a level of confidence in how well you portray yourself through the information that is communicated. Additionally, the interviewer is listening for strong behavioural competencies which help determine a right fit with the job. If this opening answer is weak, it can be a disaster, ending an interview prematurely.

How does this question trip you up? It can tempt you to talk about your personal life, which you shouldn’t. Most interviewees are not versed in seeing this as a trick question, so they may answer by speaking from a personal perspective: ‘I have three kids, I’m married, etc.'”. Believe it or not, even the most seasoned candidate falls for this question especially when prompted by the interviewer to elaborate.

What response should you give? A focused, razor-sharp answer conveying your value to the organization and department. The employer wants to hear about your achievements broken down into two or three succinct bullet points that will set the tone of the interview. Stay sharp and convey your top strengths when answering this question.

Give the interviewer answers that highlight analytical skills, problem-solving ability, sizing up talent or leadership ability to turnaround business performance, among other things.

You need to convey behavioural traits in your response. It sets the tone for the interviewer to ask more targeted questions.

Why do you want to work here?

Why do they ask this? Interviewers ask this because they want to know what drives you the most, how well you’ve researched them, and how much you want the job.

How does this question trip you up? Clearly you want to work for the company for several reasons, you wouldn’t be attending an interview if you didn’t! However, how you list these reasons reveals a lot about what is important to you.

You may be thinking to yourself, “I’m not getting paid what I’m worth,” or, “I have a terrible boss,” or, “All things being equal, this commute is incredibly short” — none of which endears you to the interviewer.

You’re also being tested on your level of interest for the job.

What response are they looking for? The interviewer wants to see that you’ve taken the time to research the company and understand the industry.

They also want to know that you actually want this job (and not just any job); that you have a can-do attitude; that you are high energy; that you can make a significant contribution; that you understand their mission and goals; and that you want to be part of that mission.

Why do you want to leave your current job?

Why do they ask this? Your future boss is looking for patterns or anything negative, especially if your positions are many and short-term. They may try to determine if you currently have or had issues working with others leading to termination, if you get bored quickly in a job, or other red flags.

How does this question trip you up? No one likes talking about a job they dislike and why. If not answered diplomatically, your answer could raise further questions and doubts, or sink your chances entirely.

What response are they looking for? They are hoping that you’re seeking a more challenging position that is a better fit for your current skill set. Remember, your future boss doesn’t mind hearing that you’re particularly excited about the growth opportunity at their company.

Grocery Salary Survey 2017

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

Our Salary Survey 2017 is now available.

This past year has been a curious time for the grocery industry with the uncertainty brought by Brexit and other global factors continuing to affect retailers. Fears over the minimum wage increase to €9.25 per hour which concerned some retailers, does not seem to have any major effects. The industry as a whole has weathered through successfully and Christmas 2016 was particularly good for most with shoppers spending an extra €92 million. The market outlook for 2017 is increasingly positive and over 80% of Irish employers have said they expect to be recruiting in 2017.

The ‘Gender Gap’ and disparity between the salaries paid to men and women also became a hot topic in 2016. Our research shows that no such gap exists within the retail industry, as all levels of manager are paid dependent on experience and hours worked, regardless of gender.

Excel Recruitment have been recruiting for the Irish Grocery Market for over 15 years. Our Grocery Team is comprised of former Grocery Managers, passionate about retail, who know the industry inside out. This survey was compiled and designed to give our clients and candidates a guide as to the current market prices for the various roles within the Irish Grocery market.

If you would like to discuss any of our findings, need advice on your staff planning, or assistance with your recruitment needs please feel free to contact our Grocery team here.

All Grocery Jobs with Excel Recruitment are available here.

2017 Grocery Salary Survey

 

Interview questions designed to trip you up! By CEO Barry Whelan

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

In the first of our new series, CEO of Excel Recruitment Barry Whelan takes you through some tricky interview questions designed to really test you and more importantly, how to ace them.

In the below examples, the interviewer ask seemingly simple questions that get the interviewee to reveal information they may have been trying to conceal; questions that break through the traditional interview noise and clutter, and get to the raw information.

How would you describe yourself in one word?

Why do they ask this? The question is likely being asked to find out your personality type, how confident you are in yourself and how you would ‘Fit’ the organisation recruiting.

How does this question trip you up? This question can be a challenge, particularly early on in the interview, because you don’t know what personality type the company is looking for and whilst there is no point pretending to be something you are not, there are also many ways (and Personality Types) to get the job done. People are multifaceted, so putting a short label on oneself can seem nearly impossible.

What response should you give? Always stick with the conservative route. For instance if you’re reliable and dedicated, but your friends praise your clever humour, go with the former.

If you’re applying for an accounting job, the one word descriptor should not be “creative,” and if it’s an art director position, you don’t want it to be, “punctual,” for example.

In general, most employers today are seeking team players that are level headed under pressure, positive, honest, reliable, and dedicated, however, it would be a mistake just to rattle off adjectives that you think will be well received when in fact this is an opportunity to describe how your best attributes are a great match for the job as you see it.

How does this position compare to others you are applying for?

Why do they ask this? They’re basically asking ‘What other jobs are you applying for?’ The recruiting manager is just trying to find out how active you are in the job market. Once you open up, they want to see how you speak about other companies or positions you’re interested in and how honest you are.

How does this question trip you up? If you tell them that theirs is the only job that you have applied for that will send up a red flag. Very few job applicants only apply to the one single job — so they may assume you’re being dishonest. However, if you openly speak about other positions you’re pursuing, and you speak favourably about them, the hiring manager may worry that you’ll end up taking another job elsewhere, and they won’t want to waste their time.

What response should you give? Leave things open, express your desire to find the right role. Perhaps tell them that there are several companies with whom I am interviewing, however, I’ve not yet decided the best fit for me. This response is positive and protects you from having to bad mouth or talk up competitors.

What kind of manager and colleagues have you had the most and least success with, and why?

Why do they ask this? Interviewers are trying to ascertain if you generally have conflicts with people or personality types. They also want to know how you work best.

How does this question trip you up? You can run the risk of appearing difficult if you admit to unsuccessful interactions with others. You may also inadvertently describe some of the attributes of your prospective Manager.

What response should you give? Firstly, concentrate on giving more good than bad news. It’s always best to start out with the positive and downplay the negatives. You don’t want to be evasive, but this is not the time to outline all your personality shortcomings either. Here you have an opportunity to speak generally about traits that you admire in others, yet appear flexible enough to work with a variety of personality types.

For an example try, ‘I think I work well with most people and a variety of personalities’.

What would you do if you won €6 Million tomorrow?

Why do they ask this? They want to know whether you’d still work if you didn’t need the money. Your response to this question tells the employer about your motivation and work ethic. They may also want to know what you’d spend the money on, or whether you’d invest it. This tells them how responsible you are with your money, and how mature you are as a person.

How does this question trip you up? Questions that are out of left field can ambush you, causing you to lose composure. They have nothing to do with the job at hand, and you may wonder if there is any significance to them. If you don’t pause and gather your thoughts before you respond to a question like this, you might lose your cool or come back with a clanger.

What response should you give? They want to hear that you would continue working because you’re passionate about what you do and they also want to know you would make smart financial decisions. If you’d do something irresponsible with your own money, they’ll worry you’ll be careless with theirs.

Retail figures up in November, helped by boost in electrical sales

Posted on | by Aisling Rafferty

 

November saw Irish retail sales rise by .9% in comparison to the previous month, according to the latest statistics from the Central Statistics Office (CSO)

If auto sales are excluded, the picture is even more positive with the monthly increase rising to 3.1%. There was a rise of 4.3% on an annual basis compared to the same period in 2015.

November was a particularly impressive month for electrical sales which rose by 17% compared to October. It is thought the significant pump could be caused by consumers purchasing early Christmas presents. However, electrical sales have seen an annual rise of 13.8% which means the rise is consistent.

Pharmaceuticals and cosmetics sales also saw a sharp rise in November with a gain of 7.9% on the previous month and an annual rise of 10.2%.

Overall, the results are positive for the sector showing steady growth throughout the year. The figures are particularly positive when the uncertainty brought about by Brexit in the middle of the year is taken into account.

Consumer confidence and retail sales hit their highest numbers in 15 years in January 16 but saw a dip after the UK’s vote to leave the EU.

One significant issue with the CSO figures are foreign retailers selling into Ireland are excluded from the calculations. This means that online retailers such as Amazon and other large global firms are excluded from the final data released.

The strong sales figures were unquestionably boosted by the growing popularity of Black Friday, which takes place on the last Friday of November.

Retail sales are expected to grow a further 4-5% in the coming year. Despite the positive news, consumer spending growth is expected to slow in 2017 due to global political and economic uncertainty.