Three of Northern Ireland's leading business groups have expressed disappointment at last night’s decision of Derry-Strabane Council to hike business rates by 3.5%.
Retail NI, Hospitality Ulster and Manufacturing NI had jointly written to all eleven council Chief Executives urging them to strike a rate at around 0% given the pressures their members are under with paying excessively high rate bills.
Retail NI, Hospitality Ulster and Manufacturing NI Chief Executives, Glyn Roberts, Colin Neill and Stephen Kelly said:
Mash Direct take the lead in Northern Ireland to champion Veg Power and ITV campaign on healthy eating for children.
Mash Direct have joined forces with Veg Power and ITV in an exciting new campaign, Eat Them To Defeat Them which launched last week across ITV. This is a new radical initiative to inspire children to eat more vegetables and Mash Direct are the driving force behind communicating this campaign across Northern Ireland.
Commenting on the theft of an ATM from a Spar store on Glenavy Road, near Moira, this morning, Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:
“This is a disgraceful attack on one of our members. It is has caused extensive damage to a local retailer that provides an invaluable service to the local community”
Ahead of the tobacco ‘track and trace’ regulations coming into effect on 20th May 2019, HMRC has published information about how the upcoming regulations will affect retailers selling and storing tobacco products. This is the first information that HMRC have made public about how retailers will be required to comply with the regulations. The guidance also includes information for wholesalers which covers recording sales, scanning tobacco products and aggregating unit packs.
Twenty representatives from business, farming, trade unions and the community and voluntary sector are travelling to London today (Monday 28th January) to speak directly to the leaders of Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Scottish National Party stressing to them the need for Parliament to unite and protect Northern Ireland jobs, consumers and the economy.
The group has also invited all 18 local MPs to meet with them.
Retail NI has described the suspension of the Rural ATM Rate Relief Scheme, which is costing Retail NI members an extra £130,000 as disgraceful. The scheme provided rates relief on external ATMs for over seventy independent retailers in rural areas has been suspended as a result of Stormont not meeting.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:
“This is a completely unacceptable situation, with rural independent retailers receiving additional rate bills of up to £8k on top of already high business rate costs”
Retail NI has set out its priorities for 2019. The business organisation, which has 1800 members, is approaching its twentieth year and says that Brexit, Local Government Elections, City Deals and retail modernisation are among its priorities.
Retail NI CEO Glyn Roberts said:
“2019 will be a critical year for Northern Ireland and its economy. Brexit, no Stormont Government for a second year and the reconstruction of the retail sector and the high street are all huge challenges”
Retail NI has welcomed the publication of the Town Centres Expert Panel report.
The expert group was chaired by Sir John Timpson, who was appointed by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister Jake Berry MP.
Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:
“This is a very worthwhile and well thought out document which sets out new thinking for the future of our town centres in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. It is very much in line with our own Regeneration NI report which we launched a few weeks ago”
