Commenting on the decision of the Irish Supreme Court upholding the planning approval for the RoI section of the North-South Interconnector, Retail NI Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said:
“This is excellent news for our economy as it is an investment in the future of our energy infrastructure and securing electricity supply. In the longer term it will mean lower energy bills for our members”
“I hope that we will now see rapid progress for this vital project in Northern Ireland and no more unnecessary delays”
Retail NI and Hospitality Ulster have both written to the Secretary to State for Northern Ireland urging her to reduce the Regional Business Rate and include the £20m Future High Street Fund when the NIO sets the Northern Ireland budget.
The Future High Streets Fund was announced by the Chancellor in his last Budget and provides Northern Ireland with £20m to regenerate town centre (after Barnett Consequential).
Retail NI and Hospitality Ulster Chief Executives Glyn Roberts and Colin Neill said:
Commenting on the latest ATM Robbery at the Glendale filling station, Killyclogher Road in Omagh last night, Retail NI CEO Glyn Roberts said
“This is another disgraceful attack on an independent retailer. It is has caused extensive damage to a local convenience store which provides an invaluable service to the local community”
First Trust Bank has formally notified the Bank of England of its intention to cease own banknote issuance with effect from 1 July 2020. In preparation for this we will shortly begin dispensing Bank of England notes via our ATM network whilst continuing to re-circulate the banknotes of other authorised note-issuing banks, in conjunction with Bank of England notes, over our branch counters.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have published new guidance for the Retail Sector on Preparing For EU Exit. The guidance includes information on Importing and Exporting, Regulations and Standards, Employees and Personal Data. The guidance also signposts to the government tool, Prepare for EU Exit, which provides more detailed guidance on policy changes.
A delegation from Retail NI and Hospitality Ulster had a positive meeting with Department of Finance Permanent Secretary Sue Gray this morning to discuss Business Rates Reform, the Future High Streets Fund and the Northern Ireland Executive Departmental Budget.
Retail NI and Hospitality Ulster Chief Executives, Glyn Roberts and Colin Neill said:
“We left the Permanent Secretary and her officials in no doubt as to how bad the situation is in regard to our broken and antiquated system of business rates in Northern Ireland”
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.
