Welcome to the June edition of Bord Bia's Ireland Market Foodservice Newsletter.
A final reminder to anyone that missed our mid-year Foodservice Lunch&Learn event last month, that a recording is available via our webpage at this link. This was a one hour webinar with a global focus on all things foodservice and included a presentation from Maria Castroviejo of Rabobank’s Food&Agribusiness division.
Trend of the Month
Technology driving growth in Off-premise
One of the five major global foodservice trends taking place that we called out at our recent Lunch&Learn webinar is the growth in Off-Premise.
Starbucks has been making recent headlines confirming it is considering launching delivery-only sites across the US to meet growing demand for convenience and make its stores portfolio more efficient.
Chief Financial Officer, Rachel Ruggeri said delivery is becoming ‘a more meaningful part’ of Starbucks’ US business and launching delivery-only sites would ‘take the complexity out of existing stores’, where staff manually manage orders from in-store, drive-thru and delivery channels. Source: www.worldcoffeeportal.com
In China, Starbucks has recently unveiled a new concept known as "Starbucks Curbside" in collaboration with digital map provider Amap. Customers can order from a Starbucks store along their route. At the designated pick-up location, customers need only roll down their car windows to receive their coffee without leaving their vehicles. Starbucks Curbside uses advanced tracking tech for precision and convenience, calculating arrival times and enabling employees to craft and deliver drinks at the perfect moment. Source: Mintel Trends
General Industry News
Minister Announces €300k In Funding For Agri-Food Tourism Projects
Hospitality Ireland – 07.06.2023
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue has announced €300,000 in funding for 17 local agri-food tourism projects. The statement published on Gov.ie quoted Minister McConalogue as saying, "The connection between agriculture and rural tourism is real and tangible given that we are such a great food nation with a strong track hospitality record. It is great to be able to support these initiatives in the agri-food tourism sector and build on progress already made. There is a great interest from across the country this year which highlights the interest in agri-food tourism and its importance to communities. Our 10-year roadmap for the agriculture sector Food Vision 2030, highlights the natural synergy between agri-food and local tourism.
Overseas Arrivals to Ireland Increased Year on Year in April
Hospitality Ireland – 01.06.2023
The number of overseas arrivals to Ireland in April 2023 increased by 20.9%, compared to the same month last year, according to the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Speaking on the increase, statistician Gregg Patrick was quoted as saying: ““The recovery is seen in both modes of travel – air and sea – although the recovery in air travel is most pronounced, as it was up by 21.8% in April 2023, compared with April 2022. The recovery is also spread across all major routes, with transatlantic traffic up most – 40.6% – in relative terms, increasing from 120,800 in April 2022 to 169,800 in April 2023.
Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) & Pub Sector
Street food chain Noodlee to invest €3m in new Cork outlets
Business Post – 29.05.2023
Noodlee, a Chinese street food firm, is to invest €3 million in opening 15 new stores across Cork city and county, creating up to 200 jobs. Noodlee offers what it describes as “an extensive array of Chinese dishes that have been slightly modified to appeal to Irish and European taste pallets”, with its most popular dishes including braised beef noodles and pulled beef noodles. The firm is owned by Song Ye, who is also behind the Fudi restaurant business in Cork. He believes customers are increasingly looking for healthier dishes when they eat out.
Guinness Live and Rising Initiative celebrates pubs across Ireland
Hotel and Restaurant Times– 06.05.2023
Guinness Live & Rising (a new initiative celebrating Irish pubs across the country, showcasing the role they play as homes and hosts of incredible experiences in music, food, sport and the arts) launched with an initial 12-month programme. Alison Kealy, Chair of the Licensed Vintners Association commented: “Irish pubs are vital community assets. Across the country they act as cultural hubs where grass roots talent have the opportunity to hone their craft and shine. We welcome the launch of Guinness Live & Rising, which ultimately promotes and protects the important role pubs play in shaping Irish creativity and culture still to this day.”
Hotel & Restaurant Sector
Concerns raised over potential €1bn impact on tourism industry from refugee beds
Business Post – 08.05.2023
Fáilte Ireland has been asked to identify areas likely to be worst impacted by reduced tourism spending and to make recommendations to “mitigate” those impacts. The cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine met to discuss a number of issues relating to the housing of Ukrainian refugees in Ireland. One item discussed was research conducted by Fáilte Ireland earlier this year that estimated Ireland’s tourism economy would likely take a hit of €1 billion in 2023 due to hotel beds being used for refugees instead of for visiting tourists. This is based on Fáilte Ireland’s calculation that for every €1 visitors spend on accommodation, they will spend €2.50 in other parts of local economies, such as local cafés, shops, galleries, restaurants, visitor attractions and activity providers.
Center Parcs UK owner seeks double what it paid with near-£5bn price tag
The Guardian – 15.05.2023
Center Parcs’ UK and Irish business is being put up for sale with a price tag of up to £5bn – double the amount it was bought for in 2015 – as its private equity owners seek to cash in on the trend for domestic breaks kickstarted by the Covid pandemic. The potential sale comes after the group bounced back to a profit after being forced to close outlets under pandemic restrictions. Sales more than quadrupled to £503m in the year to 21 April 2022, helping lift profits to £66m, from a loss of a £157m the prior year as visitors sought out holidays close to home amid ongoing global travel disruption.
Contract Catering Sectors
School meals supplier Glanmore Foods acquired by Compass Ireland
The Irish Examiner - 25.05.2023
Ireland’s largest manufacturer and supplier of school lunches, Glanmore Foods, has been acquired by food services provider Compass Ireland. Part of the global Compass Group, Dublin-based Compass Ireland is one of the largest catering groups on the island of Ireland, producing in the region of 45,000 meals a day for workplaces, with an annual revenue of €100m. Family-owned Glanmore Foods currently serves 400 primary and secondary schools which are part of the DEIS programme with packed lunches, hot meals, and snacks. Off the back of a recommendation from her own department, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has said that every child in a DEIS primary school will get a hot meal from September 2023, with the roll-out of hot meals to all remaining primary schools by 2030.
Sodexo Ireland poll highlights the power of food in the workplace experience
Dublin Live – 29.05.2023
86% of C-suite and senior management said that a well-managed food programme in the workplace contributed to building a strong company culture. The finding came from a poll conducted by workplace services provider Sodexo Ireland at its recent event, ‘Thriving at Work – Fuelling Employee Experience for Success’. Keynotes by David Fox, Managing Director of Sodexo Ireland and Julie Ennis, CEO Corporate Services, Sodexo UK & Ireland and Country President for Ireland, were followed by a lively and insightful panel debate, chaired by journalist, broadcaster and lecturer Emmet Oliver, around the elements of creating a thriving workplace for employees