Welcome to the March Edition of Bord Bia's Ireland Market Foodservice Newsletter.
A reminder to any Bord Bia clients that were unable to attend our Get Fit for European Foodservice event at the beginning of the year, that presentation recordings and slide decks have subsequently been uploaded to the My Bord Bia platform. Also included on My Bord Bia are links to our Foodservice Market Entry guides for France, Netherlands, Germany & UK. If you have any difficulty accessing, please drop me an email or reach out to your Bord Bia Sector Manager.
Monthly Spotlight: Growing Interest in Switching Off
In a previous foodservice newsletter from May 2024 we referenced the growing interest from younger consumers to switch off from the ‘always on’ mindset, supported by the rise in popularity of the Offline Club in The Netherlands. Since launching in London last October, Offline Club events have drawn over 2,000 attendees and regularly sell out. Participants are willing to pay £9.50 per ticket to attend a digital detox – handing over their devices for two hours and instead participating in activities such as board games, crafts and conversations with strangers. Overwhelmed by digital technologies, people have a growing desire to connect meaningfully in real life – with food and drink creating a sense of groundedness and belonging.
General Industry News
Number of tourists visiting Ireland in January drops 25% compared to last year
Breaking News – 27.02.2025
Just under 340,000 tourists made a trip to Ireland in January this year, a decrease of 25 per cent compared with January 2024, according to figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO). Excluding fares, visitors spent €214 million on their trips, down 27.9 per cent compared to the previous year. The largest contingent of visitors came from Great Britain, with 44.1 per cent of tourists coming from Britain. Some 12.7 per cent of overseas visitors came from the United States, with 6.4 per cent coming from Spain and Portugal.
Dublin’s €26m revamp of Victorian fruit and vegetable market to start six years after closure
The Irish Times – 25.02.2025
The €26 million redevelopment of Dublin’s Victorian fruit and vegetable market is finally getting under way, six years after it was closed by Dublin City Council. Construction and conservation work at the 127-year-old market building close to Capel Street is scheduled to begin by June with a new retail and restaurant complex, housing at least 80 stalls, to be completed by the end of 2027. Facilities will be provided for “community growers and start-up food business” and more established local producers who will have a “direct route to market with some producing on-site” the council said.
Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) & Pub Sector
Applegreen to open 20 New M&S Food Stores this Year
Checkout Magazine – 26.02.2025
Applegreen has announced its intention to open 20 new M&S Food stores this year as part of a major expansion of its successful partnership with Marks & Spencer. The roadside hospitality brand will make a multi-million euro investment in the further rollout of the M&S Food partnership this year as each of the 20 new “shop-in-shop” locations will undergo a bespoke upgrade to introduce the M&S brand. The expansion will mean that by year-end, Applegreen will be operating 41 M&S Food stores across the island of Ireland, with plans to expand the network to 60 outlets in the medium-term. Each new outlet will feature more than 400 high-quality M&S Food products, which will complement the existing Applegreen business and offer customers additional choice and convenience.
McSorley’s of Ranelagh to expand with seven-day food and drinks venue
Drinks Industry Ireland – 27.02.2025
The recently acquired McSorley’s pub in Ranelagh is preparing to expand, with plans underway to take over the Wild Goose restaurant space above the pub, according to The Irish Times. The new owners are aiming to transform the space into a dynamic food and drinks venue, operating seven days a week.
Hotel & Restaurant Sector
Irish Hoteliers Cite Rising Business Costs as Biggest Challenge for 2025
Hospitality Ireland – 24.02.2025
Increasing business costs, lower occupancy levels, and growing global economic and political uncertainty, are among the pressing concerns facing hoteliers, according to research from IHF. Recent industry research carried out by the IHF shows a drop in business levels within the sector. In 2024, the average national hotel room occupancy stood at 74% for the year as a whole, down 2% on the previous year when an occupancy rate of 76% was achieved. With most regions seeing a drop in occupancy levels, IHF said a significant disparity continues to exist across the regions, ranging from 70% occupancy in the border region to 81% in Dublin.
Corrib Oil to double store count by 2030
ShelfLife – 13.02.2025
Corrib Oil, one of Ireland’s leading service station and energy providers, has announced plans to more than double its nationwide store presence to 100 by 2030, creating 1,200 new jobs across the country. The announcement comes just weeks after Corrib announced a franchise partnership with quick-service restaurant brand, Wendy’s. Corrib’s ambitious expansion programme, blending new site developments with strategic acquisitions, will deliver at least four new service stations this year. The business has recently invested in a new online ordering
Casual Dining / Route To Market Sector
BWG Foodservice on target to hit €250 million sales milestone in 2025
BWG – 18.02.2025
BWG Foodservice, one of Ireland’s leading foodservice operators, has continued its exceptional growth trajectory with sales projected to reach a quarter of a billion euro (€250 million) in 2025. The announcement coincides with BWG Foodservice winning the National Foodservice Supplier of The Year award for the second successive year at the Catex 2025 Hospitality Exhibition at the RDS. BWG Foods registered sales of €219 million in 2024, marking an 8 per cent increase on 2023 and against the backdrop of ongoing pressures across the food and hospitality industry. The strong growth has been driven by the continued expansion of BWG Foodservice’s nationwide reach where it attracted double digit growth in customer numbers and secured a number of significant supply contracts.
Ireland’s first automated vending machine store opens in New Ross – CSNA
ShelfLife – 17.02.2025
A groundbreaking new convenience store has opened in Co Wexford, introducing a fully-automated, 24-hour shopping experience without traditional checkouts. According to the CSNA (Convenience Stores and Newsagents Association), this E-Kiosk is the first of its kind in Ireland, blending automation with human support. Situated in the Irishtown area of New Ross, the E-Kiosk offers a variety of products, from drinks and snacks to milk dispensed on demand from a specialist Co Waterford dairy farm.