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A NEW RETAIL strategy by Irish-owned company MACE aims to see 1,200 new jobs in place by 2016.
The company said today that its new retail strategy targets 100 new stores, and will see a focus on Irish suppliers as it works on a 20 per cent growth in MACE own-brand products. MACE is Ireland’s oldest convenience brand, and opened its first store in 1960. It currently has 240 stores across the country.
MACE said it plans to add 100 new stores to its network by 2016, an expansion which will see retail turnover at the group increase by 20 per cent.
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The new plans were unveiled at the MACE convention at the Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt, Co Wicklow. According to Willie O’Byrne, Managing Director of BWG Foods, operators of MACE:
Our figures show that MACE is outperforming the market and is now the fastest growing brand in Irish convenience retailing.
In 2012 we bucked the industry trend by opening 28 new stores, and our new retail strategy is designed to harness that momentum, leading to the creation of more than of 1,200 new jobs in towns and villages right across the country.
O’Byrne said that MACE’s partnership with Maxol, which was renewed last year, “has seen the MACE group establish itself as Ireland’s largest forecourt symbol brand”. He said the company’s next phase of growth will focus on working with both partners and suppliers to “firmly cement MACE in a leadership position in Irish retailing”.
The new strategy will also see additional investment in MACE own-brand, with the company predicting a 20 per cent increase in the range of own-brand products available in MACE stores this year.
According to Willie O’Byrne:
Significant investment in our fresh and chilled supply chain last year has allowed us to offer a wider range of product options to both our retailers and our end consumers.
Demand for high quality, competitively priced own-brand alternatives has never been greater, and the next phase of growth will be in fresh and chilled produce – presenting a real opportunity for local Irish suppliers.
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Ultimately it’s the same when Tesco announces new stores opening creating hundreds of new jobs. The stores are opening and smaller independents closing and their staff moving over to Tesco, no job creation there, just a monopoly!!
Congratulations to Mace for bucking the trend and doing to well in this recession. My only hope is that they buck the other trend of only employing foreign workers in their new stores. None of these outlets seem to like hiring young Irish students and unemployed. Good bit of news though.
Maybe so but unfortunately things change over time, there wasn’t thousands emigrating a few years ago either. My son of 18 cannot get a part time job for love nor money and its not for the want of trying either. He wouldn’t be too fussy what sort of part time he got, all most teenagers want is a few bob.
The mace beside me employs mainly foreigners I have no problem with this. I do however have a major gripe with the fact new jobs are never ever advertised in local newspaper or online. It seems that relations or friends of employee’s have first refusal on jobs.
@ Phil. Employing anyone is a risk. The fact is most people get their job through a referral. Why would any company go to the cost and time involved in advertising a position, when they can just go to a current employee who they know and trust ‘do you know anyone’. Networking is the key to finding a job.
Where are all these extra convience store jobs coming from? I know peoples shopping habits are changing, there shopping more often and local to avoid wastage but the market share of big payers (tesco, dunnes, supervalue) hasen’t declined much and the discounters (lidl and aldi) account for a lot of that decline. They seem to have pinched a bit of market share from Delis, coffeeshops, off licences.
It seems their all just ramping up the fight over the same market that’s only grown slightly. In which case there will eventually be a looser and these jobs will go.
Yeah I’m sure foreign workers are just overjoyed with their careers stocking the shelves in mace. Your hostility towards foreign nationals is immature and narrow minded.
Blaming everyone else for your problems. Its amazing I managed to keep my job in my local offee for 7 years with all these foreigners taking peoples jobs.
What I don’t understand is We proudly announce the Irish built America, They built London, Manchester, and even in IT world in LA ,Japan and Hong Kong The great Irish. Yet people on this site feel Irish living here are not good enough to work in a Mace Store and happy endorse Non Irish workers. Never understanding that most of their wages leave the country returning to there own country’s. Unlike the Irish abroad who spend and Live. Shame on you all. Irish workers are the best here or abroad. And if that not to your PC likings, Bite me.
Genius.. your comments and ppl like you makes me sick with your narrow minded one dimensional views.. if the world was to look at employing ppl the way you look at it the there would be an awful lot more of us irish ppl at home on unemployment benefit of some sort because there would be no point of us going anywhere abroad trying to find work with your “let them stay home in their own country and not be coming over here taking our jobs” attitude.. You’re comments are pathetic to say the least !!
If someone is living in this country and are entitled to work why would you stop them from working. What about all the it jobs where you need a second language.who will do them if we didnt have people from different countries
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