NEWS Newsinbrief
WE TAKE A LOOK AT ALL THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS AFFECTING THE SME SECTOR IN IRELAND
Loyalty scheme for SME retailers
A new loyalty card scheme, aimed specifically at small to medium-sized retailers, has been launched byAIBMerchant Services (AIBMS). The AIBMS loyaltyplus scheme is designed to allow
retailers to maintain and deepen relationships with their customers, while also allowing them to communicate with targeted shoppers through built-in research and marketing tools. The system uses the ZapaTAG, from ZapaTechnology, a contactless tag that allows multiple loyalty cards to operate on a single tag to drive a points-based system, which is integrated with AIBMS point-of-sale terminals. The pilot involved a dog-grooming service, a florist and a restaurant – proving that the solution is suitable for all types of shops and services, according to Chris Mason, managing director, AIBMS.
Graduates to drive export growth
Minister forEnterprise,Trade and InnovationBattO’KeeffeTDhas launched a government plan to drive exports through placing 50 top- level college graduates in export-led Irish firms. Graduates 4 InternationalGrowth (G4IG), developed and delivered
by Enterprise Ireland in partnership with UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, will last for 18months. Graduateswill undertake an initial six-month intensive training and
skills development programme in an Enterprise-Ireland client firm, followed by a 12-month placement in a relevant overseasmarket. G4IG is geared towards Irish firms in the manufacturing and
internationally traded services sectors, with ambitious international business growth plans. “By expanding Irish firms’ export footprints,we can create newjobs
at home and drive our emergence fromrecession and back to economic growth,” saidMinisterO’Keeffe.
38,000 companies run risk of failure
Over one third of Irish companies are at a high risk of failure and the 1,123 companies that went into liquidation this year have left more than €1bn in unpaid debt, a survey shows. The company
informationwebsiteVision-Net.ie foundthat36pc
of 100,000 companies surveyed are considered to run a high risk of failure, while 17pc are thought to be medium risk and 47pc are considered lowrisk. It founda significantnumberof companies inthehospitality and
restaurant sector hadmoved into the high-risk category. Companies set up in the past 10 years face the greatest trading
Sinead Deegan ofMuttugly,who took part in the pilot scheme, and Chris Mason,managing director, AIBMS
risk, while one third of businesses fail between October and December, the research found.
Value of court judgments rising
The valueof court judgments (CJs) against firms in Ireland for the recovery of unpaid debtwas€14minquarter two(Q2)2010,up 55pc on the same period in 2009, say ICC Information, part of theD&BGroup. With a total value of some €4.6m, the construction sector accounted for the
8OWNER MANAGER VOL 3 ISSUE 4 2010
largestnumberof court judgments filed. In addition, therewere €1.1mworth ofCJs in the real-estate and renting sector.Compa- nies involved in business activities acc- ounted for 19pc of all CJs and a value of under €3m. Dublin-based companies accounted for
€5.3mworth of judgments. Leitrim-based companies saw the biggest increase when compared to Q2 2009, with a growth of 849pc, albeit with a relatively small figure of €60,000. All but seven counties saw the valueofCJs increasewhencomparedtothe sameperiodin2009.
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