When it comes to his view of the Irish business environment, Ian Martin, incoming chairman of the Small Firms Association (SFA) compares himself to “that optimistic salesman who believes he’s going to land that big order”. Having been in business since 1982, he feels it’s important at this


point in time that we put things in perspective and be optimistic about the next five years. Based in Dublin, Cork and Belfast, Martin Services is the larg-


est independent first-aid and hygiene supplier in Ireland, supplying first-aid, cleaning, hygiene and healthcare products to the commercial market. Tis month, it entered into a partnership with Nationwide Hygiene Systems and the European wholesaler network INPACS, which allows its customers to minimise procurement costs and have the same products delivered in any country. “In line with our strategy of increasing our coverage of commercial


and healthcare, adding this further arm to our business now makes us a global player in our industry,” Martin says. “In general terms I’ve lived through times when we had 18pc inter-


est rates, 70pc income taxes and surcharges. Yes, we’ve come from a high in the past 10 years and we’re all working a lot harder now. Te way I look at things is that, from a global perspective, we shouldn’t write ourselves off as a country at the moment,” says Martin. “We are all demanding changes on how the Government spends


our money and raises money from us. Te next Government will have to deliver. Tey set the environment, but businesspeople have to tell them how. Irish business will always survive.”


REAL ECONOMY


Martin believes that Ireland has a “real economy” and, as such, has much more to offer than, say, Spain or Portugal. “We have a strong high-tech manufacturing sector; US companies


are coming in and we have the biggest games software hub in the world. “Look at current things in the economy – mergers and acquisitions


are on the up, which means buying opportunities. Te stock market hasn’t bombed and seems to be rising. Pension funds are having a


reasonable run. “Te farming community has had a good year, with milk prices up


3pc, and foreign investments have held up – Intel’s announcement in January was a positive news story.” Intel is to begin a US$500m upgrade of its Leixlip facilities, with


the creation of 850 construction jobs and an additional 200 jobs on the campus as a result. “When the Intel work starts, this will have knock-on effects and


prompt other multinationals to think maybe they should be doing something. It gives business an excuse to reinvest in Ireland. “Exports are rising, helped by the weaker euro and there’s a record


number of projects focused on new business development such as gatewayUCC in Cork.” GatewayUCC is a €2m business incubation centre opened in


January, which will create 90 new jobs through the commercialisation and spin-out of advanced research at University College Cork.


FACING REALITIES


Despite his positive attitude, Martin still has his feet firmly on the ground when it comes to the realities facing Irish businesses and what needs to change. “It’s okay saying exports are up, but the majority of people working


in the domestic economy don’t export anything. What’s lacking in the domestic marketplace is confidence. Consumers are saving rather than spending. Tere are more people working in this country than 10 years ago, but they’re afraid to spend with good reason,” he says. “Prices are being reduced in the marketplace across a range of prod- ucts but this doesn’t seem to be having a major impact on volume. “Te long-term problem is this means reduced margins, lower


profits and less tax coming into the Exchequer. Prices can only go so low.” He notes, however, that this trend means that now is a good time


to buy, which has been shown in the motor industry. Tere have been significant job announcements in the motor trade, such as by Joe Duffy Motors, and new car registrations are up. “Consumer sentiment is a prerequisite to creating jobs. I was sur- prised during a recent visit to the UK, where the economy is going


Keeping the faith 42 OWNER MANAGER VOL 4 ISSUE 1 2011


IAN MARTIN COMES TO THE SFA CHAIR WITH A DEPTH OF BUSINESS EXPERIENCE AND AN OPTIMISTIC OUTLOOK. HE TALKS TO SORCHA CORCORAN ABOUT ISSUES SUCH AS PRSI RATES AND EMPLOYERS, CONSUMER SPENDING, ACCESSING BANK CREDIT AND REASONS WHY WE SHOULD STAY UPBEAT


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