RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley attended a one day meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss a policy paper on “Revitalising European Town Centres: A Challenge that is Crucial for Social Cohesion and European Competitiveness”. Buckley highlighted the success of the Town Centre Health Check pilot in eight Irish Towns and the need for EU support for essential research and data collection, sharing of best practice and funding for collaborative Town Teams to manage town centre revitalisation

Please take five minutes to fill in our annual Crime Survey. We use this information to campaign on your behalf for more crime prevention measures. Click here to do the survey. Thank You!

Are you providing accurate written allergen information for customers? It is a legal obligation to do so and 20% of consumers believe food businesses are not doing enough to inform them about the allergens in their food.  Click here to read the article and here for advice from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.

The Alliance for Insurance Reform, of which RGDATA is a member, welcomes the Civil Liability and Courts (Amendment) Bill 2018 which seeks to automatically refer fraudulent and exaggerated personal injury claimants for potential prosecution. Click here for the press release and here for the bill. 

RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley has written to Minister Michael D’Arcy highlighting the frustration and ongoing concern of independent shopkeepers about high insurance costs and the need for more practical interventions by the Government to address the key issues. Click here to read the letter.

RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley told a meeting of the Retail Consultation Forum (20 Sept) chaired by Minister Heather Humphreys that Government was not doing enough to address retailers’ concerns about spiralling insurance costs. “Minister the time for reports and research is over. Shop owners need practical interventions that will have an impact on premiums and address the serious issues RGDATA has raised about bogus and exaggerated claims and excessive payouts for extremely minor soft tissue injuries,” Buckley told the Forum.

RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley has refuted claims by the German discounters that they are “victims of store wars”. Buckley said RGDATA consistently sought to uphold the Government’s Retail Planning Guidelines (RPGs) and ensure sustainable retail planning and vibrant town centres. The Germans constantly ignore the RPGs and appear incapable of adapting their proposals to suit local planning policies. Click here to read the Sunday Times story

Enterprise Ireland is introducing a new pilot scheme to support eligible SMEs in the retail sector to develop their online presence.  If you have 20 employees and your business is online, you may be elegible for up to 50% of development costs.

Click here for more information. 

An initiative by the Heritage Council and RGDATA -Managing Historic Towns along the Atlantic Economic Corridor (AEC) will take place in the Ballina Manor Hotel, Ballina, Co. Mayo on November 22nd 2018.  Save the date!

Click here for the flier.

Irish businesses must confront excessive costs on a range of fronts that often make running a commercial enterprise unnecessarily difficult, according to a report published last Wednesday by the Joint Committee on Business, Enterprise and Innovation. Click here to read the report.