RGDATA Director General is one of the signatories of a letter calling for the establishment of a specific taskforce to drive and manage the regeneration of Town, village and urban centres. “Before Covid-19 created havoc many Irish towns already had some of the highest vacancy rates in Europe. We need a specific taskforce led by regeneration experts to drive the recovery in our towns, villages and urban centres,” says RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley. RGDATA has been making the case for this unit to politicians negotiating the new programme for Government. Click here to read the contents of the letter.

Ireland is sliding down the ranking for better regulation from 9th place in the EU in 2009 down to 23rd in 2020 according to a new report from the National Competitiveness Council. “RGDATA and others SMEs are calling for a specific agency to support SMEs. This agency could revive the Better Regulation Unit so that Ireland can deliver on the targets to streamline red tape and regulation and make our systems more efficient and more supportive of the SME sector,” Tara Buckley stated. RGDATA is raising this with the Department of Business and the National Competitiveness Council, Buckley added.  Click here to read the new report.

Lobbying by insurers blamed for delay in commencing new law

LOBBYING by the insurance industry has been blamed for the delay in implementing new legislation which would make it much more difficult for insurers to avoid paying out on claims. Read the Independent.ie story here.

RGDATA as part of the Local Jobs Alliance has launched a new report by economist Jim Power which sets out the key role that family owned SMEs play in Irish communities. “We are the key to economic recovery and local job and enterprise retention and creation and SMEs need to be put at the heart of the post Covid 19 regeneration plans,” RGDATA Director General Tara Buckley said.

The Local Jobs Alliance brings together seven representative associations in retail, hospitality, services and manufacturing. Infographic here. Click here for the press release and here for the LJA Jim Power Report.

Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme

·         Enterprise Ireland has €2 million to distribute to Irish-owned retail enterprise that had 10 or more employees on or before 29 February 2020, have a retail outlet and have an existing online presence. (Shops with less than 10 employees can apply for the Online Trading Voucher provided by Local Enterprise Offices).

·         The maximum grant available is €40,000. Successful applicants will be awarded funding to support a maximum of 80% of the project costs. The minimum grant amount payable is €10,000.

·         Costs which successful companies will be eligible to claim for include: salary costs and consultancy fees to develop a digital strategy, enhance the company’s website or to provide training.

·         The final date for companies to submit an application is 3.00 pm on Wednesday 27th May 2020. Full details of application process and eligibility rules are available on the EI website now with the link to the application available from 29th April:  www.enterprise-ireland.com/retail

·         In addition to fully appraise companies of the application process and the key issues to be addressed in an application, EI hosted a Webinar on Friday April 17 – a recording is accessible through the above hyperlink.

If you have any queries or issues that need to be addressed get in touch by email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. As this is a competitive process EI won’t answer queries from individual enterprises that are making an application now that the process is live but they are happy to respond to queries from a trade association.

he government has agreed details of the new €250 million Restart Grant, which will give direct grant aid to micro and small businesses to help them with the costs associated with reopening and reemploying workers following Covid-19 closures. The Grant will be available to businesses with a turnover of less than €5 million and employing 50 people or less, which were closed or impacted by at least a 25% reduction in turnover out to 30 June 2020. It is a contribution towards the cost of reopening or keeping a business operational and re-connecting with employees and customers. The grants will be equivalent to the rates bill of the business in 2019, with a minimum payment of €2,000 and a maximum payment of €10,000. Applications for the Restart Grant can be made online to local authorities from Friday 22 May. Click here for more information.

Pushed the boundaries for energy efficiency in your store? Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEAI) is seeking entries for the 2020 Sustainable Energy Awards. The awards are open to individual businesses, community groups and others who have introduced energy efficiency processes that promote more sustainable energy use. Click here for more information, and to apply.

Noel McGowan’s Spar store on the Main Street in Kinlough, Co. Leitrim sold a winning National Lottery ticket worth €96,007. 

And Ray Morgan's Spar store in Manor Mall Shopping Centre, Swords, Co. Dublin sold a Euromillions ticket worth €55,708.

Congratulations to both!

A new RGDATA app is now available – all the news and information you need at your fingertip including Covid-19 updates; RGDATA campaigning; HR advice, latest convenience retail innovation, research data and member survey results. Keep informed by downloading the RGDATA APP today.

All members have received an email with details on how to download the new RGDATA app. To access the app, you willl need your RGDATA membership number.

Any problems, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 01-2887584 for assistance.

The Government has issued new recommendations to the public on the use of “face coverings” in public spaces “where it is difficult to practice social distancing, for example, in shops or on busy public transport”. The full guidelines are available to view here. When it comes to how this advice affects retail staff, it is clear that wearing face coverings is not mandatory in occupational settings.