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news NIIRTA Follow us on Facebook & Twitter www.niirta.com Summer 2010 Chief Constable Sets Out Priorities for Retail Crime -p3 Retail NI 2010 Conference Why should independent retailers attend the Retail NI conference? By Andrew Irvine, considerably over the last two decades. even growth, can be achieved through Belfast City Centre Manager There has been a rapid expansion, since responding to the consumer, creating the 1980s, of multiple retail department successful retail strategies, and protecting stores and of out-of-town superstores. our retailing environments. The conference Independent retailers will be given the will highlight examples of best practice for opportunity to directly question Tesco’s retailers big and small, independent and most senior Director in Ireland, Mr Gary multiple. Mills, along with Chief Executive of House The speakers lined up for the event are of Fraser, Mr John King. of the highest calibre and possess a The Retail Conference, which is being wealth of experience on this critically addressed by two Northern Ireland important area of our economy, from policy Executive Ministers, will reinforce the makers, retail skill specialists and importance of Northern Ireland’s retail innovators in the online market world. In industry as a key sector in achieving addition, afternoon workshops will give economic recovery and. Delegates will be delegates the opportunity to engage with able to directly challenge Executive retailing issues on four main areas of Ministers on important retailing issues such increasing interest; Business Improvement as the need for Planning Policy to protect Districts, retailing in the digital world, retail town centres. skills training, and a workshop by Glyn The upcoming Retail Northern Ireland The theme for this exciting conference Roberts, Chief Executive of the Northern conference is set to ignite debate on the will be ‘responsive retailing’. Given the Ireland Independent Retail Association, on most pressing topics for retailers, current instability with regards to the ‘credit ‘bread & butter’ issues for independent enabling retailers to share concerns, crunch’, a rise among businesses going retailers. successes and strategies with their into administration, and unemployment The Retail NI Conference promises to peers. concerns, this is an appropriate theme to be a very worthwhile day for retailers in The retail sector has evolved enable us to explore how survival, and Northern Ireland. Retail NI 2010 Conference Thursday 30th September, Stormont Hotel, Belfast Agenda Funding Significantly Improved Retail Welcome Environments post Review of Public Administration The President of Belfast Chamber of Trade and Professor Mike Smyth, University of Ulster Commerce, Mr Norman Maynes Planning: The need for a co-ordinated Rt. Hon. The Lord Mayor of Belfast, Cllr. Pat Framework Convery, Minister for the Environment, Mr. Edwin Poots, MLA Key Note Addresses Workshops Devolution, the benefits to Business OFDFM Junior Minister, Robin Newton MLA Business Improvement Districts Richard Guiney, Chief Executive Dublin BID Retailing, a view of the next 12 months Andrew Mawhinney, Chief Executive, Dundalk BID Mr John King, Chief Executive, House of Fraser Retailing in the Digital World The Retailers Paradigm Richard Clement, Marketing Director, Pierce Communications Retailing in Northern Ireland, the year ahead: Attracting Shoppers back to Town Centres The Future of Independent Retail Glyn Roberts, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Gary Mills, Operations Director, Tesco Ireland Independent Retail Trade Retail Association To attend visit www.retail-ni.co.uk or call Nicola Evans on 9024 2111 Police working to deliver By Matt Baggot, PSNI Chief Constable retail community. These include: bureaucracy, streamlining our systems • Membership of the Organised Crime and further improving our use of These are tough times for retailers, and Task Force, dedicated to working technology we will enable those officers as the country prepares itself for more with government, other law to spend more time in the communities belt tightening, even tougher times may enforcement agencies and the where you trade. lie ahead. None of us is immune. commercial sector to eradicate the We have worked with a range of The last thing I’m sure retailers need scourge of organised criminality. partners, including NIIRTA, to reduce the at the moment is a problem with crime, • Specialist financial investigators number of thefts of ATMs. This crime in any shape or form. targeting fraud and money trend has been substantially reduced and That’s why I am determined that laundering. the gangs involved have been police will work with you to make • Crime prevention officers in every dismantled. Northern Ireland safe, confident and District. We are active members of the peaceful and, importantly from your • A Cash in Transit control room, run in Business Crime Partnership Northern perspective, make this community a partnership with the industry, to Ireland, ready and willing to play our part good place to do business. monitor and protect all cash in preventing and detecting crime. We I am committed to ensuring that my deliveries. have worked to reduce the incidence of colleagues provide you with a policing • Radio link programmes in several so-called Tiger kidnaps, to prevent fraud service which is responsive to your towns between traders, police and and robbery and tackle the scourge of needs, personal, impartial, accountable councils. Intellectual Property Crime. We will and delivers positive results. • Membership of the Business Crime continue to do so. These are not just fine words for me Partnership Northern Ireland, working But behind every crime statistic, there to write and then forget about. This is an to address the needs of the business is a personal story about an individual ongoing commitment by my officers to community about crime. retailer who has been the victim of which we are held to account through crime. By focusing on that personal your District Policing Partnerships and by Already, much of this work is delivering story, by dealing with it in a professional the Policing Board. results. Overall crime is down by one and protective manner, I know we can Business Crime, ranging from low percent and the detection rate is up by make a real difference. level criminal damage to extortion, fraud almost three percent. We have a stronger We still have much to do. Our efforts and counterfeit currency will remain a visible presence in communities with 400 will be focused on listening to you, key priority on the Police Service agenda. more officers delivering neighbourhood identifying local issues of concern and So what are we doing? We have in and response policing, more than at any working together to solve them. By place a range of initiatives dedicated to other time in the last three years. Many working together, we can put the preventing and responding to crime more of my colleagues will be joining criminals out of business. which impacts upon the business and them in the coming months. By tackling www.psni.police.uk (from left to right) Geoff Smyth Carbon Trust Manager, Arlene Foster MLA, Minister for Enterprise and Glyn Roberts, NIIRTA CEO launching the report Foster: £15million reasons to be energy efficient Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster has launched a report which reveals Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA) convenience store members are spending £15million every year on energy costs. The report ‘Energy Efficiency in Retailing’, published by the their environmental performance and make cost savings. Carbon Trust and NIIRTA, says this annual energy usage is “Refrigeration and lighting equates to 70% of energy usage producing over 62,000 tonnes of carbon-dioxide – the among independent retailers and the report includes a practical equivalent of driving 190 million miles in a standard car. shopping list to address these issues. It also lists a number of practical suggestions for small “The retail sector involves several activities that have a direct retailers which could lead to a reduction of 30% on energy bills. impact on climate change. These include energy use in stores, Arlene Foster said: “Northern Ireland’s independent leakage of refrigerant gases, food miles and packaging.” convenience stores spend an estimated £15million on energy Geoff Smyth, Manager of the Carbon Trust in Northern every year. Ireland said: “While improved ‘shop keeping’ will yield good “Reducing energy consumption is good for the environment energy savings, it also makes sense to spend to save even and for business too because it gives the opportunity to more – particularly if a retailer can make use of a Carbon Trust increase profitability and competitiveness. interest-free Energy Efficiency Loan. Within the retail sector we “The publication of this report by the Carbon Trust and would generally recommend projects that would pay back in NIIRTA provides step by step guidance for shop owners on less than three years, but there are projects that will give a how they can cut their energy costs, with practical suggestions return within a year. on how to reduce bills by up to 30%.” “These could include time controls on equipment to ensure NIIRTA Chief Executive Glyn Roberts said: “It is simply it is switched off outside trading hours, occupancy sensors on staggering that our members are spending over £15million back of house lighting, improved heating controls and energy every year on energy, which produces over 62,000 tonnes of efficient lamps in light fittings.” carbon dioxide - the equivalent of driving 190 million miles in a Some retailers may be entitled to a free carbon survey from standard car. the Carbon Trust to help identify all the cost effective “A small retailer in Northern Ireland could be spending as opportunities that exist in their store. Those who do not qualify much as £45,000 a year on their energy bill. This is obviously can still use the Carbon Trust’s website www.carbontrust.co.uk not sustainable economically or environmentally. or contact the dedicated advice line 0800 085 2005.