2026 is now well underway and we wish you and your team every success for the year ahead. We are looking forward to another exciting year of events, networking opportunities and lobbying on your behalf as we deliver our vision for Greater Newry founded on collaboration and unity of purpose.
Further to correspondence pre-Christmas, I’m delighted the new subscription system is live to RENEW YOUR NEWRY CHAMBER MEMBERSHIP ONLINE HERE and you can watch our STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO TUTORIAL HERE.
Thank you for your continued support and engagement as a valued Chamber member. Newry Chamber’s success as a leading voice for local business is founded on the commitment of our active and engaged network of 325+ businesses and organisations, driving the economy of the Greater Newry Area.
We have not increased membership fees for 2026, and the new subscription model makes it simple and easy for you to renew your membership online. This will streamline the membership payment for you, our valued member and the Chamber Accounts team.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank every single member who has already renewed their membership online and if you are experiencing any issues, please contact Andrea Sands via admin@newrychamber.com or on 028 3005 3701.
In this month’s newsletter, we have included information on:
- Members Breakfast & 2026 Events Programme Launch
- Newry & Dundalk Chambers’ Cross-Border Conference 2026
- Dual Market Access (DMA) – Maximising The Opportunities
- Finance Minister’s Decision to Pause Reval 2026 Process
- New ‘Brake Time’ – A Shelbourne Motors Podcast
- AAB Group: Post-Brexit Reality of Cross-Border Insolvency
- ‘Insights with AIB’ Briefing in the Canal Court Hotel, Newry
- Recruitment Evening at Wood Innovations HQ in Newry
Michael Savage
Chief Executive Officer
Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade
MEMBERS’ BREAKFAST & 2026 EVENTS PROGRAMME LAUNCH
Great turnout for our Members’ Networking Breakfast as we launched our packed 2026 Events Programme in the Canal Court Hotel & Spa on Thursday 22nd January.
Chamber membership increased by 14% last year and the strength of our Chamber lies within our diverse, active and engaged membership of 325+ businesses and organisations working collectively to drive the economic success of the Greater Newry Area.
Alongside announcing our events programme, our President, Conor Patterson and CEO, Michael Savage provided an update on our lobbying efforts in 2025, our successes to date and set out our priorities for the year ahead, centred around our three core strategic pillars.
(1) Growing the Chamber
Continuing to develop Newry Chamber into one of the largest business organisations in NI with an active and engaged membership base.
(2) Advocating for Infrastructure
Leading the lobby to address the infrastructure deficit to unlock the Greater Newry Area’s development and investment potential.
(3) Tackling Recruitment & Skills Challenges
Bringing businesses, education/training providers together to develop a localised strategy to tackle the region’s recruitment and skills challenges.
PLEASE NOTE: This is our core programme of events and further events will be added throughout the year which you will receive notice of via email marketing.
VIEW 2026 EVENTS PROGRAMME HERE
PROGRAMME: CROSS-BORDER CONFERENCE 2026
TUESDAY 3RD MARCH, CARRICKDALE HOTEL & SPA
DATE: Tuesday 3rd March 2026
TIME: 8am – 1:30pm
VENUE: Carrickdale Hotel & Spa, Newry
COST: FREE TO ATTEND
Book your FREE place for Newry & Dundalk Chambers’ Annual Cross-Border Trade & Economic Conference, on Tuesday 3rd March in the Carrickdale Hotel & Spa.
When this conference first began in 2015, cross-border trade was worth just over €5 billion. According to the most recent figures, this has now trebled to around €15 billion, this just signifies the growth and huge importance of cross-border trade.
We are delighted to have secured Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald MLA as well as Niamh Smyth TD, Minister of State for Enterprise, Tourism & Employment who will outline their priorities for the region.
The packed conference PROGRAMME will provide you and your business with a unique chance to hear from experts on the issues that matter to you and the opportunities for enhanced collaboration with other stakeholders in the cross-border economy, across three key themes including:
(1) The All-Island Economy
(2) Skills & People
(3) Collaboration & Infrastructure
With Newry and Dundalk at the centre of the Dublin Belfast Economic Corridor, cross-border cooperation is at the very core of economic success on both sides of the border.
Numerous exhibitors will also be in attendance on the day to make you aware of all the help and support that is out there for you to avail of and to chat with you directly about how they can assist your business.
The conference is regularly attended by 250+ local business representatives from both North & South so be sure to secure your FREE place today below.
PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY:
- InterTradeIreland
- Louth County Council
- Newry, Mourne and Down District Council
- Louth Local Enterprise Office
- Dundalk Chamber Skillnet
- M1 Corridor
VIEW THE FULL PROGRAMME HERE
BOOK YOUR FREE PLACE HERE
DUAL MARKET ACCESS – MAXIMISING THE OPPORTUNITIES
TUESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY, INVEST NI NEWRY OFFICES
DATE: Tuesday 24th February 2026
TIME: 9am – 11:30am
VENUE: Invest NI Regional Office, Newry
COST: FREE TO ATTEND
Following the success of last year’s event, we are delighted to announce we have partnered again with Invest NI and Fortior Insight to host a members only event on Maximising The Opportunities of Dual Market Access (DMA) for businesses based in the Greater Newry Area.
The expert insight and guidance provided at last year’s event has resulted in 76% of respondents to our recent survey of Chamber members claiming DMA is working for them.
Despite continued uncertainty in Global Markets, especially around tariffs, Newry retains its unrivalled trading position and unique location on the threshold of the UK and EU Markets and many local companies are tapping into the huge opportunity to trade on a scale never seen before.
By embracing the DMA to both the UK and EU Markets and taking advantage of existing and potential UK Free Trade Agreements, Newry has the real potential to become the Gateway City to market for many firms across the globe.
We are only scratching the surface of the Greater Newry Area’s DMA potential and this event will provide fresh insight and guidance to member companies who are already engaged in or thinking about exploring DMA opportunities.
We will hear from Alastair James, Head of Market Access at Invest NI about how your business can maximise the opportunities of Dual Market Access.
We will also hear from Jonathan Walsh, Director at Fortior Insight, who will advise companies on how to navigate the latest regulations and seize the opportunities that are available in our region.
This event will also provide insights into navigating any potential complexities local companies are facing around the implementation of the Windsor Framework and we encourage all members, large and small, importing and exporting on any scale to register to attend below.
PLEASE NOTE: Places for this event are limited and will be provided on a first come, first served basis so please book your place now to avoid disappointment.
REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE
NEWRY CHAMBER WELCOMES FINANCE MINISTER’S
ANNOUNCEMENT TO PAUSE REVAL 2026 PROCESS
Chamber CEO, Michael Savage has welcomed the announcement from Finance Minister, John O’Dowd MLA confirming that he has paused Reval 2026.
This is positive step by the Minister who has clearly heard the chorus of calls from all business organisations including Newry Chamber, not to proceed with these punitive and unfair proposals which threatened to decimate the hospitality sector.”
“The Minister has said he is in listening mode, so he needs to use the time he has now made available to listen to the real concerns across all business sectors which are all feeling the strain of increased operating costs and diminishing margins.”
“We will be writing to the Minister seeking clarity on the next steps and we will feed the views of our members, particularly those in the hospitality sector into any consultation process in the coming weeks.”
“The decision does bring some short-term relief but with that comes uncertainty so we need new thinking on rates and how we fund our public services in NI and the Executive needs to work with business and industry to develop bespoke solutions for this region that encourage competitive economic growth and acknowledge the serious challenges businesses are facing.”
READ MORE HERE
NEW ‘BRAKE TIME’ – A SHELBOURNE MOTORS PODCAST
Listen to the brand new ‘Brake Time’ podcast from our Gold Corporate Patron, Shelbourne Motors, which pumps the brakes on the busy, fascinating lives of their guests, helping them slow down and open up.
Hosted by Caroline Willis, Director at Shelbourne Motors – one of Northern Ireland’s biggest and best dealer groups, the podcast shares the unfiltered stories of CEOs, entrepreneurs, experts and individuals who know their industry as if they had been the authors.
There has been 3 fantastic episodes to date with:
- Fred Ward, Founder & Owner, Shelbourne Motors
- Bridgene Kelly, Director, McKeever Hotel Group
- Jackie Reid, Co-Founder & CSO, Deli Lites Ireland
It’s the hope you will find some motivation, inspiration or even just a little time to apply your own brakes.
LISTEN & WATCH ON SPOTIFY HERE
LISTEN & WATCH ON YOUTUBE HERE
POST-BREXIT REALITY OF CROSS-BORDER INSOLVENCY
BY GARY DIGNEY & SEAMAS KEATING, AAB GROUP
Fantastic article by our Vice President, Gary Digney and his colleague, Seamas Keating from AAB Group on the Post-Brexit Reality of Cross-Border Insolvency.
If your business is in financial distress and trades in both Northern Ireland and the Republic, or has creditors based in both jurisdictions, there’s something important you need to be aware of.
Pre-Brexit, entering restructuring as a cross-border business was straightforward. When both the UK and Ireland operated under EU legislation, companies in distress benefited from shared recognition of insolvency proceedings.
For example, a company that went into administration in Newry, which traded in Ireland, could simply engage a Northern Ireland Insolvency Practitioner (IP), who would manage all aspects of the proceedings, without having to enter the Republic of Ireland courts system.
However, since Brexit, that landscape has changed dramatically. There is now no automatic recognition of cross-border insolvency proceedings between the UK and Ireland (or any EU member), and that has huge implications for businesses facing corporate restructuring or insolvency.
Here, we outline the key considerations you need to be aware of if your business is in difficulty and operates in both jurisdictions and why acting early and enlisting the right cross-border expertise is more important than ever.
- Understanding the Legislative Change
- Navigating NI and ROI
- Creditor Recognition
- Our Real-World Scenario Post-Brexit
- What Should You Do?
READ ARTICLE IN FULL HERE
AIB NI ‘INSIGHTS WITH AIB’ BRIEFING EVENT
TUESDAY 24TH FEBRUARY, CANAL COURT HOTEL & SPA
DATE: Tuesday 24th February 2026
TIME: 1:30pm – 3pm
VENUE: Canal Court Hotel, Newry
COST: FREE TO ATTEND
Our Corporate Patron, AIB NI invites you to join them for the latest in their ‘Insights with AIB’ series, designed for business and industry leaders across NI.
This is a great opportunity for industry and business leaders to hear from economic experts who will share insights across economic drivers, challenges and opportunities and for you to meet with your AIB team in Northern Ireland.
This year, AIB’s Senior Economist, John Fahey will focus on the latest economic data and trends, providing an oversight on prospects and risks facing the NI economy.
Guests will also hear from the AIB Cyber Team who will share advice on emerging threats and actionable steps to safeguard your business, concluding with a Q&A session featuring all their speakers.
REGISTER TO ATTEND:
AIBUKEvents@aib.ie
REGISTER NOW: WOOD INNOVATIONS RECRUITMENT EVENING IN NEWRY
THURSDAY 19TH FEBRUARY, WOOD INNOVATIONS NEWRY HQ, 6PM – 8PM
DATE: Thursday 19th February 2026
TIME: 6pm – 8pm
VENUE: Wood Innovations HQ, Newry
COST: FREE TO ATTEND
Our member, Wood Innovations based in Newry will be hosting a Recruitment Evening at their HQ so if you know of anyone who would be interested in finding out more about the current available roles across the business, get a real feel for life inside the business and meet the team, please encourage them to come along.
Wood Innovations are a leading flooring wholesaler in the UK & Ireland are inviting local jobseekers, graduates and career-changers to join them on the evening.
With the company celebrating 30 years in business in 2026, Wood Innovations is continuing to invest in people, service and the customer experience and is now recruiting across multiple departments.
The event is designed to be informal and welcoming, chat with the team, learn about opportunities and see what a typical day looks like and Wood Innovations is currently recruiting across a range of areas including:
- Customer Services
- Warehouse
- Finance
- Marketing
- HR
Opportunities are available for experienced candidates and those looking to build new skills. Wood Innovations is also a proud apprentice employer and a Living Wage employer, committed to creating real opportunities and rewarding hard work.
REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE