Newry Chamber shone a spotlight the potential for Newry City to become an eCommerce Hub on the island of Ireland at a half day event in the Canal Court Hotel on Wednesday 9th April, kindly supported by tomorrow.ie, Kukoon Rugs and SJ Henderson Fulfilment.
100+ delegates from local businesses of all shapes and sizes heard from an expert lineup of speakers in a packed programme which included a mix of presentations, fireside chats and a panel discussion.
Over the last 10 years, eCommerce has begun to totally change the consumer landscape in Ireland. Kids toys, food, shoes etc are all incredibly easy to purchase online and it has become the normal way to shop which takes money out of our economy and instead into businesses in GB, Europe and around the world.
From a small sample of our members who responded to a survey at the start of this year, representing around a fifth of our membership, of those who responded, 58% said they don’t currently have any online trading element to their business and this surprising figure was one of the main reasons that we organised this important event.
How we earn from the eCommerce economy is for more products to be shipped out of Newry than what is being shipped in. If we export more than we import within eCommerce, we create a trade surplus rather than a trade deficit and if we can reach this milestone, then eCommerce becomes a net benefit to the area.
Paul Walsh, Founder of tomorrow.ie delivered a presentation, breaking down eCommerce activity in Newry and how local businesses can get a slice of the pie. Maeve Finnegan, Managing Director of Mitso also delivered an informative presentation on the area of B2B Commerce and how this can help local businesses open a world of new possibilities.
Clare Vallely, Managing Director of Kukoon Rugs discussed the path taken over the last 20 years to build a global brand from scratch in Newry. Laura Kearney, Founder & CEO of The Walk in Wardrobe discussed her journey from humble beginnings on the high street in Banbridge to shipping hundreds of thousands of online orders internationally through her eCommerce platform.
Those in the room also heard from a panel of experts on what it takes to run a successful eCommerce operation. The panel included Stephen Henderson from SJ Henderson Fulfilment, Ciaran Connolly from ProfileTree, Siobhan Walsh from Scatter Box and Derek McDonald from BT.
Edwina Flynn, President of Newry Chamber said:
“As a Chamber, we firmly believe eCommerce has a role to play in bolstering bricks and mortar, in complementing our local high street and not to take away from it. We need to change our thinking on this, with an ever-increasing number of businesses transitioning to a ‘clicks and mortar’ model to complement their ‘bricks and mortar’ offering.”
“Newry consumers are spending approximately £19 million on Amazon orders per year, this is a huge amount of local spend not being recirculated within our local economy, which we simply can’t afford to let happen.”
“Local people are already using Amazon daily but if we are open to new possibilities as local businesses, we can compete by offering simple solutions, Click & Collect, next day delivery and implementing a prepayment platform for those operating in the service sector.”
“However, eCommerce has also brought capital into Newry City, from overseas for those who have customised their businesses to it including the likes of Kukoon Rugs and STATSports, eCommerce has brought jobs and export style capital into Newry.”
“It is our strong belief that our city and wider region has the potential to become an eCommerce hub on the island of Ireland due to our strategic location, halfway between Dublin and Belfast and our Dual Market Access to the UK & EU markets.”
Paul Walsh, Founder of tomorrow.ie commented:
“eCommerce could be the first economic sector to benefit from this region’s Dual Market Access. This event showcased how eCommerce is an ally to traditional retail. We urge all retailers to look to eCommerce as an opportunity.”
“Likewise, we urge government to ensure the creation of substantial programs to ensure eCommerce can flourish. It is clear from this event that key stakeholders in eCommerce and Retail are very willing to come together as a collective group to grow eCommerce and to lead economic change.”
Clare Vallely, Managing Director of Kukoon Rugs said:
“We have a shared responsibility in supporting Newry’s economy and its workforce. Kukoon Rugs was delighted to work with Newry Chamber on this important event to deliver insight and support to our local area. We are all in this together.”
“eCommerce has been a key part of our business’ journey. It runs in parallel to our Newry physical store now located in The Quays offering customers the choice of numerous different ways to shop with us.”
Stephen Henderson, CEO of SJ Henderson Fulfilment added:
“It was a privilege to support and participate in Newry Chamber’s event on ‘eCommerce as a Driver of Newry’s Economy’. The energy in the room was palpable, with over 100 local business leaders coming together to share a common vision of positioning the Greater Newry Area as a leading eCommerce hub for the island of Ireland.”
“What struck me most was the alignment, from entrepreneurs to policymakers, around the opportunity that sits on our doorstep. Our city is strategically placed and uniquely equipped to become a logistics and fulfilment gateway between the UK and EU, and the ambition shown by those in the room makes that vision all the more attainable.”
“At SJ Henderson Fulfilment, we are proud to be part of this movement, offering real solutions that support scalable growth for online businesses across Ireland and beyond. Working alongside the Chamber and other stakeholders, we are committed to raising awareness, sharing insights and helping build the infrastructure and knowledge base that will allow Greater Newry to thrive in this space.”