Government ‘hindering’ grocery sector

STATE intervention is hindering rather than helping the cause of the Irish grocery sector, according to Michael Carey, chief executive and majority shareholder of Jacob Fruitfield Food Group.

“The extraordinary inefficiencies in the Irish energy sector are passed onto the business sector,” Mr Carey said at the sixth annual conference of the Sales Institute of Ireland, which took place yesterday in Croke Park conference centre, Dublin. “The State run companies don’t seem to run according to the same rules as the private sector.

“Similarly, the Government was too easily influenced by the hype caused by Eddie Hobbs’ TV programme. Although the show was popular, the Government’s decision to abolish the Groceries Order on the strength of it was sadly misplaced.”