A group representing independent supermarkets has failed to block the development of a large new Lidl outlet in north Cork.

Lidl opened its first set of Irish stores 17 years ago. At the time the head of retail group, RGDATA said that Lidl were catering for a ‘niche market’.

As British prime minister Theresa May formally triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty today to begin Britain’s exit from the European Union, we have asked major Irish stakeholders their view as to the likely impact on them and on the Irish economy. 

The Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association (RGDATA) has temporarily put the brakes on German discounters Aldi and Lidl further expanding in Ireland.

German discount retail giant Lidl has overcome opposition from an independent retailers’ body to secure planning for a new store at Greystones in Co Wicklow.

Shoplifting adds 3% to the price of products, and around Christmas, it reaches epidemic proportions.

Retailers’ group RGDATA has called for an urgent review of the application of data protection law as it applies to the use of CCTV for crime prevention purposes.

Energy drinks may claim to give you wings, a buzz, a mega hit, an adrenaline rush or, in one case, a “nuclear weapon against hangover”. But food safety experts sum up the characteristics in a rather less appealing way: Sugar and caffeine.

Retailers are calling on the Government to roll out a major information campaign before sounding the death knell of 1c and 2c coins in order to reassure consumers they are not being ripped off.

The new operators of the National Lottery are to appear before the Oireachtas finance committee next Wednesday to face a grilling from retailers and politicians about serious technical glitches in the system since the takeover.

The National Lottery is to undergo a significant facelift as its new owners swap the yellow ticket slips for green, allow shops to cash larger amounts of money and revamp scratch card designs.

Retailers have come under pressure to remove a surcharge of up to 50c imposed on customers topping up their pay-as- you-go electricity and gas cards.

A major extension of facilities at a pharmaceutical plant near Cork harbour is the subject of a recent planning application.

Land prices rose 14.3% last year for holdings of up to 50 acres in the dairy stronghold of Munster, but poor access to banking finance is impeding growth, a report has found.

A number of groups are joining forces to call for "fair play" for small businesses which are in negotiations with banks over credit difficulties.

Below-cost selling and the rise of the discounters is hitting family retailers hard, writes Kyran FitzGerald.

Retailers are to be hit for an expected €51m over Christmas as a result of shoplifting, with electronic goods like tablets, smartphones and games the most popular targets for thieves.

Shoplifting is reaching epidemic levels and the system is “an absolute joke” because there is no effective deterrent, according to a district court judge.

Nineteen state bodies will come together in Dublin Castle on Oct 22 for a one-stop-shop free event for small businesses.

Violent crime targeting local family-owned shops and supermarkets has almost trebled in the past year.

The Government will be presented with a series of policy recommendations regarding the black economy, which is denying the State an estimated €5bn tax take per year, within the next six months.

RGData has called for a levy to be imposed on the operators of out-of-town shopping centres as a way of ending the practice of free parking and maintaining fairer competition for town centre retailers.

Small grocery operators are calling for a levy on shops and supermarkets operating outside town centres.

Independent grocers’ group RGData has called on the Government to lift the “veil of secrecy” from the profits made by large multiple retailers.

Hundreds of shops could be forced to close unless punitive parking restrictions in town centres are relaxed, according to a group representing independent grocers nationwide.

An Bord Pleanála has overturned a Cork City Council vote and granted planning permission for a retail centre, including an off-licence, in a business park near CIT.

Shopkeepers have expressed concern that the proposed sale of the National Lottery licence will have a negative impact on their business unless the Government provides safeguards to protect their revenue.

The Minister for Public Expenditure said today that he is happy to hold talks with local retailers before legislation is determined on the new licence for the National Lottery.

Shop owners have accused An Post of acting like “corporate bullies” over its recent decision to restrict the sale of stamps to retailers.

A proposed €30 million retail development will not impact on the commercial heart of a county town, it has been claimed.

OVER 70 potential retail units in a county town are vacant, independent retailer representative body RGDATA has claimed.

PLANS for a “local retail centre” in Cork’s western suburbs have been shot down after councillors voted unanimously againstrezoning.

GOVERNMENT plans to force employers to pay the first four weeks of staff sick pay will apply to public sector bosses as well as those in the private sector.

THE promoter of contentious plans for a €34 million retail development for Ennis is making a late bid to win the hearts and minds of the public ahead of a crucial vote on the development.

PLANNERS in Cork city are poised to recommend a rezoning to facilitate the development of a “local retail centre” featuring a Tesco Express store in the western suburbs.

A CHAMBER of commerce has described a proposal to zone additional land for an out-of-town retail centre as “quite remarkable”.

THE chief executive of Ennis Chamber of Commerce, Rita McInerney, has expressed concern over the “doughnut effect” in the town due to the negative impact of out-of-town retail centres.

A nightclub in Co. Westmeath has been found to have breached the MEAS code on the responsible promotion of alcohol.

TESCO and other major multiples have been urged to clarify their policies in relation to price promotions so that consumers can be sure they are getting real value.