Irish CPG firms eye US retail market

03-Sep-2012 - Last updated on 04-Sep-2012 at 12:03 GMT

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Enterprise Ireland invited executives from major US retailers to stay an extra day following the Navy-Notre Dame football game in Dublin on Sunday to meet with Irish consumer goods companies that have potential to expand their presence in the US market.

The first American football game on Irish soil in 16 years, Navy-Notre Dame drew 35,000 US fans – among them, executives from Walgreens, Ahold, H-E-B and Kroger, which have combined sales of about $182bn a year and 11,000 retail stores. Enterprise Ireland described the 17 consumer goods companies that met with the retailers on Monday as among the most promising firms on its books – including a mix of food and beverage manufacturers, household, and baby care product makers.

‘Important contacts’

Alan Hobbs, head of corporate communications at Enterprise Ireland told FoodNavigator: “No contracts were signed, but these things don’t necessarily happen overnight. People don’t come with contracts in their pocket, but some very important contacts were made.”

Food and beverage companies present included Flahavan’s, an oat miller and producer of oat-based foods; J Donohoe Beverages; The Jelly Bean Planet; Kilkenny Nutritional Beverages; and the chocolatier Lily O’Brien’s.

“For many of them, it was the first time to get in front of such major US retailers,” said Hobbs. “… But it is not just about new companies and new market opportunities. It is also about giving them the opportunity to get in front of Kroger and Walgreens.”

For established brands like The Jelly Bean Factory, for which exports account for 96% of turnover, Hobbs said: “It will save them one of the corporate trips they had planned this year.”

Minister for jobs, enterprise and innovation, Richard Brutonsaid: “The delegation taking part in this Enterprise Ireland initiative are the most senior representatives from America’s leading retail chains. In a very practical way, it offers a significant opportunity for these innovative Irish companies to showcase their products and hopefully secure shelf space on as many of those 11,000 stores as possible.”

Hobbs added that the Irish-American diaspora in the United States represents a major market for Irish consumer packaged goods firms, but promotions are often centred around St Patrick’s Day and the QVC channel. Yesterday’s meeting offered an opportunity to move further into mainstream US retail, Hobbs said.