We recently hosted our “Empowering Store Owners” event at the Castleknock Hotel, and we were thrilled to welcome members from all across Ireland. Set against the stunning backdrop of the Castleknock Hotel, our event commenced with delightful morning refreshments, generously sponsored by Gig Grafter, allowing members to reconnect before the day’s activities began.
Once again, our Empowering Store Owners event was kindly sponsored by Tomra, whom once again demonstrated their continued support for CSNA and our members. Our National President, Sara Orme, officially kicked off the event by welcoming attendees and expressing gratitude for their commitment to join us, acknowledging that stepping away from their businesses is no small feat these days. Sara provided an overview of the day’s agenda, ensuring every member would leave with valuable insights or advice from fellow retailers.
The workshops commenced with Aidan Tighe from the Mayo, Leitrim, and Sligo Education Board, who discussed the exciting new training programs set to launch in collaboration with CSNA. This was followed by an in-depth session on food safety led by Ruth Conefrey from FSAI. Ruth reassured attendees that FSAI is there to support retailers, not to catch anyone out! Her presentation was followed by an engaging discussion among members about various food safety topics.
Next, Richard Collins, CEO of Walfrid Private, facilitated an intriguing workshop on wealth management, sharing valuable advice for all attendees. Richard’s presentation highlighted the importance of retailers investing their profits wisely and future-proofing their hard work for a comfortable retirement.
After a brief intermission from the workshops, we welcomed Retail News Editor John Walshe, who generously facilitated our retailer discussion panel, featuring Seamus Griffin from the Griffin Group, Sara Orme from Daybreak, Anna McDonagh from Gala, and Ruaidhri O’Hare from the O’Hare Group. Each retailer, hailing from different regions of Ireland, shared insights into emerging challenges in the retail sector and strategies for standing out as a destination point. Other topics, such as the future of retail, community engagement, and retail security, were explored in depth.
Attendees then enjoyed a two-course lunch, kindly sponsored by Walfrid Private, providing an opportunity for members to discuss the morning’s events and engage with our lunch sponsors regarding topics raised in Richard’s workshop.
The Annual General Meeting followed, where all members gained insight into CSNA’s accomplishments and plans for the upcoming year. It was also noted that our long-standing member and recently departed Executive member, Joe Tierney, would be retiring from retail after a dedicated career in the sector. We wish Joe all the best in his well-deserved retirement and look forward to hearing about his future plans.
We were delighted to receive positive feedback from several members after the event.
“A big THANK YOU from Eilish and I for another great day on Tuesday. The weather helped but it was a really good morning with good workshops in a good venue.”
“Just a quick mail to say thank you all for a fantastic day and night! We both thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s awful to say but it’s a comfort to hear there are a lot of other people struggling and facing the same issues I am. But great to know we are not alone in our fight, and our voices are projected through you fantastic people!”
“Hi Laura, I just wanted to say thank you for a fabulous day everything was very well organised so well done to you and all involved”
Below are some images from the event
