Irish food companies’ focus shifts overseas
The UK, the rest of Europe and China are the top three geographic areas for food and beverage companies exporting out of Ireland, according to a survey released by Deloitte.
The Deloitte Food and Beverage Survey 2012 finds that just over half of these companies have seen improvements in the export market over the past 12 months, compared with 72pc who saw no improvement domestically for the same period.
“Irish food and beverage companies are still facing a very challenging market in Ireland but it’s extremely encouraging that companies are seeing growth in overseas markets,” said David Hearn, head of consulting, Deloitte.
“What’s also extremely promising is that despite the challenging marketplace, 95pc of respondents stated that they are continuing to invest in their business. The main areas of focus for this investment include improving efficiency, sales and marketing, people, R&D and expanding overseas.
“This investment will be critical to ensure that companies are well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that international markets offer, in addition to those here in the Irish market.”
The survey was carried out to coincide with the Deloitte Food and Beverage Seminar 2012 which is taking place today at the Four Seasons hotel.
Speakers at the seminar include Ado Carton, managing director, Kerry Foods, Aidan Cotter, CEO, Bord Bia and Tony Keohane, CEO, Tesco Ireland and areas of discussion will include the continuing challenges food and beverage companies are currently experiencing.
