Food First Consulting

14/08/2022

Hi everyone, if you can spare 5 minutes I'd appreciate your help with this anonymous survey. Thanks so much for your input!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8J6J98K

11/04/2022

Delighted to feature in 'Secrets from the middle aisle' on RTE 1 tonight at 21:35. This one-off documentary looks at the rise of the German discounters in Ireland and how they were impacted by the pandemic. RTE go behind the scenes at Lidl Ireland and get contributions from retail experts like myself!
Malachy

07/03/2022

I took this picture during my walking tour of in 2018 with Ekateryna Prokhochuk. This is the Ukrainian flag standard recovered after the Battle of Ilovaisk in eastern Ukraine, August 2014. Ukrainian forces had re-taken the town from insurgents but were then encircled by Russian regular troops.  An agreement was reached to create a humanitarian corridor for the encircled Ukrainians to retreat but the group was then attacked and massacred by the Russian and insurgent forces.

Today I donated €1,000 to the Ukrainian Government through the embassy in Dublin to help them defend their sovereign nation and the democracy we enjoy. I know people are nervous about donating via the links and account numbers being shared so I personally contacted the Ukrainian embassy to verify the details below. Ukraine needs our help right now so please donate.
слава Украiнi
  
Embassy of Ukraine in Dublin
NSC: 931012
IBAN: IE24AIBK93101203385384

21/02/2022

Delighted to share my thoughts with Lorcan Allen of on the current inflation crisis impacting grocery. Watch this space for the full report by International Private Label Consult (IPLC) launching this week.

10/02/2022

Here is the full Christmas 2021 report pulling together:
o My extensive in-store surveys
o A detailed product/price review
o Comments on new product development opportunities
o Feedback from our shopper survey
o Tips for suppliers and retailers looking into another turbulent year.

You might think Christmas '22 is a long way off but the big decisions are being made right now. If you want to influence the biggest season in grocery retail then you need to read this now. And if you want to get a feel for overall retailer strategy then Christmas is a good time to deep dive.

Message me if you have any questions or if you'd like to set up and in-company debrief.

Christmas 2021 Supermarket Report

19/12/2021

Hi everyone,
I need your help with my anonymous Christmas grocery shopper survey. Can you please take a few minutes to do the survey and share with your friends too - the more the merrier! I'll share results during the coming week. Here's the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/RQ2WDVV

Thanks!
Malachy

17/12/2021

We would really appreciate your help with this survey looking at Irish grocery shoppers and how & where they're planning to spend their hard-earned cash this Christmas. We're also looking forward to the new year and the prospect of food inflation. Please take 5 minutes to do this anonymous survey and we'll share the results next week.

https://lnkd.in/ee4bvbQd

24/09/2021

Its so good to be back doing business in-person with my colleagues.

I’m in , I spent yesterday morning on store visits with Koen de Jong getting up to speed with and trends in the . I the afternoon I presented to the Dutch .

The Private Label Groups are forums of non-competing food & non-food manufacturers, facilitated by consultants, focusing on peer to peer and problem solving. It’s always lonely for leaders, even more so for private label and family-run businesses. Every leader thinks that their problems are unique to them, but they’re not! Our PLG members know when they share a challenge, that some of their peers have already solved it (and the others appreciate the heads up because its coming down the tracks!)

We already have 150 member companies in 10 countries we’re keen to facilitate new groups. Get in contact if you’d like to join an existing private label suppliers group or start a new one in your territory.

06/08/2021

Lots of work goes on behind the scenes . We had a great strategy day back during in the heatwave! It is exciting to brainstorm and plan ahead. Hopefully the sun will return soon!

23/07/2021

The cavalry has arrived and not a minute too soon! 

I’m delighted to officially announce that Paula Nolan is joining me at . Paula has a diverse background having worked in and head-office functions, forging a career as a , creating an award-wining and business and then reimagining her career by studying (and getting 1st class honours!). She is also a talented interviewer and writer, evident from her which is a collection of portraits and stories from her beloved midlands county. One of her written pieces about was published by the The Irish Times. Most importantly, we share values. The lady is seriously talented and will be helping me to grow the business through a strategy & ex*****on and using her UX/UI skills to help improve the in our training courses.

But there’s no point in growing the business if you don’t grow capacity. Solopreneurs often allow themselves to get limited by time. Working 5 days a week, 48 weeks a year, the ceiling becomes the 240 days that are available for paid client delivery work (along with the necessary business development work, admin and family commitments).  

So, I’m also delighted to give a shout out to Marina Branigan, owner of Brava Virtual Ltd. Marina’s business is about supporting solopreneurs like me, acting as a virtual operations manager. Marina provides general business supports, introducing new systems and solutions to save time in all of my work. Its all about back-office organisation and automating tasks which allows me to do more of the high value-added work that my clients need. 

And a final shout out to Vivienne Gleeson who is my go-to for support and Graham Hyland my support. Thanks to all of you, I really appreciate your support in delivering what we do.

Have a great weekend everyone!