Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon is now sale agreed after it was placed on the market earlier this summer with a price tag of £57m. It’s understood there was significant interest in the property.

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With the global spread of coronavirus hitting countries internationally and news that the World Health Organisation has declared the virus a pandemic, UK-based GripHero – maker of the world’s only patented hand-protection dispensers permitted for use on fuel pump handles and in the refueling zone – is taking the bold step of offering its dispensers free of charge to help stop the spread of COVID-19 at the fuel pump. The move enables UK forecourts to provide hand-protection to customers on every fuel pump handle and refuelling bay, playing a vital role in the battle against COVID-19, which has the ability to survive for over 24 hours on high touchpoint surfaces, including fuel pump handles.

Each day hundreds of thousands of drivers fill up, bringing them into direct contact with fuel pump handles touched, on average, by 200 different hands each week; a figure that leaps dramatically at busy supermarket and motorway forecourts.

Independent research commissioned by GripHero, shows that over 80 per cent of drivers regularly fill up without using hand-protection because they can’t find gloves, or because standard dispensers are empty.* Fitting GripHero hand-protection at every refuelling bay, and in particular on each fuel pump nozzle, helps put a stop to this problem.

Oli Yeo, inventor and managing director of GripHero Ltd, maker of the world’s only patented ATEX-Certified hand-protection dispensers for use in the fuel zone, commented: “When drivers cough or sneeze, they spread small droplets of mucus onto the steering wheel and their hands, which can easily be passed on to thousands of other users via fuel pump handles.

“Given this fact, the forecourt sector has a very real responsibility to protect its customers, minimising the potential for the contraction of coronavirus at the pump, while motorists should be encouraged to wear hand-protection each and every time they refuel.

“Fitting GripHero’s anti-static dispenser on each and every fuel pump handle and on all bays enables drivers to instantly find, withdraw and wear hand-protection without first coming into contact with a surface touched by hundreds of other drivers. Our commitment is to provide our dispensers – which can be easily self-installed – free of charge for a limited time, making this a non-profit exercise to aid forecourts with its implementation.”

Commenting on the huge growth in demand for GripHero in recent weeks, Oli Yeo added: “We have seen a surge in international demand since the outbreak of COVID-19, as networks recognise their health and safety responsibilities. Only yesterday, we confirmed multiple consignments of GripHero for international forecourt networks who are taking steps to protect drivers from the possibility of contracting COVID-19 at the pump. Through our dispensers, we hope to become part of the international solution, encouraging best-practice that will help stop the spread of coronavirus via forecourts globally.”

Oli Yeo added: “Based on current manufacturing rates, we estimate that GripHero hand-protection could be on each and every fuel bay in the country within six months. If Government were to stipulate that all forecourts must have hand-protection available at all times, this timeframe could be significantly shortened, but that would require further investment in manufacturing.”

Fitting GripHero’s high-efficiency dispensers prevents clumps of gloves being taken, increases capacity, prevents unnecessary waste and puts an end to hand-protection shortages. Forecourts installing GripHero will need to purchase GripHero’s multi-award winning, ATEX Certified antistatic hand-protection.

Before GripHero came to market, the factor preventing hand-protection being dispensed in the fuel zone was the possibility of ignition caused by a static charge released when a glove or item of hand-protection was withdrawn from a pack. As a result, all conventional hand-protection has had to be dispensed away from the fuel pumps themselves. Through GripHero’s innovative use of ATEX-Certified anti-static material, all chance of ignition caused by static has been removed, enabling its dispensers to be placed on the fuel nozzle itself and in the refuelling zone.  In addition to fuel nozzle-mounted hand-protection, GripHero is also offering surface-mounted dispensers to forecourts that may be in contracts that could prevent dispensers from being fitted to their fuel pump handles.

For more information about GripHero, visit www.griphero.com or call 01837 811035.

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Shoppers joined store colleagues to celebrate the unveiling of the new 1996 sq ft store and cafe which is set to bring Thorntons’ heritage in chocolate to life as a unique retail experience.

Rebecca Skates Thorntons Belfast store manager, said: “Leading the store team to unveil this newly relocated Thorntons’ store and cafe has been fantastic – we’re ecstatic to see so much support from local shoppers & residents. We can’t wait to pass the love on and welcome chocolate lovers from across Belfast and showcase the unique sweet treats and unique services on offer at our new store.”

“We’re delighted to kick off a new decade with a new store in Northern Ireland’s capital. The support shown by locals today is testament to the city’s continued retail success, something we’re immensely proud to be part of,” added Sarah Ingram, retail director, Thorntons.

Located on Arthur Square, the new store includes a wide range of famous Thorntons confectionery, a Craftery where customers can create their own personalised chocolate box, a personalisation station where customers can have messages hand iced on a range of delicious products plus personalised gift wrapping, a chocolate block flavour library and a café offering afternoon tea for two with a chocolate fondue, a selection of cakes and hot chocolate.

Visit www.thorntons.co.uk for more info

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The Mallusk based foodservice company has had a close working relationship with Hasting Hotels for many years and the hotel group commissioned Hendersons to research and supply a signature premium coffee blend to be used throughout their seven strong portfolio of hotels and restaurants.

Named the ‘Hastings Triple Cert Bean,’ the coffee is supplied exclusively to customers in Ireland through the UCC coffee brand and delivered via Henderson Foodservice.  It’s officially certified by the Soil Association, Rainforest Alliance, and the FairTrade Organization, validating that it has been sourced ethically and reliably before travelling to Northern Ireland where it is roasted locally.

Additionally, the Observatory cocktail lounge in the Group’s Grand Central Hotel, known for its stunning views of the city and exclusive clientele, is the only location in Northern Ireland to offer a luxury and specially curated coffee blend, Grand Crü.

Howard Hastings, managing director of Hastings Hotels said he was thrilled with customer response to their unique coffee solution across all group hotels. “By working closely with the team at Henderson and UCC and taking the time to create something special, we’ve been able to offer our guests an exclusive coffee blend which can only be found in our hotels. Distinctive coffee flavours and trends are becoming more popular than ever and some of our properties have set up special tasting evenings with expert sommeliers delivering talks and tasting advice – even matching coffee with chocolate and wine.”

Henderson Foodservice managing director Cathal Geoghegan said: “It’s been an excellent partnership with Northern Ireland’s leading collection of hotels with customer feedback and sales to date clearly demonstrating the success of the bespoke coffee blend. We’re also delighted to provide full barista training and machinery maintenance for both front of house and management staff ensuring quality support for this exclusive coffee brand.”

The Hastings Triple Cert Bean coffee blend is available in all Hastings hotels, The Percy French and Cultra Inn restaurants whilst Grand Crü is served only in The Observatory, The Grand Central Hotel.

Caption – Marking the one millionth Hastings Triple Cert coffee milestone are (l-r) Cathal Geoghegan, Howard Hastings, Trevor Stewart, and David Jordan.

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Michael is currently managing director of Musgrave in Northern Ireland and will take up his new role on 2 March, succeeding Noel Keeley who became CEO of Musgrave Group at the start of this year.

Michael is currently MD of Musgrave in Northern Ireland. In this role he has delivered significant sales growth for the SuperValu, Centra and Mace brands in Northern Ireland. Michael first joined Musgrave in 2007 and has held senior positions in the Wholesale Foodservice business prior to joining the business in Northern Ireland in 2015.

Commenting on his appointment, Musgrave CEO Noel Keeley said: “We are very pleased to appoint Michael McCormack as Managing Director of Musgrave Wholesale Partners.  He has led significant growth in our business in Northern Ireland as part of our Growing Good Business strategy. With Michael’s leadership, Musgrave is ideally placed to respond to exciting opportunities in the wholesale and foodservice sectors. This includes meeting the demand for changing food tastes and leveraging our digital technology to deliver world-class customer experiences.”

Musgrave Wholesale Partners is the leading wholesale and foodservice business for retailers and SMEs and it is a one-stop shop for the growing hotel, catering and restaurant sector across the island of Ireland. Recent acquisitions include the fine food specialist La Rousse Foods and drinks distributor Drinks Inc.

Prior to joining Musgrave, Michael held a number of domestic and international roles with Statoil, including Vice President Customer Offer where he was responsible for Statoil Europe’s shop and forecourt brand portfolio. He holds an MBA from the Michael Smurfit Business School and he is a Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants.

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