Musgrave to shed 143 jobs in Galway

by Lorna Siggins (The Irish Times, 5^th March 2010)

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0305/1224265630188.html

Musgrave Site - Kilcock

THE MUSGRAVE retail group is to shed 143 jobs in Galway as part of a restructuring of its distribution network. The company has said that “extremely difficult market” conditions had influenced its decision to close its Galway depot at the end of June. 70 full-time and 18 part-time staff will lose their jobs, while 55 staff have been given the option to transfer to Musgrave’s distribution depot in Kilcock, Co Kildare.

A cash and carry outlet in Galway will not be affected by the move, according to Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland (MRPI). MRPI and partners, SuperValu and Centra, said that the market contracted by 7 per cent last year.

The company also said it initiated price reductions worth €235 million in an effort to compete with price cuts in major chains and to combat the impact of cross-Border shopping. MRPI will still employ 1,550 staff, once Galway is closed, with depots in Cork, Dublin and Kildare.

The SuperValu and Centra network of shops employs a further 30,000 staff. MRPI managing director Donal Horgan said that a 30-day consultation period would begin place where transfer was not an option for those offered the choice, Mr Horgan said.

“This is a difficult time for all our colleagues on this site and our focus will be in assisting them as much as we can,’’ he said.

County Kildare sees its roads funding slashed again

By Peter Kelly (Liffey Champion, Page 18)

Figures released by the Dept. of Transport have confirmed that funding for roads in County Kildare have been cut once again. The budget for Kildare County Council will now be €12.9m for 2010. This figure is down 14% on the 2009 figures of €15m. €28m had been allocated for 2008.

The Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey TD (FF), confirmed the funding allocations on Monday (22^nd February) and said that he had simplified the grant structure for local authorities so they had more flexibility in prioritising weather damaged roads.

Lunch at Rye River Café

By Kim Mullahey (Liffey Champion, Page 27)

Our very own Rye River Café got a wonderful review this week in the Liffey Champion  with the reviewer citing “nippy pricing, attentive table service, drool-inducing fish and chips and the quirky yet all the same soothing décor  is a real lunchtime hit.”

Ms Mullahey sampled the special of fish and chips with side salad and tartar sauce and for afters, a rice crispy bar with an Americano coffee. She seemed to be most impressed with the food and the quality of the coffee that was served.

Special mention was given to the refreshing change upon seeing the names of the suppliers and vendors being so obviously marked right on the front page of the menu. This is a practice that I hugely support!

Rye River Café got five stars on all counts – value for money, cost, ambiance, service, food quality, overall rating. I’m sure the fact that the café is wheelchair accessible encouraged these scores.

So support our local businesses. We obviously have quality produce and service right on our doorsteps!

Therese Brady is a local aspiring writer and writes mainly about food, fiction – novels and short stories, restaurant, movie and book reviews and I have my own website www.theresebrady.com and blog called Writer’s Cramp. This is where I keep my creative juices flowing during those down moments of writer’s block. I’ve completed one novel and am currently working on the second. Find me on Facebook and Twitter.