72% of successful applicant companies from outside of Dublin.
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Damien English TD has announced that over 200 retailers were approved for funding under the Online Retail Scheme (ORS), administered by Enterprise Ireland.
216 retailers across all counties have been approved for funding of €9.29 million. This latest call of the scheme was open to retailers with an online presence and a physical store who wanted to enhance their online capabilities in order to exploit new opportunities and attract new customers.
Minister English outlined the potential benefits of the Online Retail Scheme to retailers, saying“Such diversification is an important part of future-proofing a business as it allows retailers to explore new opportunities and reach new customers, both domestically and internationally. Through the Online Retail Scheme, we are enabling established retailers with a physical store the chance to compete for online sales that are currently going to businesses based outside the country. It is also pleasing to see that there has been a good spread of successful companies from around the country under this round of the Scheme with 155 from the regions and 61 businesses based in Dublin.”
Jenny Melia, Manager of Technology & Services, Enterprise Ireland, added, “Ambitious Irish retailers are increasingly looking for ways to diversify their traditional retail model to reflect the shopping trends of modern consumers, and this was reflected in the significant interest in this latest call of the Online Retail Scheme.”
Niamh McMahon, Owner of Flowerhill Furniture in Navan, Co Meath, who were approved for funding under this call, said “Flowerhill Furniture is a family business which has had a physical retail presence for 40 years and we are delighted to receive this grant from the Online Retail Scheme as it will support us on our digital journey as we continue to diversify our business. By improving our online retail offering, not only will it enable us to strengthen our resilience and enhance the experience for our existing valued customers, but it will also support us to widen our customer base and reach new markets.“
Including this latest group of successful applicants, more than 700 projects from retailers based in Ireland have been approved for €28.3m in funding through the scheme since 2018. Successful applicants receive a grant ranging from €10,000 to a maximum of €64,000. Recipients from this latest call come from a number of sectors, including hardware, pharmacy, clothing and furniture.
