Investing in Irish jobs
Buying Guaranteed Irish products guarantees Irish jobs. Here, Roisin Lafferty, ambassador for Fleetwood Paints and awardwinning interior designer at Kingston Lafferty Design, explains
Roisin Lafferty, ambassador for Fleetwood and award-winning interior designer at Kingston Lafferty Design, speaks about why buying Guaranteed Irish products guarantees Irish jobs
“The benefits of purchasing Guaranteed Irish products today have the potential to be seen both domestically and globally,” says Lafferty. “By purchasing Guaranteed Irish products, we in turn support countless Irish businesses across numerous sectors, particularly the construction and design industry.
“Continued support for such products supports their expansion and development, which in the long-term can lead to centres of excellence in Ireland and highly-regarded Irish products available across the globe.”
Guaranteed Irish aims to support job creation in the Irish economy and its members play a vital role in communities across Ireland. If households increased their spending on Guaranteed Irish products and services by €4 a week, it could create over 6,000 new jobs. A study conducted by Amárach Research into the country’s attitudes to buying goods and services with the GI symbol, showed that almost two-thirds of people surveyed said that buying such products helps them feel they are supporting Ireland.
Lafferty, who is the ambassador for Fleetwood Paints, a member of Guaranteed Irish, says Fleetwood’s involvement with the symbol plays an important part in sustaining the design industry in Ireland.
“Colour and paint are some of the most powerful design tools and as a leading Irish paint brand Fleetwood is at the forefront of colour in Ireland,” she says. “From our work with commercial and residential clients, we have found that people are a lot more inclined to experiment with paint colours, and Fleetwood is an Irish company supplying a level of choice and quality to the market that really is quite ground-breaking.
“When consumers buy Fleetwood products or purchase any similar Guaranteed Irish product, it sustains and promotes the growth of the design sector, and the future of design in Ireland. Supporting Guaranteed Irish products increases the demand for design skills in everything from product development to graphic design, thereby pushing the design sector and promoting the growth of design in Ireland.”
SUPPORT
Annemarie Harte, CEO of Hardware Association Ireland (HAI) – the national representative body for hardware/DIY retailers, builders’ merchants and manufacturers and distributers to the trade – agrees:
“Our long-term wellbeing as an economy can only be achieved by nurturing our homegrown businesses. Ensuring these businesses are supported first and foremost by the domestic market reduces our ever-increasing reliance on foreign direct investment for jobs and growth.
“Buying from Irish-owned retailers, especially those up and down the country on rural high streets, sustains employment and keeps communities alive. Local hardware retailers are part of the backbone of the community and acknowledged as reliable problem solvers. Many of these are family businesses with an unmatched history in towns that otherwise may have succumbed to the scourge of emigration.”
Harte adds: “Buying local is also important for our environment. In the age of e-commerce dominance across Europe, reducing the environmental ‘footprint’ of products we use is more important than ever. At the end of the day, having a face-to-face conversation with the local expert whether it’s about a bit of DIY or a new extension trumps buying from a faceless e-commerce giant.”
RELATIONSHIP
HAI has over 350 members (suppliers and manufacturers), many of whom have the Guaranteed Irish symbol including Tegral, Fleetwood, Bord na Móna, Wavin, Kingspan, Irish Cement and Kilsaran. Annemarie feels that their relationship with Guaranteed Irish has had a positive impact on the construction industry.
“When we find companies in our industry that value their Irish heritage and are creating jobs and sustaining communities, we introduce them to the benefits of Guaranteed Irish and vice versa.
“We equally support our homegrown manufacturers, high street and multi-branch retailers, and merchants that have come through the toughest of times, and we aspire to be their value-added partner in the longterm sustainability of their business.
“Our longstanding relationship with Guaranteed Irish has been mutually beneficial.”
Local hardware retailers are part of the backbone of the community and acknowledged as reliable problem solvers