Minister Damien English and Enterprise Ireland announces funding for retailers to get online and exploit new opportunities

• 216 retailers to receive €9.3m in grants through Online Retail Scheme
• 72% of successful applicant companies are based outside of Dublin

Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Damien English TD has today announced that more than 200 retailers have been approved for funding under the Online Retail Scheme (ORS), which is administered by Enterprise Ireland.

This latest call under the Scheme sees 216 retailers across all counties approved for funding of €9.29 million. The Scheme was open to retailers who already have an online presence and who have a physical store, and is targeted at enhancing their online capability and presence so as they can best exploit new opportunities and attract new customers.

Minister English outlined the potential benefits of the ORS to retailers, saying:

“Retailers are at the heart of our communities across the country so the Government are delighted to support an additional 216 local businesses as they take this next step to increasing their sales capability by further developing their online offering.

“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, said:

“Supporting businesses on their growth and exporting journey is a significant focus of our work at Enterprise Ireland. Supporting retailers through the Online Retail Scheme will increase their presence online and help them to compete for new sales and customers in the ecommerce market. 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 have been approved for funding under this call, said:

“Flowerhill Furniture is 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 today’s successful applicants, since 2018 more than 700 projects from retailers based in Ireland have been approved for €28.3m in funding through the Government’s Online Retail Scheme. Successful applicants will receive a grant ranging from €10,000 to a maximum of €64,000.

Recipients from this latest call are based across all counties in Ireland and are from a number of sectors, including hardware, pharmacy, clothing and furniture.

ENDS