Over 6,200 new jobs could be created in Ireland if households each spent €4 more every week on Guaranteed Irish goods and services, a new survey has claimed.
Carried out by Amárach Research on the impact of Guaranteed Irish on the economy, the study indicates that the average Irish household spends just under €16 a week on Guaranteed Irish products and services.
“If Irish households simply increased their spending on Guaranteed Irish products to €20 per week, that would create an extra 6,200 jobs based on the turnover per job for existing Guaranteed Irish members”, said Tom Rea, executive director of not-for-profit organisation, Guaranteed Irish.
“These figures show just how important it is that we support Guaranteed Irish services and products as much as possible during these tough economic times.”
According to Guaranteed Irish, the estimated annual turnover of its member companies, which employ 23,700 people is €1.2bn, equating to €52,000 turnover per employee. “With the number of households in Ireland at 1.5m we can estimate that the spend per household on Guaranteed Irish products week is just under €16,” said Rea.
The study shows that 83pc of Irish consumers believe it is more important today to buy Irish goods and services than it was five years ago. Some 63pc of people questioned said buying Guaranteed Irish helps them feel they are supporting Ireland, and the Irish, in some way. And 41pc of the 1,000 people surveyed say they buy Irish goods and services as often as they can.
The study suggests that young people are supportive of buying Irish for economic reasons, with 35pc of 16-24 years olds giving this as their reason for doing so. This compares to just 18pc of those aged over 55 who buy Irish for economic reasons.
One in five (21pc) of those surveyed say the Guaranteed Irish symbol provides peace of mind about where a product is produced or manufactured.
And 86pc of respondents say Irish companies should highlight the fact that their products or services are Irish.
The survey also found that 41pc of the public surveyed recognise the Guarantee Irish symbol.
“Guaranteed Irish is one of the most powerful and respected brands in the market, it is very much the tipping point for consumers who wish to support Irish products and services,” said Rea. “The Guaranteed Irish symbol not only identifies the products that are manufactured in this country, but it also differentiates products from competing imported products.”
According to Rea, membership of Guaranteed Irish has increased by 40pc in the last year. “At a time when many Irish people feel powerless to make a personal difference, consumers recognise that buying Guaranteed Irish is something positive they can do to bolster the nation.
We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers
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