Fingallians take a bite from the Big Apple
Over US $100,000 Projected Sales Following Trade Visit to ‘Ireland Show’ in March 2016
Six small companies from the Fingal county have just returned from the ‘Ireland Show’ in New Jersey, having secured direct export orders exceeding $30,000, with more than $100,000 in combined export orders projected over the next year.
Organised by the Fingal Local Enterprise Office, the trade mission targeted small craft businesses in the region who could demonstrate real potential to export their products to the lucrative US giftware market. “The Ireland Show” is the biggest Irish-American trade show in the US and attracts buyers in the gift trade from all over North America.
Oisin Geoghegan, Head of the new Local Enterprise Office in Fingal, highlighted the increasing importance of export sales to small businesses in Ireland: “All of our businesses that travelled to the Ireland Show in April have secured valuable export orders. By breaking into export markets, these companies are able to reach millions of potential customers outside of Ireland. We are helping our small local businesses gain access to the lucrative American market, the costs of exhibiting at these trade fairs can be prohibitive to companies going it alone. By helping our local craft businesses to access export markets export sales we are hopefully encouraging and enabling them to create jobs”.
The participants from Fingal at the Ireland Show this year included: Loinnir (from Castleknock) with a range of contemporary Irish Jewellery, seasoned artist Maura O’Rourke (from Oldtown) with her Acrylic paintings of the Irish landscape, Celtic Gent (Balbriggan) with their Heritage Tweed Garments for both men and women, Newgrange Art and Gifts decorative Bronze Kerbstones (from Sutton), Michelle Owens’s Original Hand Crafted Irish Sea Glass (Skerries), and Tracy Gilbert Designs Hand Crafted Jewellery (Donabate).
Anyone interested in starting a new business or expanding an existing small business is welcome to visit the our offices and avail of the range of supports provided. Visit www.localenterprise.ie/fingal.