Retail businesses should apply for a new round of funding to expand their online offering and presence to customers at home and abroad, a TD has said. Deputy Emer Higgins was speaking after Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English announced more than 200 retailers who have been approved for funding under the Online Retail Scheme (ORS) administered by Enterprise Ireland. This latest development will see 216retailers across all counties approved for funding of €9.29 million. The Scheme for retailers who already have an online presence and who have a physical store and is targeted at enhancing their online capability.
Speaking recently, Deputy Higgins said: “Many local businesses have successfully made the digital transition in recent years and developed their online capability to sell their goods and services online. “Consumer habits have also changed in recent years and it was great for them to know that when they went online, they had local options instead of just the large international retailers, particularly when the pandemic occurred. “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.
“61 Dublin businesses have been successful in this round of the Online Retail Scheme. They will receive grants 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. “Among the recent recipients is Newland’s Garden Centre in my own constituency of Dublin Mid West and I hope we will see more businesses in the local community applying for the funding going forward.
“Nationally, 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. “We have seen how businesses benefited from this scheme throughout the pandemic, this funding will continue that revitalisation,” Deputy Higgins said.
Minister of State for Business, Employment and Retail, Damien English added, “Retailers are at the heart of our communities across the country so the Government is 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”, Minister English concluded.
