Business News

Small business in spotlight at Ploughing Championships

By Business & Finance
22 September 2015
richard bruton TD
Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation

A record number of small businesses are temporarily relocating to the Local Enterprise Village at this week’s National Ploughing Championships.

Built by the network of Local Enterprise Offices, the Local Enterprise Village features 83 small businesses from every county in Ireland.

Up to 200,000 visitors are expected to make the journey to Ratheniska in Co Laois. In 2014, the National Ploughing Championships generated an estimated €39m in sales for Irish businesses.

Richard Bruton TD, Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, said: “Ireland’s agri-food sector is performing very strongly and as a result, small businesses are benefitting, with huge opportunities for growth and job creation. The National Ploughing Championships is an amazing event that provides a massive opportunity for businesses and State Agencies to reach potential clients and customers, and this initiative will help us take advantage of that.”

Kieran Comerford, chair of the network of Local Enterprise Offices, noted: “The Local Enterprise Village grows bigger every year and is home to more than 80 small Irish businesses. As well as giving the public the chance to meet the person behind the business, it also gives small business owners a real opportunity to boost sales and break into new markets.”

Photo:  William Murphy