Bord na Móna - Source Issue 7 - (Page 11)

‘‘ it has never Been More iMportant to Focus on our existing custoMer Base and the relationships We have Built up to leverage on opportunity and sales groWth Aidan Campion, Business Development Manager for Europe - Horticulture Growise stand at the Glee trade show. overall in some 20 further export countries increased by 14% on the previous year. according to aidan, the italian market has been a major focus over the past two years and revenue there has grown to over €1 million year-on-year. “this growth can be attributed to the expansion of our product range and our ability to build on our superior performance meeting our customers’ needs. in France and the Benelux countries, revenue was boosted by significant new contracts, including the doubling of an existing supply contract with peltracom, a large horticultural business based in France and Belgium. during strategic negotiations, opportunities were identified to double the supply of peat moss to their production factories.” other reasons for growth include horticulture’s pricing structure. Whilst it has not been easy to compete against competitors from lower-cost countries, we have impressed customers with our quality range and our ability to provide that quality consistently. “our future plans include the introduction of new products targeted at particular markets and their needs, such as germany, turkey and south africa,” says aidan. “the introduction of premium grades of peat moss will allow further growth in ‘‘ EngAgIng Firemagic stand at the Hearth and Home trade show. established markets such as holland and France. a major focus has always been the development of longer-term supply agreements, but current economic conditions have made it difficult for customers to commit to these.” the Middle east and china also represent new potential for sales. “in these challenging times, it has never been more important to focus on our existing customer base and the relationships we have built up to leverage opportunity and sales growth,” says aidan. “our european bulk export business exports to over 27 countries, each with unique challenges and opportunities but, by working closely with our customers, we have found new opportunities and new sources of competitive strength that resulted in sales growth.” Resource Recovery - Ireland “Within resource recovery, our primary concern is to grow our business in ireland, primarily within our existing footprint,” says karen smyth, Brand Manager, group Marketing. “to put our business into context, the overall waste market is shrinking due to the economic environment. at the same time, the market is fragmented and is becoming commoditised. on the commercial side of the business, resource recovery has become more important than waste collection,” explains karen. however, there is huge ambition within both the commercial and domestic business to grow aes over the next five years. “domestically, we aim to build our base to 100k customers by april 2014. on the commercial side of the business, we hope to build revenues upwards of €40 million by april 2014, through a mix of organic and acquisition growth,” says karen. to achieve this growth, resource recovery will focus on four key areas: Brand & identity, customer retention, new customer acquisition and differentiation. “in terms of our focus on brand identity, we know from research that the Bord na Móna endorsement is well received and this gives aes a point of differentiation,” says karen. Work is ongoing to build the brand by driving consistency and awareness in all of the regions where resource recovery operates. customer retention is another key element of resource recovery’s growth strategy. “the customer relationship is managed from the point of acquisition right through to the risk of leaving,” says karen. “We’ve been involved in several very successful branding exercises over the past year. For example, our sponsorship of the Family day at the punchestown Festival helped us to build brand awareness and loyalty,” says karen. customer retention is vital but resource recovery must also attract new customers. “We operate structured sales & Marketing acquisition campaigns that are focused on expanding within our existing footprint,” explains karen. Finally, resource recovery must differentiate itself within a difficult market. “We can create differentiation with the products we offer and by going the extra mile to offer really excellent service. the redevelopment of our website is playing an important role in this. plus, we need to ensure that we are competitive when it comes to price and that we create incentives to convince customers to switch and to retain existing customers,” says karen. Falienor, one of Bord na Móna’s customers is among the leading potting soil manufacturers in France. The Arandon factory, also located in France. iNfo box AES - www.aesirl.ie Fuels - www.bordnamonafuels.ie Horticulture www.bordnamonahorticulture.ie S www.bordnamona.ie Source | 11 http://www.aesirl.ie http://www.bordnamonafuels.ie http://www.bordnamonahorticulture.ie http://www.bordnamona.ie

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Bord na Móna - Source Issue 7

Bord na Móna - Source Issue 7
Contents
A Round-Up of News from Around the Company
Willow Harvest for Farmers
New Approach, New Business
Strategic Growth and Development
Challege and Change
Anua Beginning
Raging Inferno
Mapping a Sustainable Future
Project Update
Heritage Corner
Nationwide

Bord na Móna - Source Issue 7