Other News In Brief

Strabane Shirt Manufacturer Sizes Up African Markets

Strabane-based Grosvenor Shirts has secured two franchise agreements in Nigeria and Ghana following support from Invest Northern Ireland. The company designs and manufactures quality men’s and boys’ shirts and offers its customers both a ready-to-wear range and made-to-measure service from its online and London-based store. The new outlets in Nigeria and Ghana are due to open in spring 2012 and will be the first Grosvenor retail shops to be set up outside the UK.

This news follows Grosvenor’s 2009 investment in exploring franchise opportunities in export markets. The Nigeria and Ghana franchises are expected to increase the company’s sales by £600,000 over the next three years, with all associated manufacturing taking place in Grosvenor’s Strabane factory.

Draft Clarendon Street Design Guide Published

Urban design in Derry took a step forward today with the publication of the Draft Design Guide for the Clarendon Street area of the city. Publishing the Guide for consultation today, Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: "The designation of Clarendon Street as a conservation area recognised the unique built heritage of this part of Derry. The Design Guide, which provides advice for residents and prospective developers, defines the principles of conservation, building and urban design that will be applied within Clarendon Street and so will help preserve the architectural integrity of the area.The Guide is an important document and underlines my commitment to the built heritage of Derry. I commend it to the people of the city and hope that there will be a positive response to the consultation."

Poll Reveals NI Mums Simply Don’t Have Time For Lunch

Over half of NI mums (64%) skip lunch because they ‘simply don’t have time’ a recent a poll conducted by Kingsmill has revealed. Almost a quarter of mums said they are lucky to grab 5 minutes or less to refuel and almost half of the mums surveyed that do eat lunch (45%), only make time for a 'quickie 15 minute break'. Victoria Brown, Allied Bakeries explained: "Looking at the results it’s clear that our mums need to make time for lunch. More than half of those polled (63%) agreed that their daily routine has an impact on being able to take a mid-day break whether that’s juggling kids, housework or their job. Furthermore only 12% actually take time at lunch to sit back, relax and savour the moment."

(GK)