Business Relocation

The Soup Dragon

New poster,

We run a small manufacturing business in the UK with a good proportion of our customers being from the EU. The business employees 3 people all from the UK. We are currently thinking that we would like to remain EU based and thus are discussing relocating the business with Brexit looming.

Currently Ireland is top of the list for a sensible location to relocate to.

I am wondering if there are any incentives at present to attract businesses to relocate to Ireland? We need an industrial unit circa 1200 to 1500 sq feet for our plant and equipment / offices.

The business is growing and we would expect in the next few years to create 2 or more new jobs. We haven't looked at which areas would be best.

Any ideas, tips, ideas positive or negative appreciated and which organisations might be able to offer advice , Local Councils?

SD

The_Honeybadger

Speak to somebody from the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in the area where you are moving to. You may qualify for financial support if you meet their criteria.

LEO are part of the local authority and should be able to help you source a manufacturing unit as well, even if you don’t qualify for grants etc. Many local authorities own and run industrial parks and would also know what is available locally.

What county are you moving to? If you are not tied to any particular area you should also have a word with Udaras na Gaeltachta, an agency set up to support the Gaeltacht regions in Cork, Kerry, Galway and Donegal. There are really good incentives to help establish businesses and create jobs in those areas. They have subsidised industrial parks and a suite of grants available for suitable businesses.

The Soup Dragon

The_Honeybadger wrote: »

Speak to somebody from the Local Enterprise Office (LEO) in the area where you are moving to. You may qualify for financial support if you meet their criteria.

LEO are part of the local authority and should be able to help you source a manufacturing unit as well, even if you don’t qualify for grants etc. Many local authorities own and run industrial parks and would also know what is available locally.

What county are you moving to? If you are not tied to any particular area you should also have a word with Udaras na Gaeltachta, an agency set up to support the Gaeltacht regions in Cork, Kerry, Galway and Donegal. There are really good incentives to help establish businesses and create jobs in those areas. They have subsidised industrial parks and a suite of grants available for suitable businesses.

Thankyou Honey Badger,

We haven't decided on a location yet but West appeals more then East but I don't know why.

Would not speaking Gaelic be a problem if heading way out west?

silver2020

The Soup Dragon wrote: »

Thankyou Honey Badger,

We haven't decided on a location yet but West appeals more then East but I don't know why.

Would not speaking Gaelic be a problem if heading way out west?

None whatsoever. Everyone speaks English, usually you'd just hear Irish spoken in local conversations or in the pub by the older generation.

These guys are situated at the most westerly point of the country and ship to stores worldwide https://skelligschocolate.com/

The Soup Dragon

silver2020 wrote: »

None whatsoever. Everyone speaks English, usually you'd just hear Irish spoken in local conversations or in the pub by the older generation.

These guys are situated at the most westerly point of the country and ship to stores worldwide

That's great news and it looks like very lovely place to live

silver2020

If its food and you are relocating from the UK, somewhere in West Cork (Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Schull, Bandon etc) would be where I'd look. It has strong reputation for food and it would be where a large number of British people have relocated to. Home from home

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/british-expats-in-ireland-you-can-t-be-a-stuck-up-brit-1.2739028

manor

Wexford or Waterford in the South East, they will have access to Rosslare port for Europe.

The Soup Dragon

silver2020 wrote: »

If its food and you are relocating from the UK, somewhere in West Cork (Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Schull, Bandon etc) would be where I'd look. It has strong reputation for food and it would be where a large number of British people have relocated to. Home from home

Not food mixture of small component manufacture with some very small batch chemical processing kg scale only

The Soup Dragon

County Mayo looks really nice and it seems a little better for house rentals from a price point of view

antoinolachtnai

The Soup Dragon wrote: »

County Mayo looks really nice and it seems a little better for house rentals from a price point of view

Have you contacted the IDA? You should at least try them in the first instance.

You should also contact the Northern Ireland people. They may have a good option for you.

Gloomtastic!

The Soup Dragon wrote: »

County Mayo looks really nice and it seems a little better for house rentals from a price point of view

Mayo is a huge county but there’s a thriving business community in places like Castlebar and Westport. I’m sure they’ll welcome you with open arms.

Good luck to you!

Gloomtastic!

^ If you PM me, I can recommend a good accountant/tax advisor in Castlebar who would also have a wealth of contacts that could be useful to you.

If you do decide to move here, you'll discover that doing business here is a lot about who you know, as opposed to what you know.

The Soup Dragon

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

^ If you PM me, I can recommend a good accountant/tax advisor in Castlebar who would also have a wealth of contacts that could be useful to you.

If you do decide to move here, you'll discover that doing business here is a lot about who you know, as opposed to what you know.

Thankyou I may just take you up on that.

The_Honeybadger

The Soup Dragon wrote: »

Not food mixture of small component manufacture with some very small batch chemical processing kg scale only

You could do that from virtually anywhere so it’s almost as simple as picking where you would like to live and going from there. You could certainly do worse than Mayo. Lovely place.

Does the manufacturing process require skilled / qualified staff or is it relatively straightforward with on the job training? That’s another thing to consider but I’m sure you have that factored in. Best of luck with the move if you decide to go through with it.

The Soup Dragon

The_Honeybadger wrote: »

You could do that from virtually anywhere so it’s almost as simple as picking where you would like to live and going from there. You could certainly do worse than Mayo. Lovely place.

Does the manufacturing process require skilled / qualified staff or is it relatively straightforward with on the job training? That’s another thing to consider but I’m sure you have that factored in. Best of luck with the move if you decide to go through with it.

Any new staff members would receive full on the job training and as you say we could pick a spot we like the look of. I did see a really nice looking estate good quality presentable units at good prices in Tramore obviously that's not out West.

Bandara

The Soup Dragon wrote: »

Any new staff members would receive full on the job training and as you say we could pick a spot we like the look of. I did see a really nice looking estate good quality presentable units at good prices in Tramore obviously that's not out West.

I went on me summer holliers with the mam and dad to Tramore when I was seven. Had a trip up and down the beach on a donkey, and got a little wallet for my coins that said “Tramore” on it. I was chuffed.

Quite the trip it was too.

The Soup Dragon

OK, Thinking of the logistics of a move and looking for opinions.
It would probably take an amount of time ( say 6 months or so) to transition over the water.

Would it be possible for me to move over there while still being paid by the company based in the UK while I sort out accommodation, bank , business unit etc with the factory following over when it is all ready to ship say 6 months later for a full relocation?

Would I have to register as being some sort of overseas employee during that transition period?

SD

Tommyturf

Cork (LittleIsland etc.) big Chemical scene - might be useful network around it - work for one actually!