Expansion of two Derry SMEs to create eight new jobs

23 Aug 2013

Lucid Interactive and GolfstoreEurope are to create eight new jobs among them in the Derry area with support from Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund.

Lucid Interactive provides systems for retailers and is to recruit five employees in various roles over the coming months to help support its sales growth in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland.

The company is aiming to secure this year 200 more customers of its SellerExpress product. SellerExpress is a web-based multi-channel system that has been developed with R&D support from Invest NI and partial funding from the European Regional Development Fund.

“Recruiting additional sales and technical staff through the Jobs Fund will enable us to progress our growth plans quickly so that we can capitalise on new export opportunities,” said Brendan Doherty, owner of Lucid Interactive.

Online retailer GolfstoreEurope approached Invest NI for support, with an expansion aimed at diversifying its product offering to include corporate promotional merchandise.

Dermot Hegarty, owner of GolfstoreEurope, said assistance from the Jobs Fund has enabled the company to recruit the three new warehouse operatives it needs to implement its growth plans and accommodate the anticipated increase in sales from Europe and beyond.

Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund

The Jobs Fund has been designed to help boost employment. Invest NI said it is achieving widespread uptake across Northern Ireland, helped by a straightforward application and approval process, with the grant paid for each new worker once they have been employed for just one month.

To date, the scheme has helped more than 1,200 businesses across Northern Ireland create more than 3,200 new jobs.

In addition to employment grants for businesses, the Jobs Fund also offers financial incentives of stg£1,000-stg£1,500 for individuals who want to start a business.

To be eligible for this support, the individual must be either resident in one of the 36 Neighbourhood Renewal Areas (NRA), or be a young person currently not in employment, education or training.

Tina Costanza
By Tina Costanza

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic. She came to Ireland from Canada, where she had held senior editorial positions at daily newspapers in Ottawa and Toronto. When she wasn’t saving dangling participles, she was training for 10K races or satisfying a craving for scones.

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