Factsheet for measure
IE-2020-18/796
–
Updated
– measures in Ireland
COVID-19 online retail scheme
Background information
The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation (DBEI) has proposed this scheme in response to the COVID-19 crisis and the urgent need for retail companies to achieve a step change in online capability.
The fund will be administered by Enterprise Ireland on behalf of DBEI with a total fund size of €2 million. Applications for funding will be invited through a public call for submission of projects. Successful applicants will be awarded funding to support a maximum of 80% of the project eligible costs with a maximum grant of €40,000.
Content of measure
The purpose of this fund is to enable Irish-owned retailers to enhance their digital capability and to develop a more competitive online offer, that will enable an increase in their customer base and build a more resilient business in the domestic and global marketplace both online and offline. Typical elements involved in developing a sophisticated and transactional online presence include research, consultancy costs for strategy development, implementation and training.
The applicant must be an Irish-owned retail enterprise that had 10 or more employees on or before 29 February 2020 and has the potential to sustain or create jobs, generate growth in online transactions and has an ambition to internationalise their business in future.
The business must also:
-
have an existing online presence (e.g. website or social media);
-
have a retail outlet and derive the majority of revenue from the retail outlet(s);
Successful applicants will be awarded funding to support a maximum of 80% of the project costs. The minimum grant amount payable is €10,000 under this Scheme.
Updates
The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.
|
30 June 2021
|
A third call launched in May 2021.
|
|
30 June 2021
|
As part of the third call, 133 retailers were approved with €5 million in funding. The average grant value was €37,500.
|
Use of measure
According to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: 185 applications were approved under the first call with a total value of €6.58 million. A further 145 applications were approved under the second call with a total value of €5.31 million.
A third call launched in May 2021 resulted in 133 applications being approved with a total of €5 million funding being provided.
Prior to this, according to the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, 370 companies received funding under the Online Retail Scheme to the value of €12.8 million.
According to the COVID-19 and Brexit Business Supports Tracker 2021:
-
Call 1 - The value of approvals when reporting discontinued on the 22 of Jan 2021 was €6.58m.
-
Call 2 - The value of approvals when reporting discontinued on the 22 of Jan 2021 was €5.31m.
-
Call 3 - The value of approvals when reporting discontinued on the 16 of July 2021 was €6.35m.
Target groups
Actors and funding
|
Actors
|
Funding
|
National government
Public support service providers
|
National funds
|
Social partners
Social partners' role in
designing the measure
and form of involvement:
|
Trade unions
|
Employers' organisations
|
|
Role
|
No involvement
|
No involvement
|
|
Form
|
Not applicable
|
Not applicable
|
Social partners' role in the
implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:
-
No involvement
-
Main level of involvement: Unknown
Involvement
N/A
Views and reactions
No involvement.
Sectors and occupations
-
This case is sector-specific (only private sector)
-
|
Economic area
|
Sector (NACE level 2)
|
|
G - Wholesale And Retail Trade; Repair Of Motor Vehicles And Motorcycles
|
G45 Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles
|
This case is not occupation-specific.
Sources
-
26 April 2020: Enterprise Ireland
(www.enterprise-ireland.com)
-
31 December 2020: COVID-19 and Brexit Business Supports Tracker
(enterprise.gov.ie)
-
04 May 2021: Minister Damien English announces new €5m Online Retail Scheme
(enterprise.gov.ie)
-
30 June 2021: Minister English announces €5m in grants to retail sector through Covid-19 Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland
(enterprise.gov.ie)
-
30 June 2021: Minister English announces €5m in grants to retail sector through COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme administered by Enterprise Ireland
(www.gov.ie)
-
24 September 2021: COVID-19 and Brexit Business Supports Tracker 2021
(enterprise.gov.ie)
