A new initiative is offering up-and-coming Irish businesses the chance to have their products sold at Arnotts on Dublin’s Henry Street.
'Pitch 21 at Arnotts' is a competition for Irish start-up companies and promising new brands to come and pitch for the opportunity to sell their products both in-store and online at Arnotts.
Successful businesses will also win a €10,000 development fund.
Audrey Owens, Director of Innovation and Enterprise at Brown Thomas and Arnotts, explained 'Pitch 21' on Down to Business with Bobby Kerr.
"We all know in the past year how challenging it has been and we know people who decided to or had to do something different and I think one thing that comes out of a crisis is that it creates entrepreneurial opportunities," she said.
"Our team really wanted to get involved and Pitch 21 is a special project and we're calling on all Irish start-up companies and new brands to pitch for an opportunity to retail in Arnotts in our store and trade online in the run-up to Christmas and win a €10,000 business development fund.
"We feel like we have a lot to offer for brands that want to get into the retail space.
Ms Owens explained that Arnotts are looking for people who have a brand or product developed that would be ready to go into production by July.
They would also need to be able to have the capacity to scale up production in the run-up to Christmas.
Arnotts in Dublin city centre. Photograph: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie"In terms of the application form, it's quite detailed with what's required but we've seen from our experience and a lot of brands we've worked with is that if they have a product and an idea that we're able to support on areas like packaging or fulfilments, I think that's where we really come in to play," she added.
Arnotts do not take a one size fits all approach to each brand, rather it is finding solutions and getting the business 'live'.
"It is an invaluable experience for brands that do come in and trade in our store and online," Ms Owens said.
Customers "love" the pop-up concept and often come into the store to see what's new and different, she added.
"Pop-up opportunities have been very successful and it's great when we bring in a brand and it stays," she said.
"But also, it's great to bring in brands from a seasonality perspective and surprise our customers."
More information on 'Pitch 21 at Arnotts' is available here.
