BELFAST BRIEFING:Buying presents made by local firms would boost the economy and support jobs

THERE IS more to Northern Ireland than the bargain booze, cheap chocolate and enticing electrical deals that seem to be all some supermarket giants think it’s worth shouting about.

The prematurely tinsel-laden aisles of the British multiples may be hard to resist, particularly for those with the exchange rate factor thrown in, but step away from the Christmas music and there are a few sobering facts that cannot be ignored.

Tesco, Sainsbury, Asda and to a lesser extent Marks Spencer are enjoying a recession-defying retail boom in the North. Thousands of cross-Border shoppers are providing a major source of revenue in a region where retail sales might not be quite so sparkling given the local economic backdrop and the rise in unemployment.

According to Angela McGowan, an economist with Northern Bank, the underlying trend in the North is to save rather than spend. McGowan believes the potential for “big ticket” spending by local consumers could be rather flat this year.

Economists and industry chiefs have been warning for some time that the boom in retail shopping in Border towns and cities should not necessarily be interpreted as a major boost for the local economy. It delivers jobs, but many of these are part time and do not command huge salaries or bonuses.

Glyn Roberts, chief executive of the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association, notes that the clear winner from the cross-Border trade surge is the British multiples.

Consumers from both sides of the Border could give the broader economy in the North a helping hand at this time of year. Here is a wish list of present ideas that directly support jobs in Northern Ireland and provide an important contribution to the local economy.

Top of the “Made in Northern Ireland” Christmas wish list is award-winning cheese from Co Tyrone-based Fivemiletown Creamery. Established in 1898, it is a major supplier of cheese to supermarket groups across Britain, Ireland, Hong Kong and the US. It even supplies its award-winning Brie to Galeries Lafayette stores in France.

Other small producers, such as Barry O’Boyle of Portlee Farmhouse Cheese, Randalstown, Co Antrim, are also worth considering.

Second on the list is a shirt lovingly crafted by Richard Gibson’s Smyth Gibson or Grosvenor Shirts. Gibson started his company 17 years ago and all the firm’s shirts are handmade in Derry by a team of 50 people.

Grosvenor Shirts, which has just secured a licence to design formal shirts for each qualifying country in the 2010 World Cup, designs and manufactures its shirts in Strabane, Co Tyrone.

Next on the list could be a chance to savour specialist products from Northern Ireland’s family-run microbreweries, such as the Whitewater Brewing Company near Kilkeel, Co Down, and the Hilden Brewing Company just outside Lisburn, Co Antrim.

No Christmas present list would be complete without considering a purchase from the 400-year-old Bushmills Distillery. Last week the distillery, which produces 450,000 cases of whiskey a year, announced plans to double production to more than one million cases a year by 2012. The company also intends to increase its workforce of 108 on the back of the proposed expansion.

Aside from alcoholic beverages, Northern Ireland has a reputation for producing and exporting world-class food.

According to Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI’s food director, food and drink in the North is a £3 billion (€3.28 billion) industry and has become the region’s biggest manufacturing sector.

So number five on the list is a selection box of irresistible delights such as luxury cupcakes from Belfast-based Marshmallow Grove or Glastry Farm ice cream.

The Taylor family, who have been producing milk since 1856 at Glastry Farm in Kircubbin near Newtownards, Co Down, have diversified their business to use premium-quality milk from their herd to produce the ice-cream.

Also worth considering are Blackthorn Foods’ handmade butter fudge, McErlain’s Bakery’s unrivalled shortbread iced biscuits and Baxter Murray Creative Chocolate’s truffles.

Award-winning beef company Glen Tender and Crossgar Meats also deserve recognition for what they have achieved despite supermarket competition.

Moving on to number six, some of the North’s technology companies are making a name for themselves in the gadget world.

Newcomer Wee Man Studios, which has created 3D gaming experiences for the iPhone, shows just what the North has to offer in this sphere.

The Belfast firm’s maiden title, Galactic Racer, is considered one of the top-10 eagerly awaited iPhone games of winter 2009.

Belfast-based digital audio company APTX is the mastermind behind apt-X audio codec technology, which is incorporated in Sennheiser PX-210 BT Bluetooth headphones.

Northern Ireland firms also have options covered when it comes to more traditional presents. At number seven on the wish list is a little bit of the North’s rich economic history in the form of linen, crystal or china.

Thomas Ferguson is a good example of a company that has adapted and changed to survive. The Banbridge-based firm, which has been producing Irish linen since 1854, is one of just a handful of weavers remaining in an industry that once dominated the North’s economy.

Other long-established firms such as Belleek Pottery and Tyrone Crystal have faced an uphill battle to adapt to changing market conditions and shrinking margins. Belleek was established in 1857, while Tyrone has been the home of crystal since 1771. The fact that the two companies are still here today makes them worthy of a place on the Christmas wish list.

Supporting emerging talent in the North comes eighth on the list. This could include any of the painters, sculptors, ceramic artists, silversmiths, textile artists, and fashion designers who will take part in the University of Ulster’s school of art and design Christmas sale this month.

The university has proved to be a great facilitator for talented artists such as graduate Karen Daye Hutchinson, the award-winning Belfast-based artist and designer who is also a successful businesswoman. She is the woman behind Coppermoon, a chic art and design boutique, which showcases local and national art and design.

Finally, if there are consumers North or South with a Titanic budget to spend this year, then this may be just what they are looking for.

Belfast furniture firm Gilbert Logan, which bears the same name as the young man who made the captain's dining table for the Titanic, can produce an exact replica of the table for you.