ON-LINE MOURNE FISHBOX SERVICE LAUNCHED

L-R Harold Nicholson and Lisa McBride of Mourne Seafoods launch their new consumer focussed e-commerce fresh fish business www.mournefishbox.com

Fish lovers across the UK and Ireland will now be able to enjoy fresh fish from the port of Kilkeel delivered straight to their doors thanks to the launch of a new e-commerce business Mourne Fish Box, supported by Invest Northern Ireland.

The new venture which is aimed at the domestic fish consumer has been developed by Mourne Seafoods, the Kilkeel based supplier of fresh fish and shellfish to the hospitality trade.

Customers to the Mourne Fishbox website www.mournefishbox.com will be able to buy a range of 2kg and 1 kg fresh fish boxes which will be despatched from Kilkeel that day and delivered within 24 hours.  At this launch stage five standard Mourne Fish Boxes are available, ‘The Filleted Fish Box’ comprising cod, salmon, haddock, mackerel and hake; ‘The Dinner Box’ comprising of cod, smoked haddock and fish pie/chowder mix; ‘The Dinner Party Box’ comprising seabass, scallops and oysters, ‘The Smoked Fish Box’ comprising of smoked haddock, smoked salmon and smoked mackerel and ‘The Scallops Box’ comprising of scallops landed locally and hand shucked on the premises.  All Mourne Fishbox fish and shellfish is prepared ready to cook and presented in vacuum sealed packs in an outer insulated and chilled box.

Commenting on the launch of the new business, Mourne Fish Box,  Managing  Director Harold Nicholson said –

“Our aim is to provide the quality conscious fish consumer with the freshest fish he or she can buy and through internet technology and our courier network we can do that throughout the UK and Ireland.

Here in Kilkeel we have a tremendous range of fresh fish and shellfish being landed every day.  When a customer orders a Mourne Fishbox on-line they can be assured that their box will comprise of fish that has been caught or processed within the last 24 hours.  The majority of our fish is sourced from the Irish Sea, with the exception of salmon which is sourced from elsewhere in Ireland or Scotland and exotic fish such as seabass, imported from Turkey or Greece”.

Invest Northern Ireland has offered Mourne Seafood £20,540 towards this project. This includes support with developing its e-commerce site, assistance with the marketing activities for the Fish Box service and support with recruiting a new staff member to drive sales and process orders.

John Hood, Invest NI’s Director of Food, said: “This is an innovative project for Mourne Seafood, aimed at maximising a business to consumer model to increase its sales particularly in the Republic of Ireland.

“Invest NI has enabled Mourne Seafood to develop the capability to offer its new service and invest in a focused marketing campaign to raise its profile and online presence.

“Enhancing its workforce with a dedicated individual to manage the order processing and sales generation will also be an important element to help the company establish a competitive platform for its online sales.”  said John Hood.