Mr. Enrico De Luca:

First of all, I thank the committee for the invitation. I am the CEO of Maxi Zoo Ireland, which has 34 shops in the country, employing more than 300 people.

Like many other retailers in the country, my organisation is part of a wider European group with a presence in 15 countries. As a consequence, part of my job is convincing our shareholders to invest in this country versus other countries as part of their portfolio management. Such investment, of course, would have incremental benefits for our employees, customers, suppliers and local communities.

In the past three or four years, my job has become significantly harder because Ireland ranks as one of the most expensive countries when it comes to the cost of doing business.