Two big supermarkets and a tech giant tumbled out of Ireland's top 10 favourite firms

GOOGLE, LIDL, AER Lingus and Supervalu have dropped out of Irish consumers’ top 10 favourite companies and public bodies.

The four firms slipped down the ranks in the latest annual RepTrak survey by the Reputations Agency after topping the poll in 2017.

The survey of more than 7,000 punters measures the general level of trust, respect, admiration and esteem – and 25 other indicators – that consumers have for 100 of the largest organisations in the country.

This year’s poll was topped by credit unions, despite a damning Central Bank report that highlighted how a significant number of staff and directors won prizes in draws organised by some cooperatives.

The Reputations Agency surveyed people between 5 January and 5 March, before the financial regulator published its report and it was public knowledge that credit unions were under investigation after controversy at the now-defunct Rush Credit Union.

Kellogg’s, Aldi, Bord Bia and Boots completed this year’s top five.

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Bottom of the league

In 2017 discount supermarket Lidl ranked number five in the line-up, but dropped to 12th position in the latest poll.

Meanwhile, its nearest rival, Aldi, skipped from fourth to third place and was the only supermarket brand to make it in 2018′s top 10.

Search engine and advertising colossus Google tumbled from sixth position to the number 11 spot this year. This comes at a time when internet giants such as Facebook – which polled at number 84 – face scrutiny over how they handle users’ data and the wider effect they have on democracy.

IAG-owned airline Aer Lingus was also wiped out of this year’s top 10, dropping from ninth place to number 16.

A number of changes have occurred at the once State-owned carrier in the last 12 months, including a restructuring of its Irish workforce and controversial changes to its frequent flyer club.

Supervalu – which currently has the biggest share of the groceries market – tumbled from 10th place to 24th.

Of the 100 companies and public bodies featured in the RepTrak survey, utility firm Irish Water came in dead last.

The Heath Service Executive, telco firm Eir, the Football Association of Ireland and the Olympic Council of Ireland completed the bottom five.

Commenting on the 2018 RepTrak rankings, Reputations Agency managing director Niamh Boyle noted that strong reputations not only help firms win new business, but also attract the right talent.

“Today, organisations are more widely scrutinised based on their alignment with social causes, how they behave, their organisational values and the internal culture they create. They are no longer solely measured on what they make or how they make it.”

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