Volkswagen is Ireland’s most reputable company - survey

Volkswagen has been named the most reputable organisation in Ireland, according to a new survey, followed by SuperValu and An Post, with Google and Boots making up the top five.

“The combination of the best people, the best vehicles and the best dealer network is the reason for our success,” said Paddy Comyn, head of PR & social media with Volkswagen Ireland.

According to the annual Ireland RepTrak® 2014 study, announced by The Reputations Agency, the food-manufacturing sector has replaced the automotive industry as the most trusted in Ireland, while the financial/banking sector is still the least trusted.

Last year's top performers - BMW (1st) and Apple (2nd) - have had a mixed year, with both companies posting significant falls to drop back to 18th and 19th, respectively.

The Irish League of Credit Unions is the best placed financial institution, in sixth, while The Irish Times is the top performing media company, in 24th position.

For the first time, Ireland's three national sporting bodies, the Football Association of Ireland (FAI), Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), and Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), were included in the survey, with the IRFU ranking 15th, the GAA 20th and the FAI in 98th place.

Of the 100 companies included in the survey, low cost airline Ryanair had the poorest score, while AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank are all placed in the bottom 10 per cent.

The study measured the reputations of 100 organisations in Ireland between January and February 2014, encompassing the views of 4,701 members of the general public across Ireland.