• INTERNET

  Almost two-thirds of retailers set to improve their online offering – Retail Ireland survey

  23.05.2013 Online market is worth €4.1bn.

  

• AVIATION

  Flybe to sell Gatwick slots to Easyjet for £20m

  23.05.2013 Airline has reached a conditional agreement

  

• RETAIL

  Dublin City Council launches Grafton Street Improvement Scheme

  22.05.2013 Red brick surface to be replaced.

  

• MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS

  Irish M&A deal values up, but number of deals down in Q1 2013

  22.05.2013 Figures according to Investec M&A Tracker Survey.

  

• JOBS

  Aer Arann creating 50 new jobs

  22.05.2013 First of eight new aircraft has began operations.

  

Latest News

• 23 May
• 14:42
  Irish Greyhound Board signs €1.1m deal with Eircom Business

  The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) has signed a €1.1m deal with Eircom Business which will enable more international streaming of greyhound racing and data worldwide.

• 14:28
  Outsourcing company SouthWestern wins UK contract

  Cork-based outsourcing company SouthWestern has won the contract to deliver a new livestock database for the UK’s Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

• 11:28
  Almost two-thirds of retailers set to improve their online offering – Retail Ireland survey

  Retailers are increasingly focusing on their online operations in a bid to tap into the €4.1bn online market in Ireland, which is predicted to grow to €21bn by 2017, according to Retail Ireland’s Online Retailing Survey 2013.

• 08:56
  Twitter introduces two-part login authentication

  Twitter has introduced a new verification process to help protect against unauthorised logins.

• 08:17
  Flybe to sell Gatwick slots to Easyjet for £20m

  Flybe said today that it has reached a conditional agreement to transfer its 25 pairs of arrival and departure slots at London Gatwick airport to EasyJet for £20m.

• 07:55
  OtterBox buys LifeProof

  OtterBox, which designs and produces protective covers for handheld technology, has today announced the acquisition of TreeFrog Developments Inc, doing business as LifeProof for an undisclosed sum.

• 22 May
• 15:56
  ArkeFly to run charter service from Cork to Med sun spots this summer

  Dutch airline ArkeFly has launched a new sun charter service from Cork Airport to a number of Mediterranean destinations this summer.

• 12:57
  Dublin City Council launches Grafton Street Improvement Scheme

  Dublin City Council has launched the €4m Grafton Street Improvement Scheme.

• 12:27
  Permanent TSB “back in the banking business” – chairman

  Permanent TSB Group is back in the banking business with plans to approve lending of up to nine times more this year than in 2012, the chairman said today.

• 11:09
  Irish M&A deal values up, but number of deals down in Q1 2013

  Irish deal values experienced both a quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year increase, with a total value of €5,574m, according to Investec M&A Tracker Survey for Q1 2013.

• 09:32
  Aer Arann creating 50 new jobs

  Aer Arann, operator of Aer Lingus Regional, has announced 50 new jobs as the first of eight new aircraft began operations.

• 07:46
  Red Carnation Hotels buys Ashford Castle following receivership

  Ashford Castle in Cong, Co Mayo has been sold to Red Carnation Hotels for an undisclosed amount following receivership, maintaining 160 jobs in the West.

• 21 May
• 13:27
  €3m Leopardstown Racecourse upgrade to be ready for first King George V Cup in 102 years

  Leopardstown Racecourse said today that its €3m redevelopment will be complete in time for the British Irish Raceday featuring the King George V Cup on 7 June.

• 10:54
  Vodafone Ireland now has over 1 million smartphone subscribers

  Vodafone Ireland has reported a 29.2pc increase in smartphone subscribers to reach a total of 1.01 million in its preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2013.

• 10:23
  Ryanair launches new Captcha system on Ryanair.com

  Ryanair has launched a new Captcha security system on Ryanair.com, which offers faster access to the website.

• 09:37
  European airlines and airports facing further fundamental changes – study

  European airlines and airports are facing fundamental changes, according to Roland Berger Strategy Consultants’ European Aviation Radar 2013.

• 09:20
  Royalty Pharma increases offer for Elan to US$12.50 a share

  Royalty Pharma has increased its bid for Elan to US$12.50 per share in cash subject to Elan shareholders voting against the recent Theravance deal and a series of other acquisitions announced yesterday.

• 08:57
  Greencore profits up 6.3pc in H1

  Convenience food producer Greencore Group plc said today that group revenue in the 26 weeks ending 29 March 2013 was up 0.9pc to £572.9m, while group operating profit rose by 6.3pc to £33.7m.

• 20 May
• 15:05
  Northside Shopping Centre to be refurbished to the tune of €5m

  Headland Property Holdings, with the support of Nama, is to invest €5m in the refurbishment of Northside Shopping Centre in Dublin.

• 14:55
  Latest mortgage figures show decline on previous quarter in IBF/PwC survey

  The IBF/PwC Mortgage Market Profile published today shows that 2,068 new mortgages to the value of €331m were issued during the first quarter of 2013.

• 11:55
  KBC Bank Ireland to launch Debit MasterCard services to Irish customers

  KBC Bank Ireland and MasterCard have announced a strategic partnership, which will see the bank launch debit card services to its customers in Ireland later this year.

• 08:55
  Businesses in Republic to benefit from G8 Summit – Barclays study

  Local companies in the north west of Ireland will generate an estimated €2.5m in new business from the G8 Summit due to take place on 17 and 18 June in Lough Erne, Co Fermanagh, according to a new study published by Barclays.

• 07:57
  Ryanair full year profits up 13pc to €569m

  Ryanair has reported a 13pc in profit after tax to a record €569m for the year to the end of March further to opening seven new bases and 217 new routes.

• 17 May
• 11:11
  Viridian in €47m bond notes buyback

  All-island power and energy group Viridian said today that it will use cash in hand to buy back £40m (around €47m) or 9.3pc of currently held senior secured notes due in 2017.

• 10:19
  Crowley Carbon launches boiler which could save Irish companies over €900m

  Irish energy services company Crowley Carbon has launched a boiler aimed at the commercial and industrial market, which it says has been proven to deliver savings of up to 80pc on energy costs.

• 10:10
  Cork-based TeamworkPM to recruit 10 web developers

  Cork-based TeamworkPM will host a careers day in its headquarters at the end of the month as part of its search to recruit 10 new team members to the company.

• 08:55
  Petroceltic postpones seeking full listing

  Oil and gas exploration company Petroceltic said today that it will defer seeking full listings with the Irish Stock Exchange and the UK Listing Authority as it seeks to finalise its farm-out of an equity interest in the Isarene permit in Algeria.

• 08:27
  Dell's Q1 revenues down 2pc; net income down 79pc

  Dell has announced a 2pc drop in its first quarter revenue to US$14.1bn.

• 08:05
  "Steady performance" for IFG's corporate pensions and private clients business in Ireland

  In an interim management statement issued today, pensions and financial advice company, IFG Group plc said its core businesses in Ireland - corporate pensions and private clients - are delivering a steady performance given the difficult market backdrop.

• 16 May
• 17:00
  Capita to create 800 jobs in next three years in Ireland

  UK’s provider of business process management solutions Capita plans to double the number of people it employs in Ireland over the next three years to 1,600 and has officially opened a new Dublin office in Grand Canal Square.

• 12:24
  Work to start on Luas extension in coming weeks

  Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar TD is signing the contracts for the preliminary work on the new Luas extension which will link the Red and Green lines today.

• 12:01
  Agreement reached on Bus Eireann cost savings deal

  Bus Eireann services are operating as normal today after the company reached agreement with unions on €5m cost saving measures.

• 11:38
  Microsoft’s Surface Pro to launch in Ireland at end of month

  Microsoft today announced that Surface Pro will be available for purchase in Ireland from 30 May.

• 11:36
  Swords-based plant grower's contract with Tesco extended to €5m a year

  Swords-based specialist horticultural grower Uniplumo said today that it has expanded its partnership with Tesco to an annual €5m.

• 09:55
  Bus Éireann deal said to be imminent

  A deal between management and unions in the Bus Éireann is reportedly very close.

• 15 May
• 12:37
  First cruise ship of the season arrives at Dublin Port - cruise liners to bring €50m to economy in 2013

  Dublin Port’s 2013 cruise season began this morning with the arrival at 5am of the 142 metre Le Boreal liner and its 400 passengers and crew.

• 12:01
  Pfizer to close Little Island plant in Cork

  Pfizer is closing its Little Island manufacturing plant in Cork as part of the latest phase of restructuring of Irish operations.

• 10:05
  Clontarf Energy to partner with Pogel on Peruvian oil and gas blocks

  Clontarf Energy has concluded an agreement with energy investment company Peru Oil and Gas Exploration Ltd (Pogel) on its Peruvian oil and gas exploration blocks.

• 08:09
  C&C profits up, but revenues decline by 0.8pc in 2012

  C&C’s operating profits were up by 2.4pc to €113.9m in the year ending 28 February 2013, but the cider and beer company’s revenue dropped by 0.8pc to €476.9m. In Ireland, meanwhile, net revenue was down 9.1pc to €92.2m, while operating profit fell by 11.9pc to €38.5m.

• 07:32
  Topaz investing €3m in flagship service station at Dublin Airport

  Convenience and fuel retailer Topaz is investing €3m in its service station at Dublin airport, which will involve the employment of 100 people during the construction phase and 20 people full time once it’s open.

• 14 May
• 17:26
  Siptu members of Dublin Bus and Irish Rail to be balloted for strike action

  Siptu is to ballot members in Dublin Bus and Irish Rail for industrial action in solidarity with in Bus Éireann.

• 16:16
  650 new jobs for NI as Allstate Northern Ireland expands operations

  US-owned technology company Allstate Northern Ireland is to create up to 650 high quality jobs in Belfast, Derry and Strabane.

• 13:44
  Queen Mary 2 arrival to kick off Dun Laoghaire cruise ship season

  The arrival into Dún Laoghaire of Cunard Line flagship vessel Queen Mary 2 this Thursday (16 May) will kick off a busy cruise ship season for the port.

• 12:06
  Covidien gives funding in support of treatment for heart-related illnesses in Ireland

  Dublin-based Covidien has announced partnerships with two non-profit organisations focused on better treatment for those with heart-related illnesses in Ireland.

• 12:02
  Laya Healthcare customer numbers up 25,000 to 475,000 in year one

  Marking its first anniversary today, Laya Healthcare announced that it has increased its customer base from 450,000 to over 475,000 members in 12 months of business and that it is on track to create 100 new jobs by 2015, with 58 positions filled in the past year in its Dublin and Cork offices bringing its total workforce to 399.

• 10:18
  Irish Ferries passenger numbers down slightly in Q1 2013

  Irish Ferries carried 418,100 passengers, a decrease of 1.5pc on the previous year, according to an Irish Continental Group interim management statement covering carryings up to 11 May 2013 and financial information for the first four months of the year.

• 09:58
  Petrel Resources in talks with Porcupine Basin farm-in partners in London

  Oil and gas company Petrel Resources has opened a data room in London for its two licensing options in the Porcupine Basin in the Irish Atlantic Margin.

• 09:00
  Primark, H&M sign safety agreement in Bangladesh

  Primark and H&M are the latest retailers to agreed to commit to building and fire safety regulations in Bangladesh, following the collapse of a factory there in recent weeks killing 1,100 workers.

• 08:38
  DCC full year results for 2013 ahead of forecasts

  Sales, marketing, distribution and business support services group DCC has come in ahead of forecasts on all key group metrics in its full year results reported today, with operating profit up 27.3pc to €229.2m.

• 08:17
  Paddy Power reports 20pc rise in revenue for year to date

  Net revenue has climbed 20pc for the year to date at Paddy Power, driven by 29pc growth in online revenue and 8pc growth in retail revenue, according to an interim management statement.