Irish owned online flower delivery service Flowers.ie has reported a 33pc increase in sales from customers living in Canada, Australia and the US compared to the 2011 Christmas period. The website has experienced a steady increase in sales from customers living outside of Ireland since 2007. Martin O’Gara, Flowers.ie general manager attributed the sales spike to Irish emigrants now living abroad ordering gifts of Christmas floral bouquets for family and friends here at home. “While this is a good news story for Flowers.ie it is also a sad reflection of the large numbers of Irish people now living abroad, more than likely due to the difficult economic situation here at…

Irish start-up Conker has won the National Digital Research Centre’s Lift Off competition, which will give it access to a €40,000 investment fund. Conker aims to help game developers to earn more from free-to-play titles. It increases revenue for free-to-play game developers by tracking and analysing the behaviour of successful players who have purchased items and using that information to influence the behaviour of other players. Conker pitched against 14 other start-ups in a competition which was held in front of an audience of investors and mentors as well as a judging panel. Tempity, An online platform which directly connects recruitment agencies with available temps, took second place and access to…

Managing director of healthcare company Rhonellen Group AJ Noonan has been elected as the new chairman of the Small Firms Association (SFA). Based in Dublin, Rhonellen Group is involved in the provision and management of healthcare infrastructure. It is currently working with the HSE in relation to its Health Strategy 2001 which outlined plans to provide primary care centres throughout Ireland. Noonan was educated at the College of Commerce Rathmines. He has been self-employed since 1990, initially in recruitment and laterally in development. He has been a National Council member of the SFA for over 10 years and has played an active role in promoting the association in that time.…

The increased focus recently on female entrepreneurship is a natural evolution and the time is right to create the environment where more women have the confidence to set up and run their own businesses, according to David Thomas managing director, Corporate Banking Division, Ulster Bank. “There are already some great models in various fields and we are now at the point in the US where the split is nearly 50:50 in terms of men and women opening businesses,” he said. “Europe is nothing like as good as this. In Ireland, the ratio is around three to one with start-ups and two to one for men and women running businesses. So…

The National Business Expo, partnered by Grant Thornton and Bank of Ireland, will take place on Friday 8 March and Saturday 9 March 2013 in the RDS. Last year some 2,200 Irish people started their own business each month and this Expo is designed to support Irish entrepreneurs in accelerating their companies. It will feature practical advice with a strong emphasis on start-ups, small-to-medium business and those looking to export, and will have four main business centres – one focused on finance; professional advice; business support and business services. Speaking in relation to the event, Miriam O’Connor, National Business Expo, said: “As a start-up ourselves we have experienced first-hand the…