Boots Ireland Launches Contactless Payment Across All Stores
Boots Ireland has introduced a contactless payment option at all its stores across the Republic of Ireland. The option, delivered through a partnership with Streamline and Visa Europe , allows customers to pay for items totaling less than €15 by touching the point-of-sale terminal with their contactless Visa card. Using this method, customers do not have to enter their personal identification number (PIN). “Our aim is to offer customers a great shopping experience with quick, easy ways to pay, and we believe that contactless payment is one way to deliver this,” said Boots Ireland managing director Debbie Smith. “The new technology should help to reduce transaction and queuing times.” “Contactless payments make in-store payments…
Read MoreElavon launches MobileMerchant chip and PIN payment system in Ireland
Elavon, a wholly owned subsidiary of US Bancorp, has announced the Irish launch of its secure chip and PIN MobileMerchant smartphone card processing system. According to the company, MobileMerchant, which is aimed at small – and particularly mobile – businesses, had a “highly successful” world market launch in the UK in January 2012. The MobileMerchant system transforms mobile devices into payment terminals, allowing businesses to accept card payments quickly and securely anywhere and at any time. The MobileMerchant payment app is paired with a chip and PIN card reader, allowing payments to be processed using BlackBerry or Android smartphones and tablets. “Elavon is excited to extend this innovative and secure…
Read MoreSysco acquires food service division of Keelings’ Group
Sysco Corporation has acquired the food service division of Keelings’ group, which specialises in fresh produce, employs 160 and has operations based in Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Wexford. Reporting through Pallas Foods , the business will retain its existing brand identity and management team. All employees will remain with the business. The wider Keelings Group , headquartered in North County Dublin, has operations in Ireland, the UK, Europe and Asia. Keelings is a fresh produce specialist and is the largest grower of fruit in Ireland. The Keelings Group will continue to operate its retail, market, international and solutions divisions. Tim Geary, Chairman of Pallas Foods, said: “Keelings’ food services’ business is a strong entity…
Read MorePrimark opens first Austrian store in Innsbruck
Primark opens first Austrian store in Innsbruck Primark has today opened its first store in Austria. This is the company’s 50th store outside Ireland and the UK and brings its total number to 246. The company also has stores in Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany and Belgium. Located at the Sillpark Shopping Centre in Innsbruck, the new store covers 40,000 square feet and will employ 250 people. Primark will open two stores next week, the first in Thanet in the UK on Monday 1 October and the other in Zaragoza, Spain on Thursday 4 October. Grainne Rothery
Read More€100k prize up for grabs in Spark of Genuis competition
The finalists of the Electric Ireland Spark of Genius Competition have been revealed, with the winner to be announced at the Dublin Web Summit on 18 October with a prize fund worth €100,000. The competition, now in its third year, focuses on the most promising high potential startups in Ireland. Some 1,000 entries have been shortlisted to 100, who will be offered an opportunity to pitch to leading international investors, including Google Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Atomico and Accel, industry leaders and startup experts at the Dublin Web Summit in the RDS. Paddy Cosgrave, CEO, Web Summit said “This is the third year of the Electric Ireland Spark of…
Read MoreProduct of the Year: Award-Winning Chocolate Shoe at SHOP 2012
Artisan confectionary producer Skelligs Chocolates from Ballinskelligs, Co Kerry has won the Overall Product of the Year at the SHOP trade expo for its chocolate shoe product. Established in 1996, Skelligs was awarded €2,000 of retail support intelligence from awards sponsor, Shelfspace, alongside the prestige of being named the number one product at SHOP. “For the past year, we have worked tirelessly to ensure our chocolate shoes look exquisite while tasting great,” said Colm Healy, proprietor of Skelligs Chocolates. “We hope this national recognition will continue to open doors with new customers and expand our newly rebranded range with existing customers.” A small family-run business, Skelligs opened a new 6,000 sq ft…
Read MoreHubSpot opening European HQ in Dublin with 150 new jobs
Boston based marketing software provider HubSpot is opening a European headquarters in Dublin next January which will create 150 new jobs. Its first-ever branch office, it will oversee all international operations, supporting more than 600 customers and 100 resellers. The new jobs in Dublin will be in sales, marketing, account management and support. HubSpot serves nearly 8,000 customers in 56 countries with 30pc of inbound sales leads originating outside the US. Its international business is growing 200pc per year, and HubSpot projects that 20pc of its revenue will come from its global market within the next three years. “The market for our software outside the US is several times the…
Read MoreBribery and corruption has risen since the downturn — E&Y
Bribery and corruption has risen since the downturn — E&Y There has been an increase in bribery and corrupt practices since the economic downturn, according to 28pc of Irish respondents on Ernst & Young’s 2012 Global Fraud Survey. This compares to 16pc in Western Europe as a whole. Over 1,700 executives across 43 countries, including CFOs, heads of legal and internal audit participated in the survey for their views of fraud, bribery and corruption . The survey reveals that over 20pc of Irish respondents believe that bribery occurs widely in Ireland, compared to one third of global respondents. Bribery is perceived to be significantly higher in the rapid-growth markets such as…
Read MoreMobileWebAdz Fourth Fastest Growing Tech Company in the UK
A company set up by Kerryman Kieran O’Keefe, MobileWebAdz has been recognised by the Sunday Times Tech Track 100 as the fourth fastest growing technology company in the UK. Headquartered in London, MobileWebAdz specialises in the field of mobile internet advertising, displaying 18 billion ads a month across mobile websites in over 200 countries, positioning it within the top ten companies in the world in this sector. O’Keefe founded it originally as Smart Tech in 2002 and then focused on mobile advertising in 2005 and has since rebranded as MobileWebAdz. Its main markets include Europe, the US, South East Asia, South America and the Far East. Now employing 38 people…
Read MoreBig Red Book creating 12 jobs thanks to new cloud solution
Irish accountancy and software company Big Red Book has launched a new cloud-based solution, which will mean the creation of 12 new jobs over the next year. Hosted on Microsoft’s cloud platform Windows Azure, the new solution is called Big Red Cloud. Big Red Book’s services are currently used by over 17,000 SMEs in Ireland and the UK. The new service solution enables customers to move all their accounts data to the cloud with the flexibility of adding unlimited users and free access for their accountant. A recent trial of Big Red Cloud with current Big Red Book subscribers resulted in 36pc of trial participants converting to the cloud within…
Read More