Ardagh Group completes acquisition of Anchor Glass
Ardagh Group has announced that it has received US regulatory approval and completed the acquisition of the US-based Anchor Glass Container Corporation from private investment funds managed by Wayzata Investment Partners LLC. The transaction involved a total cash consideration of US$880m (€721m). Anchor, which is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, is a technologically advanced manufacturer of glass containers serving the North American food and beverage industries. It is the third largest glass container manufacturer in the US, producing approximately 5.6 billion containers annually from its eight facilities and employing approximately 2,700 people. Anchor has annual revenues of around US$800m (€656m). Ardagh Group is a global leader in rigid packaging, producing metal…
Read MoreInfinite Touch introduces new parenting apps
An iPhone app development company based in Co Leitrim, Infinite Touch, has developed three apps aimed at to putting parents’ minds at rest. The inspiration for the elaboration of the Fetal Sleep Tracker, Contraction Tracker, and Baby Feed Tracker Plus by Infinute Touch founder Andy Dunn was the upcoming birth of his daughter, due this September. Baby Feed Tracker Plus is the latest app he has released on the iTunes store. “Having built the Fetal Sleep Tracker and Contraction Tracker apps, I identified a gap in the market for an easy to use baby feed tracker app. “Other apps are cluttered with unnecessary features. As I had read many books for new parents ahead of the birth of my…
Read MoreEvidence of Demand a ‘Blind Spot’ for Entrepreneurs
Demonstrating evidence of demand tends to be a significant ‘blind spot’ evident among many entrepreneurs, writes Alan Gleeson, founder of Palo Alto Software and Smallbusinesscan contributor. Providing real evidence that there is an actual demand for the “thing” that is being sold is an important step. Believe it or not, a lot of business owners fail to grasp this concept, as it is their belief that there just needs to be a great idea and great people behind it. This is why there is such a high rate of failure amongst new businesses. Lack of leadership and planning. Instead of facing the harsh reality that their idea might be less…
Read MoreCoca-Cola Zero to team up with James Bond again
Coca-Cola Zero to team up with James Bond againImage courtesy of Skyfall Facebook page The Coca-Cola Company has announced its Coca-Cola Zero brand is to join forces with the new James Bond movie as part of promotions for the film’s worldwide release this autumn. Continuing a Successful Partnership Skyfall is the 23rd installment in the James Bond series and continues Coca-Cola’s partnership with the franchise, which began in 2008. The new campaign will see fans being asked to ‘Unlock the 007 In You’ and all Coke Zero products will undergo a Bond-themed makeover. Bond-Themed Packaging in Various Formats The limited edition designs will feature across multiple-pack formats, including cans, PET…
Read MoreNivea denies firing Rihanna amid marketing strategy confusion
Nivea parent company Beiersdorf has reportedly had to deny firing brand ambassador Rihanna, who joined forces with the brand last year. The move comes after the new Beiersdorf chief executive Stefan Heidenreich told a German newspaper that “Rihanna is a no go”. “I do not understand how to bring the core brand of Nivea in conjunction with Rihanna. Nivea is a company which stands for trust, family and reliability,” he was quoted as saying. Nivea’s corporate and brands communications vice-president Thomas Schönen left Beiersdorf shortly after the arrival of Heidenreich a few months ago, and the job is currently being an interim corporate communications person. Now the brand is saying…
Read MoreRyanair to send SMS alerts for certain flight delays
Ryanair has announced that passengers who experience Ryanair flight delays of over 90 minutes will now receive free text message updates to advise them of the likely duration of the delay and their new departure time. The service, developed in partnership with Sentient , is a new addition to Ryanair’s existing email/text and website passenger communications. The company says it will be particularly useful during periods of severe disruption such as bad weather, strikes or widespread airspace closures (eg volcanic ash). Commenting on the new development, Ryanair’s Stephen McNamara said: “ Ryanair delivers Europe’s No 1 customer service and our new text alerts system will ensure we stay No 1. Now passengers…
Read MoreBoston Scientific to shed 50 jobs at Galway facility
As part of its 2011 global restructuring plan, Boston Scientific is cutting 50 jobs from its Galway operations. The medical device company employs 2,500 at the Galway facility, which is the largest of its three sites Ireland. In a statement Boston Scientific said that the cuts were made to align its workforce and operations with the company’s global initiative to operate more cost effectively. “Boston Scientific will offer affected Galway employees a comprehensive support programme. Boston Scientific remains committed to supporting its employees through this transition,” it added. Last year the company announced it was seeking to cut up 1,400 jobs worldwide in a restructuring programme aimed at saving between…
Read More42pc of small businesses to increase employment – SFA
The director of the Small Firms Association, Patricia Callan, has released the findings of the SFA’s Autumn Employment Survey which shows that the economy has stabilised and that many firms are returning to growth and intend to create new jobs. The survey was undertaken at the end of July and 628 of a sample of 2,000 SFA members responded. Some 47pc of respondents stated that their business was growing at present, with 43pc stating that they were maintaining their position in the marketplace and 10pc stating that their business was declining. In relation to jobs, 42pc of firms planned to increase their employment levels, of which 7pc were increasing them…
Read MoreEircom appoints CEO and CFO
Eircom has today announced the appointments of Herb Hribar as group chief executive officer and Richard Moat as group chief financial officer. Both will be appointed to the boards of Eircom Holdco SA and eircom Holdings (Ireland) Limited and will take up their roles in early September. Hribar has extensive experience in the telecoms and TV industries in Europe and the United States. He moves to Eircom from CENX, where he has been CEO since February 2011. He has also been president of Ameritech Wireless in the US, managing director of Kabel Deutschland COO of Cablecom in Switzerland. He was previously managing director wholesale/networks at the Eircom from 2002 to…
Read MoreRyanair adds new routes from Cork to Poland and Lithuania
Ryanair has announced five new routes from Cork to Gdansk, Krakow, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Vilnius, which will operate from November 2012. The airline said its winter 2012 schedule from Cork Airport now increases to two based aircraft and 10 routes, which will deliver over 850,000 passengers each year. It said that this would sustain over 800 on-site jobs at the airport, based on ASI figures estimating that 1 million passengers maintain 1,000 jobs. Flights for the five new routes go on sale on Ryanair’s website from tomorrow and the airline said it is offering special prices until midnight on Monday (6 August). Grainne Rothery
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