Business

Mobile network Three said this morning that it has agreed with Telefonica to buy its O2 business in Ireland for €780m. An additional €70m will be paid if agreed financial targets are achieved.Three said the acquisition of O2 will take its market share to 37.5pc and bring subscriber numbers to 2 million active users. The two companies had combined revenues of €803m in 2012, €174m of which was Three’s. “Three is very pleased to have agreed to acquire O2 Ireland, a business whose strengths complement ours very well,” said Three CEO Robert Finnegan. “Since market entry in 2005, Three Ireland has grown organically through innovation, competitive pricing, and quality customer…

Barry O’Leary, chief executive IDA, Minister Michael Noonan, Barry O’Sullivan, Vistakon Ireland plant manager and Minister Richard Bruton Contact lens manufacturer Vistakon Ireland is creating 100 new highly skilled jobs at its site in the National Technology Park, Plassey, Co Limerick, where it is investing €100m in the expansion of its manufacturing operations. The investment, supported by IDA Ireland, will also lead to 200 temporary construction jobs over the next 18 months. Established in Limerick in 1996, Vistakon Ireland designs, manufactures and markets the Acuvue range of soft disposable contact lenses, the world’s number one brand. It is one of several Johnson & Johnson companies operating in Ireland, employing a total of…

SWAN stocks refer to high-quality, low-risk dividend-paying stocks that assure investors to “sleep well at night,” knowing that their investments are in secure, stable companies. SWAN stocks is a term coined by Brad Thomas, a financial analyst and author specializing in real estate investment trusts and income-generating stocks.

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Climote enters partnership with Electric Ireland Irish home energy management company Climote has signed a contract with Electric Ireland, estimated to be worth €800,000, that will see the retail arm of ESB, offer Climote technology to its customers. Climote said this is the first of a number of new contracts that is hoping to secure in the coming months and will set it on the way to secure lucrative contracts with energy providers across the UK. The company has developed a remote control device that allows consumers to control their home heating system via their phone or computer. “Based on over 10 years of research and development, the Climote system enables consumers to…

Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) has announced a significant stimulus for the Limerick and Mid-West region’s economy with the unveiling of its €200m+ ‘Campus 2030 Masterplan’. The Masterplan, launched by Minister Jan O’Sullivan at LIT’s Limerick School of Art & Design (LSAD) city centre campus today, is in response to growth across LIT discipline areas such as art and design, engineering and humanities. It also reflects the expansion in LIT’s Enterprise Centres and the applied research capabilities, which were not part of the original masterplans when the campuses were developed during the late 1990s. The investment will see an additional 50,000sq metres of facilities of new facilities as well as extensive refurbishment…

Clerys on O’Connell Street in Dublin will continue to trade as normal today following the appointment of joint receivers Paul McCann and Michael McAteer of Grant Thornton to Clery & Co (1941) plc, Denis Guiney Ltd and Yterrbium Ltd. The receivers were appointed at the invitation of the directors of these companies, which own and operate the department store. According to a statement from the receivers, the O’Connell Street shop will continue to trade as normal and the 147 jobs in the store remain unaffected by the appointment of the receivers.  Likewise, concessionaire partners at the store and their employees will not be affected. The statement said the receivers are…

Laya Healthcare to create 100 jobs over three years Pictured: D�nal Clancy, managing director, and Lorraine Walsh, marketing manager, Laya Healthcare Laya Healthcare, formerly Quinn Healthcare , has marked its official launch today with the announcement that it plans to create 100 new jobs over the next three years. The company currently employs 343 people at its headquarters in Cork. Laya Healthcare also launched its new cardiac screening initiative, HeartBeat Today, which will allow all members, from the age of 12 upwards, free access to preventative cardiac screening. “This is a hugely exciting day for the private health insurance market and all the team at Laya Healthcare,” said D�nal Clancy, the company’s…

A Wicklow-based mother of two children with autism, Lisa Domican, has developed a new iPhone app that she hopes will help children with autism better build their communications skills. The app, which has already been successfully trialled in the Saplings School in Rathfarnham for children with autism, is called “Grace” (named after Lisa’s daughter) and is based on the principle of picture exchange communication. It was developed by Lisa in conjunction with software developer Steve Troughton-Smith, and with the support of Telefonica O2 Ireland . “As the mother of two children with autism, I know it works, I’ve seen the positive impact it has had on my own children, and therefore I can…

The development of a new hotel and residential complex in the Grand Canal Dock will create 200 construction jobs over the next year and result in 100 hospitality jobs when it opens in February 2013. By completion, more than €120m will be invested in The Marker, which will include 187 guest rooms over six floors, as well as 84 two-bedroom residential apartments, which will be available to rent or buy and will have full access to the hotel’s amenities. The hotel will be operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts and will be a Leading Hotels of the World member. According to its owners, it’s being designed to appeal to both…