Business
Former Gilead executive appointed at Alexion in Ireland
Julie O’Neill has been appointed as general manager and senior vice president, global manufacturing operations, at Alexion Pharma Ireland Trading, to help the company to establish global supply chain operations in Ireland. O’Neill will also be responsible for global manufacturing operations, including Alexion’s manufacturing plant in Smithfield, Rhode Island in the US as well as Alexion’s global supply chain operations. Alexion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and delivery of therapies for severe and life-threatening rare disorders. Earlier this month, it announced that it has agreed to acquire a site in Athlone to create a vialling facility in Ireland, which would create 40 new jobs. Around 50…
Read MoreAlexion Pharmaceuticals to create 40 jobs at vialling facility in Athlone
Alexion Pharmaceuticals said today that it has agreed to buy a vialling facility in Athlone and intends to create 40 new jobs there as part of its plan to establish global supply chain operations in Ireland. The acquisition from Alkermes is expected to close during the first quarter of this year. The investment is supported by the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation through IDA Ireland. Last July, Alexion announced plans to open a new office and laboratory facility in Dublin and to establish a global supply chain facility in Ireland. Following the appropriate validation processes and regulatory approval, Alexion said the Athlone facility will become its first company-owned vialling…
Read MoreInsolvencies drop by 26pc nationally from January – Vision-net
The number of businesses collapsing this month has fallen by over a quarter compared to January last year, according to the latest figures from business and credit risk analyst Vision-net. Vision-net’s monthly figures, covering the period 1–27 January, show that 74 business were declared insolvent during the month – a 26pc decrease on the same period in 2013. Of those, 39 were liquidated, 34 entered receivership and an examiner was appointed to one company. A county by county breakdown of the figures for this month shows that Dublin accounted for 49pc of all insolvencies, an increase of 13.6pc over January 2013. Galway had the second highest level of insolvencies on 8pc,…
Read More44pc of employees work from home at least one day a month – O2
The remote working trend appears to be gaining pace as 44pc of employees in Ireland surveyed by Ignite Research for O2 work from home at least one day a month. Another survey of those who already work remotely found that one third of people expect the trend to continue while 45pc believe that over the next five years most business communications will be from home or outside the office. More than two thirds (70pc) of respondents who work remotely agreed or strongly agreed that working outside the office enabled them to find a positive work-life balance. A similar number (69pc) said that they felt happier after working off-site for a day…
Read MoreDebt judgments down 25pc since 2011 – Vision-net
The total number of commercial and consumer judgments awarded, worth €398.5m, fell by 6.9pc in 2013 when compared to 2012, and fell 25pc when compared to 2011, according to the latest figures from Vision-net. However, despite the fall in the number of judgments, there was an 11.6pc rise in the average value of judgments in 2013 (€72,715) when compared with 2012 (€65,149) and a 31pc rise when compared with 2011 (€55,411). Vision-net’s figures show that 1,754 commercial judgments were awarded in 2013, an 11.4pc fall on 2012 and 38.5pc fall on 2011. The total amount of judgments awarded against creditors was €71.5m. Of these, 577 judgments worth €22.7m were awarded…
Read MoreFormer Montrose Hotel in Dublin Becomes Student Accommodation
Construction work has commenced this week to convert the former Montrose Hotel on Dublin’s Stillorgan Road into high spec student accommodation for 192 residents from September 2014. Montrose Student Residence, on the doorstep of UCD, will target third-level and graduate students Dublin-wide through the academic year and international language students during summer months. It will offer a total of 192 en-suite bedroom units, arranged in a choice of five to eight bedroom ‘cluster flats’ each with communal living, kitchen and dining areas. It will also offer 24/7 security and a call out service, on-site laundry and car and bicycle parking spaces. Utilities, broadband internet, and contents insurance are all included…
Read MoreEuropcar Ireland reports growth and expansion in 2013
Europcar Ireland has reported an 11pc increase in its peak fleet numbers to more than 5,000 vehicles and that it surpassed 900,000 rental days in 2013. It is now operating in the number three slot in Ireland’s main airports after a successful Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) tender and has also recently opened four new branches in Galway, Athlone, Waterford and Cavan. Colm Menton, CEO of Europcar Ireland said: “We can pinpoint the success in 2013 to the significant influx of tourists during the year of The Gathering and also through a change in behaviours by the corporate sector choosing to rent their fleet rather than buy. “The successful tender with…
Read MoreTV3’s corporate debt acquired by long term investor Doughty Hanson
TV3 has announced the sale of its corporate debt to long term shareholder Doughty Hanson. The corporate debt of TV3’s parent, Tullamore Beta, was included in the sale of IBRC’s assets by the special liquidators KPMG. In the Evergreen tranche, the debt was sold through an open auction process. The bid by Doughty Hanson was majority financed by BlueBay Ireland Corporate Credit I Limited. TV3 said the new lending facilities are long term and at commercial rates. As part of the re-financing package the company said it has also entered into new banking arrangements with Ulster Bank, providing the full range of working capital and banking facilities required by the…
Read MoreGenworth investing €15m in new Shannon base
Fortune 500 insurance company Genworth is investing over €15m in a new base in Shannon, which will include the development of a data centre to support its global operations. Genworth’s new international service centre will be located in the Westpark Business Campus following its purchase of the facility from global biopharmaceutical firm UCB. It will occupy 103,000 sq ft of office space and will house world class facilities, providing a flexible working environment for Genworth staff. Founded in Virginia, Genworth established operations in Shannon in 1997 and has nearly 400 people employed at the current site, the largest concentration of Genworth staff outside the US. The current Shannon base is…
Read MoreDublin city centre vacancy rates now stand below 10pc
Vacancy rates across Dublin city centre now stand below 10pc within the Dublin City Business Improvement District (BID). The BID area stretches from Stephen’s Green on the south side of the city to Parnell St on the north side. This is a reduction from the peak of 15.4pc experienced in February 2011 and is the first time since BID began collecting occupation data in 2009 that the level of vacancy has fallen below 10pc. Meanwhile, Dublin City BID has welcomed the news that Carraig Donn is opening a store in the Jervis Shopping Centre. “The news that Carraig Donn is coming to Mary St is a huge vote of confidence…
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