Business

Aviva slashes Irish redundancies, creates new jobs in Galway Aviva will now be cutting fewer jobs in Ireland than had been anticipated when it announced redundancies last October. While the company had said there would be 950 job losses last year, under 550 are now to be made redundant. It is also creating 220 new jobs in claims insurance and direct sales in Galway. Recruitment is due to start in the summer. Some 180 jobs at Aviva Europe are already gone. According to Unite regional officer Brian Gallagher, the union is still disappointed at the number of job losses, but noted they had been reduced with new jobs secured in…

Six-fold increase in number of direct selling parties in Ireland Irish business activity levels have improved further through the summer months to push the KBC Bank Ireland /Chartered Accountants Ireland Business Sentiment Index to its strongest levels since the survey began in late 2006. The improvement was broadly based, with all sectors reporting an improvement in business conditions and all the components of the index stronger than in the second quarter. The survey rose to 124.8 in the third quarter of 2014 from 121.8 in the previous three-month period. This increase puts the index at its highest level since the survey was first compiled in the final quarter of 2006. The improvement is…

Irish firm Taxback.com has won the International Entrepreneur of the Year Award at the 2010 European Business Awards, sponsored by HSBC. Terry Clune started the tax recovery business Taxback.com as a student sideline over 13 years ago and has transformed it into a global business with over 650 employees and offices in 21 countries. He was the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in 2009. There was a diverse group of entrants to the HSBC sponsored awards, ranging from fish farming to renewable energy and light aircraft to skincare, with a combined turnover higher of over €766 billion and employing over 3.5 million people. A tough bunch to please Adrian Tripp, CEO…

Online job ads up 4pc in Q2 – IrishJobs.ie The number of jobs advertised online grew by 4pc between the first and second quarters of this year, while they were up by 2pc year-on-year, according to the quarterly IrishJobs.ie Jobs Index. IrishJobs.ie said the annual increase was driven by a number of key sectors increasing year on year, most notably medical and healthcare, up by 19pc; science and pharmaceuticals, up by 27pc; and transport and warehousing, up by 38pc. On a quarterly basis, the index shows growth in: IT, up by 14pc; tourism, travel and airlines, up by 15pc; legal, up 9pc; accountancy and finance, up 5pc; and transport, up…

Dublin City Council has reduced commercial rates for 2013 by 0.5pc and now other local authorities must follow suit, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce . “The current revaluation of commercial properties that is taking place in the Dublin City Council area could lead to an increase in the rates bill for some businesses from 2014 onwards so any reduction in advance of this is positive,” said Chamber chief executive Gina Quin. “The remaining three Dublin county councils will vote on their 2013 budgets in the next three weeks and be put to the test as to how supportive they really are of commerce.” In the past four years, commercial rates have been reduced…

The urban population of Ireland is now 62pc of the total population, in just 2.4pc of the total land area, according to the most recent figures released by the Central Statistics Office . The migration of people to cities is a global trend where people are following the investment, employment and innovation opportunities of cities, according to Dublin Chamber of Commerce . Aebhric McGibney, Dublin Chambers director of policy, said: “There has been a global urban shift, cities have become the lightning rods of investment, the centres of innovations, the epicentre of employment and the engines of national economies. Cities are responsible for generating more than 80pc of global gross domestic product yet they occupy just 2pc…

Cable broadband and TV player UPC has ratcheted up its broadband subscriber numbers and now reaches 148,000 subscribers. CEO Robert Dunn said €400 million has been invested in upgrading the company’s Irish network. The company now passes some 877,400 homes overall, out of which 713,300 are termed revenue-generating units. Subscribers for UPC’s digital cable services stood at 276,900 while subscribers for its analog services stood at 153,600. The company has 74,300 MMDS subscribers. UPC currently serves 148,100 homes with high-speed cable broadband and has a total addressable broadband market at present of 593,000 homes. The company is also currently building out a next-generation network that will offer speeds of up…

Cork-headquartered global supply chain solutions company PCH International has bought TNS Distribution for a consideration of up to €21m. The acquisition involves an immediate payment of €6m by PCH, which has its operational headquarters in Shenzhen, China. PCH will also pay up to €5m over three years for the company, which is a European distributor of consumer electronics products and accessories, depending on the latter’s performance. An additional payment will be made over the same period based on the overall performance of the PCH Group, and will range from between €5m and 10m. Ernst & Young managed the transaction on behalf of PCH. TNS Distribution is based in Ireland, and has offices in the…

Vodafone Smart Accessibility Awards launched a 200,000 prize fund The Smart Accessibility Awards 2012, a competition worth €200,000 that calls for developers from across Europe to design smartphone apps that take into consideration the needs of older people and people with disabilities, was launched today by the Vodafone Foundation and its partners. To encourage Irish interest in this international competition for new apps, the National Digital Research Centre (NDRA) has linked with Vodafone and its partners – the NCBI, IIA, and mobile open community group Mobile Monday – and will be hosting a two-day workshop at NDRC’s HQ on Crane Street on the 21 and 22 August. These leading Irish…

Pharmaceutical multinational MSD is closing its manufacturing facility in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, by the end of 2015, affecting 280 jobs on the site. The move is part of MSD’s ongoing review of its worldwide manufacturing capabilities that has resulted in sites being sold, closed or consolidated in all regions all over the world. The plant in Rathdrum makes ingredients for respiratory care, infectious disease and cardiovascular medicines. Manufacturing activities will start to be phased out in 2014 but no staff reductions are expected until the end of 2014, according to MSD. It plans to relocate products manufactured in Rathdrum to its sites in Ballydine , Co Tipperary and Singapore, as well as…