Business

Some 3,653 new businesses were set up in May, 24pc more than the same month last year, according to figures released today by Vision-net.ie. The number of insolvencies during the month was down by 38pc to 79 during the month. The company said 59pc of all new registered business names in May were sole traderships. Professional services accounted for almost 30pc of all company start-ups (up 35pc on May 2014), while the wholesale and retail sector made up 10pc of start-ups and social and personal services accounted for 9pc. Construction and hospitality start-ups rose by 15pc and 27pc year-on-year, respectively. In Dublin, 699 new companies were set up in May.…

Ireland’s €5m Applied Research for Connected Health (Arch) technology centre has been officially launched in UCD today. Connected health involves using connecting technologies and medical devices and treatments for healthcare applications.  Technologies relating to sensors, alarm systems, vital sign monitoring devices, health informatics and data management systems are also key elements in the development of connected health solutions. Headquartered at UCD’s industry partnership centre, NexusUCD, Arch will also have input from University of Limerick (UL) and most of the higher education institutes in the country with connected health research capabilities. Fifteen industry partners are currently steering the Arch research programme, namely ADA Security Systems, Boston Scientific, Hermitage Medical Clinic, Icon, OpenHealth,…

Kennedy Wilson Europe has signed an agreement to lease its three-block Baggot Plaza office redevelopment in Dublin 4 to Bank of Ireland. KWE recently received final planning permission for an extra 37,700 sq ft as part of a complete redevelopment of the existing 91,600 sq ft 1970s structure, located from 27 to 33 Baggot St. The redevelopment, which will now comprise 129,300 sq ft of space, is made up of three blocks: Block A (64,900 sq ft), which fronts on to Fleming Place; Block B (42,800 sq ft), which interconnects Block A and B and facilitates access to both Baggot St and Fleming Place; and Block C (21,600 sq ft),…

Co-founder of US tech company Quantcast Konrad Feldman has officially opened the company’s Dublin office where staff levels have grown to 75 since 2012 when it was established. Headquartered in San Francisco, Quantcast is specialised in real-time advertising and audience measurement and is one of the leading companies in the world applying the power of big data and analytics to digital and mobile advertising. Quantcast employs a total of 650 people worldwide and has received US$65m in investment funding since its foundation in 2006. The Dublin office, which acts as the firm’s European operations centre, has teams looking after finance, marketing, recruitment, sales and customer services across the EMEA region.…

Business sentiment in the first quarter of 2015 rose to an eight-year high in the latest survey from KBC Bank Ireland/ Chartered Accountants Ireland on the back of increases in activity and employment. The business sentiment index had a reading of 127.7 in Q1 2015, up from 124.3 in the final quarter of 2014.  The latest KBC Bank Ireland / Chartered Accountants Ireland Business Sentiment Survey is based on responses from 354 accountants working in senior positions in leading companies. According to the survey, Irish business conditions have continued to improve in early 2015. While the pace of output growth eased marginally in the past three months, employment growth picked…

A new monitor of residential planning activity in the Dublin region across the four local authorities shows that there were 2,363 planning applications (for 25 plus unit schemes) in the first quarter of the year. Dublin Residential Planning Activity Sees Mixed Results in Q1 2015 This was an increase of 6pc compared to the final quarter of 2014 (2,234 permissions), but is down 40pc on the number of similar applications for Q3 2014 (3,734 permissions). The Quarterly Housing Development Monitor is published by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), the professional representative body for the property, land and construction sectors, in conjunction with Future Analytics Consulting. Call for Swift…

KBC Bank Ireland has officially opened the doors of its retail banking hub in the heart of Dundrum village. According to KBC, it brings greater competition and choice to consumers in south Dublin. It’s located in Unit G-14, Dundrum Village Shopping Centre. RTÉ Radio personality Brenda Donohue was the MC for the morning’s activities, which included a special guest appearance from former Irish international and Leinster rugby player Shane Horgan. He signed autographs, took pictures and participated in a special sports Q&A with Donohue. “The official opening of KBC’s hub in the heart of Dundrum Shopping Centre was a big day for staff and all our customers,” said Kerri McCaughey,…

Construction Sector Output Grows by 10% in 2014, Forecasts Strong Growth Ahead Paragraph: According to a report released by the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI), the volume of output in the construction sector witnessed a significant growth of 10% in 2014, reaching €11 billion. Furthermore, the report predicts a substantial increase of approximately 26% in the sector’s output over the next two years. Housebuilding and Commercial Property to Drive Future Growth Paragraph: The SCSI’s report, titled ‘Irish Construction Prospects to 2016’ and prepared in collaboration with DKM Economic Consultants, highlights that the growth in construction output will be primarily driven by increased activities in housebuilding and commercial property sectors.…

Global property company Kennedy Wilson and its equity partners, in a joint venture with the National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has submitted planning for its visionary development on Sir John Rogerson’s Quay in Dublin 2. Extending over 4.8 acres, Capital Dock is one of the largest undeveloped sites in Dublin CBD (Central Business District) and will deliver over 600,000 sq ft of new space at this prime waterfront location. It will include 313,000 sq ft of office space across three buildings and 204 high quality residential units across two buildings, one of which will incorporate a 19-storey tower. The proposed development, which is bounded by water on two sides, places…

UK holiday company Center Parcs has officially announced plans to develop a €200m holiday village in Co Longford that will create 1,000 jobs. The company said 750 jobs will be created in construction phase followed by up to 1,000 permanent jobs. The holiday village will be located at Newcastle Wood, five kilometres from Ballymahon, County Longford, and 21 kilometres from junction 9 (Athlone) of the M6 motorway.  Center Parcs has signed an option agreement with Coillte, which currently owns the 375 acre site. The new Center Parcs, which will have capacity for up to 2,500 guests, is expected to open in 2019, subject to receiving planning permission. Center Parcs said…