Road map for growth – the Q&A; series: Dita Eyewear Europe
Gina Arcari, managing director of Dita Eyewear Europe, the global distribution centre for eyewear company Dita, discusses international growth from a Dublin base. What is the background to Dita Eyewear Europe being set up? Dita was founded in Los Angeles the US in 1995 by two childhood friends, Jeffrey Solorio and John Juniper, who saw a niche in the market to design, manufacture and distribute luxurious fashion eyewear for both men and women. Since then the company has grown due to its unique designs, use of some the best materials available and Japanese-based manufacturing. It was restructured in 2011, setting up its global distribution centre here in Dublin, which is…
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 MoreThree new pre-order meals added to Clodagh McKenna menu on Aer Lingus short-haul flights
Aer Lingus is adding three new pre-order meal options to its on board menu Bia, developed in collaboration with chef and restaurateur Clodagh McKenna. The new dishes will be available from Monday 3 February to customers travelling on short-haul flights and can be pre-ordered from today. The new dishes include the gluten-free ‘Power Me Salad’, with spiced quinoa, beetroot, carrot, chickpeas, sunflower seeds and rocket, which is served with gluten-free crackers, gluten-, wheat- and egg-free chocolate biscuit cake, pineapple and melon fruit pot and tea or coffee. Also added to the menu is a savoury cheddar, caramelised onion and leek quiche, served with McCambridge’s Irish brown bread, a Lily O’Brien…
Read MoreRonan O’Gara Joins Viviscal Man: Addressing Thinning Hair Head-On
Viviscal Man signs up Ronan O’Gara to tackle the taboo topic of thinning hair Viviscal Man has signed up Ronan O’Gara to advertise its thinning hair product. According to Lifes2good, the former rugby international is set to help Viviscal Man tackle a taboo topic in male grooming. In his position as brand ambassador for Viviscal Man, O’Gara will help to highlight prevention strategies for thinning hair in men with Viviscal, a clinically proven supplement. He will encourage Irish men to take action to avoid thinning hair. Revolutionizing Thinning Hair Treatments: The Potential of Topical Spironolactone In recent years, significant advancements have been made in the field of hair loss treatment…
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 MoreTourism Ireland reaches 2 million Facebook fans
A Global Presence on Facebook ourism Ireland reaches 2 million Facebook fans Tourism Ireland has become the biggest tourism board in Europe on Facebook having reached two million fans – with 825,000 new fans ‘liking’ its Facebook pages in 2013 alone. This means it is the third most popular tourism board globally on Facebook, after Australia and Discover America. “The size of our Facebook audience provides a really valuable platform for promoting the island of Ireland, giving us access to a global audience of over 400 million people through the friends of our fans [based on each fan having an average of 200 friends],” said Niall Gibbons, CEO of Tourism…
Read MoreTen start-ups sought for ‘Hi-Start’ programme
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Enterprise Board is looking for ten internationally focused start-ups to take part in its next ‘Hi-Start’ programme. The programme assists ambitious early stage growth focused companies to identify and build the foundations required to secure investment together with Enterprise Ireland high potential start-up support if applicable. Running from March to October, it involves seven workshops each designed to contribute a key component to the development of the investor-ready business plan. A related mentoring session will follow each training module to assist the participant with the specific outcomes required. The training and mentoring will be delivered by business development consultant John McMahon of Forum 21. The applicants must…
Read More44pc of employees work from home at least one day a month – O2
Remote Working Trend on the Rise in Ireland 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. Positive Work-Life Balance and Increased Happiness 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…
Read More‘Champions’ to Drive Creation of Start-up Communities in Ireland
‘Champions’ sought to drive the creation of start-up communities around Ireland Start-up Ireland has launched a national call for ‘start-up champions’ in each of Ireland’s cities who would lead start-up initiatives. A key part of the role of these start-up champions will be to help get the basic tools of successful start-up communities in place. These include a digest of relevant events, an infographic of start-up resources in the area, networking opportunities, a monthly showcase for start-ups and a Startup Weekend every six to 12 months. Start-up Ireland is a not-for-profit grassroots organization providing an independent focal point for the Irish startup community regionally, nationally and internationally with the objective…
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…
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