An important date in the retail calendar, December 8 was the traditional day for country people to venture to the city to do their Christmas shopping. The festive atmosphere, the twinkling lights, and a visit to see Santa Claus, it marked the start of the Christmas trading season in Ireland. Shopping patterns, however, have dramatically…
Venture capital funding to Irish firms rose by 19% to €231m in the three months to the end of September, according to the Irish Venture Capital Association’s latest VenturePulse survey. The figures also show a renewed interest among investors in start-ups companies, following a sharp drop in early stage investments last year. The overall in…
Political leaders in Ireland and Britain are holding a meeting today at which they will discuss Covid-19 and UK-EU talks aimed at breaking the deadlock in the row over the Northern Ireland Protocol. The issues will be debated at a meeting of the British-Irish Council, which is being held in Wales. The council brings together…
Employees should work from home from today unless it is necessary to attend the workplace in person. The measures are among the latest Government restrictions being put in place to stem the spread of Covid-19. Just two months after a gradual return to the workplace began, the situation is going into reverse. Under the latest…
The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) has said the planned increases in public investment under the National Development Plan (NDP) will help Ireland achieve its climate and housing goals. However, it warns that projects will have to be better run to avoid substantial cost overruns. The NDP raises public investment to an average €11.8 billion…
A new survey shows that board level discussions of environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters are up 30% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey, from the Diligent Institute and Institute of Directors in Ireland, reveals that ESG is being treated with increasing importance by business leaders. 59% of respondents said that ESG…
Small and medium sized food companies in Ireland are being hit with input cost rises of almost 30%, according to research from the representative group Love Irish Food. Companies said costs were rising across the board, but the most significant hikes were being experienced in the areas of transportation, followed by raw materials and energy…
Chambers Ireland said today that there is a growing unease within the business community regarding the Government’s pandemic planning. Ian Talbot, Chambers Ireland chief executive, said there was a serious concern across the network that the country is moving towards another post-Christmas “circuit-breaker” lockdown. “Businesses are paying the price for a continued lack of action…
The Taoiseach has announced fresh restrictions as Covid-19 infection rates surge across the country. Micheál Martin said without the success of the vaccination programme, there is “no doubt Ireland would be in full-scale lockdown”. However, he said new curbs have been introduced in a “collective effort to keep our economy and society open” and keep…
People should work from home unless it is absolutely necessary they attend in person, the Taoiseach has said. Announcing a series of measures aimed at slowing the spread of Covid-19, Micheál Martin said the Cabinet has agreed to pause the “phased and cautious return to the workplace”. The Government position since September had been for…