Author: Practicenet

Bank of Ireland plans to pay a dividend of 11.5 cents per share in its first payout to investors in a decade even as underlying profits remained static. In results just published the lender reported an underlying profit of €1.08bn for 2017 compared to €1.07bn the previous year. In her first set of results since […]

Ireland’s rocketing consumer spending has fuelled a surge in online shopping, but the upswing in digital purchases has come at the expense of local retailers. According to a recent survey, 60pc of the cash spent by consumers online last year flowed offshore. The findings were revealed in the latest Consumer Market Monitor published today by […]

The retail food industry has for years been dominated by well-established brands, but more recently that has been interrupted by the discounters. They all have deep pockets to spend on marketing and distribution. They have the economies of scale to ensure they have the distribution reach and the cost base to profitably service the four […]

“I talk about fintech being like a parent and a child, with the bank being the parent and fintech the child. Five years ago, everyone was talking about fintech being disruptive, out to get rid of banks. But five years later, the banks are still here,” said Chris Skinner, the world-renowned fintech and financial services […]

Whether you’ve got an entrepreneurial idea to explore or wish your grow your existing budding enterprise, this annual national competition is now open for business. Social Entrepreneurs Ireland are calling for business minds across the country who wish to solve social issues to be in with a chance of getting the funding and support to […]

Q. I’m confused about the new affordable mortgages being proposed. Do I still need a deposit and do I have to buy a local authority home? A. I think you have the wrong end of the stick, but it is confusing. The new loan scheme to provide mortgages to those who cannot get them from banks, […]

Rental costs were up again in January despite the rate of inflation falling back, new official figures show. Private rents rose by 6.3pc in the year to January, despite overall prices going up by just 0.2pc, according to the Central Statistics Office. For the month of January, overall prices fell by 0.7pc – but this […]

Last year saw a 6pc increase in turnover in card sales for Ireland’s pub sector, according to AIB’s 2018 Pubs Outlook. Food was a key driver of growth for the period, with food service in pubs reaching a market size of €982m in 2017, up 3pc year-on-year. And increasing numbers of Irish publicans are accepting […]

The Aran Islands will form part of an EU study to see if hydrogen can be produced using renewable energy to power cars, boats and heat buildings. The €3.5m project led by NUI Galway will also see construction of a hydrogen plant on the Canary Islands, where up to 25kg of hydrogen gas a day […]

ALMOST 4,000 jobs were created last year by startups and small businesses backed by their Local Enterprise Offices (LEOs). This brings the total number of jobs created by LEO-supported companies to 15,000 since the LEOs were established in 2014. Yesterday’s announcement of some 3,700 jobs created in 2017 was welcomed by the Minister for Business, […]