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Balmoral Show: Day One in Pictures
The Balmoral Show has kicked off at its new home at the Maze prison site outside Lisburn.
Also in the news ...
Rare Superman comic in insulation
Rare Superman comic found in house
Shakespeare autograph to go on show
Baby crocodiles make public debut
Johnson works on silver jubilee rap
Arrest warrant for 'dead' rapper
Richard III was in 'untidy' grave
'Indoor beach' among oddest claims
War Horse puppet on Wembley turf
M&S hails new sweet green tomato
Halfords 'uphill slog to recovery'
Halfords has warned of a long uphill slog to recovery as profits tumbled by 22% and its dividend was slashed by a third to pay for a £100m revamp. New chief executive Matt Davies pledged to refresh tired-looking stores and improve customer service over the next three years but warned that earnings were unlikely to recover until 2016.
New chamber of trade president
Belfast Chamber of Trade and Commerce has welcomed Paul McMahon as its newly elected president.
Services industry gives vital boost to economy
The UK's return to growth has been underlined as revised figures confirmed the dominant services sector helped the economy expand by 0.3% in the first three months of the year.
Every little helps – at least for BT's chief
TWO of the FTSE's biggest bosses have banked rather different pay packets, it has been revealed.
Tesco staff pay the price for profit slump as shares bonus pot halved
Checkout staff at Tesco have seen their annual shares bonus pot halved after the supermarket giant slumped to its first annual profits fall in nearly 20 years.
Firm's new export contract just what the doctor ordered
A COLERAINE medical company is celebrating after landing an export deal to Brazil.
Appointments: Gary Rae
Gary Rae has been appointed ITC manager at Mercury Security Management.
Appointments: Christopher McCartan
Christopher McCartan has been appointed sales executive at Mercury Security Management.
Appointments: Diana Armstrong
Diana Armstrong has been appointed western area consultant at David Scott Tiles.
Appointments: Suzi Stewart
Suzi Stewart has joined Lucas Love Recruitment as principal IT specialist.
Appointments: Aideen Duggan
Aideen Duggan has joined Keenan Healthcare as managing director.
Appointments: Steve James
Steve James has been appointed Barclays area business manager for NI and Scotland.
Business galleries
R&D takes Portadown company to Paris
The Deluxe Group, based in Portadown is a bespoke joinery firm which specialises in luxury fit out.
Technology helps photographer boost business
Donal Doherty is a Londonderry photographer specialising in wedding, lifestyle and portrait photography.
Jobs Fund helps Equiniti expand workforce
One of Northern Ireland’s most successful IT software and services companies, Equiniti ICS, has expanded its workforce with the support of Invest Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund.
Company Profiles
Company Snapshot: Manderley Food Group Ltd
Manderley Food Group is now an English registered company with headquarters in Corby. The main shareholders are the Hutchinson family in Tandragee.
Company snapshot: Liberty Information Technology Ltd.
Liberty Information Technology is a subsidiary of the Boston (USA) based financial services group, Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, and describes its activities as software development and associated services for the wider group. It has been in business in Northern Ireland since 1996.
Company Snapshot: Old Bushmills Distillery Co. Ltd.
Old Bushmills Distillery is engaged in distilling, maturation, blending, marketing and selling of Irish whiskey. The company, based in Bushmills village, is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Diageo Group.
Tourism
Northern Ireland has dirtiest beaches in UK
Northern Ireland's beaches were the most littered in the UK last year, a survey showed.
ESPN Brazil scopes Northern Ireland Golf
Following a fantastic year of golf for Northern Ireland with the sell-out Irish Open and the achievements of local heroes Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke, ESPN Brazil visited Northern Ireland to get to get first-hand experience of golfing in the province.
Tourism conference to explore the Northern Ireland experience
The tourism industry is set to hear the Canadian perspective on growing a successful and dynamic tourism sector at an industry wide conference on Tuesday 5th March at the La Mon Hotel and Country Club, Belfast.
Help & Advice
Improve your employees work with new furniture
In business it’s all about productivity. You know that your business’s success largely depends on the performance of your employees.
In Video: Equality Commission event in Belfast
The Equality Commission for NI and Employers for Disability NI have come together to organise a half day seminar at Malone House, Belfast, to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
Developing strategy for mobiles is a smart move
Question: I own a boutique retail outlet. How important is it for me to have a mobile strategy?
Small Business Can
If we start sharing the lessons then business can be successful
A long, long time ago, I wrote a book called Community Enterprise, Business Planning for the Social Economy. (It comes to mind now because I was at the Ulster Bank Business Achievers final last week in Belfast and talked to some great social enterprises.)
The Mac's canteen team has expansion on the menu
The Mac – or the Metropolitan Arts Centre, to give it the full title – has just celebrated its first birthday. So, too, has the Canteen at the Mac. But while the Mac is a charity, the Canteen is an independent commercial business, run by JRS Catering.
Skin clinic is offering NI a unique service
THE Claro Skin Clinic in Dundonald offers a service that is unique in Northern Ireland, at which people worried about moles can have an expert examination and assessment without the need for a GP referral.
Opinion
We can follow the US to beat global problem
THE cascade of revelations in recent months showing multinational companies doing a huge amount of business here and yet paying virtually no corporation tax has provoked widespread public demands for something to be done.
Dublin won't take a bite out of Apple
At the end of a week when corporation tax has been an issue for the world and not just for Northern Ireland, we can take the time to try and put it all into perspective.
Rosey or rough, who's got it right?
It looks like the bulls are going to have to get back in their pen while the bears take charge again. Such a bearish opener comes after the International Monetary Fund put its size tens into the growing feeling that we're on the road to recovery.
If we pay, then big business must also
The furore surrounding the fact that big businesses goes to great lengths to reduce its tax bill could be viewed as slightly baffling
Invest NI aims higher after hitting targets in job creation
Mark Ennis, chairman of Invest NI, reported that in 2012-13 Invest NI produced "a very strong performance with tangible benefits for business and the economy". He quotes results which are more upbeat than might have been expected.
Property firm bucks downturn
FOYLESIDE Ltd is a large privately owned property company owned by Northern Ireland shareholders with a wide property portfolio across the UK with some held in subsidiary companies registered in Gibraltar.