View from Dublin: Trump effect taking toll on Irish investment from US
When IDA Ireland chief executive Martin Shanahan says anything about US multinationals, we have to sit up and take notice.
Tina McKenzie: How local government can help out businesses
The business community in Northern Ireland is facing unprecedented challenges. We have found ourselves at the crux of the ongoing Brexit negotiations, as the UK and the EU grapple over the complexities of how the Irish border will be navigated. This...
Economy Watch: As Northern Ireland tourism enjoys boom, retail close to hitting panic...
Two important sectors for our city economy - retail and tourism - are experiencing vastly contrasting fortunes at the moment.
John Simpson: Why Scottish can teach us some lessons about Brexit
The economic consequence of the UK Brexit decision for Northern Ireland is difficult to anticipate. Whether the business community should prepare for a complete break from the single market and customs union or whether there will be an agreement to retain...
Chris Wallace: Why the gloves are off for Frampton and McGuigan following judge's...
Mr Justice Horner has decided that Carl Frampton's action against his former boxing manager, Barry McGuigan, can be heard in Belfast.
Simon Hamilton: Parties need to work together on finalising an industrial strategy
I appreciate Conor Murphy's article in last week's Business Telegraph on the draft industrial strategy - even if it centred mostly on criticising me - as at least a rare but welcome contribution from Sinn Fein on an issue that matters to the overwhelming majority of...
Richard Donnan: Entrepreneurial spirit shines through to leave me beaming with pride...
It's difficult to explain how it feels to be proud of a sector - it's much easier to show it. As I welcomed customers, colleagues, visitors and friends to this year's Balmoral Show during May, I was struck by how rewarding it felt to be showing such a hive of...
Richard Ramsey: Northern Ireland must put its own economy first as Brexit intensifies
This month marks two years since the Brexit vote and, in the intervening period, we have become fixated with the relationship between the UK and the EU. However, in many respects what is going on within the EU itself is potentially even more significant,...
Times are changing for women in the industry
The construction and property sectors are still closely associated with gender imbalance in the workplace but, particularly in relation to new entrants to the industry, perceptions are rapidly changing.
Economy Watch: It's time we learned about the issue of economic inactivity
Unemployment in Northern Ireland reached a record low this month when the seasonally adjusted rate fell to 3.1% in the first quarter of 2018.
John Simpson: Northern Ireland must make changes if it's going to continue attracting...
Northern Ireland needs to continue to attract more incoming business investment in the years ahead. Following Brexit, should the incentive mechanisms that attract incoming investment remain as at present? If not, should or could the incentives be revamped?
Company Report: Denvir Holdings
Denvir Holdings is a Belfast-registered retail company which brings together a group of eight wholly owned subsidiaries.
Why we still don't have enough women in company boardrooms
It's been encouraging to see a rise in executive level appointments in Northern Ireland, both in the public and private sector being filled by women - National Museums NI, Titanic Belfast, Institute of Directors (IoD) NI, CBI NI and Belfast City Council to name a few.
Exactly how much signficance is there in a weak quarter one economy reading?
The economy remains something of a puzzle at the moment. Despite Brexit, fractious global trade relations, poor productivity performance and an endless stream of gloomy predictions, employment continues to rise and confidence surveys still point...
Understanding the third sector is key to being able to make the most of it
Despite being one of Northern Ireland's most important sectors delivering significant economic and social advantage, the third sector remains one of the least understood.
Mel Stride: Tourism industry vital to help an energised Northern Ireland thrive
Yesterday I was very pleased to visit Belfast. Walking through the city centre and the Titanic Quarter, it was clear just how much Northern Ireland has changed since the first time I visited some 25 years ago - all of that change for the better.
We can agree on risks of Brexit, but not solutions
Brexit was high on the list of areas of concern for many senior policy-makers from the public and private sectors on both sides of the border when I took part in a large and well-informed all-island professional discussion group in Dublin.
Company Report: Uni-Trunk Holdings
The family-owned Uni-Trunk group of companies is based in Lisburn.Property and business operational details are consolidated in the parent company, Uni-Trunk Holdings.
John Simpson: Northern Ireland business groups' input on Brexit border talks could help strike...
Let's give Michel Barnier, the EU chief Brexit negotiator who's on a two-day visit to Northern Ireland, a practical answer to the border question. A workable Brexit deal that gives Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland, a series of useful favourable terms, or...
Balmoral Show: ‘I always knew that my destiny was to work on the family farm’
Packie Donnelly plans to sell his three farms and retire by the time he is 60. And yet, it is going to take something special to push him to make the break and retire from a job that has been more than a means to an end for his entire working life.
View from Dublin: probing the banks' behaviour on tracker loans
The Central Bank maintains that it is keeping all angles open in its enforcement investigations into the behaviour of the main banks on tracker mortgages. These angles include examining 'individual culpability' in the tracker scandal, the Central Bank said during week.
Donald McFetridge: Sainsbury's, Asda merger just beginning for UK's retail sector
The weekend's news that Sainsbury's and Asda are to merge to become a retail superpower appears to have sent shockwaves throughout the retail industry. But, to me, it comes as no great surprise. Deals of this nature and kind are constantly on the cards.
The cost of failing to make reasonable adjustments when managing absence
An employment tribunal in Liverpool awarded £110,165 compensation earlier this year against the Department for Work and Pensions after former employee Mrs Carrabyne (Carrabyne v Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Case 2401990/2016) was found to have been...
Economy Watch: Why we need more consumer spending if economy is to grow
For consumers and consumer-focused businesses in the UK, the economic data for the first part of 2018 has told two slightly different stories. For consumers, there are some positives to take from the data. The latest numbers show that inflation fell from...
Northern Ireland farmers like Henry and Packie show how it's done
Hopefully the weather has turned for the better, and with the longer evenings and (somewhat) drier days, our agri-food industry will look forward to a long and productive summer.
Now is the time to consider the future of digitalisation
If ever there was a pivotal moment in the future of digitalisation, that time is now. The Cambridge Analytica (CA) Facebook scandal, which has sparked controversy over foreign state interference and election rigging, has far wider implications. It brings under...
Closing the gender pay gap becoming crucial for future of labour market
Earlier this month the deadline passed for large companies to report their gender pay gap to the UK government. The drip feed of announcements from these companies over the last number of months has led to increased discussion about the average pay of...
John Simpson: Why there is more than one border to fix in these Brexit negotiations
There will be no hard border, that bit is agreed… or is it? Sadly, the search to avoid a hard border is an ambition whose meaning varies depending on who advocates it.
Vibrant tech start-ups have formed a hub that is full of creative energy
Two months ago, 20 aspiring start-up founders took the brave step of launching a business - many of them leaving the security of a 9-5 job in pursuit of their new venture.
Ask what you can do for your prospective hires
It has been encouraging in the first quarter of 2018 to hear of so many organisations in Northern Ireland - both SME and large-scale - announcing they have increased their revenues and annual profits, and as a result intend to grow their business.
Equity investment patterns give reasons to be cheerful
It can be all too easy to get caught up in the negativity that has surrounded the world of business in the past few years. But while the concerns of business experts are often valid, when we peel back the layers of commentary the figures can sometimes paint a...
View from Dublin: why Quinn Industrial Holdings was a smart buy
The consortium that bought Sean Quinn's former cement and plastics operations got a real bargain from the receivers back in 2014.
'Deal proved more important to the politics of Northern Ireland than to the economics'
Although there are many signs that most people in Northern Ireland are better off than they were 20 years ago this does not prove that the Agreement itself caused greater prosperity.
Why the new Belfast skyline highlights the progress we've made since 1998
Architecture over the last 20 years highlights the significant progress of our society as it emerged from conflict but also reminds us of the political instability and the divisions that remain.
Stalemate means little or no hope of kickstarting stagnant economy
Monitoring the problems facing the Northern Ireland economy is now unfortunately a passive activity.
View from Dublin: tricky to reverse tide of bank branch closures
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe is going in search of a "middle way" when it comes to how banks interact with their small business customers. Mr Donohoe wants to get a briefing from the banks on how the closure of branches may be affecting the levels of...
Despite transition plan, don't take foot off gas when it comes to Brexit
After securing the phase one Brexit agreement in December, the UK and the EU have reached agreement again.
John Simpson: Regulator has questions to answer about Kilroot power station
Big changes are about to take place in electricity generation in Northern Ireland. The existing Single Electricity Market (SEM) system will be replaced by the still to be fully presented Integrated Single Electricity Market (I-SEM).
Retail does give us some reasons to be cheerful
At present it is easy to be downbeat when considering the retail property sector and there is no doubt the market is difficult.
Why there are now more opportunities than challenges in African market for Northern...
Doing business in Africa is unique. Despite a history of commodity-dependence, many of its economies are on the rise and you will now find microcosms of industry and innovation hubs in almost every city.
It's crucial that we see progress in energy from waste projects
It's the Northern Ireland Year of Infrastructure #Infra2018 and there has never been a better time to emphasise the environmental and economic imperative to invest in our waste infrastructure in NI - in particular energy from waste (EFW) facilities to deal with non-...
Northern Ireland budget doesn't address public sector problems
The Northern Ireland budget for 2018-19 has been tabled by the Secretary of State in the absence of a local Executive. But despite the allocation of £410m as a result of the DUP agreement with the Government, the recurrent budget for public services in 2018-19...
Years since Agreement's signing show the need for bolder policy on economy
Bliss it was in that dawn to be alive. But to be young was very heaven. I do not think many would use those words by Wordsworth about the French Revolution to describe how they felt back in 1998. However, the Belfast Agreement may have produced a certain...
No signal from Chancellor that age of austerity ending
Philip Hammond kept expectations low ahead of his new Budget-lite spring statement. He duly delivered what many would deem a non-event.
Platform: Now is the time to revive our retail
With the deadlock at Stormont reaching its 14th month, the business community in Northern Ireland is all too accustomed to uncertainty.
John Simpson: Irish border may be harder than anyone would want
The Irish border poses difficult questions for Brexit. Will cross-border trade attract customs duties, and how will cross-border trade be measured? Then, the question becomes, 'Can the Irish land border be given special treatment after Brexit?'
Company Report
Prestige Insurance Holdings is a group of insurance-related businesses registered in Carrickfergus, where it has been trading since 2008. Prior to the registration of this company, Prestige Underwriting Services was trading successfully and later became a wholly owned subsidiary of this company.
Workplace automation nothing to be afraid of
Big improvements in how people perform at work are increasingly possible. More automation is essentially good news. Better productivity re-enforces viability and growth, even though some businesses may need fewer employees and must plan for possible redundancies.
Diverse leadership means a better team overall
While there are many aspects to diversity, the area currently in most focus is the representation of women in senior management.
View from Dublin: it's time to seriously consider auto-enrolment
The Irish Government has drawn up another roadmap. This time it involves auto-enrolment for pensions. At some point, the Government will take out one of these roadmaps and actually set off on a journey somewhere.
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