Archive for December, 2011
Up and Running: Belfast Telegraph
Up and Running NI operates outlets in Belfast’s Wellington Place and Newry’s Francis Street and claims to be the leading specialist running and walking shoe retailer in Ireland.
When owner Michael Jenkins began the business in 2005, he chose the franchise route. His business is now the largest franchise in the Up and Running group [...]
Co-op bids for Lloyds’ branches: Co-operative News
The Co-operative Banking Group has submitted a bid for the 632 Lloyds TSB branches that the state-rescued bank is being forced to sell under European Union competition rules. But Co-op Banking Group chairman Paul Flowers told the News that the proposal is low risk and is not ‘betting the bank’.
“The overarching strategy is still to [...]
Ethics in retailing: Co-operative News
Manchester’s hosting of the International Co-operative and Mutual Insurance Federation’s biennial conference was a great success. But amidst the presentations from chief executives of some world’s largest life and non-life insurers, arguably the stand-out contribution came from Nigel Waite, a consultant with the Canford Centre for Customer Development. He has been a marketing director with [...]
New York, New York: Co-operative News
The launch of the International Year of Co-operatives is an opportunity to take stock. New York was the obvious place for the launch, given that the Year has been declared by the United Nations – and its headquarters are in the ‘big apple’.
However, it would be understandable if many co-operators felt there could be [...]
Building society shareholders become bad bank bondholders: Co-operative News
Although building societies are owned by their members, some also have ‘shareholders’. However, building society shareholders have a very limited role – they are investors, with no additional votes beyond their status as society members.
Holders of building societies’ ‘permanent interest bearing shares’ (PIBS) are the equivalent of bondholders in a bank, or other company. And [...]
NI business news: Business Month
Business Month – December 2011
Up and down
Up
Average weekly earnings in Northern Ireland rose 1.5% in the last year. Incomes are 20% below the UK average, but the trend is contrary to the UK as a whole – where earnings remained stable.
VAT in Ireland is to rise from 21% to 23% in [...]
NI business news: Business Month
Up
UK inflation rose to 5.2% in September, up from 4.5% in August.
China’s inflation rate has risen to 6.1%, having averaged 4.25% in recent years.
United States’ inflation rose to 3.9% in September, up from 3.8% in August.
Heating fuel costs have risen 49% since the onset of the financial crisis in August 2007.
UK unemployment rose to [...]
Inactive unemployment: Business Month
Northern Ireland’s latest unemployment figures are very worrying. An extra 500 people began claiming unemployment benefit in September. The unemployment rate here is now 7.6% - up from 7.0% a year ago, though still below the UK average of 8.1%
This may see reassuring, but it is not. Northern Ireland has a vast troop of [...]
Replacing crumbling infrastructure: Business Month
For several years, the default position for major public infrastructure projects in the UK has been the Private Finance Initiative. But the situation has abruptly changed in recent months, with the coalition government taking action on the public spending deficit and so reducing the build-up of future liabilities. Concerns about PFI have been added to [...]
Total Golf: Belfast Telegraph
Londonderry retailer Total Golf provides an object lesson in how develop and grow at a fast rate, even in a recession. Exports and online retailing offer enormous opportunities.
Dermot Hegarty opened a shop in Derry’s Springtown estate in 2006 with two staff: he now has 13 employees and expects that to go up to 18 or [...]
