British retailer Argos has said it will cease trading at all of its 34 stores in the Republic by the end of June, with its 580 staff here told of the decision on Thursday. The company said the move had come after it concluded the money it would need to spend on modernising the Irish business would not be a viable investment. Emmet Malone has more, while Conor Pope explores why consumers in the State have fallen out of love with the retailer.
An acute shortage of qualified accountants will worsen in 2023, the president of Chartered Accountants Ireland, Pat O’Neill, will warn tonight as he addresses the organisation’s annual dinner in Dublin. Mr O’Neill believes an update to the Leaving Cert accounting syllabus would help, noting that practices of all sizes are experiencing a “talent pipeline problem”. Laura Slattery reports.
Joe Brennan reflects today on a week spent among the global elite at Davos, finding that growing signals that a global recession might be avoided failed to lift the mood amid fears of a ‘polycrisis’. Meanwhile, the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed during his visit to the Swiss mountain town that Microsoft workers in the Republic will be affected by US technology giant’s announcement of 10,000 job cuts. He also took care to swerve clear of a question on the prospects of a united Ireland during his lifetime.
Only 13 per cent of remaining Ulster Bank and KBC Bank customers still need to open a new bank account with an alternative institution, a new survey has found, indicating that a “huge amount of progress” has been made in recent months. Ian Curran has more details.
Former Flutter Entertainment executive Conor Grant is poised to become the next chairman of Racing TV owner, Racecourse Media Group, reports Barry O’Halloran. Mr Grant stepped down late last year as chief executive of Flutter UK and Ireland.
Our new columnist Brianna Parkins has some simple but crucial advice on how to improve your money management this year. Storms might be looming but that doesn’t mean you can’t be prepared, she writes.
The Irish Times Business Person of the Month for December is Dermot Crowley, Dalata Hotel Group chief executive. The award is run in association with Bank of Ireland.
John FitzGerald considers the future of transport in rural areas, where people live on average three times as far from everyday services as urban dwellers. He argues it is unrealistic to expect public transport to solve the problem of transport emissions in such areas, judging that EVs could provide the answer instead. He acknowledges that such a strategy may require focused supports for a time.
As the US hits its official borrowing ceiling, Washington Correspondent Martin Wall explains what happens next and what this might mean for the economy.
In our Work section, Olive Keogh looks at fostering talent and how it can go wrong if the wrong criteria are used to select potential candidates for specific training programmes.
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