Brown Thomas opens in Dundrum, Russian bonds, and DPC defends itself

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Donald McDonald, managing director of Brown Thomas Arnotts, at the retailer’s new 62,000 sq ft store at Dundrum Town Centre, which has cost €12 million. Photograph: Alan Betson / The Irish Times

Irish-registered bonds of Russian banks and companies that fall due for repayment in the near future have been rattled as the EU and US led a fresh wave of sanctions against the country after president Vladimir Putin ordered troops into two separatist regions of Ukraine. Joe Brennan has the details.

Brown Thomas expects to receive up to 40,000 visitors this weekend at its new department store at Dundrum Town Centre, which opens today. The 62,000 sq ft shop, comprising two floors of the old House of Fraser outlet, has been refitted by Brown Thomas to the tune of €12 million. Mark Paul got an early glimpse of the store with Donald McDonald, the managing director of Brown Thomas Arnotts.

Data Protection Commissioner Helen Dixon has defended her record on enforcing EU data privacy laws saying Ireland needed to stand up for the regulator and results it has achieved so far. Simon Carswell reports.

In a related piece, Cantillon wonders if too much is being expected of the Data Protection Commission.

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Lending to first-time buyers reached its highest January level in at least 11 years last month, while remortgaging or switching activity also saw a strong start to the year, according to new figures from the Banking & Payments Federation Ireland. Laura Slattery reports.

A taxpayer-funded 20 per cent cut in bus fares discriminates against some passengers and distorts competition, private coach companies say in a letter to Eamon Ryan, Minister for Transport, and all Oireachtas members. Barry O'Halloran has the details.

The mood of Irish consumers has been as gloomy as the weather this month, with the latest KBC Bank consumer sentiment index showing a buckling in confidence amid ongoing nervousness about the uncertain economic climate, writes Laura Slattery.

Agritech business tradeforus.com is joining forces with Euroforest Ireland to run online auctions for the private sector forestry industry from next month. Barry O'Halloran reports.

In our tech feature, Ciara O'Brien speaks withLaukik Suthar, the chief information officer at the United States' Naval Criminal Investigative Service. An expert on cybersecurity he's come to the conclusion that younger generations are no better at technology than his age group.

Our Innovation feature profiles Hugh Sheehy's start-up GoEve, which has come up with a solution to allow multiple electric vehicles to be fast charged from a single power source. Olive Keogh tells the story.

In our tech review, Ciara O'Brien puts the Huawei Watch GT3 through its paces and finds it to be a good all-round smartwatch at a keen price.

This week's New Innovator is ProMotion, an Irish app business that gives brands clear insights into who is buying their products, and rewards customers for going shopping. Olive Keogh spoke with its founders Lauren O'Reilly and Bidemi Afolabi.

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Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock is Business Editor of The Irish Times