A round-up of today's business news stories in brief

Carlyle appointed deputy MD at INM

Independent News & Media (INM) has appointed Declan Carlyle as deputy managing director of Independent Newspapers (Ireland), the company that encompasses all of its Irish newspaper activities.

Mr Carlyle will report to Joe Webb, who was recently promoted to chief executive of INM (Ireland). Mr Webb was given this role following the promotion of Vincent Crowley to the post of group chief operating officer.

Mr Carlyle, who joined INM in 1976, will retain his responsibilities for all strategic human resources matters across the group.

€5.8m boost for Kenmare

Exploration company Kenmare Resources is set to secure £5.2 million (€5.8 million) in early January after the company entered into an underwriting agreement which will see the transfer of a tranche of unexercised warrants to an institutional shareholder who will exercise those warrants.

The warrants, which were due to expire on December 31st this year, were issued in connection with an equity raising process undertaken by the company in 2004.

The resolution will be officially passed at a reconvened egm on November 30th.

Drug firm Servier opens 47m facility

French Pharmaceutical company Servier opened a €47 million manufacturing plant at its site in Arklow, Co Wicklow, yesterday.

The company already employs 312 people at the Arklow site.

The firm is now one of the biggest employers in the Wicklow area.

While no new jobs are being created with the opening of the facility, Servier’s Ange Diaz said the company would employ extra people “if the need arises”.

The facility produces high-quality drugs such as Acerycal, Protelos, Procoralan, and most recently Valdoxan, for export.

UK house prices 'could retreat'

British house prices could retreat in 2010 if unemployment rises sharply, Britain's third-largest mortgage lender Nationwide warned yesterday.

A lack of supply and low interest rates have boosted the housing market this year, but Nationwide said prices could go into reverse with unemployment set to rise further and a stock shortage showing signs of easing, the lender's chief executive Graham Beale said.

Computer sales better for Dell

Dell, the world’s No 3 PC brand, said yesterday that its core business of selling computers to companies was returning, after a sharp drop-off during the global downturn led to disappointing quarterly results.

Dell’s commercial business has traditionally made up the bulk of its revenue, and is an area where it continues to hold some advantage over recent upstarts such as Acer of Taiwan.