Jervis rent row, Energia for sale and Shed Distillery’s €3m investment

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

The owner of the Jervis Shopping Centre in Dublin has issued proceedings for alleged non-payment of debt against four of its retailer tenants. Photograph: iStock
The owner of the Jervis Shopping Centre in Dublin has issued proceedings for alleged non-payment of debt against four of its retailer tenants. Photograph: iStock

The Jervis Street shopping cCentre in Dublin has turned up the heat on several of its high-profile tenants in pandemic-related rental disputes by issuing legal writs, writes Mark Paul. Court filings show the tenants affected include jeweller Fields and fashion retailer, New Look.

Barry O'Halloran and Eoin Burke-Kennedy write that the owner of energy group Energia is hoping to put the utility up for sale, possibly attracting a price tag of up to €2 billion.

The family behind the Shed Distillery in Co Leitrim, maker of Drumshanbo gin and whiskey, are pressing ahead with opening a €3 million visitor centre, despite a near total absence of tourists. Ciarán Hancock has details of the move, which featured in a chat with the distillery's founder on this week's Inside Business podcast, produced in association with Davy.

And still with Covid-related matters, the Irish Music Rights Organisation (IMRO) is speeding up distribution of royalty payments to its members in response to the collapse of artists' live music royalty income due to Covid-19. Gordon Deegan has that story.

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Gordon also reports on the latest development in former Anglo Irish Bank chairman Sean FitzPatrick's attempt to win planning permission for a new home in Greystones, Co Wicklow.

The winner of a contract to run the well-known Dublin start-up accelerator NDRC is due to be announced by the end of the month, with three parties believed to be in the running. Charlie Taylor takes a look at the runners and riders.

Has Covid-19 given your organisation the chance to rethink the way it manages itself? In our weekly Innovation section, Frank Dillon delves into the philosophy of author Steve Glaveski, who says the experiment forced on us by coronavirus has the potential to free companies from their bureaucratic ties. He also offers tips on how to better manage your time at work, including some useful perspectives on how necessary meetings actually are.

TikTok is never far from the news these days and Ciara O'Brien today explains exactly why. She outlines how the app faces takeover or split in a bid to allay concerns over its links to the Chinese communist party.

In her weekly Net Results column, Karlin Lillington dissects the evolving philosophy of Gerry McGovern, one of the best-known Irish internet pioneers. It's not just big companies, but every one of us, who creates a more polluted, energy-consuming, environmentally harmful world, McGovern believes.

Olive Keogh profiles a north Dublin urban farm that has seen a trio of market gardeners growing vegetables in the heart of their community. The Gnomes farm from a a small site beside the busy DCU campus.

And in her weekly technology review, Ciara O'Brien tries out an ultrasonic cleaner that promises to clean stains by simply sharing the same container of water as whatever might be dirty. It's not Ciara's first time to review this kind of product,and her experience suggests she remains unconvinced by their potential.

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Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey

Úna McCaffrey is Digital Features Editor at The Irish Times.