Altada receiver agrees sale to entrepreneur despite higher offer; Rise in surplus office space
The stories you need to read this evening in business, politics and current affairs
Surplus office space in Dublin on the rise due to tech job cuts and remote working
Spare office space is rising in Dublin as some of the world’s biggest technology firms contend with post-pandemic working practices and global industry uncertainty.
So-called ‘grey space,’ — surplus office accommodation that is sub-let — currently accounts for about 32 per cent of all available supply and is set to increase further, according to Lisney, the estate agent. The overall vacancy rate in Dublin now stands at around 13 per cent.
Altada receiver agrees sale to Irish entrepreneur despite higher offer from rival bidder
The receiver to troubled technology company Altada has agreed a contract to sell the firm to Irish entrepreneur Eoin Goulding despite a higher bid being made by a rival bidder.
However, the possible sale of the company is in danger of not closing due to claims by the liquidator that a receiver should not have been appointed in the first place.
Mary Lou McDonald accuses British government of ‘bad faith and petulance’ over Brexit talks exclusion
Mary Lou McDonald has accused the British government of “bad faith and petulance” over the decision to exclude her from Brexit talks.
It came as James Cleverly, the British foreign secretary and lead Brexit negotiator, was in Belfast today as part of ongoing efforts to make progress on the Northern Ireland protocol.
Irish mortgage rates third-lowest in eurozone last November, but increases on horizon
The average interest rate on Irish mortgages is now the third-lowest in the eurozone, having remained at record lows at the end of last year.
New figures from the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) showed that the average interest rate on new Irish home loans remained at 2.57 per cent in November 2022, during a period when the average rate across the eurozone rose by 19 basis points to 2.84 per cent.
Irish food and drinks exports surge to a record €16.7bn in 2022
Irish food and drink exports surged more than 20 per cent in value last year to a record €16.7 billion as a result of soaring food commodity prices and strong global demand. New figures released by Bord Bia, the state agency for food promotion, show export growth across all the main sectors of the Irish food industry, including dairy, meat, prepared foods and drinks.
Irish food exports are now 30 per cent higher than pre-pandemic levels with the equivalent of €45 million worth of product exported from the country every day last year to customers in more than 180 countries worldwide.
