Posted by Ciaran Hancock
THERE ARE no signs of hairshirts in Dundrum where Joe O’Reilly’s town centre continues to expand its footprint, recession or not.
Twelve store openings are planned before the end of this year, including upmarket UK toy store Hamleys, which will open with much fanfare next Thursday. (more…)
Posted by Ciaran Hancock
THIS WEEK’S Budget gave the clearest signal yet that the much-talked about Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) will actually come into being in 2009.
The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has had its 2009 budget slashed by 26 per cent – from €6.4 million to €4.7 million.
This is in the expectation that the BAI will be running by the end of March next, with a scheme agreed shortly thereafter for an industry-wide levy to fund day-to- day running of the super-regulator. This will relieve the taxpayer financially in relation to broadcasting regulation. (more…)
Posted by Ciaran Hancock
NO SOONER had the credit market crunched than Bank of Ireland was writing to customers informing them that, from October 20th, they will be subject to a late payment fee of €7.50 if they don’t pay off their credit card balances on time.
They are advised to allow four working days for a payment to reach their account, which in itself seems a bit much in this electronic age.
Customers will also have to pay the same amount if they breach their credit limits.
If they were Budget measures, the Opposition would be decrying them as stealth taxes. (more…)
Posted by Ciaran Hancock
BRITVIC’S TRADING update yesterday shows that the fizz hasn’t just evaporated from the Irish economy: it’s left the soft drinks market, too. (more…)
Posted by Ciaran Hancock
BRITISH INSURANCE group Aviva is one of the shortlisted parties for the lucrative naming rights for redeveloped Lansdowne Road stadium. It is understood that Aviva is one of five groups in the mix for the 15-year contract.
The rights are being jointly sold by the IRFU and the FAI, which are thought to be seeking a hefty €50 million-€100 million from interested parties.
All sides are being tight-lipped about the process and it is understood an announcement is likely around the turn of the year.
Speculation had mounted this week that Aviva had won the race for the naming rights but this was premature.
Nabbing the naming rights to Lansdowne would certainly be a coup – albeit an expensive one – for Aviva, which is planning to rebrand its Hibernian subsidiary here from January 2009. It also owns a majority stake in Ark Life, which was previously wholly owned by AIB.
Given the heritage and resonance of the Hibernian name in this market, rebranding to Aviva won’t be easy.
The insurer has put together a substantial marketing war chest for its rebranding project and securing the rights to Lansdowne would no doubt help its cause.
It’s not clear who else is in the running for the rights. Aviva is thought to have competition from another insurer – thought to be Zurich – another financial group and a telecommunications group.
US-based Wasserman Media Groups and Slattery Communications here are handling the negotiations for the Lansdowne Road stadium redevelopment company.
Wasserman put together the deal for Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium in London, which incorporated a shirt sponsorship deal.
The new 50,000 all-seater Lansdowne is due to be completed in April 2010. The Ballsbridge venue is on a shortlist to host the prestigious Uefa Cup Final in either 2011 or 2012.
