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Heineken axes Island’s Edge stout, Aldi’s profits dip, and thousands ‘illegally’ paid less than minimum wage

The best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

Paula Conlon, marketing manager for Island’s Edge, and Wojciech Bogusz, Heineken Ireland marketing director, at the launch of Heineken’s new stout. Photograph: Conor McCabe

Ciarán Hancock's face
Ciarán Hancock
Thu Nov 2 2023 - 06:30

Brewer Heineken Ireland has axed its Island’s Edge stout after a multimillion euro marketing campaign failed to lure 18-35 year old drinkers to the new brand. Barry O’Halloran and Laura Slattery have the details.

Profits at the Irish stores of supermarket chain Aldi more than halved to €17.1 million last year as the company’s policy of shielding customers from the worst effects of inflation hurt its margins. Laura Slattery crunches the numbers.

Thousands of worker here are being paid less than the minimum wage “illegally” by their employer, according to research by the ESRI. Eoin Burke-Kennedy reports.

Tech can’t (yet) bring back the dead, but can it imitate them? asks our technology columnist Chris Horn.

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In good news for Irish taxpayers, Cantillon explains how AIB may return €4.3 billion to shareholders in the coming years.

Cantillon also examines at the thorny issue of compensation for homes and businesses prone to flooding and without the option of insurance. A solution could be found by simply looking at schemes already established across Europe and even in the United States.

ETL Global, the German-based accounting group that entered the Irish market earlier this year by acquiring 51 per cent of the Noone Casey practice in Dublin, has sealed its second deal here as consolidation, by taking a majority share in Waterford-based DMB Chartered Accountants.

In her column, Karlin Lillington notes how the Silver Swan automaton – a “magical example of precision engineering, creativity and robotics” – dating from the 18th century proved an inspiration to Charles Babbage, who is credited with inventing the computer. With the museum exhibit of the swan badly in need a refurbishment, she suggests that corporate support from the tech sector could inspire tomorrow’s computing geniuses.

Our new innovator this week is Conor Sweeny, who has developed a dairy-free ice cream aimed at people who suffer from allergies. Olive Keogh tells his story.

Google Pixel Watch 2 review: It’s got a faster chip, better battery life and the same minimalist design – but the sequel’s software has also made some strides, writes Ciara O’Brien.

In other tech news, Bloomberg tells the story about how Apple plans to revolutionise health care.

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