Enterprise software firm Micro Focus sees Irish profits rise

The Irish subsidiary of enterprise software provider Micro Focus, formerly Novell Ireland, saw profits jump by 48 per cent last year despite a dip in revenues.

Recently filed accounts show the group recorded a pre-tax profit of €74 million for the 12 months to the end of April 2015, compared to a €50.1 million profit a year earlier.

Turnover for the firm declined from €287 million to €283 million during the year under review while operating profit rose from €79 million to €107 million.

Micro Focus Software (Ireland) Limited’s turnover comes from software licences, maintenance and services. It designs and build software to help businesses manage computing services across physical, virtual and cloud computing environments. The company owns Novell companies in Germany and the Czech Republic. Its ultimate parent is the Attachment Group, a Houston-based group.

The subsidiary also has a 55.87 per cent stake in Novell Ireland Real Estate, a Dublin-based company engaged in investment activities which retained earnings of €14.5 million last year.

Micro Focus, which has offices in Dublin, Ennis and Galway, employs 91 people overall. Staff costs, including wages and salaries, increased from €7.8 million to €8.4 million.