Business Today Newsletter

Ikea’s new network; Revolut’s Irish credit cards; and in praise of bosses’ foibles

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

Ikea says it will open a series of smaller design-led outlets around Ireland.

Dominic Coyle's face
Dominic Coyle
Mon Feb 20 2023 - 06:22

Swedish furniture giant Ikea has opened a new “plan and order” point in Drogheda that will allow customers to book appointments with planning specialists to help design their new kitchen and bedroom. Ian Curran writes that the group plans to expand the concept across the State.

Revolut will start offering credit cards to Irish customers from today. The fintech promises a careful roll-out of the cards that it says will not penalise over-limit transactions or returned payments and will offer introductory zero per cent rates as well as cashback on purchases.

Sticking with banking, Fexco Asset Finance has invested €10 million in the sustainable loan initiative being overseen by Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland’s (SBCI), which will see loans of between €10,000 and €150,000 made to businesses looking to cut their energy costs and reduce their carbon emissions.

Figures from the Motor Insurance Bureau of Ireland show that at least one in 12 cars on Irish roads is now uninsured, with the numbers rising for the third year in a row. Colin Gleeson reports.

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Despite assurances from European Medicines Agency chief Emer Cooke that the worst of the winter drug shortage is behind us, figures show a growing number of medicines in short supply in Ireland, with a focus on those relying on plastics, such as nasal sprays, asthma inhalers and eye drops.

In his column, Eoin Burke-Kennedy looks at inflation and whether it will really return swiftly to ECB target levels of around 2 per cent now that it has peaked.

And Pilita Clark writes in praise of bosses’ foibles, if only because it helps to humanise them to their staff.

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