Dunnes Stores to open in Point Village, Irish-Saudi business links, and fantasy rail strategy

Retailer Dunnes Stores has begun work on the fit-out of the anchor tenant unit of the Point Village development on North Wall Quay, Dublin, 15 years after the Irish supermarket chain agreed to do so in a deal with developer Harry Crosbie. Colm Keena and Ronald Quinlan have the details.

In our big read, John Burns looks at how Ireland is building closer ties with Saudi Arabia, as the regime there tries to reshape its economy away from fossil fuels.

The draft rail strategy published recently by the Government is fun but most of it is also fantasy, writes our columnist and train enthusiast John FitzGerald.

In his Any Other Business column this week, John Burns has some details on the dispute between the Government and exploration company Barryroe over a permit to drill for oil off the Cork coast. Among other things, he also looks at Off the Ball’s digital strategy, the latest Covid debt warehousing figures, and RDS lobbying for State funding.

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A blocked rail tunnel in Switzerland has raised concerns about pan-European trade routes. Derek Scally has the story.

Barry O’Sullivan, the managing director of Diageo Ireland, has been chosen as The Irish Times Business Person of the Month for July, an award run in association with Bank of Ireland.

In our work feature, Olive Keogh relays how younger people’s expectations of work are vastly different – and employers need to get on board.

We put four more EY Entrepreneur of the Year finalists under the microscope this week, with profiles of the founders of some of those shortlisted for the established category. Colin Gleeson tells the stories of founders involved in businesses involving pets, solar energy, healthcare and food catering.

Almost 90 per cent of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to recruit essential employees, a new survey has claimed. Ciara O’Brien reports.

Rising interest rates, high inflation and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have driven venture capital investment into Ireland down by more than 15 per cent compared with the second quarter of last year and fintech investment down to just €54 million, according to two reports by KPMG. Hugh Dooley has the details.

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