REVENUES AND profits at Appleby Westward, the British food distributor owned by the Irish wholesale cash and carry group BWG, led by Leo Crawford (right), fell last year, according to accounts just filed.
Its revenues declined by 7.2 per cent to £128 million due. This decrease was the result of its customers’ stores being acquired by rival multiples and the “general decline in the economy”.
The company’s pre-tax profit was 14.6 per cent down at €1.88 million. Appleby Westward distributes food and drink to Spar convenience stores in England.
IRISHWI-FI operator Bitbuzz is planning to expand into the UK. The company, led by Shane Deasy, has begun a search to recruit a sales and marketing executive based in London to push its Wi-Fi kit in Britain, primarily in three-star hotels and cafes.
Bitbuzz operates on both sides of the border here and has nine staff. Revenues this year are expected to be just shy of €1 million.
DUBLIN-BASED marketing and PR consultancy Corporate Reputations has become the Irish affiliate of Reputation Institute, a New York-based consulting firm.
RI specialises in reputation management and has a presence in 29 countries. The pair will host a conference on managing corporate reputation in Dublin on December 3rd, with Nicolas Trad, RI’s managing partner the keynote speaker.
RYANAIRBOSS Michael O'Leary is usually not a man for turning but yesterday he trumpeted plans to launch 10 new routes from its bases at Bristol, Edinburgh and Prestwick.
On June 23rd, O’Leary said Ryanair was freezing growth at its UK bases until Gordon Brown scrapped its £10 tourist tax. The tax remains but O’Leary appears to have backed down. Business is business I guess.
