A weekly look at business and economics from an Irish perspective hosted by Irish Times Business Editor Ciarán Hancock. Produced in association with EY. Hosted ...
What do Donald Trump’s April tariffs mean for Ireland?
On this week’s episode of Inside Business, we discuss US President Donald Trump’s intention to impose new reciprocal tariff rates on EU countries and elsewhere from April 2nd. What are reciprocal tariffs and how will Ireland be affected? Will we be singled out? What is coming down the line in terms of ‘special tariffs’, and their potential impact on big exports from Ireland to the US? And what possible options are available to Irish companies to soften the blow of all this uncertainty? Gerard Brady, Head of National Policy and Chief Economist at Ibec, joined the podcast to give a timeline of all upcoming tariffs and what they mean.And this week saw the much-anticipated arrival of Amazon.ie, a dedicated Irish platform for the retail behemoth – a move that will be welcomed by most online shoppers in Ireland with the prospect of more product choice and better value. But what about retailers who will have to go toe-to-toe with Amazon here? Irish Times Consumer Affairs Correspondent Conor Pope joined host Cliff Taylor in studio to outline what Irish consumers can expect.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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‘My plan is to make sure Smurfit Westrock is one of the great companies of the world’: Tony Smurfit on taking the family business global
This week, Inside Business host Ciarán Hancock is joined by Tony Smurfit, president and CEO of Smurfit WestRock, the biggest paper and packaging group in the world.Last month he was chosen as Irish Times business person of the year for successfully concluding a combination of Smurfit Kappa Group with American company WestRock in a $24 billion deal. The Dublin-based company is now the leading player in its sector.Grandson of the company’s original founding father Jefferson Smurfit, and son of Michael Smurfit who grew the company to become Ireland’s first multinational, Tony has led the business since 2015.During this episode Tony discusses the impact of the WestRock deal on the group over the past nine months, the threat posed by Donald Trump’s tariffs, the special challenges of working for a company where your name is above the door, and his plan to make Smurfit WestRock the best company in the world.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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“The retailer is now facing dramatically increased costs”: Leo Crawford, former CEO of BWG Group
This week’s guest on Inside Business is Leo Crawford, who recently stepped down as the head of BWG Group after nearly 40 years with the business.BWG is a wholesale group at heart that supplies groceries to a large network of shops in Ireland and the southwest of England under a variety of retail brands, including Spar, Eurospar, Mace and Londis.Leo will recall the boom times of the Celtic Tiger years, through a couple of management-led buyouts, to almost losing control of the business post the 2008 crash.BWG ultimately bounced back to become the €2 billion a year business that it is today.He also has some tips for young business leaders and entrepreneurs, you’ll hear him compare retailing in Ireland and the UK and prices on both sides of the Irish sea, and talk about the growing levels of shop lifting and abuse targeted against small retailers and how these might be tackled.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Publican Noel Anderson on Grand Slam Bars, taking on Guinness and the rising price of a pint
This week host Ciarán Hancock is joined in studio by Dublin publican and Managing Director of Grand Slam Bars, Noel Anderson.The pub group is jointly owned by former Irish rugby internationals Rob Kearney, his brother David, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien.They own the Bridge bar in Ballsbridge, the Blackrock pub in the Dublin coastal suburb, the Lemon & Duke and Little Lemon in the city centre and its most recent purchase, McSorley’s in Ranelagh.Noel is also a shareholder in the Changing Times Brewery set up by a group of leading Irish publicans to produce a range of local stouts and other beers.Noel’s career in the pub trade began as a teenager and has involved a number of highs and lows. This included allegations of money laundering at one of his former venues, which yielded a financial settlement but only after years of legal wrangling. He talks to me about that extraordinary case, along with the current challenges of running pubs in Ireland and securing insurance against Covid lockdowns just weeks before the pandemic hit here.We also discuss the rising price of a pint and taking on Guinness in the stout market, and why he feels Dublin city centre needs an extra 1000 Gardai on the street to counter anti-social behaviour.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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“Landing Google really put us on the map”: Karl Brophy on the success and sale of Red Flag
Earlier this month, Red Flag Global, an Irish-based strategic communications firm was acquired by New York-based Ankura Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm.The financial details weren’t revealed but it is understood that the price tag on the deal was €45 million.Founded in 2013 by Karl Brophy, the company was chaired by Gavin O’Reilly, son of Tony O’Reilly and a former chief executive of Independent News & Media.Karl joins host Ciarán Hancock on this episode of the Inside Business podcast to discuss his career that began as a Fine Gael press officer before stints covering politics for the Daily Mirror and the Irish Examiner.He later went to work as a journalist and editor with INM, including a six-year stint editing an edgy tabloid title in South Africa.In January 2011 he was appointed as Director of Corporate Affairs and Content Development at INM, reporting to Gavin O’Reilly.It was a turbulent period in the history of the company, with a well-publicised battle for control of the business between the O’Reilly family and Denis O’Brien, who became a major shareholder.Karl left INM in October 2012, setting up Red Flag just months later.Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
A weekly look at business and economics from an Irish perspective hosted by Irish Times Business Editor Ciarán Hancock. Produced in association with EY. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Ireland