Co Antrim quarrying firm bought by major multinational company
There's big acquisition news as a Co Antrim quarrying and mineral processing firm has been bought by a major multinational company in the field.
Kilwaughter Minerals has agreed on a deal that would see it become part of the French company Saint-Gobain, subject to customary closing conditions.
Provided the merger gets the expected green light from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), it is expected to be completed by the first half of 2025.
“We see the alignment of the vision and values between both companies as a strong building block for our teams and customers.” - Gary Wilmot , Kilwaughter CEO
Few industries have been so uncertain in the past five years as consumer air travel in the UK due to the devastating effects of the pandemic.
Belfast International Airport had difficult moments in this period. In 2020, it lost ￡11.6m, only returning to profitability in 2022.
But 2023’s accounts, which have just been published, reflect the airport exiting the ‘Covid-19 recovery phase’. Turnover was up 34.6% as it brought in ￡54.8m in 2023, up from ￡40.7m the previous year.
James McNaney takes a close look at their company accounts and explores why there are challenges ahead for Northern Ireland’s busiest airport.
A Carrickfergus hotel has applied for planning permission for an extension that would add over two dozen bedrooms.
The Premier Inn on Alexandra Pier in the town would have 89 bedrooms if the extension is completed.
According to an application filed with the Planning Service, the extension will be built on a section of the site currently used for car parking.
领英推荐
Former civil servant Colin Lewis writes that the Programme for Government is a 'wishy-washy document' which fails to heed lessons from the past.
“What a deeply disappointing and flawed document it proved to be,” he writes.
“Its poor quality was not helped by the failure of the Executive to apply reform commitments on the future form and content of PfGs made by the Executive in 2016, which tellingly included current Ministers O’Neill and Givan.”
“It has the hallmarks of being informed by ill-qualified political special advisors and PR consultants, particularly as it is laced with populist narrative and spin telling us what we already know, supported by obligatory straplines, charts, and photographs.” – Colin Lewis
In our Big Interview, Whiterock CEO Paul Millar discusses its new equity fund and how the world of financing has evolved since his days in a bank.
Over the 12 years since he started at Whiterock - after nearly seven at Bank of Ireland - it has accumulated ￡225m under his management across five funds.
It manages those funds after they are provided by investors such as Invest NI, the NI Local Government Superannuation Committee and British Business Bank.
Paul emphasises they’re not a last resort lender for distressed companies.
“When the economy is performing well, that creates opportunities for us,” he says. “We’re not there to be an emergency funder for companies about to go bust.”
“There’s always a lot of negativity about the economy, but we are seeing in the last two or three years a lot of strength and resilience there, companies exporting and growing and expanding their operations.” – Paul Millar, Whiterock CEO
ICYMI: Our most-read business stories in the last week
You can sign up to Margaret Canning's weekly business newsletter here.