A decade on from founder’s tragic death, Norbrook in ‘positive cycle’ after tough time
It’s one of Northern Ireland’s most famous companies and in its birthplace of Newry, a totem of the value of hard, striving entrepreneurialism.
And Norbrook Holdings, the parent company of the veterinary pharmaceutical firm founded by Lord Ballyedmond in 1969, says it’s back on the up after a difficult time.
It announced 180 redundancies last year in response to a downturn in demand, while pre-tax profits had dropped from ￡21.3m to ￡3.9m in the year to July 2023.
However, the company's future now looks brighter.
Meanwhile, Sandy Row traders suffering from the effects of the Boyne Bridge closure have pleaded for help from Belfast City Council, with one businessman saying the place was either “log-jam or ghost town”.
At the December full meeting of the council, three workers gave a deputation to elected representatives, with two stating they had lost 30 and 40 percent of their business since the bridge closure, while another claimed the effects were “worse than Covid”.
One of Northern Ireland’s most familiar names in retail has shed light on its longevity in its latest accounts.
In financial statements filed at Companies House last week, family-owned Harry Corry Ltd, which has 56 stores across the UK and Ireland, said the commitment of its directors to the business had helped guarantee its stability.
It has 20 stores in Northern Ireland as well as 10 in Scotland and 26 in the Republic of Ireland.
Now financial statements from the company shed light on why the soft furnishing specialist is such an enduring name in NI.
A building in Belfast housing HSBC's only remaining branch in NI is on sale for ￡4.85m – more than 25% below what it was bought for.
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Seller Cordatus Real Estate, a Scottish fund, had acquired Avenue House on the corner of Royal Avenue and Rosemary Street for ￡6.6m in May 2016.
Mark Riddell, a partner at selling agents Cushman & Wakefield, said it was hard to predict the level of interest in the building. “We will have to see how the market reacts. It’s an improving area and hopefully the market responds.”
Sharon Hanna, manager of HMS Caroline, talks to the Belfast Telegraph about the unique path she took to her job, and her plans to make the historic vessel Belfast’s go-to event space.
“There’s not a lot of people that can say they had a conference on a World War One ship,” she explains.
Berthed in the Titanic Quarter, it is owned by the National Museum of the Royal Navy in Portsmouth.
It has been stationed in Belfast since 1924, serving as a training ship for the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve before being decommissioned in 2011.
Manager of Belfast war ship explains big new plans: 'We want to be somewhere thought of first'
And finally, we speak to beer brewer Katie McBarron who explains how she had to overcome early career setback to succeed in her role at Ulster Sports Club.
She’s just 27, but already she’s one of the Belfast beer community’s best-known faces.
She speaks to Gareth Hanna about how she turned her career around after getting fired.
“I’ve no qualms with getting fired… but that doesn’t mean there’s no trauma there," she revealed.
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