Around 1,200 workers at Wrightbus in Ballymena were made redundant after the bus-maker failed to find a new owner or investor to resolve its massive cash flow problems. The appointment of administrators from Deloitte sparked a backlash against the Wrights Group’s largest shareholder, Jeff Wright. Some £16m was paid to his Green Pastures church between 2012 and 2017 by the Cornerstone Group, the parent company of Wrightbus Ltd.
Wetherspoon exchanged contracts to purchase the freehold interest in the former Cafe Vaudeville premises in Belfast's Arthur Street. The property is currently let to the Revolution Bars Group, who bought the premises from Pat McCormack for £2.5m in 2017. It’s understood Wetherspoon paid £3.25m for the listed two-storey mid-terrace former bank building, which dates back to the 1800s and was once the head office for Dunville & Co.
The largest ever delegation of business figures from Northern Ireland descend on Westminster in a bid to address the limited economic growth here. Led by Trade NI, a number of delegates also raised their concerns directly with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Downing Street.
Liverpool hotel firm Signature Living put the Crumlin Road courthouse and the former Waring Street war memorial building in Belfast up for sale. The company headed by Lawrence Kenwright had proposed a £25m hotel development in the former courthouse, with a smaller £5m venture planned for the Waring Street building. It followed moves to offload assets in Liverpool amid reports of financial difficulties within the business.
US financial services giant State Street pulled the plug on its Belfast operation with the loss of at least 40 jobs. The Boston-based group, which describes itself as the world’s third largest investment manager, launched a recruitment drive here last year with a view to setting up a new technology centre in the city. But the company removed all its equipment from Glandore’s shared office facility on Arthur Street during September. Meanwhile, US cyber security firm Alert Logic, which pledged to recruit 88 people in the north by the end of 2017, shut its offices in Belfast. The firm has just nine remote workers left here.
The outgoing boss of Royal Portrush launched a bid for a new hotel next to the world famous golf course. Wilma Erskine, who retired as secretary manager of the club after 35 years, was one of the key figures credited with helping bring the British Open to the north coast resort town for the first time since 1951. During the summer she set up a new real estate company with US entrepreneur Jonathan Harper (42). Ballykeel Beg Holdings Ltd has now notified Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council of its plans to replace a house on the edge of Royal Portrush with a hotel.
Contrast Security announced plans to create 120 jobs in Belfast over the next three years. The California based company, which specialises in protecting software from cyber-attack, has set up a new development centre at River House on High Street. Invest NI, which has offered the firm £786,500 toward the move, said the jobs will eventually be worth around £4m a year to the economy.
