:: The north's largest hospitality group Beannchor received planning approval for a new £4 million 52-bedroom hotel in Lisburn city centre called The Haslem, on work has since started. It will create 75 jobs when it opens next year. Also this month, UK hospitality group the Glendola Leisure and Carlton Hotel Collection, which operates 21 bars and restaurants in Britain, acquired the Tipsy Bird and the adjacent Prince's Buildings on Ann Street with a view to opening a four-star boutique hotel and retail offering in the near future.
:: American software firm Signifyd, which helps online retailers detect fraud, said it would create 151 jobs after it set up in the newly refurbished River House on Belfast's High Street. The Silicon Valley-based fraud protection specialist is recruiting for roles in software engineering, data, risk and fraud analytics, offering average salaries in excess of £30,000 a year. Invest NI is providing £981,500 of financial support.
:: Scottish-Italian chef Nico Simeone announced plans to introduce his unique dining concept to Belfast in a £500,000 investment creating 40 jobs. 'Six by Nico' in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter is the third addition to the restaurant portfolio. It sees the introduction of a pioneering revolving culinary hub, as every six weeks Nico and his team will serve up a brand new six-course tasting menu, each one themed on a different place, memory or idea. In the same month restaurant chain Made in Belfast confirmed it is to open its fourth city outlet, creating 20 jobs.
:: The near-century practice of all the north's main banks printing their own-style banknotes is to end after First Trust said it would scrap the practice. It will switch to dispensing Bank of England currency from its ATM network in early 2020, and from June 2022 the distinctive notes cease to become legal tender. The bank said the decision was a commercial one, taking into account the increasing use of digital payment methods and mobile technology. It comes at a time when Danske Bank, Ulster Bank and Bank of Ireland are all in various stages of issuing their own polymer £5, £10 and £20 notes.
:: Newry-based mac-group joined with a US modular construction firm to tap into the growing market for new homes. New York contractor Skystone Group is part of the mac Skystone joint venture, aimed at the residential, student accommodation and hotel markets in Ireland and the UK. The new company offers the construction of high quality buildings faster and cheaper by using modular technology.
:: Belfast digital services and platforms provider Kainos is paying more than £7 million to buy a site at Bankmore Square, home of the Movie House cinema, for its new global headquarters. The site received planning committee approval in May 2017 for a replacement 250,000 sq ft grade A office building. Kainos says it expects to be moved into Bankmore Square in 2021.
