LABOUR shortages “are a real catastrophe” for hospitality businesses in the current climate and are curtailing the sector’s ability to recover and revitalise from the pandemic, a senior business leader says.

SERVICE businesses across Northern Ireland are navigating a uniquely challenging economic climate.

AS the work from home versus work from office debate continues and many employers attempt to strike a balance, virtual reality (VR) has been heralded as an ideal solution.

SALES at all of Northern Ireland’s main supermarkets have slowed compared with the highs of last year, according to fresh data from retail-watchers Kantar.

MUSGRAVE NI is investing £2.7 million in its SuperValu and Centra stores in the north as part of a new sustainability fund aimed at empowering retailers to achieve net zero carbon by 2040.

BELFAST-based sports software company Kairos is planning to expand further into global markets, ultimately aiming to create a number of new jobs in Belfast, the US, Australia and across Europe.

THE group behind Spar, Eurospar and Vivo in the north has deployed the first of a new £1.

IT'S widely accepted that good quality housing provides the springboard for personal betterment in education, wellbeing and employment, as well as dignity and personal fulfilment.

IT used to be that nobody wanted to mention the word recession, and doing so was seen as a self-fulfilling prophecy.

TIMES are tough for firms, as the cost of doing business continues to take its toll.

WE are almost halfway through the calendar year, which is often a good time to reflect on the goals set at the start of the year, from both a personal and professional perspective.

CO Down developer Lotus has marked the handover of its 1,000th residential property since 2014.

In the High Flyers spotlight this week is Clare McCann, cookery school manager at Waterman House Cookery School.

MANUFACTURING giant Caterpillar will effectively circumvent unions at its Larne and Springvale plants by putting a “final” pay offer directly to striking employees in a bid to resolve a 14-month industrial impasse.

NEVER underestimate the value of a strong non-executive director (NED).

HOSPITALITY businesses around the north are struggling to remain open due to spiralling costs and labour shortages, a trade body has said.

FORECOURT retailer Maxol has started work on a £2 million expansion in Co Down.