RYANAIR made a major announcement in the first week of July, confirming the budget carrier would return to Belfast International Airport in the spring of 2023 with 12 routes. The airline plans to base two new Boeing aircraft and 60 aviation staff at the airport, representing an investment of around $200 million (£164m).
The first week of July saw two companies separately announce plans to create 80 jobs. Omagh-based Telestack’s US owner confirmed plans for £4m investment creating 80 jobs in Co Tyrone, while Lisburn-based OKTO Technologies said contract wins worth more than £25m within the high-end residential and hospitality sectors would require 80 new staff.
July also brought better news for Invest NI’s business park in Strabane. Opened in 2013 at a cost of around £6m, it took the economic development agency four years to secure its first tenant for the site. Castlederg-based Omega Crushing and Screening became the fifth firm to confirm relocation plans in July. It followed recent announcements by Strabane manufacturer Fabplus and Letterkenny-based manufacturer Houston Precision Engineering.
Accounts published in July by Co Tyrone fuel giant LCC revealed it recorded a pre-tax profit of £53.8m for the year ending September 31 2021, 87.5 per cent higher than the £28.7m from 2020. The group's extensive interests and operations include the ‘Go' service stations, a home fuel delivery business and a major coal import and export depot based at Belfast Harbour.
BT announced plans to create 100 new roles at its new state-of-the-art Riverside Tower office in Belfast during July. The telecoms giant said the 100 new specialised jobs would be in place by April 2024 as part of efforts to bolster its in-house digital workforce.
The London compny behind plans to redevelop 12 acres of Belfast city centre expressed its frustration in July at the pace of progress as The Irish News revealed how its debt had grown into the tens of millions. Castlebrooke Investments secured outline planning approval for the ‘Tribeca’ scheme on September 2 2020. But two years on and no new planning applications have emerged to progress the development, with Castlebrooke owing its creditors £75.2m as of June 2021.
Just weeks after closing its branch in Belfast’s Shaftesbury Square, Halifax announced plans to close its outlets in Newry and Coleraine. Once complete, the closures will leave the lender with just 13 branches in the north.
Ireland’s biggest indigenous pizza chain Four Star has set out plans to create another 900 jobs across the island during July, including 360 in the north. Lurgan-born Colin Hughes, appointed chief executive in January 2022, confirmed that he wants to almost double its estate by opening 45 new pizzerias over the next three years.
Hillsborough-based King of Paints secured a supply contract with US DIY giant The Home Depot, in a deal expected to be worth tens of millions of pounds. Peter Hamill told The Irish News his Co Down business had become just the fourth paint supplier for the United States’ biggest DIY chain, which generates around £8.3 billion in annual paint sales from some 2,300 stores.
In July, Belfast pubs group Clover has revealed plans for a new hotel, bar and restaurant in the city's Cathedral Quarter. The hospitality group behind Henrys and Whites Tavern said its plans involve converting two office buildings and a car park on Donegall Street into a new indoor and outdoor space.
