The Profit Margin, with Jamie Delargy and Naomi McMullan

2016 has been a year of surprises. On our podcast Declan Flynn from Lisney Estate Agents sums up the year as: "Start-stop. A great start then it slowed down. If you look at retail though, retail has been strong. If you look at the centre of Belfast vacancy rates are down."

Mr Flynn talks about the headwinds facing the property sector in 2017 and why there could be some room for a small amount optimism.

Property lawyer Ross Davidson from Davidson McDonnell solicitors also sees some reasons to be cheerful: "I think in 2017 we will see more transaction levels, especially in the office and hotel sectors. A lot of developments are owned and controlled by funds from elsewhere. They will want to get to an end point in 2017. I think it's going to be a busier time for our commerical property market."?

He does make the point though, that we need to do more to attract further external investors and outlines what steps he thinks need to be taken.

One local firm that is very busy is Flint Studios. It was the only compnay from Northern Ireland that made it onto the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We've been talking to Jeremy Biggerstaff about the firm's core business and how it plans to expand.

Start-up:

Pitching this week, it's Andrew McMaster from Orange Bison. The start-up is aiming to create a central hub for the global gaming community. Listen to their pitch to hear how they plan to make it work.

2016 has been a year of surprises. On our podcast Declan Flynn from Lisney Estate Agents sums up the year as: "Start-stop. A great start then it slowed down. If you look at retail though, retail has been strong. If you look at the centre of Belfast vacancy rates are down."

Mr Flynn talks about the headwinds facing the property sector in 2017 and why there could be some room for a small amount optimism.

Property lawyer Ross Davidson from Davidson McDonnell solicitors also sees some reasons to be cheerful: "I think in 2017 we will see more transaction levels, especially in the office and hotel sectors. A lot of developments are owned and controlled by funds from elsewhere. They will want to get to an end point in 2017. I think it's going to be a busier time for our commerical property market."?

He does make the point though, that we need to do more to attract further external investors and outlines what steps he thinks need to be taken.

One local firm that is very busy is Flint Studios. It was the only compnay from Northern Ireland that made it onto the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. We've been talking to Jeremy Biggerstaff about the firm's core business and how it plans to expand.

Start-up:

Pitching this week, it's Andrew McMaster from Orange Bison. The start-up is aiming to create a central hub for the global gaming community. Listen to their pitch to hear how they plan to make it work.

You know the feeling; that awful, creeping Sunday night dread, that grabs you by the guts at the prospect of work on Monday morning.

It's worse for some than others, but there is definitly a sizable number of people that are stuck in jobs that they hate. Sinead Brady from a Career to Love, is a career coach. She hears from people every day who are desperate for advice about how to chose, change or transition in their work.

In our podcast she has ideas about how to reframe the way you look at your job, plan a strategy to start a new career and advice about free courses on-line that can help you up-skill.

Plus all the talk about Brexit has, in some ways over-shadowed the upcoming change in corporation tax in Northern Ireland. Unsurprisingly SMEs hope to benefit as much from the low tax rate as large companies but at one time it looked as if smaller firms which did sizeable work in Great Britain could miss out. However the rules have changed. Jamie spoke with Neville Crowe from business consultants EY about how the new regieme will operate. And with the corporation tax rate also coming down in the rest of GB, what other tools will need to be used to lure in fresh investment?

Start-up

This week we're going to hear from Clinishare. It's involved in Clinical communications. Essentially they make software that helps link the sharing of health information between labs, hospitals and researchers. Listen in to Andrew Cuthbert's pitch.

You know the feeling; that awful, creeping Sunday night dread, that grabs you by the guts at the prospect of work on Monday morning.

It's worse for some than others, but there is definitly a sizable number of people that are stuck in jobs that they hate. Sinead Brady from a Career to Love, is a career coach. She hears from people every day who are desperate for advice about how to chose, change or transition in their work.

In our podcast she has ideas about how to reframe the way you look at your job, plan a strategy to start a new career and advice about free courses on-line that can help you up-skill.

Plus all the talk about Brexit has, in some ways over-shadowed the upcoming change in corporation tax in Northern Ireland. Unsurprisingly SMEs hope to benefit as much from the low tax rate as large companies but at one time it looked as if smaller firms which did sizeable work in Great Britain could miss out. However the rules have changed. Jamie spoke with Neville Crowe from business consultants EY about how the new regieme will operate. And with the corporation tax rate also coming down in the rest of GB, what other tools will need to be used to lure in fresh investment?

Start-up

This week we're going to hear from Clinishare. It's involved in Clinical communications. Essentially they make software that helps link the sharing of health information between labs, hospitals and researchers. Listen in to Andrew Cuthbert's pitch.

It's probably one of the most difficult times ever for the economics profession. There is so much unpredictability swirling around. 

 

At the moment we don't know what migration policy will look like or what President elect Trump's talk of trade deals really means. As Professor Neil Gibson, Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre points out: "It's almost impossible to come up with an accurate picture of what the next 2-3 years will hold. We're scenario planning for the best case and worst case?." You can hear why according to their detailed modelling work Professor Gibson thinks inflation could hit 4% and what he believes the future of retail could look like.

 

We're also talking with Declan Gormley from Brookvent. Seven years ago the Dunmurry based firm had no exports. Now well over forty per cent of its energy saving ventilation systems are sold overseas. The company which employs almost seventy has broken into markets as far away as China and New Zealand.

 

Plus from one exporter to another, did you know that in Cookstown there's a business that's one of the fastest growing roof window manufacturers in Europe and is the UK's biggest steel lintel manufacturer? Eithne Kelly from Keystone explains how they've managed to grow the business.

 

Start-up

 

Our start-up is hurree.co. It's a marketing automation platform for apps and has already secured close to £500,000 in funding. You can hear about their Crowdcube campaign and business plan in their pitch.

It's probably one of the most difficult times ever for the economics profession. There is so much unpredictability swirling around. 

 

At the moment we don't know what migration policy will look like or what President elect Trump's talk of trade deals really means. As Professor Neil Gibson, Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre points out: "It's almost impossible to come up with an accurate picture of what the next 2-3 years will hold. We're scenario planning for the best case and worst case?." You can hear why according to their detailed modelling work Professor Gibson thinks inflation could hit 4% and what he believes the future of retail could look like.

 

We're also talking with Declan Gormley from Brookvent. Seven years ago the Dunmurry based firm had no exports. Now well over forty per cent of its energy saving ventilation systems are sold overseas. The company which employs almost seventy has broken into markets as far away as China and New Zealand.

 

Plus from one exporter to another, did you know that in Cookstown there's a business that's one of the fastest growing roof window manufacturers in Europe and is the UK's biggest steel lintel manufacturer? Eithne Kelly from Keystone explains how they've managed to grow the business.

 

Start-up

 

Our start-up is hurree.co. It's a marketing automation platform for apps and has already secured close to £500,000 in funding. You can hear about their Crowdcube campaign and business plan in their pitch.

Any business would like a bulging trophy cabinet full of awards for their work. We were at the Business Eye Awards to meet some of the winners. One man who has scored high profile plaudits is Bill Wolsey, the man behind the very successful hospitality empire that includes The Merchant hotel and the Little Wing pizza chain.

In the podcast you can hear about Bill's plans to grow the pizza business across the island of Ireland; plus an expansion 4 star hotels is also in the pipeline.

"Bullitt hotel is a 4 star hotel in a sleepy corporate market. We think we can shake that up and there are opportunities to expand. We're looking at four or five cities, three in England and one in Scotland. We're resonably confident we'll secure a second site in a very short period of time. We're also looking at Dublin."

We've also caught up with Colm O'Farrell from the Deluxe group. Hear how the company grew from fairly modest beginnings as a painting and decorating firm to become a specialist joinery and fit-out company. Clients include Walt Disney and Warner Brothers and now a new theme park in Dubai.

Another big winner on the night was Bloc Blinds. The Magherafelt company has turned a very traditional market on its head and is now targeting North America. Cormac Diamond explains where he draws his inspiration from and how to stay motivated in business.

Start-up

This week our start-up is Cheryl McWilliams from Mother Bee, a skin care solution using natural products. Her local vet encouraged her to bring it to market after using the sooth and protect cream to treat his animal patients.

Any business would like a bulging trophy cabinet full of awards for their work. We were at the Business Eye Awards to meet some of the winners. One man who has scored high profile plaudits is Bill Wolsey, the man behind the very successful hospitality empire that includes The Merchant hotel and the Little Wing pizza chain.

In the podcast you can hear about Bill's plans to grow the pizza business across the island of Ireland; plus an expansion 4 star hotels is also in the pipeline.

"Bullitt hotel is a 4 star hotel in a sleepy corporate market. We think we can shake that up and there are opportunities to expand. We're looking at four or five cities, three in England and one in Scotland. We're resonably confident we'll secure a second site in a very short period of time. We're also looking at Dublin."

We've also caught up with Colm O'Farrell from the Deluxe group. Hear how the company grew from fairly modest beginnings as a painting and decorating firm to become a specialist joinery and fit-out company. Clients include Walt Disney and Warner Brothers and now a new theme park in Dubai.

Another big winner on the night was Bloc Blinds. The Magherafelt company has turned a very traditional market on its head and is now targeting North America. Cormac Diamond explains where he draws his inspiration from and how to stay motivated in business.

Start-up

This week our start-up is Cheryl McWilliams from Mother Bee, a skin care solution using natural products. Her local vet encouraged her to bring it to market after using the sooth and protect cream to treat his animal patients.

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas in the shops. So how are retailers gearing up for the prime time of year that's crucial to the survival of many smaller shops. Plus robust consumer spending is crucial to recovery, so what is it telling us about the wider economy?

There's no doubt retailing has become a tougher sell. There's more competition, both from online and the big chains. Glyn Roberts is from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Association. He says there's been a short term bounce because of the weak pound with more shoppers flocking across the border.

"There is a feeling amongst our members grab it while you can," he said. "There is a lot of hard work going in to make sure we give the best possible experience to shoppers this Christmas."

You can listen to Glyn's interview on our podcast; car parking and bus lanes are particular frustrations that emerge, plus we talk about what retailers can do to embrace online to boost their offering, rather than view it as a threat.

Andrew Webb is an economist and chair of Belfast City Centre Management. He thinks further down the line inflation will creep up and traders will have to work hard to offer more to consumers but retailers are "cautiously optimistic"? about the coming Christmas season.

"The city has a new ambition about it, it's looking well," he said. "It's a positive place to be. It's about putting the social back into shopping." 

You can hear more about Andew's projections on consumer spending habits in his interview.

Start-up:

Our start-up this week is Testify. It's an on-line testing platform for game developers. The aim is to generate feedback from users so that developers can improve their product. Have a listen to their pitch and let us know what you think.

It's beginning to feel a bit like Christmas in the shops. So how are retailers gearing up for the prime time of year that's crucial to the survival of many smaller shops. Plus robust consumer spending is crucial to recovery, so what is it telling us about the wider economy?

There's no doubt retailing has become a tougher sell. There's more competition, both from online and the big chains. Glyn Roberts is from the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Association. He says there's been a short term bounce because of the weak pound with more shoppers flocking across the border.

"There is a feeling amongst our members grab it while you can," he said. "There is a lot of hard work going in to make sure we give the best possible experience to shoppers this Christmas."

You can listen to Glyn's interview on our podcast; car parking and bus lanes are particular frustrations that emerge, plus we talk about what retailers can do to embrace online to boost their offering, rather than view it as a threat.

Andrew Webb is an economist and chair of Belfast City Centre Management. He thinks further down the line inflation will creep up and traders will have to work hard to offer more to consumers but retailers are "cautiously optimistic"? about the coming Christmas season.

"The city has a new ambition about it, it's looking well," he said. "It's a positive place to be. It's about putting the social back into shopping." 

You can hear more about Andew's projections on consumer spending habits in his interview.

Start-up:

Our start-up this week is Testify. It's an on-line testing platform for game developers. The aim is to generate feedback from users so that developers can improve their product. Have a listen to their pitch and let us know what you think.