Moderna jabs land early, Sheriff Street apartments for €791,531, and the Covid tax bills fiasco

Business Today: the best news, analysis and comment from The Irish Times business desk

AstraZeneca has finally applied formally to the European Medicines Agency for approval for the jab it has developed with Oxford University
AstraZeneca has finally applied formally to the European Medicines Agency for approval for the jab it has developed with Oxford University

The first shipment of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine has arrived in Ireland earlier than expected, with 3,600 doses landing on Tuesday. The news came as the European Union's Covid vaccine chief defended its efforts to secure adequate vaccine supplies for member states, and AstraZeneca finally applied formally to the European Medicines Agency for approval for the jab it has developed with Oxford University, writes Dominic Coyle.

Glenveagh, one of the State's best known housebuilders, expects to charge Dublin City Council €33.44 million for 71 social housing units at a major development on Sheriff Street, Gordon Deegan reports. The most expensive units, six three-bed apartments, could cost the council €791,531 each.

In other Commercial Property news, German investor DWS has marked down the value of its investment in the Point Campus student accommodation complex to reflect the impact of Covid-19, reports Ronald Quinlan, while German premium fashion retailer Hugo Boss has signed anew 10-year lease on its Grafton Street store in an agreement worth €630,000 per year, a reduction of 24 per cent since 2015. We also have the details of CBRE's Outlook 2021 report, in which the commercial real estate advisor offers its assessment and predictions for Ireland's property market this year.

One of the most storied names in the annals of world motor sport, and a company with a strong Irish connection, Lola Cars, is up for sale for £7 million, writes Neil Briscoe.

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Meanwhile, Bleeper has raised close to €600,000 from investors as it prepares to roll out electric bikes and scooters on Irish roads, reports Charlie Taylor.

Irish people are spending more on gold as they buy the precious metal to safeguard wealth against Covid-19's economic impact, according to one major seller. Gold sales by Irish business Merrion Vaults, which provides safe deposit boxes in Ireland and Britain, multiplied four times in 2020, the company tells Barry O'Halloran.

In a follow-up to one of our most-read stories on Tuesday, Joe Brennan reports on how the group of Irish banks seeking to set up an instantaneous money-transfer mobile app to take on the likes of Revolut and N26 have selectedItalian fintech giant Sia to provide the technology.

Some British businesses are asking some customers in Northern Ireland and the Republic to foot the bill for extra paperwork and other post-Brexit costs, reports Barry O'Halloran.

Virgin Media Ireland has awarded €9,000 to 10 filmmakers to invest in thedevelopment of their scripts in a short film competition run in partnership with Screen Ireland. Laura Slattery has more details about the recipients, selected by Lenny Abrahamson, Lisa McGee, Niamh Algar and Ursula Rani Sarma.

Hundreds of thousands of workers who received subsidy payments through the Pandemic Unemployment Programme and Temporary Covid-19 Wage Subsidy Scheme will find out on Friday how much they owe Revenue. Has Government made a mess of the whole thing? Fiona Reddan asks this question in her Money Matters column this week.

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Ciara Kenny

Ciara Kenny

Ciara Kenny, founding editor of Irish Times Abroad, a section for Irish-connected people around the world, is Editor of the Irish Times Magazine