BOO.COM BACK AS TRAVEL WEBSITE - Web Reservations International, the successful Irish internet company behind www.hostelworld.com has bought the name boo.com and is today launching it as a travel search engine which it says will revolutionise online travel.
Boo.com was previously a sportswear and fashion website, but in the year 2000 it became one of the dot bomb's most spectacular flops. €150m was lost on the venture in six months, making it one of the biggest e-commerce failures on this side of the Atlantic.
Web Reservations International and boo.com chief executive Ray Nolan said the name was short and memorable and would work in many languages.
Mr Nolan said boo.com would try to reduce the number of searches necessary for people to book a hotel to just one site. He said the company would make money through commissions and by receiving a small fee per click on each hotel.
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TRAIDLINKS HELPS AFRICAN BUSINESSES - Traidlinks, a company set up to support businesses in the developing world by sharing skills and providing a route to market for African products, is holding a seminar today aimed at encouraging more Irish firms to get involved.
Traidlinks gets Irish companies to help African firms with business advice and training. One of the main problems is that the poorest developing countries do not have the political stability, legal systems or the business climate to attract foreign investment, so indigenous firms need help.
Liam Fitzgerald, chairman of Traidlinks and also chief executive of United Drug, said a number of Irish companies were already involved, including Campbell Bewley and Jacob Fruitfield.
Mr Fitzgerald said the initiative had initially aimed to get just one product from an African company onto supermarket shelves in Ireland, but it had now grown into a business, with Jacob Fruitfield expected to turn over €500,000 this year from eight products sourced from African companies.
He said a seminar today was aimed at encouraging Irish companies to sign up with African companies on a project-by-project basis. The Irish companies then help with skills, including access to capital, or marketing. Mr Fitzgerald said the focus was on food for the moment.
Andrew Rugasira, chief executive of Ugandan firm Good African Coffee, said access to skilled expertise was one of the main challenges faced by African companies. He said the company had sent staff to train at Cempbell Bewley, which had helped them to understand the standards required in the markets where the company sold coffee.
