This week's Open For Business takes a look at the business of real estate in Ireland.
With the country's commercial property market having experienced what has been dubbed a "lost quarter" as a direct result of Covid-19, what will become of the hundreds of offices, retail units and business premises left vacant since the onset of the pandemic?
Irish print & design company Jill & Gill are benefitting from a brand new initiative that sees commercial developers with empty retail units offer a space for a small Irish businesses around Ireland. Businesses now reconsidering their office footprint, as a result of COVID-19 and working from home, also tell their stories.
Shane Ryan of Fiid who, despite expanding his workforce, is waving goodbye to their office space for the foreseeable. Real estate advisor Mark Synnott also offers expert advice for tenants who may be struggling to hang on to their business premises.
"I don't think the office is dead, I think the office as we know it is dead."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 18, 2020
Shane Ryan, @eatfiid, on how his business is adopting a new hybrid way of working.#OpenForBusinessRTE pic.twitter.com/pL3i99CBYG
Siobhan Kinsella, President of Chambers Ireland - the country’s largest business network representing small to medium sized businesses - discusses what is happening with office and retail spaces right across the country.
"It's a hybrid model that's emerging."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 18, 2020
Siobhan Kinsella (@sheertenacity), @chambersireland, on what sort of office Irish workers would like to see in the future.#OpenForBusinessRTE pic.twitter.com/qGAoOBWl5f
The show also takes a closer look at the construction industry - the very first sector to get back to work after the easing of lockdown restrictions.
This week's Gold Star slot features McGowan's pub in Dublin where manager Daniel McGowan introduces us to their novel way of keeping the romance alive throughout the restrictions.
In our Gold Star ⭐ slot this week, we visit owners of a Dublin pub who've come up with an idea to keep the romance alive within the new social distancing guidelines. @McGowansPhibs#OpenForBusinessRTE pic.twitter.com/amhORNYfJN
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 18, 2020
Finally, in the "Big Interview", Larry Breen, CCO of NearForm, the company behind Ireland’s COVID Contact Tracing app, talks to Open for Business.
"There's still a long way to go. We want to get the entire population."
— RTÉ One (@RTEOne) August 18, 2020
Larry Breen, @NearForm, on the adoption levels for the COVID Contact Tracing app.
To download the app, go to: https://t.co/dc5Am3zyFP#OpenForBusinessRTE pic.twitter.com/AP6vclDRxb
Relevant Links
For more information from Chambers Ireland, click here
To access Chambers Ireland’s COVID-19 publications, go here
Access Deloitte’s Planning & Development Outlook Q1 2020 report for more commercial property insights by clicking here
For CBRE's Dublin Office Marketview Q2 2020 report, go here
Read the Adecco Group’s new global research study, "Resetting Normal: Defining the New Era of Work", here
Download the COVID Tracker app by clicking here
For the latest COVID figures, go here
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