Full coverage: Retail

In part two of our investigation into the Ingka Group's Irish corporate structures, we unlock the retail giant’s Irish-operated investment strategy and explain how a number of Irish subsidiaries in Ireland help reduce its overall tax liabilities.

From a discreet building in Ballsbridge, a few dozen staff running the Ingka Group's international bank and financial investment fund now manage over €30 billion in liquid assets – and counting. This investigation opens the door to the low-key Dublin office.

Online retailers' ability with data is an important reason why they're crushing their bricks-and-mortar retail competition. For this reason and others, it's hard to see offline retail coming back – in fact, healthcare is about to see the same disruption.

Timely restructuring shored up the finances of the group behind Fields and Fraser Hart jewellers just before the pandemic. A shareholder’s exit gives a glimpse of what its owners think it is worth now.

Anchor tenant Dunnes Stores has opened a convenience store about half the size of the penalty box on a football pitch at Point Village, the High Court heard. The overall space is ten times bigger. Dunnes insists it is in line with its obligations.

The video games retailer employing over 230 people across Ireland is dependent on funding from its US parent to keep trading and is reviewing expensive retail leases.

An analysis of the retailer’s financial performance over a four-year period shows the full extent of its Covid restructuring, and how it has sought to manage costs and deal with supply chain issues stemming from the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

As The Currency revealed that several multinationals continue to use the double Irish tax structure via Malta, domestic retailers EuroGiant and Anthony Nicholas demonstrated that success is achievable without such tactics – they just focused on strengthening their balance sheet.

Controlled by Charlie O’Loughlin, EuroGiant has more than 80 outlets throughout the country and a major wholesale business. And unlike many retailers, it thrived during the pandemic, as shown by an analysis of its performance over a four-year period.

Since the first Covid case was recorded in Ireland, shopping centre values have declined by 24%, with those on Grafton Street and Henry Street falling by 35% and 43%. Backing up the depressing outlook for retail property are the latest numbers from Mike Ashley’s network of Irish stores.