Shares in Cuisine de France owner Aryzta jumped by as much as 7% on the back of a rise in underlying earnings, as well as expectations of an improved performance in its troubled North American operations.

Six months after Unilever’s Alan Jope suggested he may get rid of brands without “purpose”, investors are wondering when he will deliver.

Dalata Hotel Group shares tumbled by more than 6% after it said it saw a drop in like-for-like performance across its Irish hotels during the bulk of this year.

Pandora will lay off another 1,200 workers in Thailand and speed up marketing spending as its new chief executive looks to turn around the struggling jewellery maker and retailer after another fall in like-for-like quarterly sales.

State-owned forestry company Coillte has begun stockpiling wood in its UK operation so it can continue to serve British customers after Brexit.

Construction products and packing group, Quinn Industrial Holdings is seeking to expand into the ready-mix concrete market to tap the building boom in the Dublin area and is open to making acquisitions if opportunities arise.

Dairygold’s capital investments have fuelled its expansion in milk processing to 1.34bn litres in 2018, up 500m litres since 2009, with plans to exceed 1.65bn litres by 2023.

Dairygold's revenues are an all-time high of almost €1 billion. The company's directors talk to Joe Dermody

C&C shares surged by nearly 7% on the back of the drinks group saying it had a strong Christmas trading period and that it remains on course to meet full-year targets.

Cuisine de France bakery owner Aryzta has agreed on an underwriting deal with five banks, setting the stage for raising €800m in new capital to strengthen its balance sheet.

Paper and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa Group (SKG) is eyeing acquisition opportunities in the Americas as it looks to grow further in the region.

A weak share price, a massive debt-fuelled acquisition, and an impending switch to an unproven chief executive.

CRH’s market value has increased by €1bn on the back of it announcing an ambitious four-year growth plan which could see the building materials giant spend around €7bn on acquisitions.

Any meaningful recovery in Paddy Power-Betfair’s share price is going to take time, analysts have warned, after shares in the betting services group fell further on a 12% slump in first-quarter profit.

State-owned airport operator DAA has tabled bids for the running of a number of international airports, after having seen a successful first full year operating part of the King Khaled International Airport (KKIA) in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh.

The Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) yesterday released an interim 2017 statement which provides an overview of the financial position and highlights the impact of Shelbourne Park’s 22 week closure.

The owner of Irish Ferries has said the economic outlook and its own earnings potential remain buoyant despite Brexit uncertainties, writes Geoff Percival

Telecommunications company eir has announced its first quarter results to September 30.

Cuisine de France owner Aryzta is to refocus its attention on its business-to-business frozen bakery and European food solutions divisions as challenges at its North American arm continue to eat into group earnings.

Building materials giant CRH has said it is ready to act further on what it sees as “a strong pipeline” of acquisition opportunities in light of selling part of its US operations for $2.6bn (€2.2bn).

Shares in betting services group Paddy Power-Betfair dropped a further 4% yesterday after it posted first-half earnings which fell short of analyst expectations.

International takeaway ordering website Just Eat has said it plans to work more with branded restaurant chains, knocking its shares despite an upgrade to its full-year revenue forecast.

British retailer Sports Direct has reported a 29% slump in full-year earnings after failing to hedge against a weaker pound, but its shares rose on a forecast of growth this year and hopes management was getting its house in order.

Avoca managing director Simon Pratt hopes to see a further two-to-three new store openings in the next 24 months.

Expansion costs at the Irish arm of health food retailer, Holland & Barrett last year contributed to pre-tax profits decreasing by 7% to €5.48m.

The managing director and co-owner of the four-star Parknasilla Hotel in Kerry has forecast that revenues will likely be up as much as 6% this year.

Europcar Groupe is “cautious” about the British car rental market as it monitors developments in the UK’s negotiations to leave the EU, although it has yet to see any impact on its 2017 results.

Dublin-based paper and packaging group Smurfit Kappa has the ability to spend up to €1bn on acquisitions this year without harming its balance sheet or breaching its lending covenants, management has said.

Eir has revealed an earnings increase of 5% for the first nine months of its financial year, owing to increased take-up for its broadband offering.

CRH has hailed a “satisfactory” start to 2017, with first quarter sales ahead by 4% on a year-on-year basis.

Shares in Dublin-based travel software company Datalex jumped by over 2% yesterday on the back of the firm reporting double-digit revenue and earnings growth for last year and suggesting a number of recent deals strongly position the business for further growth.

Building materials giant CRH is expected to spend over €1bn this year on bolt-on acquisitions, with outlay in the first quarter alone already topping €600m.

Shares in Cuisine de France owner Aryzta jumped by almost 12% yesterday on the back of the troubled group launching a recovery bid which will see founder and chief executive Owen Killian leave the company and its investment strategy reviewed.

Eir has said the moderate growth seen in the first half of its current financial year is keeping it on track to meet its annual earnings targets.

Alibaba is leading a bid to take department store chain Intime Retail private for as much as $2.6bn (€2.46bn), as China’s largest online retailer deepens its integration with brick-and-mortar stores.

Diversified fuels to computer group DCC plans to buy the English-based distributor of computer servers, Hammer, for £38.3m (€42.3m) in cash, in a move it hopes will allow it to tap the growing demand for cloud-based storage.

Eir has hailed a significant milestone in revenues and earnings growth and predicted that questions hanging over its future ownership or plans for an IPO of its shares on stock markets will likely subside for the next few years at least.

Pre-tax profits at Irish mobile technology company Zamano sunk by almost a third to €794,000 in the opening half of the year despite an 80% surge in sales during the period.

Shares in Irish packaging company Smurfit Kappa fell by more than 3% yesterday despite a significant uptick in profitability in the opening six months of the year.

Irish-founded glass and metal packaging group Ardagh has named former Smurfit Kappa Group executive Ian Curley as its new chief executive, coinciding with an announcement confirming its $3.42bn (€3bn) purchase of certain assets currently owned by US beverage can makers Ball and Rexam.

One51 will seek support for a dual IPO, in Dublin and London, from its shareholders next month.

Carlsberg, the world’s fourth-biggest brewer, has pledged to pay more of earnings in the form of dividends as its new chief unveiled his strategy for the next six years.

Dublin-based mobile technology firm, Zamano has said it is looking for acquisition opportunities less than a year after almost being bought out itself.

Shares in Dublin-based fruit distribution company Total Produce rose by nearly 3% yesterday on the back of a strong set of annual figures and the company targeting strong earnings growth for this year.

Building materials giant CRH expects further large assets to go on sale as international rivals move to improve their balance sheets, adding it is looking at “hundreds” of potential acquisitions.