A 12% drop in business last year contributed to pre-tax profits at specialist student and independent travel group Usit decreasing by 28% to €451,790.

The Dublin-based Jo’Burger restaurant group has announced plans to open three or four restaurants next year with the creation of 120 jobs.

THE group that purchased the Great Southern hotels at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports four years ago has written down the value of the properties by €43.8 million due to a period of sustained losses.