ARNOTTS yesterday confirmed staff fears that it is to slash almost 580 jobs as part of “‘operational changes”’ in advance of moving to new premises.

DUNNES Stores is to appeal a High Court ruling ordering it to stop copying designs for women’s clothing which a British fashion company claims it originated.

AIB BANK would “absolutely deny” talking to anybody about former developer Tom Gilmartin’s business, lawyer Richard Nesbitt SC told the Mahon Tribunal yesterday.

A FASHION expert told a court yesterday she found 580,000 references on the internet to the type of woman’s top at the centre of a landmark legal dispute between British fashion stores and Dunnes Stores.

AN IRISH fashion designer told a court yesterday that a Dunnes Stores top was “a direct copy” of a Karen Millen sweater, in a landmark legal case over the protection of design rights.

THE feud between the shareholders in Arnotts department store has endedafter the company’s chairman Richard Nesbitt agreed to buy the stake held by the O’Connor family for more than €40 million.

THE minority shareholders in Dublin department store Arnotts have said that the turning-down of their bid for the company’s entire share capital goes against the interests of Arnotts shareholders.

The directors of Malpas Holdings Ltd today expressed their disappointment with the decision of the Board of Arnotts Holdings Limited to reject their €200m offer for the Company and their decision not to refer it to all shareholders.

BEFORE the Debenhams takeover of Roches Stores was finalised senior Brown Thomas executives were seen walking the Roches Stores Patrick Street branch in Cork.

Irish retailers have defended the prices they charge for their products during an appearance before the Oireachtas committee on enterprise and small business today.

ENTREPRENEUR Denis O’Brien, who runs a business empire from his Algarve base in Portugal, is due to return to Dublin Castle next Tuesday to give further evidence to the Moriarty Tribunal about the controversial award of the GSM2 licence to Esat Digifone.

The recommended cash offer made by NCB Corporate Finance on behalf of Nesbitt Acquisitions for the entire issued and to be issued, ordinary shares of Arnotts has closed for acceptances today, July 23, 2003.

NEARLY €5 million was paid by the State to the Danish firm that is refusing to testify about its role as independent consultants to the second mobile phone project eight years ago.

SENIOR civil servant Fintan Towey viewed a letter showing Dermot Desmond’s early involvement in Esat Digifone as the consortium’s attempt to boost its prospects of winning the State’s second mobile phone licence competition.

VOLUMES on the Irish market were light yesterday. The ISEQ index closed 11.53 points lower at 4186.99.

THE long-running battle for Arnotts, one of the country’s best known department stores, may come to a head this week with the lodgement of two indicative offers this week.

SENIOR civil servant Ed O’Callaghan told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday he was never put under political pressure in his life.

A CIVIL servant told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday he would have blown the whistle if he was pressurised from doing his job.

HEPATITIS C victims must wait to find out if they can appeal compensation tribunal awards to the High Court in a legal challenge that could leave the State open to multi-million euro claims.