D Friday, February 12, 2010 Business 19 business@metroherald.ie Business & Finance DOWNDOWN v$v$ DOWNDOWN vv DOWNDOWN ISEQISEQ by 26.10 at 2,836.19$1.3718 0.8775 Thats my business Brian OLeary After 13 years on the hothouse trading floors of AIB and the now-nationalised Anglo Irish in London and Dublin, Dubliner Brian OLeary, 35, threw it all in in 2008 and the DCU business graduate joined his younger brother David (above left with Brian) and father in the family business meat. Their Dublin Meat Co has now expanded to three shops in Dublin Interview by Alan Caulfield It was a good time to be a trader for a bank, but it has a short life-span What made being a trader so attractive? I was interested in the excitement, the adrenaline; at the time there was big money in it. My first job in London was as a trainee foreign exchange trader and I just stuck at it, for six years. What made you come back to Dublin? One, I was offered a job as a foreign exchange trader in Anglo Irish Bank and, two, I was there long enough Londons not the nicest place in the world. I went over to get a career in it and I managed to get a decent enough career and a lot of experience. Why did you leave? I just wanted a change, I was sick of working for someone else and making other people money. How did London and Dublin compare? Trading in London and trading in Dublin is like playing for Are people not deserting the traditional family butcher? Weve kind of reinvented the circle. My dad had a butchers in a supermarket but the rent was ridiculously expensive so we set up a factory shop its not on the high street, so we save money and can pass on the savings. We also have a factory in Artane and most of our butchers are there so we dont need five or six butchers in each shop. Where do you get your meat? All our fresh meat is Irish. Whats your opinion of organic? That was the Celtic Tiger times. I dont think theres a difference, and its absolutely ridiculously expensive. The proof is in the pudding, theres nobody really selling it anymore. Theres enough high-quality Irish meat out there without having to go down the organic route. Manchester United and playing for Wycombe Wanderers. It was a good time to be a trader for a bank there was a lot of adrenaline, a lot of drinking and a lot of other carry-on. But it has a short life-span. But at the time I worked for Anglo Irish Bank in Dublin it was absolutely flying, it was probably the bank to work for in the country to work for outside of London, which in hindsight seems a bit weird. I left with the intention of setting up a small hedge fund with an ex- colleague, but in 2008 Lehmans and the world collapsed, and credit dried up. It was a bad thing at the time but in hindsight it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Do you credit yourself with the expansion of the business? No, it was my dad and my brother who initially set it up four years ago and for all intents and purposes they look after the meat, I look after the money. And vegetarians? I have to respect their choice. Obviously, I dont particularly want there to be any of them from a business point of view, but at the end of the day thats life. Nothing wrong with it. Whats the best bit of business advice youve been given? You have to be hands on and its 24/7, seven days a week. Even when the phone stops ringing you never stop thinking about it. Its like having a child. If you werent doing this...? Id like to think Id have my own business in something else. I tried with the hedge fund and it didnt work but I probably would have tried something else. Dublin Meat Co has outlets in Butterly Business Park, Artane; Forest Road, Swords; and Kinsealy Garden Centre, Malahide Road. dublinmeatcompany.com New car numbers hit by big freeze By Joanne AhernTHE number of new private cars li- censed in January was down by 4.8 per cent on the same month in 2009. But Ford Ireland claims it is not a true reflection of the state of the in- dustry. Car registrations were actually up by five per cent last month, but the bad weather and the strength of the month-end period meant that many cars were late in being taxed or were taxed in early February, Fords Eddie Murphy said yesterday. He added the scrappage scheme was interesting prospective buyers and, aside from solid orders, Ford has seen a strong level of enquiries which should bear fruit this month and next. The figures from the Central Statis- tics Office show there was an increase in the number of new goods vehicles licensed in January, an increase of 4.1 per cent on last year. The data reveal the total number of vehicles, including 10,469 private cars, licensed in January was 15,595, compared with 19,341 in January 2009, a decrease of 19.4 per cent. The total number of all new vehi- cles licensed during the month was 12,062, compared with 13,084 during the same month last year, a drop of 7.8 per cent. The licensing figures refer only to vehicles taxed for road use. The highest number of new private cars by make was Ford (1,731) followed by Toyota (1,610), Renault (1,074) and Volkswagen (1,066). The Society of the Irish Motor In- dustry said the lower-than-expected figures for new car registrations were related to the poor weather. But a spokeswoman predicted this months figures would better reflect the impact of the scrappage scheme. Business Bites CAR rental firm Hertz is to create 100 jobs with the expansion of its base in Swords, Co Dublin, bringing the workforce there to 930. The jobs will be at the Hertz European shared services centre offering back-room support for human resources, finance, sales and customer care and also customer reservations for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Tnaiste Mary Coughlan said the investment would increase the reputation of the Swords base as a centre of excellence. KBC Ireland has revealed its profit fell to 92million in 2009, while impairment costs increased substantially. The bank, a division of Belgian banking and insurance group KBC, which received 7billion in Belgian state aid during the financial crisis, said limited demand had hit its loan portfolio, which stands at 18billion. Home loans and residential investment loans accounted for 13.4billion, about nine per cent of the Irish market, while business loans were 2.9billion. FINGAL County Enterprise Board has organised a series of free business information seminars to support people who are thinking of moving towards self-employment. Designed to offer practical advice and guidance to first- time entrepreneurs, the first 2010 Business Information Seminar takes place on February 16 at the Carnegie Court Hotel in Swords. Places are limited so booking is essential. For info, visit www.fingalceb.ie/seminars or call (01) 890 0800. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html