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Café Nero plans 40 outlets

The Irish arm of UK specialist coffee retailer, Caffe Nero, says that there are strong prospects for the growth of branded coffee in Ireland, though start-up costs here contributed to the firm recording a loss of €430,000 last year.

The firm plans to invest €20m here by opening 40 stores and creating 350 jobs.

Authority Clears Dalata Deal

Dalata has received approval from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to acquire the leasehold interest of four hotels in a deal valued at €40 million.

The hotels are the Gibson Hotel in Dublin, the Croydon Park Hotel in south London, the Clarion Hotel in Cork and the Clarion Hotel in Limerick.

The leasehold interest comprises of operating leases with an average term of 18 years outstanding.

Ireland at Confex

Ireland had a strong presence once again this year at International Confex, which took place at Olympia in London. Six tourism companies from the island of Ireland met with

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influential corporate meeting and event planners during the two-day event.

Pictured are Séamus Heaney, Cork Convention Bureau; Aoife McHale, Visit Derry; Joyce McElroy, Tourism Ireland; Lynda Reilly, Dublin Convention Bureau; and Rachel Deegan, Shannon Region Conference and Sports Bureau.

'Star Wars' for Malin Head

Star Wars Episode Eight is to include scenes filmed on Malin Head, Co. Donegal

Location scouts visited Ireland’s most northerly point at Malin Head last October. It has now been confirmed that Lucasfilm is expected to return to Ireland in May to shoot at locations in the area.

Filming in Donegal is expected to last more than a month. The tourism spin-offs are expected to be huge. Already a number of B&Bs and rental homes in the Malin Head area have been booked out by film crews working with Lucasfilm.

The cast and crew are carrying out preparatory work ahead of shooting Episode VIII scenes in Kerry.

Camper Park for Cobh

Cobh, Co Cork is to become the first place in Ireland to create a state-of-the-art site for camper vans which will be governed by bylaws.

Council officials are preparing to create up to 30 bays at the special camper van location at the Five Foot Way near Whitepoint in Cobh, which has magnificent views of Cork harbour.

It’s the culmination of nearly two years work and the brainchild of a local councillor who founded the highly successful Cobh Animation Team, who dress up in period costume as part of tourist-attracting activities.