Connect with us

News

Price of Irish and international stamps to rise

Published

on

The price of a basic national and international stamp is set to rise next month.

According to An Post today (Tuesday), the new stamp prices reflect sharp transport, fuel and energy cost inflation and the true cost of maintaining a nationwide postal service with steadily falling traditional letter volumes.

The changes will occur on Tuesday, March 1. The standard national letter stamp will increase to €1.25 (currently €1.10) while the standard international stamp will be €2.20 (currently €2).

These levels are well below the current average European tariffs for high quality, letter delivery services. The average price of a comparable national stamp across the principal EU14 (+ UK) countries is now €1.58, while the comparable worldwide tariff is €2.27.

10-stamp booklets

Conscious of the impact on personal customers and SMEs who are regular mailers, there will be no increase in the price of 10-stamp booklets priced €11 (a 15c discount per stamp). SMEs can also avail of the €1.10 stamp price through the An Post Advantage Card with increased discount of 12% on larger stamp packs and 34% discount on parcel postage will be available to all SMEs to year-end.

International air freight prices have increased by up to 360% in the pandemic; transport cost inflation is running at 18% and electricity, gas and fuel costs are up 27% year on year (CSO-Dec 2021).

“While these increases are essential to cover rising costs, and ensure service continuity on a par with the very best in Europe, we will mitigate the impact on SMEs by increasing discounts available to them, while freezing the price of 10-stamp booklet for consumers and offering regular price promotions,” David McRedmond, CEO of An Post, said.

All existing stamps with ‘N’ (National) and ‘W’ (Worldwide) denominations remain valid and fully useable after the new prices come into effect. Also on March 1, tariffs for parcels to EU countries are being reduced in line with improved routing options. Letter, packet and parcel price zones are being revised for different parts of Europe, maintaining prices at the lowest possible rates, while reflecting the cost of transporting Irish mail to these countries, he added.

Advertisement

News

Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s

Published

on

By

Paralympic legend Jason Smyth visits St Brendan’s


World renowned Paralympian and world record holder Jason Smyth paid a visit to St Brendan’s College on Wednesday afternoon as part of a high profile visit to Killarney.


The six time Paralympic gold medallist spoke to second year students from St Brendan’s College, alongside students from neighbouring schools St Brigid’s Presentation Secondary School and Killarney Community College.
The interactive talk and interview took place ahead of World Sight Day, with the legendary sprinter sharing his personal journey with Stargardt disease, a genetic eye condition that left him legally blind at eight years old.
The Derry native, who holds the world record as the fastest Paralympian on earth over 100 metres, offered inspiring insights into overcoming physical adversity and achieving success at the highest level of world sport.
The school visit formed the opening leg of his Killarney schedule before he took centre stage later on Wednesday evening at The Killarney Plaza Hotel & Spa.
Smyth headlined An Evening with Paralympian Jason Smyth, an event organised by the Killarney Chamber of Tourism and Commerce as part of its winter schedule, sponsored by AIB.

Attachments

Continue Reading

News

Deerpark Retail Park placed on market for fifteen million euro

Published

on

By

Deerpark Retail Park in Killarney has officially been placed on the market with a guide price in excess of 15.4 million euro, excluding VAT.

International real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield has been appointed as the sole sales agent to handle the high-profile commercial property sale on behalf of its current owner, Investcorp.

Investcorp, a global investment management firm headquartered in Bahrain, had previously acquired the prominent shopping complex.


The sale represents one of the largest commercial property offerings to launch in County Kerry this year.

Located roughly 1.3 kilometres west of Killarney town centre, the scheme enjoys strong regional connectivity and sits adjacent to independently owned operations including a Tesco Extra store, a Tesco petrol filling station, JYSK, and Aldi.


Constructed in 2006, the development extends across approximately 10,482 square metres, or 112,835 square feet.

The scheme comprises a mix of modern retail warehouse units and a complementary neighbourhood centre, offering 13 individual units in total with Part Open and Part Bulky Use planning permission.

The units range in size from 94.6 square metres up to 1,994.9 square metres. Visitors have access to approximately 248 customer parking spaces across the commercial grounds.

The park is currently 100 per cent occupied by a strong line-up of established national and international brands.

Key retail tenants include Marks & Spencer, Boots, DID Electrical, Maxi Zoo, and Mountain Warehouse.

The neighbourhood centre element accommodates service and convenience operators such as Costa Coffee, Card Factory, and Salon B.

The first-floor accommodation is fully let to Peak Performance Academy, which provides additional rental diversification.

Additionally, the scheme benefits from an agreement with Tesla to operate eight electric vehicle charging bays within the customer car park.


Commercial figures show that the property generates a total current rental income of 1,326,458 euro per annum, with a weighted average unexpired lease term of 4.45 years to break options and 6.46 years to lease expiry.

Cushman & Wakefield noted that the quoted guide price of 15.4 million euro reflects a net initial yield of 7.83 per cent, assuming standard purchaser costs of 9.96 per cent.

The selling agents highlighted that the fully occupied asset offers investors an attractive income profile alongside scope for additional income generation through parking commercialisation.

Attachments

Continue Reading

Last News

Sport