JOHN Paul Construction could earn more than €52m from the sale of office space at Classon House, its new development in Dundrum Business Park which measures just under 7,000 square metres.

Selling agent CBRE is quoting a purchase price of €7,500 per square metre for the offices on behalf of John Paul Construction or alternatively will let them for €375 per square metre.

Designed by Henry J Lyons, the office development has 27 self-contained office suites which measure between 90 and 600 square metres.

James Mulhall of CBRE said there was significant interest in the building.

Convenience store group objects

THE chief executive of the Convenience Store and Newsagents' Association (CSNA) has criticised the National Consumer Agency for the "unfair" comparison of their prices with those of supermarkets. "Times are difficult," said CSNA chief executive Vincent Jennings.

"One of the most unfair comparisons is the offerings in convenience versus the supermarket. The NCA believes prices should be the same but the public realise they're not.

"Our prices are not excessive; we're not profiteering or scalping, we're not taking excessive margins on prices," he said.

Jennings also said that "within supermarkets there was improper marketing of alcohol" and that "the linking of alcohol with loyalty cards is anathema".

He added that "there were practices out there, exclusively within supermarkets, that weren't in the best interest of society".

Irish investors hit by GuestInvest group insolvency

THE?British hotel group, GuestInvest, which sold buy-to-let hotel rooms to Irish investors, has gone into administration.

The company had been selling rooms in its properties in the Irish market since last year via agent Deft Developments. Patrick Rowen of Deft did not return a call on Friday seeking details of Irish investors. A spokesman for Deloitte & Touche, which has been appointed administrator, said the company's Blakes hotel at Kensington in London was "unaffected".

Vote on 'Irish shoppers paying over odds'

THE Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise is to vote on a motion to ask relevant groups to respond to the findings of the Competition Authority's investigation into the grocery sector.

The "groups could be confined to those who engaged with the Competition Authority in their investigation or could be widened via public consultation," Fianna Fail TD Dara Calleary proposed.

The hearings will investigate why Irish shoppers are paying higher prices than other European shoppers and the entry barriers for companies like Sainsbury's "to establish outlets in Ireland, south of the border".

Calleary said the issue of getting Irish produce onto the shelves of retailers at home and abroad should also be addressed and a study into how much Irish produce was sold in the domestic market and how much was exported should be undertaken.

The issue of food labelling should also be addressed, Calleary's motion said.