Business briefs: North-east caterer toasts £15m deal Aberdeen-based catering and facilities management company Entiér has landed a £15 million contract for work with the offshore energy industry over the next three years. The firm has been hired by engineering and construction manager Technip to provide catering and hotel services on seven offshore vessels around the world. The contract, which began this month and could eventually be extended for a further two years, will see Entiér entering new areas such as the Gulf of Mexico. The move will create 35 jobs, with 50 more staff being transferred to Entiér. Strong demand for Bank of Ireland debt The Irish government has sold a larger-than-expected €1 billion (£814 million) chunk of Bank of Ireland debt, cutting its exposure to the bailed-out bank amid growing confidence in the country's economic recovery. Private investors paid a small premium for the bonds, which pay 10 per cent interest, and finance minister Michael Noonan said the sale "represents another vote of confidence by international investors in Ireland's recovery and the government's banking policies." A group of North American investors bought a 35 per cent stake in the bank 18 months ago. Frankie & Benny's firm gets 007 lift Cinema fans eating out on a trip to see the record-breaking blockbuster Skyfall provided an end-of-year boost to the owner of Frankie & Benny's. Like-for-like sales at the Restaurant Group surged 9 per cent since November, helping drive an overall 4.5 per cent sales increase in the year to 30 December. The group, which also owns Chiquito and has almost half of its restaurants next to cinemas, said it benefited from a strong programme of film releases, especially the James Bond thriller, which has taken more than £100 million to date. Online sales boost Phones 4u numbers Mobile phone retailer Phones 4u enjoyed a strong rise in sales for December, boosted by a 47 per cent jump in online orders. The firm, founded in 1996 by John Caudwell and now owned by private equity firm BC Partners, said like-for-like sales increased by 15.8 per cent to £121.6 million last month, taking growth for the full year to 11.9 per cent. Demand at the chain, which has 681 UK stores, was driven by customers seeking "high-end" smartphones. Chief executive Tim Whiting said: "We continue to trade well in challenging market conditions."