DUBLIN: Google Ireland saw its turnover increase to €18.3 billion last year primarily as a result of increased advertising revenues.
The Dublin-based company which trades in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, increased its turnover from €17 billion in 2013.
The number of staff employed by the company rose by 17 per cent, to 2,763 direct employees, and it invested a further €78 million in Ireland, bringing total investment in capital assets in Ireland to more than €500 million.
The head of Google in Ireland, Ronan Harris, said the Dublin office was now the multinational’s largest outside the US with more than 5,000 direct and contracted employees in a statement released with the results.
Our ability to find people with the skills and talents we need to be able to build a strong business is hugely important and we’re continuing to recruit great talent in Dublin to support our customers across Europe,” he said.
The company reported pretax profits of €209 million, up from €189 million in 2013. It paid tax of €41.5 million. Cost of sales was up to €5.6 billion, from €5.1 billion, with the bulk of this comprising amounts paid via revenue-share agreements with Google Network Partners and others. Administrative costs were €12.5 billion, up from €11.7 billion, with the increase being due to extra staff, increased sales expenses and increased royalty payments.
