A new online marketplace for trading Irish businesses has been set up by two Limerick businessmen.

The web site - www.thebusinessshop.ie - currently carries details of over 50 businesses with a combined estimated turnover of E17.5m that are either for sale or seeking investment.

Currently the types of businesses listed for sale range from fast food outlets to financial services companies. They include a health and fitness Club in Ennis, a school of motoring in Galway and an Internet operations company in the Leinster area. The sale prices being sought range from E40,000 to E350,000 while the turnover ranges from E40,000 to E750,000.

"Based on the stats we currently have 2,000 visitors a month to the site", said John Ahern one of the businessmen behind the venture. "In the first two weeks of officially launching the site at the beginning of January we had 940 visits."