News archives:January 2008
Tried and True
Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:24:11 +0100
The second largest Scandinavian media group, Alma Media, entered the Bulgarian market with the real estate on-line portal City24.bg. The website includes international destinations such as Finland, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine, Russia and Croatia...
ORCO GROUP, CA annuel révisé à la hausse
Thu, 31 Jan 2008 17:24:11 +0100
Le groupe a réalisé un chiffre d'affaires non-audité de 275,2 Millions Euros et non de 270,8 ME comme initialement annoncé. La croissance ressort donc à 59% et non à 56,6% par rapport à 2006...
CORRECTED-(OFFICIAL)-Developer Orco 2007 revenues beat target
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:48:18 +0100
PRAGUE, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Real estate developer Orco Property Group (ORCOsp.PR: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that 2007 revenues rose 59 percent year on year to 275.2 million euros ($409.2 million), beating the firm's target of 250 million...
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSPRA00173020080131
OLIO CAPITALE atto secondo: Un approdo verso i mercati del centro-est europeo
Wed, 30 Jan 2008 07:48:18 +0100
Tutto pronto a Trieste per la manifestazione riservata agli extra vergini tipici e di qualità. Per il presidente della fiera Fulvio Bronzi, le risorse investite ripagheranno ampiamente le attese degli operatori. di C.B.Roversi, Teatro Naturale...
Renault étend sa garantie véhicule haut de Gamme 3 ans ou 150 000 km jusqu'en Croatie!
Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:55:01 +0100
Confiante dans la mise en place du Plan d'Excellence Renault et de la convergence des résultats qualité obtenus sur tous les véhicules récents, Renault élargit ses conditions de garantie à l'ensemble de son haut de gamme :
- 3 ans, 150.000 km pour l'Union Européenne + Croatie, Suisse, Norvège et Islande
- 3 ans, 100.000 km pour les autres pays...
OLIO CAPITALE - Fiera Trieste
Tue, 29 Jan 2008 06:55:01 +0100
Dal 7 al 10 marzo, Trieste diventerà la Capitale dell'olio extravergine di oliva. Protagonisti ristoranti e chef. Allestito un Oil Bar per i visitatori.
CroisiMer : inauguration de « La Belle de l'Adriatique » sur les flots niçois
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:47:34 +0100
CroisiMer, la filiale de CroisiEurope, leader européen de la croisière fluviale, a choisi le port de Nice pour inaugurer « La Belle de l'Adriatique », sa première unité de croisière maritime dont la marraine est Tomas Billet, Directrice de l'Office de Tourisme de Croatie en France.
HOMAIR VACANCES - 2006-2007 Results: targets outperformed. 2007-2008: renewed focus on building profitable growth
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:47:34 +0100
Growth of the number of sites outside France : located in Spain, Italy, Croatia and Portugal , they have generated 20% of 2007 sales vs 14% in 2005...
http://www.latribune.fr/News/Communiques.nsf/AllByID/11403?OpenDocument
Blackstone-Agrokor favourite to buy Migros -sources
Mon, 28 Jan 2008 16:47:34 +0100
LONDON/ISTANBUL, Jan 28 (Reuters) - A bidding consortium of buyout firm Blackstone (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Croatia's Agrokor is the front-runner to buy Koc Holding's KCHOL.IS Turkish retailer Migros MIGRS.IS, people close to the matter said on Monday...
http://www.reuters.com:80/article/mergersNews/idUSL2835472520080128
must-see destinations for '08
Sun, 27 Jan 2008 18:03:57 +0100
Montenegro: Montenegro was cut off from the world during the civil war that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, so few travellers know this stretch of mountainous Adriatic coast with quiet beaches and picturesque fortress towns. Insiders are calling this the next Croatia or the new European Riviera, but prices remain much lower than in Croatia and Italy...
http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/travel/story.html?id=43b761ff-9d7a-4308-9a8c-fb5e1c9a5651
Croatia among top overseas property destinations
Fri, 25 Jan 2008 07:33:47 +0100
Croatia: HZ Cargo has awarded Duro Dakovic Specijalna Vozila a 42·5m kuna contract to supply 60 wagons by July 2008...
http://www.railwaygazette.com:80/news_view/article/2008/01/8085/market_january_2008.html
Croatia among top overseas property destinations
Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:48:00 +0100
Croatia is becoming one of the most popular foreign housing markets among Britons, experts have claimed. According to Property Abroad, Croatia is enjoying a surge of interest due to low prices and its location within the continent. Les Calvert, director of the firm, revealed that number of property searches in the European country have increased in the past year...
http://www.choices.co.uk/propertynews/Croatia_among_top_overseas_property_destinations_18438288.html
Les gouvernements de l'Europe du sud-est et des compagnies de technologie de pointe vont investir dans un centre régional de la gouvernance en ligne
Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:48:00 +0100
Russian energy ambitions in the Balkans received a shot in the arm Tuesday as Serbia backed Gazprom taking a major stake in its state oil and gas company and approved a branch of the South Stream gas pipeline through the country...
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2008/01/23/002.html
Gazprom to Buy Serbian Gas Firm
Wed, 23 Jan 2008 17:48:00 +0100
Russian energy ambitions in the Balkans received a shot in the arm Tuesday as Serbia backed Gazprom taking a major stake in its state oil and gas company and approved a branch of the South Stream gas pipeline through the country...
http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=217434
Broadband growth opportunities: European operators look to Eastern Europe and beyond. Saturated Western European market encourages operators to look further for growth
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:09:38 +0100
London 22nd January 2008: Research from media analyst firm Screen Digest released today reveals that faced with tight competition and the widespread take-up of broadband in domestic markets, the 'Big Five' European telco operators have been expanding into less developed regions to supplement revenues - some more so than others. France Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and Telefonica in Spain have been busy acquiring stakes in overseas operators to provide access in up-and-coming regions. Telecom Italia has been less active in younger broadband markets, remaining focused on Western Europe. Only British Telecom has restricted itself to its local markets in the UK and Ireland.
http://www.screendigest.com/press/releases/press_releases_22_01_2008/view.html
What lies behind the Murdoch/Packer deal?
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:09:38 +0100
Aujourd'hui, au Forum Européen des leaders gouvernementaux, le ministre slovène pour la croissance, Dr Ziga Turk, et le président de Microsoft Corp Bill Gates, ont annoncé un partenariat public-privé majeur entre les gouvernements d'Europe du sud-est, des organisations non-gouvernementales et des entreprises de technologie de pointe pour créer un centre de gouvernance en ligne dans la région. Situé en Slovénie et avec le soutien d'un groupe important d'acteurs intéressés dans la région, le Centre d'Europe du sud-est pour le développement de l'e-gouvernance (CDeG) sera une institution conjointement financée pour la promotion de stratégies et de politiques technologiques saines pour une gouvernance et une administration publique efficaces et pour le pourvoi de services publics...
http://ftalphaville.ft.com/blog/2008/01/21/10320/what-lies-behind-the-murdochpacker-deal/
Rencontres des maires et présidents des comtés croates au comité des régions
Tue, 22 Jan 2008 13:09:38 +0100
Des maires et des présidents de comtés croates se rencontrent au Comité des régions pour évaluer et intensifier l'engagement de la Croatie envers l'Europe
http://www.cor.europa.eu/fr/press/press_08_01011.html
Rivages du monde, un TO engagé pour un tourisme intelligent
Mon, 21 Jan 2008 15:02:44 +0100
Rivages du Monde :un TO de niche engagé - La Croatie en croisière côtière, mettant à profit le principe des croisières fluviales : une navigation de nuit assez courte et de longues escales qui, durant la journée, donnent la part belle aux excursions et aux visites culturelles. En 2008 Rivages du Monde exploitera 18 bateaux. ... En 2007 il a fait voyager 11 000 clients croisières et 1 500 terrestres. Il a réalisé un volume d'affaires de l'ordre de 18 ME. L'arrivée de Mondotours devrait augmenter son chiffre d'affaires de 5 ME - Son taux remplissage ? « De 88 à 96 %. »...
http://www.tourmag.com/Rivages-du-Monde-un-TO-de-niche-qui-s-engage_a23947.html
Croatia makes a comeback in Austrians' vacation plans
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:16:26 +0100
Austrian National Travel Agency Group official Martin Bachlechner says that the surprise development in Austrians' summer-vacation planning is Croatia's comeback. Bookings for trips there from April through September are up by 26 per cent over last year...
Sparkassen Immobilien invests E60m in Croatia and Austria
Sun, 20 Jan 2008 15:16:26 +0100
Stock exchange listed Sparkassen Immobilien AG is acquiring a residential property and two mixed-use buildings in Vienna's Inner City, together with an office block in Zagreb, for a total of some E60 million. The purchase price of the individual properties was not disclosed. ...Office building in ideal position added to Croatia portfolio Sparkassen Immobilien AG has recently acquired a centrally located office block in Zagreb. This state-of-the-art office property was completed in 2005. It has six floors with 10,260 m² of office space. The property is fully let, to long-term tenants such as IBM, Philip Morris, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Finnish embassy...
http://dah.kiev.ua/content/view/1067/100
Major energy pipelines in central - south Europe
Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:57:21 +0100
Sofia - Here are some key facts on major oil or gas pipelines in central and southeastern Europe: * GALSI PIPELINE: The 910 mile (1,350kn) Galsi gas pipeline could bring up to 10 billion cubic metres a year of Algerian gas to Italy through Sardinia when it opens in 2011. Italy is pushing the developers, which include state-run Algerian gas company Sonatrach, Italy's Enel and Germany's BASF , to finish the project before then...
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
Radin expands with KBA press technology
Sat, 19 Jan 2008 11:57:21 +0100
KBA Compacta 618 and Rapida 105 for Croatia - A 48-page KBA Compacta 618 commercial web offset press is to expand production capacity in the autumn at Radin Repro i Roto in Croatia. ... The expansion package includes a new production plant in Zagreb with cutting-edge logistics and technology. ... Radin Repro i Roto is a major player in Croatia and also claims the market leadership in heatset production. The 6,000m² (65,000ft²) Zagreb plant employs just under 200 staff and serves not only the Croatian market but also exports to Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. With competition hotting up, management believes that quality and service are key to growth. ISO 12647-2 accreditation for offset process standards, acquired in September 2006, is all part of the same strategy...
http://www.lifepr.de/pressemeldungen/koenig-bauer-ag-/boxid-29127.html
Three bids submitted for Turkish Migros: sources
Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:49:32 +0100
LONDON/ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Three bidders have submitted offers for Turkey's Migros MIGRS.IS with at least two of the bids below the supermarket chain's current market value, sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. ... Private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Co LP (KKR) KKR.UL bid alone; BC Partners and Turkish private equity group Turkven submitted a joint offer, while Croatian food group Agrokor bid with private equity firm Blackstone (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the sources said...
http://www.reuters.com/article/innovationNews/idUSL1641081720080116
Kuoni rachète Unique Travel
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:42:14 +0100
Le groupe Kuoni vient de racheter à 100% le voyagiste suisse Unique Travel GmbH qui est leader sur le marché suisse quant aux destinations de la Slovénie, de la Croatie et du Monténégro. Cette acquisition qui a eu lieu vendredi dernier, permet au groupe français d'élargir son activité et de se positionner sur de nouveaux marchés...
http://www.tourismag.com/ui/business/Kuoni-rachete-Unique-Travel-_1031.html
SPAR Group in Talks on Mall and Hypermarket Projects in Serbia
Wed, 16 Jan 2008 18:42:14 +0100
Serbian Minister of Trade and Services, Predrag Bubalo, has conducted negotiations with Markus Wild, one of the SPAR owners, and Reinho...
http://www.propertyxpress.com/getnews/0000004104
Xiring : vise une croissance de 20% en 2008
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:22:54 +0100
Xiring se fixe un objectif de chiffre d'affaires de 28.5 MEUR pour l'exercice 2008 (en croissance de 20%). Sur le marché bancaire, Xiring poursuit sa percée auprès des grandes banques européennes et entend concrétiser ses pilotes en cours dans les pays européens non équipés (France, Italie, Portugal, Turquie, Croatie, Slovénie,...). La société prévoit d'effectuer en 2008 des déploiements massifs équivalents à 2007. Elle profitera par ailleurs à partir de cette année d'un effet de récurrence sur ses contrats existants...
TURKEY: Agrokor, Blackstone Submit Migros Bids
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:22:54 +0100
New bids for a stake in the Migros supermarket chain have been submitted by Croatia's Agrokor chain and private equity firm Blackstone, according to a report by Turksih daily Hurriyet. The report, which did not reveal its source, added that the price of the 51% stake is expected to exceed the company's current $3.41bn market capitalisation. Earlier, Reuters had also reported that Agrokor and Blackstone were in talks regarding a joint bid. Both companies declined to comment...
http://www.kamcity.com/namnews/asp/newsarticle.asp?newsid=38426
Kuoni Acquires Unique Travel GmbH
Mon, 14 Jan 2008 11:22:54 +0100
Zurich, Switzerland, Jan 14, 2008 - (Hugin via ABN Newswire) - The Kuoni Group continues to pursue its acquisition strategy in the specialist-travel segment: the Group has now acquired Swiss-based tour operator Unique Travel GmbH, in full and with immediate effect. Unique Travel is a specialist and market leader in leisure travel arrangements to Slovenia, Croatia and Montenegro...
http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/46931/Kuoni.html
Western Balkans: Surmounting the obstacles - country by country
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:54:56 +0100
If the Western Balkans region is to improve the overall position of its science and technology sector, what are the obstacles to overcome? And how are the countries of the region dealing with them? Croatia sees investment in science and technology as a strategic priority, and has set forth its mid-term goals for the sector in October 2006 in the "Science and Technology Policy" report. The sector has also been given a primary focus during Croatia's accession negotiations, confirming the country's status for project partnerships in the European Research Area (ERA). Croatian scientists have participated in the EUREKA programme, the COST framework and FP6. Long-term expansion for the sector is seen as dependent on building a broad base of support for the idea of a "society based on learning", an idea that has broad support from academe and industry, and also from the large number of Croatian scientists based both within the country and abroad?...
http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net
Innovation: the road to peace in south-central Europe?
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:54:56 +0100
The European Union plans a major boost for the science and technology sector in south-central Europe, in the region known as the Western Balkans. But can investment in science and technology help bring stability and prosperity to one of Europe's oldest trouble-spots? Many leading scientists believe it can, a view which is driving the efforts of scientific and research institutions across the EU and within the Western Balkans to prove the case...
http://bulletin.sciencebusiness.net
Overseas Mortgages Now In Croatia and Montenegro
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:54:56 +0100
The overseas property portal announced today that they are working with international mortgage broker Frontiers Financial Services to help overcome this problem for its buyers. Frontiers Financial Services ( FFF) source mortgages in some of the harder to finance places. They are the only UK firm to offer mortgages in Croatia and mortgages in Montenegro and can offer investors 100% LTV mortgages in Turkey...
http://www.homesgofast.com/view_news/598
CarrefourSA pull out of bidding for Migros
Thu, 10 Jan 2008 09:54:56 +0100
Turkey's Sabanci Holding and its French partner Carrefour, have decided not to bid for Turkey's largest food retailer Migros Turk, La Tribune reported on its website citing a statement from Sabanci while a spokeswoman for Carrefour confirmed the decision...
http://www.thenewanatolian.com/tna-30525.html
PSA Peugeot Citroen sales up 3.8% in 2007
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0100
In Eastern Europe, where PSA Peugeot Citroen is the second largest manufacturer, sales rose 15.5% to 132,000 units, outperforming the market. In the six main countries of Central Europe (Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia), unit sales totalled 115,000 units, an increase of 13.9%, giving the Group an 11.7% share versus 11.3% in 2006.
http://www.financialmirror.com:80
Eté 2008 : Jet tours fait le forcing sur la Méditerranée
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0100
... La production sur mesure va être amplifiée. Côté destination, Jet tours fait le forcing sur la Méditerranée. La brochure Hôtels de Loisirs se renforce avec une programmation en Sicile et en Croatie. Le TO qui a accusé une baisse de 30% de sa clientèle sur le Maroc l'année dernière, ne veut pas manquer le rendez-vous des nouvelles stations balnéaires...
http://www.tourmag.com/Ete-2008-Jet-tours-fait-le-forcing-sur-la-Mediterranee_a23698.html
AUSTRIA: Founding Family Take Full Control Of BauMax
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0100
BauMax CEO Martin Essl said the company plans to expand to Bulgaria in 2008, as well as open new stores in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and Romania. In the long-term, BauMax will also look to enter the markets of Turkey, Ukraine and former Yugoslavia. BauMax currently operates 128 stores in seven countries in central and southeastern Europe, and had sales of E1.25bn in 2007.
http://www.kamcity.com/namnews/asp/newsarticle.asp?newsid=38313
RPT-Agrokor in talks with Blackstone on Migros-sources
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0100
ISTANBUL/LONDON, Jan 9 (Reuters) - Croatian retailer Agrokor is in talks with private equity firm Blackstone (BX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) with a view to bidding for Turkish supermarket Migros MIGRS.IS, sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday.
http://www.reuters.com/article/BROKER/idUSL0912536420080109
Private equity group to take over GTS Central Europe
Wed, 09 Jan 2008 12:45:44 +0100
News, Business, Mergers and Acquisitions, Central Europe, CEE: Operating as a telecoms service provider in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, GTS Central Europe has been sufficiently independent to run its own regional fibre network. Now GTS CE is to be taken over by a consortium of private interests.
http://www.developingtelecoms.com/content/view/1083/26/
Macedonia's Report Card - 10 Things that Could Go Wrong
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:33:33 +0100
The Macedonian Stock Exchange, as measured by its MBI-10 index, rose to a record high of close to 10,500 in mid-2007. It has since shed 30% of its gains. This correction, or, rather, rout has its roots is a series of converging factors.
http://globalpolitician.com/23970-macedonia
Early Birds Get a Free Travel Day With Eurail!
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:33:33 +0100
UTRECHT, The Netherlands, January 7 /PRNewswire/ -- Eurail Group announced today that it is offering an extra day of rail travel on all six-, eight- and ten-day Eurail Select Passes purchased up until the end of March 2008. Customers will then have up to six months in which to start traveling.
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS95070+07-Jan-2008+PRN20080107
Adriatic Luxury Journeys Offers Complete Line Of Luxury Travel Programs Exclusively To Croatia
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:33:33 +0100
Adriatic Luxury Journeys (ALJ) launched its exciting new travel programs to Croatia and the Adriatic coast at the recent Luxury Travel Expo in Las Vegas, on December 4-6, 2007. The Croatia luxury brochure for 2008 consists of uniquely escorted and independent itineraries created in response to the increased demand for upscale travel to Croatia from the American market.
http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=56176
Front-runner Carrefour pulls out of Migros auction
Tue, 08 Jan 2008 18:33:33 +0100
CVC Capital Partners, the UK-based buy-out firm, and Turkey's Kiler retail group, which had been involved in the auction, have recently dropped out of the...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com:80/id/22535998/
Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), Global Recession, and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI)
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:01:54 +0100
Ever since its reluctant declaration of independence in 1991, Macedonia occupied the bottom of the list of countries in transition from Communism, as far as absolute dollar figures of FDI go. At 80.6 million USD, FDI in 2003 barely budged from previous years...
http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/47708
Oracle Europe, Middle East and Africa Reports Strong Customer Momentum for Second Quarter, Fiscal Year 2008
Thu, 03 Jan 2008 19:01:54 +0100
Reading, UK, Jan 2, 2008 - (Hugin via ABN Newswire) - Customers in Europe, Middle East and Africa Choose Oracle Products and Services Over Other Competitor Offerings - Q2FY08 US GAAP revenues increase by 31 per cent over Q2FY07...
http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/46664/Oracle.html
