Metro International: Metro to consolidate financial interest in Mexican joint venture

July 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Metro International S.A. (“Metro”), the international newspaper group, today announced
that its offer to acquire additional interest in the Mexican joint venture Publicaciones
Metropolitanas S.A de C.V (“Publimetro Mexico”) has been accepted. Metro will acquire a
minimum of 15 percent of the total equity of Publimetro Mexico from Inmobiliaria
Torraco, S.A. de C.V. (“Torraco Investments”), who holds 23.54 percent participation
valued at US$ 5.15 million (€4 million). Based on the current agreement, the third
partner of Publimetro Mexico has pre-emptive right to acquire the remaining 8.54 percent
of Torraco Investments, or else Metro will acquire the full 23.54 percent. The legal
procedures in connection with the offer will be completed once Publimetro Mexico
allocates Metro the relevant interests.

Publimetro Mexico recorded sales of €7.8 million in 2009, with high growth rates (50
percent in Q1) expected to continue in the coming years. The operation showed
profitability in its second year after launch in 2007 with EBIT margins between 15-20
percent. With 180,000 daily copies in Mexico City and Monterrey, Publimetro is the
biggest newspaper in the two largest cities in the country. Mexico is the second largest
advertising market in the Latin American region and is forecasted by ZenithOptimedia
(Mar-2010) to grow by 10 percent annually in real terms in the next two years.

Per Mikael Jensen, President and CEO of Metro International commented: “Publimetro
Mexico is a success story and has achieved a strong position in a competitive market.
One of the main reasons for the big success is the strong leadership of Antonio Torrado,
the Managing Director and controlling shareholder of Torraco Investments, from whom we
are acquiring the shares in Publimetro Mexico. Antonio has from the first day been a
very strong entrepreneur of this business and we are grateful for his hard work and
dedication.”

Pablo Mazzei, EVP for Latin America of Metro International added: “Consistent with our
group strategy, we intend to continue to expand our presence in Latin America. Mexico is
a key market in the region and Metro will leverage on the stronger position in Mexico by
strengthening the ability of providing clients and agencies the best possible
advertising solutions and services on a pan-regional basis. We are also encouraged to
see the development of new business projects in Mexico in the last year, offering
alternative revenue streams. One example is the free sports newspaper, Publisport, which
was launched earlier this year with a circulation of 40,000 bi-weekly copies. We see
significant potential for growing the business further.”

For further information, please visit www.metro.lu http://www.metro.lu/ , or contact:

Per Mikael Jensen, President and CEO Tel: +46 8 120 570 00
Pablo Mazzei, EVP Latin America Tel: +56 9 9 158 0700
Linda Fors, Head of Investor Relations Tel: +46 704 15 95 30

***

ABOUT METRO INTERNATIONAL AND METRO
Metro is the largest international newspaper in the world. Metro is published in over
100 major cities in 19 countries across Europe, North & South America and Asia. Metro
has a unique global reach – attracting a young, active, well-educated Metropolitan
audience of 17 million daily readers.

Metro International S.A. shares are listed on Nasdaq OMX Stockholm through Swedish
Depository Receipts of series A and series B under the symbols MTROA and MTROB

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Research and Markets: Indian Semiconductors Sector Industry Profile – Gain an Insight Into the Evolution of the Industry & Its Competitive Market

July 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment

DUBLIN–(Business Wire)–
Research and Markets
(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ccca93/indian_semiconduct) has
announced the addition of the “Indian Semiconductors Sector: Industry Profile”
report to their offering.

This industry profile helps to gain an insight into the evolution of the
industry and competitive dynamics prevalent in the market. It discusses the
significant developments in the industry and analyzes the key trends and issues.
The profile provides inputs in strategic business planning of industry
professionals.

This profile is of immense help to management consultants, analysts, market
research organizations and corporate advisors.

The objective and scope of various sections of our industry profile has been
discussed below.

Industry Snapshot: This section gives a holistic overview of the industry. It
starts with defining the market and goes on to give historical and current
market size figures. It also clearly illustrates the major segments of the
market which would be discussed later on in the report.

Industry Analysis: It involves a comprehensive analysis of the industry and its
market segments. This section discusses the key developments that have taken
place in the industry. It also identifies and analyzes the driving factors and
challenges of the industry. A description of the regulatory structure tells us
about the major regulatory bodies, laws and government policies.

Country Analysis: This section presents the key facts & figures of the country.
It also discusses the political environment and the macroeconomic indicators. It
analyzes government stability and economic growth of the country.

Competitor Assessment: This section compares the major competitors in the
industry. The Competitors At-a-Glance is aimed at giving an overview of the
competitive landscape in the industry.

Company Profiles: The major companies are profiled in this section. For each
company, business description is given followed by financial highlights and
recent developments.

Industry Outlook: This section presents the outlook of the industry. The analyst
opinion and projections help us in evaluating the future of the industry. It
gives an insight into the investment opportunities present in the sector.

Key Topics Covered:

1. Industry Snapshot 1.1 Industry Definition 1.2 SIC Classification 1.3 Market
Overview 1.4 Market Segments

2. Industry Analysi 2.1 Industry Developments 2.2 Regulatory Structure 2.3
Market Drivers 2.4 Key Issues

3. Country Analysis 3.1 Key Facts 3.2 Political Environment 3.3 Macro-economic
Indicators

4. Competitor Assessment 4.1 Competitive Scenario 4.2 Competitors At-a-Glance
4.3 Sales and Earnings Analysis

5. Company Profiles 5.1 Business Overview 5.2 Key Financials 5.3 Significant
Developments

6. Industry Outlook 6.1 Estimates 6.2 Analyst Opinion

For more information visit

http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ccca93/indian_semiconduct

Research and Markets
Laura Wood, Senior Manager,
press@researchandmarkets.com
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716

Copyright Business Wire 2010

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Turkey Econ Min-labour market improved in Q1

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

ISTANBUL, April 14 (Reuters) – Turkey’s Economy Minister Ali Babacan told reporters on Wednesday Turkey would take steps to prevent the creation of any banks that were too big to fail and said more medium sized banks would create a healthier competitive market.

He reiterated that economic growth in the first-quarter could reach double-digits and he saw improvement in the labour market, after the economy expanded 6 percent in the final quarter of last year.
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* Turkey min: jobless rate to fall below 14 pct in 2010Apr 2, 2010

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NRL final may stay in western heartland

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Queensland’s bid to snatch the NRL grand final is being hampered by rugby league’s fight to maintain dominance in western Sydney.

The Queensland Government has ramped up its campaign to secure the grand final for Brisbane’s Lang Park as New South Wales counterparts seek to extend Sydney’s traditional hold on it with a new 10-year agreement from 2013-22.

Looking to boost the financial return, NRL chief executive David Gallop is in the happy position of listening to two eager state government suitors.

Gallop said the league was “seriously” considering moving the fixture from the Olympic stadium in the game’s rugby league heartland of western Sydney.

But western Sydney has become the country’s most hotly-contested area between sporting codes with AFL’s second Sydney team based there and due to start in the competition from 2012, while an A-League team starts playing there in 2011.

It would be a brave move to shift the NRL’s showpiece game away with that in mind and Gallop acknowledged as much.

“We’re very conscious of the fact that western Sydney is a competitive market for all the codes,” Gallop said.

“Rugby league can genuinely say we’re at home in western Sydney.”

Gallop also acknowledged the game was booming in south-east Queensland, particularly since the introduction of the Gold Coast Titans to the NRL three years ago.

“It (moving the game to Brisbane) is something that we’re looking at seriously,” he said.

“All governments recognise that these big events are things that there is a competitive market for these days, and we need to take that seriously.”

New South Wales Premier Kristina Keneally vowed the state would fight hard to keep its grip on the grand final.

The New South Wales Government recently spoke to the NRL about turning grand final week into a seven-day football festival, beginning this year, which would include an AFL style players’ parade through Sydney.

“The NRL grand final is a showpiece for Sydney. What we are putting forward would see the grand final not just a game but indeed be a celebration for the entire city,” Ms Keneally said.

“I’m quite confident we’ve put forward a very good offer, one that would actually expand the opportunities that Sydney can provide for the NRL grand final.

“Let’s make no mistake – when South Sydney plays in the grand final I want it to be done in Sydney,” added Rabbitohs fan Kenneally.

Gallop indicated a decision was not far away.

“The great news for us is that there is recognition that this is a really important Australian sporting event. That recognition should provide commercial opportunity, an opportunity to expand something beyond just the 80 minutes on a Sunday afternoon,” he said.

“We’re in talks with New South Wales and the Queensland Government about that and we expect to have an answer to that in the not-too-distant future.

“But obviously we’ve got a bit of time to work through the issues.”

-AAP

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Green bosses ‘over-comply’ with environmental rules

August 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, Aug 20 (ANI): A business is more likely to “over-comply” with environmental regulations if its boss believes in environment protection, according to a new study.

JunJie Wu, an economist at Oregon State University, examined why some firms violate environmental regulatory standards while others exceed them.

The data from the survey that 689 businesses revealed that senior management’s environmental values were one of the leading factors affecting a firm’s decision about whether to over-comply with environmental standards.

The study also showed that competitive market forces are significant factors in deterring environmental violations.

These forces include investing in cleaner products to differentiate them from another company’s; improving environmental performance to keep up with competitors and being environmentally responsible to reduce employee turnover and increase productivity.

However, costs and risks associated with environmentally friendly practices are likely to increase the probability of environmental violations and decrease the likelihood of environmental over-compliance.

“It’s surprising that management’s attitude toward environmental stewardship plays such a large role,” Wu said.

“Historically, economists believe that profit drives business decisions, but we’ve found that management’s attitude affects a firm’s decision about its compliance level. This doesn’t mean, however, that profits don’t play a role.

“It’s also surprising that executives are willing to think beyond next quarter’s earnings and spend money to adopt some environmental policies that might not benefit the company until perhaps much later,” Wu added.

The study considered a facility to be in violation if it did not meet standards in at least one of these areas. It was considered in compliance if it did just enough to meet standards in all four areas. It was over-complying if it did more than the regulation required in at least one area and met standards in all other areas.

The study is published online in the Journal of Environmental Management. (ANI)

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Rahul Bajaj sees little room for price cuts in two-wheelers

November 21, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Rahul Bajaj sees little room for price cuts in two-wheelersNew Delhi: Reacting to Finance Minister P. Chidambaram”s call to reduce prices to boost demand, Industrialist Rahul Bajaj today said that there is no scope for price cuts in two wheeler industry in near future.

Speaking on the sidelines of an Economic Summit here, Bajaj said the firm”s scope for price cuts was limited by tight margins on motorcycle sales, which were likely to contract in the year ending in March.

“Price reduction is not going to create magic in the automobile industry, so we have asked for minor excise reduction, but that is also not going to do any wonders for us,” he added..

Bajaj further said that profit margins on two-wheeler sales were just 4-5 percent and no more lowering of prices was possible, unlike other industries, which have margin of atleast 30 percent.

“If everybody cuts price, then how would the market share of one company increase? It is a very competitive market. Even after cutting prices, will the total market share increase? Talking of price cut, that”s what we have been doing for past three years. Even without the government telling us, we have been offering discounts in the two-wheeler industry. Is it not price cut? Our margins are not 30 percent,” he said. (ANI)

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