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CTK's Business News In Brief(Czech News Agency Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)Sobotka considering 3 new duties for banks for now -- press ----------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - FinMin Bohuslav Sobotka wants to impose three new duties on banks at the moment, while originally he was planning 13 changes aimed to improve the position of banks' clients, daily Hospodarske noviny HN writes today. Deputy FinMin Tomas Prouza says the ministry now proposes simple and fast modifications. Banks, for instance, should inform about price changes at least a month before they take effect and price lists should be available on the website or at bank outlets. Czech brewers not interested in specialised fairs -- Vesely ----------------------------------------------------------- PLZEN, West Bohemia/BRNO - Czech brewers are no longer interested in specialised fairs as the small Czech market is consolidated and its players clearly defined, said Jan Vesely, chairman of the Czech Association of Breweries and Malt Houses. The Pivex fair will not be a part of the international food fair Salima, held in Brno in March, for the second time. All facts about the market are known and people prefer to look for them on the Internet anyway, said Vesely. Competition on tobacco market eases effects of excise duty hike --------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Competition on the tobacco market has eased effects of last year's increase of excise duty on cigarettes, with no change in prices seen for brands making up about 23 percent of sales and a lower-than-expected price hike seen for products accounting for 18 percent of sales, CTK has found out. The excise duty hike was fully reflected in prices of the remaining cigarette brands, according to data from the Czech branch of British American Tobacco. Setuza sells shares of Oleaspol ------------------------------- USTI NAD LABEM, North Bohemia - Food company Setuza has sold shares of Oleaspol, a company importing and exporting oleaginous products, Setuza spokeswoman Marie Logrova told CTK today, but the price of the deal will not be disclosed. Setuza held 43 percent of Oleaspol and the stake was bought reportedly by Oleatrade which controlled 47 percent of the company before the transaction. Skoda Auto launches 1st protected workplace for 66 employees ------------------------------------------------------------ MLADA BOLESLAV, Central Bohemia - Skoda Auto today launched the first protected workplace for 66 employees who cannot do their jobs out of family or health reasons, board member in charge of HR issues Martin Jahn said, adding similar workplaces will be launched in future employing hundreds of people. Autel's revenues grow to Kc367.8m in 2005 ----------------------------------------- OSTRAVA, North Moravia - Autel, which handles turn-key projects in the area of technological heavy current, last year more than doubled its revenues thanks to a higher number of big orders, from Kc165.9m in 2004 to an unaudited Kc367.8m in 2005, board deputy chairman Lesek Jez told CTK today. He did not disclose the bottom line. This year's revenues are put at Kc190m. Half of apples in Czech shops imported, no discount events ----------------------------------------------------------l HOLOVOUSY, East Bohemia - Half of apples in Czech shops has been imported this year, while in the past it was a third of apples, the reason being last year's extremely low harvest which has cut the amount of apples in stores by a third on the year, Martin Ludvik of the Fruit Growers Association said today. Also, there are no discount events in which apples were sold for less than Kc10/kg, for instance. CKA calls tender for health insurers claims ------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - State-run bail-out agency CKA today declared a tender for a block of claims on debtors of health insurers worth Kc3.6bn, marketing and PR head Jana Szukalska has told CTK, adding the block comprises 3,882 claims on 2,655 debtors. Applications can be sent by March 7. The price will be the only criterion. Westwaco to expand its plant in eastern Bohemia ----------------------------------------------- SVITAVY, East Bohemia - Westwaco of the USA will invest Kc300m in the expansion of its plant in Svitavy producing printed packaging and employ some 30 staff, the plant's head Bohumil Cerny told CTK today, adding the construction will begin in March and end in November or December. Lisi Automotive to employ up to 200 people in Kyjov --------------------------------------------------- KYJOV, South Moravia - French car components producer Lisi Automotive is heading for the local industrial zone Jih and has agreed with the town hall on preliminary conditions, Kyjov deputy mayor Frantisek Kouril told CTK today. The company will invest more than Kc250m and create up to 200 jobs, according to CTK files. Engineering firm Ekol signs Kc100m order in Thailand ---------------------------------------------------- BRNO - Czech engineering company Ekol has concluded a Kc100m contract in Thailand under which it should install a 20 MW steam turbine for electricity production in a paper mill near the capital of Bangkok, CEO Stanislav Vesely told CTK today. A year later, Ekol will modernise the product and raise its output two times, he added. Ceske drahy transports record number of cars on railways in 2005 ---------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Czech railway operator Ceske drahy transported a record 4,802 cars on its trains from Prague to Slovakia's Poprad and Kosice and Croatia's Split last year, up 85 percent on the year, Ceske drahy spokesman Ales Ondruj told CTK today. vr,cjl/er CNB to pick financial supervision heads by mid-March -- Tuma ------------------------------------------------------------ PRAGUE - The Czech National Bank CNB should select the directors of its two new departments for financial market supervision by mid-March, CNB governor Zdenek Tuma told a news conference today. Under the laws signed by President Vaclav Klaus on Tuesday, the CNB will become the only institution in charge of supervision over the Czech financial market as of April 1. Aegon insurer to set better terms of contracts for non-smokers -------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Insurer Aegon will make terms of contracts on some life insurance products more advantageous for non-smokers and clients with healthy life style, CEO Boris Cuchran told a news conference today. Premiums paid by non-smokers could be up to 40 percent lower, Cuchran said. Most other large Czech insurers do not take into account smoking habits of their clients. Prices of washing powders from Setuza to grow on phosphate ban -------------------------------------------------------------- USTI NAD LABEM, North Bohemia - The prices of washing powders made by Czech chemical company Setuza will probably rise by around 10 percent due to investment in measures linked to the ban on the use of phosphates, spokeswoman Marie Logrova told CTK today. Setuza will have to invest in new packaging and different materials used in production in line with a directive limiting phosphate content in washing powders issued by the Environment Ministry. Corrugated cardboard packaging sales dip in 2005 on lower export ---------------------------------------------------------------- OSTRAVA, North Moravia/PRAGUE - Sales of companies grouped in the association of Czech producers of corrugated cardboard packaging SVVL fell by around 1 percent year-on-year to 283,500 tonnes last year mainly due to a 10-percent decline in exports, the SVVL has said. SVVL members exported 61,000 tonnes of packaging last year, a drop of 6,000 tonnes year-on-year. HVB Factoring becomes new member of factoring firms' association ----------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Czech company HVB Factoring has become a new member of the Association of Factoring Companies, HVB Bank spokeswoman Petra Kopecka has told CTK. Besides HVB Factoring, the association's members include Factoring Ceske sporitelny, KB Factoring, NLB Factoring CZ, O.B. Heller, Transfinance and D.S.Factoring. BCPP to cut brokers' fees by 16 pct as of March 1 ------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - The Prague Stock Exchange BCPP will reduce the fees for ten of its member broker companies trading in securities in the SPAD system by around 16 percent as of March 1, BCPP spokesman Jiri Kovarik told CTK today. Services for smaller investors should also be cheaper thanks to the reduction, Kovarik said. CKA calls repeated tender for claims on Sampratrans --------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Bail-out agency CKA today declared a repeated tender for claims on the firm Sampratrans Shipping Limited whose size at end-January stood at over Kc214m, and CKA demands at least Kc124m for the claims, CKA say in a press release. Investors can submit bids until March 20, CKA said. Miroslav Konvalina to be Cesky rozhlas 1-Radiozurnal new CEO ------------------------------------------------------------ PRAGUE - New director of radio station Cesky rozhlas 1 - Radiozurnal will be Miroslav Konvalina, aged 42, who until 2002 was the radio station's reporter in the USA. Konvalina was proposed for the position by CRo CEO Vaclav Kasik. The Council of the Czech Radio acknowledged the proposal at its regular meeting today. Best mobile application on Czech market is trafficNFO from Alarex ----------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - The best application for mobile phones for last year is transport information system trafficNFO from the firm Alarex, an expert jury decided at the 4th annual Creative Mobile Award 2005 competition organised by Tuesday Business Network, marketing director told CTK today. The winning application provides information on the situation in transport to road traffic participants through mobile phones. CzechRep's annual poultry meat production stands at 222,000 t ------------------------------------------------------------- PRAGUE - Annual production of poultry meat in the Czech Republic tops 222,000 tonnes, according to Eurostat data for 2003, and Czech production is thus many times lower than that of France, Britain and Poland, for example. The Czech Statistical Office (CSU) data show that 28,798 agricultural companies and some one million households kept 26.6 million hens, chickens, turkey-hens, ducks and geese last year. Strong foreign investor to put Kc1bn into Pardubice airport ----------------------------------------------------------- PARDUBICE, East Bohemia - Construction work at the international airport of Pardubice may begin already this year as a strong foreign investor is interested in the company East Bohemian Airport (EBA) which runs the airport, Pardubice deputy mayor Michal Kolacek said at a press conference today. The Town Hall has not yet disclosed the name of the company which intends to invest around Kc1bn into the construction of a new terminal at the airport, he said. VITKOVICE HEAVY MACHINERY to build Kc200m technology in TZ ---------------------------------------------------------- OSTRAVA, North Moravia - VITKOVICE HEAVY MACHINERY (VHM) of the VITKOVICE engineering holding will build new technology for raising the quality of steel for over Kc200m in steel maker Trinecke zelezarny (TZ) by the beginning of 2007, Vitkovice spokeswoman Eva Kijonkova told CTK. fs,kou/er/joz |