Internal: Archive

Charity calls for action over biopiracy

This content was published on Feb 17, 2006 The call forms the cornerstone of Swissaid’s “No patents on our future” campaign, which was launched at a news conference in the capital, Bern, on Thursday. Swissaid chief executive Caroline Morel said that problems arose when multinationals from the industrialised world took out patents on natural resources in developing countries. “These property rights and the…

ABB boss promises no let-up

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 Kindle, 46, explains how he plans to combine his role at ABB with a directorship at Zurich Financial Services (ZFS). ZFS shareholders will vote on his appointment in April. ABB has swung into the black for the first time in five years, following a tough period when the Swiss-Swedish concern nearly went bust. The company…

Coop joins European distributor alliance

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 Besides putting together assortments of private label and budget products, the alliance will negotiate with suppliers, which should drive down prices. Coop joined Belgium’s Colruyt, France’s Leclerc, Italy’s Conad and German distributor Rewe in the new Coopernic group on Thursday. Together, their annual sales are worth around SFr150 billion ($114 billion) or ten per cent…

Dental implant maker boasts record profit

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 The Basel-based company also reported a 21 per cent rise in sales amid growing consumer awareness of implants for an ageing population. Full-year sales reached SFr509.6 million – surpassing the half a billion mark for the first time in the company’s 50-year history, a company statement said on Thursday. All regions contributed to the strong…

Zurich Financial weathers the storms well

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 Switzerland’s largest insurer said on Thursday that all its businesses had contributed to what it termed an “outstanding result”. The rise was above market expectations. The company said in a statement that the total impact of the costliest-ever United States hurricane season and other natural catastrophes was $1.3 billion, in line with its earlier forecasts.…

Fred lights a path to success

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 The 34-year-old, who set up “100 per cent pure” Fred cigarettes just over a year ago, says he is now set on expansion despite the recent clampdown on smoking in Switzerland. Home for Fred is a couple of rooms in a warehouse in Lausanne’s buzzing Flon district. Next door is a young fabric designer and…

Looking for the missing lynx

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 The Federal Environment Agency has called on the cantons concerned to take action. Meanwhile the lynx debate rages between environmentalists and hunters. Cuts to LUNO, an organisation sponsored by the environment agency which oversaw the reintroduction of the large cats into the region, mean that monitoring of the lynx population is also under threat. When…

ABB moves back into the black in 2005

This content was published on Feb 16, 2006 The figure compared with a net loss of $35 million in 2004 and with analysts’ average expectations of close on $700 million. A company statement from its Zurich headquarters on Thursday said that continuing market strength and further operational improvements in the fourth quarter contributed to the strong result. “We have successfully moved into a…

CS disappoints while UBS breaks records

This content was published on Feb 15, 2006 Credit Suisse shares slumped by as much as seven per cent as its Q4 earnings of SFr1.103 billion ($840 million) were hit by surging costs and problems in investment banking. The result followed bad news on Monday when Credit Suisse announced a surprise cut of SFr421 million in the quarter’s net profit because of share-based…

Swiss SMEs follow Austrian route

This content was published on Feb 15, 2006 The SME Campus concept is based on a successful model that has been running in Austria for the past ten years. It stimulates innovation by promoting learning exchanges. The concept, backed by the Swiss Secretariat for Economic Affairs, large Swiss companies and multinationals active in Switzerland, is designed to improve competitiveness in an increasingly globalised…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed