Internal: Archive

A roller coaster year for Swiss business

This content was published on Dec 29, 2000 One company that was rarely out of the news as 2000 progressed was the country’s biggest telecommunications firm, Swisscom. There were a number of highs and lows for the company and its workforce. In February, Swisscom launched its WAP service allowing Internet access through mobile phone technology, and in summer it announced plans to spin…

Sleigh-ride through an Engadine wonderland

This content was published on Dec 29, 2000 About a dozen horse-drawn sleighs take part in the event, which begins in the first weekend of January in the village of Pontresina. It is then repeated in the other villages in the valley, including St Moritz, over the following weekends in the month. The men, dressed in tails and top hats, take care of…

Baby dies after being given wrong medication

This content was published on Dec 28, 2000 In a statement released on Thursday, Bern’s Inselspital – one of Switzerland’s largest hospitals – said the baby had died on December 20, after receiving the wrong medicine. Two other children, who were also given the medicine, recovered and are now out of danger, but doctors say it is possible they may develop medical problems…

Fantastic slashes workforce to get out of the red

This content was published on Dec 28, 2000 The Zug-based enterprise said on Thursday that it was also planning to merge several of its sales offices to cut costs. It added that slow growth in the broadband technology market had hit revenues hard. The company expects to complete the reorganisation within six months. A major plank of its strategy is to extend its…

Inflation reaches highest level for five years

This content was published on Dec 28, 2000 Figures released by the federal statistics office on Thursday show that inflation has risen above one per cent in Switzerland for the first time in four years – in 1995 it reached 1.8 per cent. The office says the main factor driving prices higher was a hike in the prices of imports, which rose by…

Swiss industrialist and diplomat, David de Pury, dies

This content was published on Dec 27, 2000 De Pury died in hospital in Zurich, a spokeswoman for his consultancy company said on Wednesday. He was suffering from cancer. A former diplomat, he negotiated on behalf of Switzerland at the Geneva-based General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) – now the World Trade Organisation. He held a number of government posts between 1970…

Nestlé seeks larger share of ice-cream market

This content was published on Dec 27, 2000 Nestlé confirmed that it was seeking to buy the stake in Ice Cream Partners, a joint venture set up with the United States firm, Pillsbury, last year. If the bid is successful, it is expected to cost the Swiss firm about $650 million (SFr1.1 billion). Under the deal, Nestlé would acquire Pillsbury’s 50 per cent…

Festive drinkers given safe rides home

This content was published on Dec 26, 2000 As many as 3,766 people have been delivered safely to their front doors by volunteers of the “Red Nose” service – or “Nez Rouge”, as it is known locally. Anyone who feels incapable of driving, whether because of too much alcohol or drugs or simply because they feel too tired to get behind the wheel,…

Swiss bosses bow out in favour of younger managers

This content was published on Dec 26, 2000 High-level departures are commonplace in the United States, and now it seems the trend is taking hold in Switzerland, following a year of resignations at some of the country’s top firms. In Switzerland, such departures are usually presented as amicable partings by all concerned, but the scale of this year’s resignations suggests that companies are…

Swiss turn to Internet for books

This content was published on Dec 26, 2000 Online book retailers reported their best months yet in November and December – traditionally the strongest period of the year. The retailer “www.buch.ch” said sales for December had doubled compared to the same period last year. Others, such as “www.lesen.ch”, “www.bol.ch”, and “www.books.ch”, also reported strong sales, and said they expected the market to continue…

Internal: Archive

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

Internal: Archive

More

A roller coaster year for Swiss business

More

Sleigh-ride through an Engadine wonderland

More

Baby dies after being given wrong medication

More

Fantastic slashes workforce to get out of the red

More

Inflation reaches highest level for five years

More

Swiss industrialist and diplomat, David de Pury, dies

More

Nestlé seeks larger share of ice-cream market

More

Festive drinkers given safe rides home

More

Swiss bosses bow out in favour of younger managers

More

Swiss turn to Internet for books

Popular Stories

Most Discussed