Promises transparency and good governance

Unilever cuts out the delivery middleman

Consumer goods giant Unilever Thai Trading yesterday launched a “revolutionary” supply chain system which allows it to deliver goods to stores directly from its factories.

Park puts banquets on menu

Park Cuisine Co Ltd, operator of the Thai-French LeNotre restaurant, is planning to offer banquet services next year.

CAT float delayed by hunt for new boss

CAT Telecom Co has delayed its plan to trade on the stock exchange until the fourth quarter after its president Witit Sujjapong was removed yesterday.

Airfare specials popular

Low-cost airlines have grabbed all the attention at the Thailand Travel and Dive Expo this week with cheap fares attracting the majority of fair-goers.

Boonrawd looks to boost sales universally

Boonrawd Trading Co is pinning some of its international expansion hopes on the Miss Universe Pageant 2005 as domestic sales continue to stagnate.

STREET WISE: Cake store lesson No 37

When “Chalieng” launched an album about 20 years ago, one of the band’s songs stood out. It was called “Nai Khai Jiao”.

ASIAN BOND INITIATIVE: Thai fund established

Kasikorn Asset Management to run Bt3.8-bn single-country ABF2 fund

FRIDAY BUG: Rebalancing act

Since the beginning the year, data show institutional investors have off-loaded most shares on the Stock Exchange of Thailand. Their selling pressure came as foreign investors, who had bought shares on the main bourse since August last year, dumped shares in March and April. That sent the SET Index into a tailspin, with it slumping from a year’s peak of 745 points to a year’s low of 655.

CREDIT CARDS: Big jump in cash advances

But borrowers face risks and high fees

AIS profit exceeds expectations

Mobile phone giant Advanced Info Service (AIS) yesterday defied analysts’ expectations to post a 6.8 per cent year-on-year rise in first-quarter net profits, thanks to lower interest expenses and tax payment.

Biznews round-up

lThe Export-Import Bank of Thailand yesterday posted a net profit of Bt153 million in this year’s first quarter, compared with a Bt141 million profit in same period in 2004, according to its president, Sataporn Jinachitra. The growth in income was attributed to higher net dividend and interest income, as well as improved non-interest income. However, provisions for possible loan losses and debt restructuring had increased to Bt188 million as of March 31, from Bt144 million from on the same day last year. – The Nation.

SCB in Bt1-bn note issue

Siam Commercial Bank plans to issue up to Bt1 billion in equity-linked notes this month to finance business operations, a company official said yesterday.

PUBLISHING:

Siam Inter to franchise Book Friend chain

New Hutch offer comes with five minutes free

Hutchison-CAT has introduced new prepaid and post-paid phone tariffs, looking to rapidly expand its subscription base.

Goal: 2m foreign patients

Thailand is looking to attract two million foreign patients for medical services over the next five years.

COMPANY REPORTS

BUSINESS ONLINE posted audited first-quarter net profit of Bt2.1 million, up from Bt0.91 million in the same period a year ago.

MOBILE-PHONE CHAOS: NTC panel to tackle call failures

Regulator consulting operators; results to go to board next week