On Thursday, Riverside Homes Development Co Ltd officially launched high-end "The Pano" housing project. More than 30 per cent of the development has been pre-sold and the company hopes to sell the rest this year.

Executive director Thongchai Kunakornporamut said that the company expected sales of Bt3.5 billion this year. Construction will start in April and the project is slated for completion by early 2009.

Recently, United Overseas Bank approved a Bt2.6-billion loan for The Pano project.

The Pano is located on waterfront property along the Chao Phya river on Rama 3 Road. - The Nation.

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World of Food Asia 2006: Bangkok expo expects big rush

The World of Food Asia 2006 exposition in May will use the slogan "Your Best Choice in Asia".

The show is being organised by the Department of Export Promotion, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and Koelnmesse, a German food exhibition organiser.

The five-day event scheduled for May 17-21 at Impact Muang Thong Thani, is expected to attract up to 80,000 buyers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, retailers, manufacturers and food technology industry executives, according to Chantra Purnariksha, director of the Export Promotion Department. They will come from the US, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Asian countries. - The Nation.

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Credit cards: JCB International joins Krungthai

The JCB credit card brand and Krungthai Card Plc (KTC), announced yesterday that KTC would start offering the company's charge cards in Thailand this year.

"I believe KTC, together with existing partners, solidifies the JCB brand's business in Southeast Asia," said Hiroya Nobuhara, chairman and chief executive of JCB International Co Ltd.

KTC is Thailand's largest credit card company with more than 1.2 million pieces of plastic in circulation out of about eight million in the entire market.

KTC maintains more than 12,000 merchants covering approximately 8 per cent of the country's market. By 2006, most of its merchants will be added to the existing JCB merchant network in Thailand. - The Nation.