The negative outlook reflects Standard and Poor's view the rating will be lowered if G Steel's debts rise and the company is unable to refinance its US$120 million (Bt4.5 billion) in short-term debt as planned.

"Significant cost overruns arising from its expansion programme, major integration issues related to the alliance with NSM or any additional primarily debt-financed major expansion in the near term may also result in a lower rating," said Standard and Poor's credit analyst Cheow Hon Lee.

SuperSports to open on time

Despite last weeks' coup in Thailand, CRC Sports Co Ltd yesterday confirmed the grand opening of its latest 5,000-square-metre flagship SuperSports store, located on the third floor of the Central World shopping complex.

Costing more than Bt50 million, the new SuperSports will officially open next Sunday. Managing director Nath Vongpanich said the new store would provide shoppers with complete line-ups of sport products, including footwear, apparel, golf, exercise and fitness equipment.

About 60 per cent of visitors to the new store will be foreigners and 40 per cent Thai. Despite economic uncertainty, CRC Sports remains confident of achieving sales growth of 15 per cent this year, to Bt3.3 billion.

Bkk Airways set to go all-ET

Bangkok Airways is ready to respond to the mission statement of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) that all airlines must use electronic tickets (ETs) on all routes by the end of next year.

The airline was successful in implementing ETs on all of its domestic routes in July 2003, while flights to and from Cambodia and Laos recently adopted them. The remaining routes - Rangoon, Singapore, Hong Kong, Hiroshima and six Chinese destinations - are will use ETs by the end of next year.