Verbund earnings tumble

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Business

Verbund AG, Austria’s leading electricity provider, suffered a significant decline in earnings in the first nine months of this year.The company, which was founded in 1947, announced today (Thurs) that earnings before interest and taxes (Ebit) dropped by 22.1 per cent year on year to 625.6 million Euros in the first three quarters of 2010. […]

‘Emotional’ XXXLutz ready to open more shops in Sweden

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Business

Furniture megastore chain XXXLutz bosses have described the firm’s upcoming expansion to Sweden as an “emotional highlight”.The Wels-based company will open its first shop in the homeland of global market leader Ikea next month. Around 300 staff will find work in the 25,000-square-metre store in the southern city of Malmo from 4 November.Thomas Saliger, the […]

Vorarlberg confident of spending power

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Business

Residents of Vorarlberg are putting more trust in their own spending power than last year, according to new research.Dornbirn-based agency Team a5 found that 64 per cent of interviewed people rated the spending power of people living in the province as “good” or “excellent”, up by 16 per cent year on year. The study also […]

Greek challenge hits TA’s Serb bid

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Business

Telekom Austria’s (TA) efforts to acquire a majority of Serbia’s state-owned telecommunications company have suffered a significant throwback.The country’s federal Minister of Telecommunications and Information Society Jasna Matic confirmed reports that the government has been in talks with Greek firm OTE over the purchase of a 20 per cent share in Telekom Srbija.TA was being […]

Ryanair to axe Frankfurt – Vienna link

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Business

Ryanair announced today (Weds) it will stop operating flights between Frankfurt and Klagenfurt from next March.The Irish no frills airline explained its decision to axe the route connecting the German city and the Carinthian capital as a reaction to the German government’s decision to levy a tax of eight Euros on tickets for flights from […]

DO&CO turnover takes off

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Business

Austrian caterer DO&CO managed to raise its turnover and earnings in the first half of the current business year.The company, which is headed by Attila Dogudan, said today (Tues) its turnover soared by 21 per cent year on year between April and September 2010 to 222.7 million Euros. It added earnings before interest and taxes […]

Halloween spending set to soar

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Business

Almost three in 10 residents of Vienna plan to buy sweets or decorations to celebrate Halloween this year, according to a survey.The city’s Economy Chamber (WKW) found that 29 per cent of people living in Vienna will spend money ahead of the 31 October event which has a long tradition in America. Only 22 per […]

Support for end of conscription wanes

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Politics

Support for the abolition of mandatory military service in Austria is in decline, a new poll has shown.Vienna-based agency Karmasin found only 41 per cent of Austrians oppose the current six-month obligatory service, down from 48 per cent in July.The agency, which spoke to around 500 Austrians for political magazine profil, further found that 44 […]

Austria’s competing power second-best in Eurozone

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Business

Austria has the second-best competitive edge in the Eurozone, a leading think tank has claimed.The Brussels-based Lisbon Council announced today (Mon) that Germany (8.5 points) had the greatest competitiveness among the 16 European union (EU) member states which have adopted the Euro as their sole currency.Austria garnered 8.3 points in the study to come second […]

Passengers to bear the brunt as government introduces flight ticket tax

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Business

Airlines have vowed to pass extra costs on to customers after the government’s announcement to set up a tax on tickets.The federal coalition of Social Democrats (SPÖ) and People’s Party (ÖVP) announced on the weekend it will charge every ticket for a flight from Austria to another European country with eight Euros from next year. […]