Wiberg 2009 turnover spiced up despite crunch

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Business

Spice producer Wiberg had a record turnover last year despite reducing the number of staff, it was announced today (Weds).The Salzburg firm said it managed to increase its annual turnover by two million Euros year on year to 122 million Euros despite the ongoing economic crisis in 2009. The number of employees meanwhile declined from […]

Austrian exports rose in February

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Business

Austrian exports rose in February by 5.5 per cent year on year to 7.82 million Euros, according to Statistik Austria.The agency added today (Fri) that imports had grown by 3.4 per cent year on year to 8.08 billion Euros in February. Both exports and imports had declined year on year in January.For the two months […]

Verbund interested in French hydroelectric plants

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Business

Austrian electricity provider Verbund wants to buy hydroelectric plants in the Pyrenees and the Alps in France, firm General Director Wolfgang Anzengruber said today (Fri).He said Verbund would compete for licences for plants operated by EdF and GdF-Suez that would be newly issued. Verbund would be interested in obtaining 10 per cent, or 5,000 MW, […]

OMV chief expects much better results this year

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Business

Austrian oil and gas producer OMV’s chief Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer has said he expects his firm to have much better results this year than in 2009.Ruttenstorfer said today that predictions were difficult at present, especially given the recent sharp decline in the price of OMV’s stock, but said the plunging Euro would be “positive” for the […]

Signa buys Vienna’s IZD Tower

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Business

Signa Holding added another high-profile property to its portfolio this week as the real estate firm bought the IZD Tower in Vienna-Donaustadt.Signa boss Benko said yesterday (Weds) his company paid British fund Matrix 212.25 million Euros for the skyscraper located near Vienna International Centre. Matrix paid 247 million Euros when it acquired the building four […]

Austrian holiday agencies ‘offer canned hunt trips’

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General News

Animal activists have claimed Austrian holiday agencies offer controversial canned hunting trips to South Africa.Thomas Pietsch of animal protection NGO Vier Pfoten said today (Thurs): “We know that at least 15 Austrian trip organisers offer such journeys.”The term “canned hunt” describes a trophy hunt event in which animals are kept in a fenced area to […]

Viennese study shows Brit bosses earned the most in 2009

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Business

Austrian business chiefs earned almost 500,000 Euros in so-called crisis year 2009, research shows.The research by Viennese consulting firm Kienbaum presented today (Thurs) shows that heads of Austrian firms cashed in an average 468,000 Euros before tax last year.Kienbaum experts said Austria lies above the European average, adding that comparable figures for the previous year […]

Raid at VIA over Skylink scandal

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Business

Lower Austrian prosecutors have raided offices at Vienna International Airport (VIA) today (Thurs).Korneuburg state prosecutor Friedrich Köhl said dozens of documents have been confiscated. “It will probably take several weeks to examine them,” he added.A spokesman for Flughafen Wien AG, the company managing VIA, claimed none of their offices were searched. He added it had […]

Bulgarian weekend truck drive ban thieves arrested

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General News

Two Bulgarian truck drivers were arrested after they stole goods worth 30,000 Euros during a weekend lorry drive ban in Styria.Police in Trieben said today (Tues) the pair were informed about the weekend drive ban for trucks and ordered to stop their journey on Friday.The men – aged 37 and 38 – were arrested on […]

ÖAMTC warns of online holiday booking price gaps

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General News

Flights and hotel stays are significantly cheaper when booked at airlines’ and hotels’ websites than via internet travel platforms, a new survey has shown.Officials at motorists’ association ÖAMTC said today (Mon) they had discovered differences in price of up to 142 Euros in tests in which they booked flights and hotel stays for three-day trips […]