Danish Business briefs

Carlsberg blames poor performance on weather - Danish Nets move to buy Luottokunta - Pension fund buying stake in ISS

Despite a boost from the Euro 2012 football tournament, Carlsberg failed to fulfil its quarterly profit forecasts, blaming bad weather. A 5 percent drop in consumption across western Europe heavily outweighed the boost in Polish beer sales during the Euro 2012 tournament. “This [fall] was a little more than expected with Euro 2012 taking place in Q2 and was driven by very bad weather,” Carlsberg said. The company also reported 1 percent growth in Russia despite rigid alcohol regulation and high beer taxes designed to tackle alcohol abuse. Carlsberg has keept its full-year earnings prediction: an operating profit of 9.82 billion kroner, matching last years’ performance. The Danish based brewer, the fourth-largest in the world, is responsible for many brands such as Carlsberg, Tuborg and Baltika. “There is an effect of the weather, but otherwise this could be a sign that the economic crisis is felt on sales of the more expensive brands.” Brand analyst Stig Nymann told Reuters.

Danish payment solutions company, Nets, looks set to buy Finnish card payment service Luottokunta for 170 million euros. Luottokunta is responsible for all Visa and Mastercard transactions in Finland. It also produces the Lounasseteli luncheon vouchers. The merger will not take place until it has received approval at the Nets AGM and from the Finnish Finanacial Supervisory Authoirty. Nets employs over 2,200 staff in the Nordic countries, operating across a total of 12 countries. In 2011, combined net sales for Nets and Luottokunta neared 850 million euros, whilst they oversaw close to five billion card transactions. Luottokunta cheif executive Heikki Kapanen, said: “All the services will reamin as they are.” Talking about the future of the nearly 500-strong Helsinki workforce Kapanen said: “In time the change will affect us all, but in what way, nobody knows at this stage.”

The Kirk Kristiansen family will partner with a Canadian pension fund to invest 500 million euros to acquire a quarter of ISS, a Danish facility services provider. Kirkbi Invest, a holding company investing on behalf of the family, said the investment will give them a 26 percent stake in the company. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, a pension fund managing the assets of 300,000 active and retired teachers, is providing 342 million euros – most of the investment. ISS helps companies manage facilities as diverse as cleaning, catering and security, and is aiming to reduce debt before an initial public offering. The company operates across 50 countries, employs 530,000 staff and reported nearly 13 billion dollars of revenue. “[ISS’s] management is experienced, with deep industry knowledge and has put the company on the right strategic path,” Jo Taylor, the vice-president of Teachers’ Private Capital said. “We look forward to helping ISS expand.”

Source: The Copenhagen Post (http://cphpost.dk/)

Amazing Stunt for Volvo Trucks

List of fairs in Helsinki (end of 2012)

Helsinki is getting ready for the upcoming fairs, here you have a list of them. Please do not hesitate on asking us how Cuevas Consulting can help you out to meet businesses in these events. Here you can search them by chronologically order:

Tekniikka

Date: 10-OCT-12 to 12-OCT-12

Tekniikka exhibition is the most important event of the year for the automation and production technology offering visions, the best tools and the best doers of the industry. The exhibitors were pleased to receive almost 13000 high-quality visitors, and as many as 94% of the exhibition guests expressed their intention to recommend the exhibition to their colleagues.

Venue: Jyvaskyla Congress Centre, Jyvaskyla, Western Finland,Finland

------

Helsinki Fashion Fair

19-OCT-12 to 21-OCT-12

Helsinki Fashion Fair is an International event that promotes the Textile Industry, Garments, Accessories, Handbags, Shoes & Jewellery to the World. At Helsinki international Fashion Fair high volume buyers, individual from boutiques and boutique chains or high end products buyers will find manufacturers or suppliers who can cater to their needs.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Health Fair-Helsinki

19-OCT-12 to 21-OCT-12

Health Fair-Helsinki is the largest well-being event open for public in Nordic countries. The event is celebrating its 11th anniversary. Number of visitors has increased each year. Our visitors are interested in both physical and mental well-being.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Beauty Fair

19-OCT-12 to 21-OCT-12

Beauty Fair-Finland brought the world of beauty to Finland's heartland. This city of remarkable style was the perfect backdrop for the event, which drew record attendance, highlighted styles from around the world and celebrated educators of global influence.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Gold Silver & Watch

19-OCT-12 to 21-OCT-12

Gold Silver & Watch is the First consumer event in the Nordic countries for jewelery and watches. The exhibition provides a opportunity to meet all the professional form jewelery and Watch industry under one roof. The event will be held between 19 to 21 Oct 2012 at The Finnish Fair Corporation.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

GSW Pro

20-OCT-12 to 21-OCT-12

GSW Pro is the one of the leading exhibition for Watches and jewelery industry in Helsinki. This is a perfect platform for jewelery buyers and sellers. The is is the most comprehensive event which attract huge visitor form different country. The exhibition is being organized by The Finnish Fair Corporation.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Helsinki Book Fair

25-OCT-12 to 28-OCT-12

Helsinki Book Fair is a highly popular trade show event, dedicated to the books and paper industry. The fair serves as the ideal meeting place for a large number of book-readers, and a host of publishers, booksellers, and magazine publishing houses are also present at the show. The comics and cartoon industry also has representatives to this book fair. Literary experiences are seamlessly shared among those attending the show, and visitors get the chance to grow familiar with new reading material as well. The event, organized by Suomen Messut, has a wide array of different items on exhibit, ranging from books for children, science texts and travel books, right to digital audiobooks, disks, magazines and religious books, like the Holy Koran. Calendars and stylish greeting cards are also displayed at the fair.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Skiexpo Finland

02-NOV-12 to 04-NOV-12

Skiexpo Finland ranks as the biggest winter sports trade events in the entire country.The show,which is held at Helsinki,provides a common business platform for exhibiting professionals to help the show attendees to get acquainted with the latest winter sports equipments and accessories,including skiing products,and sports apparels.The show also encourages the launch of new and innovative winter sports products.The Cloakroom Service are and the Children's place are two of the major noteworthy areas at the event,and the visitors can come across sports cycles,helmets and other protective gears,sunglasses and toy-vending instruments,that are put on exhibit here.Attendees are offered the chance to express their opinions regarding the utility of the exhibited items directly too.The show is held on an annual basis,at the Helsinki Fair Centre.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Digi Expo

02-NOV-12 to 04-NOV-12

Digi Expo will provide a very best platform for consumer electronics companies to gain global exposure for their new products, new technologies, brand and vision. This is one of the biggest trade show for related industry in China which will be taking place between 02-04 Nov. 2012.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Helsinski Forest Fair

09-NOV-12 to 11-NOV-12

Helsinki Forest Fair will be organized at Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Center on November 09th to 11th 2012. Approximately more than 20 exhibitors will be participating in this fair. This fair is not only for the professionals but also for the visitors who are nature lovers. The visitors will get an opportunity to get information about the forest and nature. In this fair the exhibitors give presentations, seminars, and demonstrations to the visitors. Helinsiki Forest Fair will also be the big platform for the visitors as they will get information on new products and services, new perspective and interesting facts.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Pharmacy Days

23-NOV-12 to 25-NOV-12

Pharmacy Days is the largest national continuing education event in the pharmaceutical sector. The programme is addressed to professionals from various related fields: pharmacy personnel, hospital pharmacists, medical industry, authorities, commerce and academia.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

------

Studia

04-DEC-12 to 05-DEC-12

Studia is one of the largest education fairs in Helsinki. The fair will provide the vital information on suitable programs and institution of higher learning to further their education. The exhibition will be held between 04 to 05 December 2012 at Helsinki Fair Centre. The event is being organized by The Finnish Fair Corporation.

Venue: Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre, Helsinki,Finland

Source: www.biztradeshows.com

Alko's Purchase Plan for 2013

Finnish Alko's Purchase Plans are published for purchases during 2013. 

- Purchase Plan 1/2013: products will be listed during January-June 2013: Offers for these searches must be submitted starting from July 2012 until December 2012.

More info to our mail:
info@cuevasconsulting.fi

www.cuevasconsulting.fi

Fixing solutions questionnaire SE & FI 2012

Outlook for the economy remains fairly subdued

According to the Business Tendency Survey conducted by EK in April, Finnish business growth stabilised in the early part of the year following the increase in uncertainty last autumn. The current business situation is described as somewhat weaker than average in all the main sectors.

The business outlook for the coming months is cautious in all the main sectors but has improved from the January level. No substantial changes in the general economic conditions are expected in the next six months. 

Output and sales projections for the coming months predict very slow growth at best. Gradual acceleration of growth is expected to take place in late summer and autumn in manufacturing and services. However, employment expectations are very low, and the labour force is expected to decline in all but the service sectors. 

In April, the business outlook balance indicator for manufacturing was +9, up from -6 in January. In all, 18% of respondents expected an upturn during the summer and early autumn, while 9% felt that the economy would deteriorate during this period. 

The business outlook for construction improved to -5 in April from -32 in January. A total of 11% of companies anticipated an upturn, while 16% believed that the situation would deteriorate.

The business outlook for services improved to +2 in April from -8 in January. An upturn was forecast by 11% of respondents, while a decline was expected by just 9%.  

Output scarcely grew at all – expectations until late summer cautious
New orders received by manufacturing companies that responded to the survey remained at the same level during the first quarter as at the end of last year. In construction, the number of orders declined slightly compared with the end of 2011. In both manufacturing and construction, order books were reported to be slightly below average.  

Finished goods inventories decreased in manufacturing to normal levels. The volume of unsold dwellings owned by construction companies rose from low to average. 

Manufacturing companies that responded to the survey expect the number of new orders they receive during the second quarter to remain stable. In construction, however, the volume of orders is expected to continue to decline slightly. 

In manufacturing, output growth was rather slow at the beginning of the year, but slightly better than the low expectations of the previous survey. Output is expected to remain on the rise in the coming months, though the rate is expected to be sluggish. There are expectations of a tentative acceleration in growth in late summer and autumn. Construction output began to decline slightly in the early part of the year, and is anticipated to remain steady in the coming months. 

In services, sales were up moderately in the early months of 2012, as at the end of 2011. The rate was slightly quicker than forecast three months ago. Nevertheless, growth is predicted to remain slow in the coming months, but growth expectations for late summer are slightly better, as is the case for manufacturing. 

For manufacturing companies, the capacity utilisation rate recovered slightly from a dip in the autumn, but is still quite clearly below the long-term average. In April, 35% of manufacturing companies had unused capacity (43% in January). 

Employment expectations rather cautious – total labour force to decline
In the service sectors, the labour force growth almost stopped during the early part of the year. In construction, the total number of employees stayed the same, and in manufacturing it decreased slightly. Nevertheless, the employment trend as a whole was marginally better than forecast three months ago. 

Employment growth expectations are quite cautious. In both manufacturing and construction, the labour force is projected to decline slightly during the late spring and summer, and only service companies expect their labour force to remain steady. 

General picture lacklustre – but some companies suffering from labour shortages
Sales prices started to rise gradually in the manufacturing sector, and in services the rate of increase accelerated. In construction, sales prices remained unchanged. Costs rose quite strongly in all three main sectors. 

In the coming months, the rise in prices is forecast to slacken off in services. Prices are expected to rise slightly in manufacturing and construction. Cost pressures are expected to continue to be common despite an expected slowdown in the pace of cost increases in both manufacturing and services.

Profitability remained almost unchanged in all the main sectors during the early part of the year, and it is not expected to change substantially in the near future. 

In the construction and service sectors there are quite a number of companies experiencing insufficient demand and labour shortages, which is a reflection of the incoherence in the economy. In manufacturing, weak demand was clearly the most common factor holding back business activity. Over one third of manufacturing and construction companies reported weak demand, and in the service sectors the corresponding figure was one in five companies. A labour shortage was experienced by 7% of respondents in manufacturing, 15% in services and as much as 39% in construction. 

EK Business Tendency Survey
The Business Tendency Survey is published four times a year by the Confederation of Finnish Industries EK. The survey has been carried out regularly since 1966. 987 companies employing approximately 260,000 people in Finland responded to the April 2012 survey.

Finlandia lanza 'su' reforma laboral: más protección a los trabajadores

La reforma laboral finlandesa es el reverso del espejo español: Helsinki ha tomado medidas para proteger más a los trabajadores y los parados. Continua con el famoso "modelo escandinavo" mientras el sur de Europa liberaliza su mercado laboral.

En Finlandia, el Estado del bienestar sigue siendo una realidad concreta, e incluso más que antes. Cuando España anuncia el abaratamiento del despido, Finlandia toma medidas para proteger mejor a sus trabajadores. Con un crecimiento del 2,9% y el paro al 7,6% en 2011, pero sobre todo, un rating 'AAA' de parte de todas las agencias de calificación, Finlandia tiene toda la amplitud para proteger a su población activa de la mejor manera, y existir en Europa como un modelo económico alternativo.

A pesar de sus buenos datos macroeconómicos, las perspectivas en Finlandia seguían negativas en 2011 por el contexto general de la Unión europea y la fuerte inflación. El Gobierno conservador, presidido por Jyrki Katainen, decidió apostar por su mercado interior sin la menor intención de mejorar la competitividad.

Proteger los trabajadores y los parados

La primera legislación que ha puesto en marcha se aplica a los trabajadores temporales, que podrán beneficiarse de condiciones mínimas y términos de protección en cualquier trabajo, si no son iguales a las de los empleados de la empresa a la que han sido incorporados. La Ley de contratos de empleo, modificada de común acuerdo por los sindicatos, los empresarios y la administración, incluye medidas de mayor protección sanitaria y de seguridad, con el objetivo de ayudar a los empleados quedarse el tiempo más largo posible como población activa.

No sólo Finlandia protege a sus trabajadores, sino también a sus parados. La pérdida media de poder adquisitivo ha sido del 0,6% en 2011, por lo que las prestaciones básicas por desempleo pasarán de 25,74 euros a 31,36 euros al día, lo que representa un aumento de casi 120 euros al mes. La ayuda a la renta y el subsidio de vivienda también aumentarán, una persona soltera recibirá 461,05 euros al mes como ayuda básica a la renta.

El secreto: el acuerdo

En octubre de 2011, los interlocutores sociales también crearon un nuevo acuerdo tripartito, en el que el Gobierno sirvió como consejero. En fin de aceptar el aumento de las cotizaciones para pensiones, los sindicatos obtuvieron la reducción del impuesto sobre la renta del 0,2%. Todas las partes se pusieron de acuerdo para elevar los salarios en una media del 0,6% en 2012, luchar contra la inflación y reducir las tasas profesionales para aumentar el poder adquisitivo de los finlandeses. Ese mismo poder adquisitivo que preocupó a los medios y la población el año pasado, que sufrieron unainflación media del 3,42% en 2011. Mejorar las condiciones de vida de los parados, los ingresos de los trabajadores y las ayudas para la vivienda son las tres principales soluciones que permitirán ayudar a todos, hasta a los más vulnerables.

Fuente: vozpópuli digital - EDICIÓN: 12-04-2012