• 
• 

Investment applications dropped 29.69 per cent to Bt446.3 billion last year, the Board of Investment said yesterday.

The number of projects also declined, by 1.64 per cent to 1,262.  Secretary-general Atchaka Brimble said this year's target would be maintained at Bt650 billion, if upstream steel projects could be kicked off.

Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva would chair the BoI meeting and the investment promotion agency will host an investor conference on January 19.

Sansiri launches Bt5-bn Quattro

Sansiri has launched its latest condominium project worth Bt5 billion called Quattro on Soi Thonglor.

The project's twin towers will accommodate 446 units. Pre-sales have already reached Bt2 billion after the opening early this week.

Quattro is one of 16 residential projects worth up to Bt20 billion that are planned for this year, president Srettha Thavisin said yesterday.

Thai Ha postpones private placement

Thai Ha has delayed the private placement of 27 million shares due to unfavourable economic conditions. The company planned to use the sale proceeds to expand capacity.

CEO Somroek Tangphiruntham said yesterday the company still expected its revenue to rise from Bt2.25 billion last year to Bt2.4 billion, if the baht stays at 35 per US dollar, gross domestic product expands 3 per cent and the global economy grows 2 per cent.

He expects jasmine rice will fetch US$1,000 per tonne this year, up from $800 last year.

Logistics cluster launch next week

Siam Logistics Alliance, which will be a cluster of 26 local SMEs, will be launched on January 16. It aims at pooling their facilities and services as well as sharing their costs in a bid to compete with large international firms.

The establishment of SLA - chaired by Piyanuch Samrith, managing director of NIM See Seng Transport 1988 - was supported by the Business Development Department after the success in establishing Thai Alliances Logistics a few years ago.

The firms participating in SLA are from such fields as customs clearance, warehousing and transport.

CI Group denies takeover rumours

CI Group yesterday denied rumours of its takeover by a leading air-conditioning firm, saying that none of its major shareholders have heard of the move.

Aree Poomsanoa, CEO and managing director, said no major stockholders have considered selling their stakes.

He also said the company had secured a contract to supply parts to Carrier and expects more deals.

Nivea counters leadership claim

Referring to yesterday's article "Unilever smells more sales from new Axe", Francom Asia, the publicist of Nivea, countered that Unilever is second in the deodorant market after Nivea.

Nivea's market share was 38.4 per cent, according to the Nielsen Panel survey released in November. - The Nation