RETAILING

AMERICAS: E-commerce technology spend focused on systems and applications.

In a recent editorial the trade journal ''Online Retailer'' reported that online retailers are spending more on systems and applications as slower sales growth focuses attention on customer retention.

Leading online retailers are now spending between 4% and 11% of their sales revenue on e-commerce technology whereas the figure averaged 3% a decade ago. More specifically the top ten quoted retailers who derived all, or a majority of, their revenues online spent an average 7.7% which is an increase of 54.8%.

PORTS

ASIA: The Port of Rotterdam advises the Indian Ports Association.

The Port of Rotterdam was commissioned about a year ago by the Indian Ports Association to offer strategic advice to the major Indian ports.

Their key recommendations were the delegation of power downwards from the Ministry of Shipping to the individual ports and from senior management to executives within organisations.

The report also suggested that investment in mechanised cargo handling rather than increasing the number of berths would lead to economic efficiencies.

Further recommendations were for increased outsourcing and the development of transport connectivity's which would facilitate the offer of total transport solutions to clients.

MEDIA

EUROPE: The winds of change are blowing through the French business press.

Bernard Arnault's LVMH is in exclusive talks to buy Les Echos from Pearson Plc and has, according to Reuters, made an offer of 250 million Euro's.

Arnault currently owns the loss-making La Tribune and its journalists fear that if he acquired its rival he would divest La Tribune in such a manner that its future would be threatened. Financier Vincent Bolloré has declared his interest in acquiring it.

In common with their counterparts at Dow Jones the French journalists are also concerned that their newspapers' new ownership would threaten editorial independence. Christine Albanel, the French culture minister, said that the government would examine the competition implications of a sale of either or both newspapers.

RECORDED MUSIC MARKETS

AMERICAS: Music piracy costs the global industry $4.2 bn annually.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) fetchingly describe piracy as 'Old as the Barbary Coast, New as the Internet' and they are concentrating their efforts on counteracting it in all the forms in which it impacts their members. They estimate that it costs the global industry $4.2 bn annually.

The RIAA's team of internet specialists, with the assistance of a 24-hour automated webcrawler, attempts to stop internet sites that make illegal recordings available.

ADVERTISING MARKETS

AMERICAS: Brazilian city lives happily without public advertising.

In September 2006 the Brazilian city of São Paulo voted to ban all advertising in public spaces with effect from 1 January 2007.

This restriction applied not only to billboards, screens and neon displays but also to the distribution of fliers, hoardings on public service vehicles and the size of shop fascias.

Initial impressions are that the public supports the ban and welcomes its positive impact on the environment whilst the advertisers are learning to live with it.

AIRLINES MARKETS

EUROPE: Private equity demonstrates appetite for European airlines.

Private equity house TPG (formerly Texas Pacific Group) is, in conjunction with British Airways, exploring an approximately $5 bn bid for Spanish flag-carrier Iberia. It is also one of three short-listed bidders for the Italian government's 49.9% interest in Alitalia.

British Airways currently owns 10% of Iberia and has first refusal on a further 30% so is able to thwart alternative bidders.

It has been argued that British Airways should be focussing its attention on growth markets in Asia rather than consolidation in the relatively stagnant European arena.

PHARMACEUTICALS MARKETS

ASIA: Japanese pharma market suffers from 'drug-lag'.

The Japanese pharmaceutical market is the second largest and constitutes approximately 13% of the global total but exhibits slower growth than the world average. It is also one of the few high-tech industries in Japan that runs a trade deficit which is currently $3 billion annually.

The market is in a state of 'drug-lag' as it takes, on average, 3.5 years longer for a drug to hit the market than in the USA or Europe. In 2004 36% of the 88 top selling drugs were not available in Japan.

ISP MARKETS

ASIA: Broadband will overtake dial-up in India by 2008-9.

The Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) estimate that broadband connections will overtake dial-ups in India in 2008-9 and will have a marketshare of 75% in 2009-10.

This growth is driven by the push into small towns by the telecom companies and the increased offering by cable companies of 'last mile' connectivity.

The price of bandwidth has recently fallen by 40% which will be an additional growth driver especially amongst SMEs and internet cafés although home access will also grow significantly.

AUTOMOTIVE MARKETS

EUROPE: Russian car market thrives whilst others stagnate.

The Russian car market has been enjoying a high level of growth whilst those of North America and Western Europe have been stagnating. It is now the 8th largest globally and the 5th largest in Europe.

Key drivers of this growth are the increasing wealth consumer wealth, a burgeoning credit market following liberalisation and the increasing competitiveness and availability of foreign brands; growth has been highest in the domestically produced foreign sector.

As car density in Russia is 180 cars per 1,000 people (compared with figures of 512 and 552 for the UK and Germany respectively) there is capacity for continued growth.

CONSUMER MARKETS

ASIA: Growth in Chinese consumption.

In 2006 Credit Suisse conducted a survey amongst 2,700 respondents in 8 Chinese cities.

Further estimates state that Chinese consumption would grow to 8.6% by 2010 to be ranked third after the United States and Japan. The figure is estimated to be 21.8% by 2020 when the United States is estimated at 34.6%.

In 2006 China's consumption accounted for 5.4% of total consumption out of the major economies in 2006, ranking joint fifth with Italy, with the United States at 42%, Japan 11.1%, Germany 7.3% and Britain 6.6%.