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Read the latest headlines about developments in the international retail and consumer industry in Vienna and Austria
Vienna International Retail and Consumer Industry News
Casinos Austria International Will Not Be Sold
Casinos Austria AG (CASAG) stops the sale of Casinos Austria International (CAI).
April 11, 2018
Mainland Chinese Billionaire Guo Guangchang to Take Over Austrian Asset Wolford AG
Shanghai based Fosun Group through its Hong Kong (Central) vehicle Fosun Industrial Holdings Limited (Fosun) has taken over control of one of Austria's last remaining lingerie assets. According to Wolford, its new strategic core shareholder has agreed to pay at least €36M for a 50.87% majority stake in Wolford AG. Wolford has been struggling with management problems for some time. It also has been loss making for several years. Fosun Industrial Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of Fosun International Limited (British Virgin Islands) is an investment holding company with interests in asset management and entertainment services. Fosun wants full control of the lingerie maker. Upon the closing of the share purchase agreement Fosun intends to launch a takeover offer to the remaining shareholders. Fosun was co-founded in 1992 by Fudan graduate Guo Guangchang who meanwhile became the 34th richest person in China with a net worth of €7 billion.
March 3, 2018
Novomatic Takeover of Australian Rival Delayed
The planned investment of the Lower-Austrian gambling group Novomatic in the Australian rival Ainsworth Game Technology has been delayed. Ainsworth will postpone general assembly scheduled for June 3 by up to 30 days. It is at the meeting that shareholders are supposed to approve the deal.
May 25, 2016
Bawag Laying Off Further 180 to 200 Employees
Bawag Bank will optimize its branches and in course of the process will cut 180 to 200 jobs. 70 to 80 of the affected employees are supposed to be sent back to their actual employers - Post AG.
May 3, 2016
Czechs Jirí Šmejc and Karel Komárek Want to Take Control of Casinos Austria
The Czech consortium Austrian Gaming Holding (AGH) of billionaires Jirí Šmejc and Karel Komárek, headquartered in Prague may soon be new majority owner of Casinos Austria AG. According to the Federal Competition Authority (BWB), Austrian Gaming Holding intends to increase one hand its stake in Medial to 88.89 percent and on the other hand to acquire 16.79 percent of Casinos Austria AG shares. Through these acquisitions, AGH will hold directly or indirectly 50.82 percent of the shares and thus acquire sole control of the CASAG.
January 21, 2016
Black Diamond Equipment Relocates European Headquarters from Switzerland to Austria
Producer of climbing, skiing, mountain sports equipment Black Diamond will move its European headquarters from Basel to Innsbruck. Tim Bantle has been appointed Managing Director. Black Diamond is actively recruiting staff for the new office, with approximately 35 jobs across sales, marketing, customer service, operations and finance. The new office is expected to be operational in May 2016. Black Diamond Equipment was established in 1989 and has its headquarters in Salt Lake City in Utah.
January 14, 2016
EU to Crack Down on Postal Rip-Offs including Austrian Post
The FT reports that Brussels is preparing a regulatory crackdown against rip-off pricing by national postal operators on cross-border parcel deliveries. According to a study, cross-border parcel deliveries are often five times more expensive than identical trips on the domestic market. While the price of a standard 2 kg parcel delivery in Austria with the national postal operator is €4.44, to have that same parcel send to neighbouring Italy would cost €14. Sending the same parcel back from Italy to Austria will rise to €25. In order to connect the common market, the EU wants to develop the potential of e-commerce and to boost cross-border trade. According to the FT, a spokeswoman of the European Commission said that early next year the Commission will “launch measures to enhance price transparency and regulatory oversight” of the European parcel delivery market.
December 22, 2015
Insolvent DIY Chain BauMax Ended Its Operations
Insolvent DIY chain BauMax ended its operations completely on Friday with many stores sold to Obi of Germany. Seven stores did not attract a buyer. Some 700 employees in total are at risk of losing their jobs.
October 30, 2015
Bank Austria Sells Prominent Property "The Mall" to Morgan Stanley Consortium
UniCredit Bank Austria AG announces that the purchase agreement for the shopping centre The Mall at Wien Mitte was signed with Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing (MSREI), pending approval by the antitrust authorities.
October 22, 2015
The Miss Earth Beauty Pageant is Coming to Vienna
Miss Earth, an annual international beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness is celebrating its 15th year in Vienna. Along with its rivals Miss Universe and Miss World, Miss Earth is one of the three largest beauty pageants in the world in terms of the number of national-level competitions to participate in the world finals and one of the most publicized beauty contests in the world. The reigning titleholders dedicate their year to promote specific projects and often address issues concerning the environment and other global issues. Climate Change will be the focus of Miss Earth for its Crystal Year celebration. Around 90 delegates from all over the world will be arriving on November 18, to start their activities and converge at the Marx Halle in Vienna on December 5, 2015 for the Coronation Night.
October 9, 2015
It’s all about Fashion during Vienna's Fashion Week
Until September 13th it’s all about fashion in Vienna’s Museums-Quartier. About 70 designers show their collections: at fashion shows and in the adjacent sales area in Quartier21, which invites visitors to go shopping. This year marks the seventh edition of the MQ Vienna Fashion Week. Last year, over 10,000 visitors came to the fashion event.
September 8, 2015
Niki Lauda Acquires Stakes in Benko's Real Estate Firms
The private foundation of former Formula 1 driver Niki Lauda will acquire 1% of Signa Prime and a 10% stake in Signa Retail.
July 17, 2015
Vienna Biennale 2015: Ideas for Change
Between June 11 and October 4, 2015 the Austrian capital will host its first ever interdisciplinary Biennale: this year’s edition aims to bring together art, design and architecture, and harness the power of creative ideas and artistic projects in its search for positive change.
June 1, 2015
The Eurovision Song Contest Village: "Let's Meet at Rathausplatz"
In the week leading up to the ESC finals in Vienna, Rathausplatz – the square in front of Vienna City Hall – will be turned into the Eurovision Village from 18 to 23 May 2015. It will be THE place to be for everyone interested in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) 2015. The programme starts on 18 May with the opening event featuring an international fashion show, and will continue with themed days, live performances by ESC contestants, a colourful family programme. On 23 May, the ESC finals will be broadcast live from Stadthalle and shown on Rathausplatz. For one week, the framework event under the motto "Hello Vienna. Welcome Europe!" will highlight the very best of the Eurovision nations, including culinary delights from different countries.
May 15, 2015
Billa Invests EUR 100 Million in Bulgaria in Next Years
Supermarket Chain Billa plans to invest some 100 million euros in Bulgaria and to open around 40 new stores.
April 10, 2015
Germanwings Flight 9525: Captain Tried to Break into Cockpit with Axe, Co-Pilot Hid Illness
The latest reports prove that German Wings captain Patrick Sondenheimer tried to break into locked cockpit door 'with an axe' as plane was descending. German police have been searching the home of co-pilot Andreas Lubitz and his parents. They found a ripped-up sick note showing that he tried to hide his illness from employer German Wings.
March 27, 2015
Vienna to Have Two Million Inhabitants in 2029
Vienna is already the city with the second largest population in the German-speaking countries. But Vienna is growing faster than ever. This development entails a tremendous challenge for Vienna. Based on the figures now available, investments totalling seven billion euros will have to be made by the year 2020 in the areas of child care, public transport, other infrastructure facilities and health services alone.
February 20, 2015
Swarovski Crystal Worlds to Reopen End of April
Swarovski Kristallwelten will reopen on April 30, 2015. A total volume of 34 million Euros has been invested. The space will be more than doubled to 7.5 hectares. In addition to the all-encompassing renovations in the garden all around the iconic Giant, five Chambers of Wonder are being redesigned entirely from scratch.
February 20, 2015
Spar to Relaunch "Huma” Shopping Park in Vienna-Simmering
The starting signal for building work to turn the HUMA Shopping Center into probably the most modern shopping center in the capital has already been given in December 2014. A shopping center with more than 90 shops, restaurants, catering outlets and services, 2000 free parking spaces and 800 jobs is being built at a traditional location in Vienna-Simmering on a gross leasable area of 50,000 square meters.
February 17, 2015
Austria has EU-Wide Most Franc Loans
In absolute terms, Austria has the most franc foreign currency loans in the European Union.
January 19, 2015
Huber Holding Acquires French Premium Men Lingerie Maker
Huber Group, the Götzis/Vorarlberg based lingerie maker has acquired the French premium brand Hom for men from Triumph Group to target the upmarket male underwear category.
January 19, 2015
State Holding ÖIAG to be Renamed ÖBIB
Austrian state holding ÖIAG is going to be turned into a limited liability company (GesmbH) called "ÖBIB" Österreichische Bundes- und Industriebeteiligungsholding, which will be permitted to make new acquisitions and which will report directly to the Finance Ministry.
January 13, 2015
Wolford Appoints Former Model Grit Seymour as Creative Director
Wolford AG has appointed designer Grit Seymour as its new Creative Director. This position, which was created as part of the company's strategic refocusing, is intended to drive the brand development. The new Creative Director's main responsibilities will include the design of future collections as well as advisory function for Wolford's overall brand identity. The first signs of her contribution will be visible in the 2016 spring/summer collection, which will be presented to the professional public in summer 2015.
November 10, 2014
Vienna Among Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2015
One of the world’s best known publishers of independent travel and language guides, Lonely Planet, has ranked Vienna as one of the top 10 cities “not to be missed” by travellers in 2015. According to Lonely Planet, there is no better time to visit Austria than next year during the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, which takes place in Vienna. The list also includes destinations like Washington, Milan, Chennai or Toronto.
October 24, 2014
New Post Logistics Center Opens in Upper Austria
Listed postal service provider Post AG has officially inaugurated the new logistics centre in Allhaming, Upper Austria. Built for EUR 50 million (USD 64 million) and used since the beginning of August instead of the centre located at the Linz main train station, it has been designed for daily up to 1.6 million letters and 100,000 packages. Some 650 employees work in the new post office near the motorway Westautobahn. Various political officials participated in the inauguration.
October 17, 2014
Netflix: "We are Proud to Bring the Future of Television to Austria"
Netflix, the American provider of on-demand Internet streaming media followed up its launches in France and Germany by adding Austria to the list of countries in which its streaming services is available. The comapny intends to capture a third of the market share. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California. It started its subscription-based digital distribution service in 1999. By 2009, Netflix was offering a collection of 100,000 titles on DVD and had surpassed 10 million subscribers. By July 2014 Netflix has subscribers in over 40 countries.
September 17, 2014
Josef Taus to Delist MTH from the Vienna Stock Exchange
Josef Taus is delisting his investment company Management Trust Holding (MTH). The main reason for the delisting of this long-term stock market participant (since 1990) is the very low percentage of widespread shareholdings: only 1.25 percent of the shares is held in free float. The company will present a respective offer to the few minority shareholders. Another reason is the restructure of Taus’ empire, which will allow the industrialist to reduce his dependence on minority shareholders.
September 3, 2014
New Owner E-Tec Brings DiTech Back Into Business
The brand DiTech has been purchased after the bankruptcy by the Upper Austrian Computer Dealer e-tec. Now the newly established DiTech Electronic GmbH starts operations. The first stores open already at the beginning of September.
August 29, 2014
Signa Buys Karstadt for €1
Austria's Signa Holding takes over struggling German department store chain Karstadt. Signa acquires a 100 per cent stake in Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH from Berggruen Holdings. Berggruen Holdings is going to withdraw from Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH, Karstadt Premium and Karstadt Sports as well as from from each property. The deal ends weeks of speculation over the company's future after the CEO left in July. Rene Benko will pay just €1 for the department store chain. Karstadt operates more than 80 stores across Germany and employs more than 17.000 people.
August 15, 2014
Russia Orders Agricultural Import Bans in Sanction Retaliation
Vladimir Putin signed a decree limiting or banning imports of agricultural products from countries which have imposed sanctions on Russia, the Kremlin's press service announced. It is estimated that following CEE/SEE countries will be hit by the retaliatory sanctions: Romania, Serbia, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Brussels, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
August 6, 2014
Analysis: Eurovision Song Contest 2015 in Vienna, Austria
The contest will take place in Vienna, Austria, following Conchita Wurst's victory in the 2014 contest in Copenhagen, with the song "Rise Like a Phoenix". On 6 August 2014, it was announced that Vienna had been chosen as the host city for the 2015 contest. It will be hosted in Wiener Stadthalle.
August 6, 2014
Eurovision Song Contest 2015: The Winner is Vienna
"As an internationally-minded city, Vienna is the best venue for this event, and will prove its cosmopolitan nature to the international public. Most importantly, we want the Song Contest on 23 May 2015 to be a cause for celebration for everyone in Vienna - locals and guests alike." says Mayor Michael Häupl.
August 6, 2014
Casinos Austria to Challenge Concessions for Competitors
Casinos Austria, has challenged three new casino licenses. Complaints were submitted to the ministry of finance on Thursday afternoon - "Wiener Zeitung” reported. With this move Casinos Austria wants to hamper the plans of its rivals - Novomatic (concessions for Bruck a.d. Leitha and Prater) and Schweizer Stadtcasinos Baden (Schwarzenberg Palace in Vienna).
July 25, 2014
Tengelmann to Launch Online Gardening DIY Chain in Austria
The German online gardening DIY chain GartenXXL, a subsidiary of the Tengelmann group, is setting up in Austria. The range of offered products includes over 20,000 products from brands such as Gardena, Fiskars, Bosch or Kettler. The products shall be offered via gartenxxl.at. After successful launching in Austria, GartenXXL intends to expand to other countries in CEE/CESEE.
July 22, 2014
Stamp Producer Trodat to Slash 40 Jobs
Stamp producer Trodat announced plans to slash 40 jobs in order to reduce operation costs, but the firm has not changed its guidance for this and subsequent years, as it targets doubling the revenue to EUR 300 million by 2020.
July 1, 2014
Austrian Export Award 2014 for Above-Average Export Commitment
As part of a festive gala evening in Vienna's Museumsquartier, the Austrian Export Prize 2014 has been awarded by the Federal Minister for Science, Research and Economics, Reinhold Mitterlehner, and the President of the Economic Chamber Austria (WKO) Christoph Leitl.
June 26, 2014
Hilton Vienna Plaza Finishes First Stage of €20 Million Re-design
Hilton Vienna Plaza is currently undergoing extensive renovation as part of a €20 million modernisation that will see the entire hotel transformed. The first stage of the re-design is set for tomorrow, June 6, 2014, followed by the full re-opening in September 2014.
June 5, 2014
Century Casinos Opens Casino on Nova Star Cruise Ferry
Century Casinos announced the successful opening of the casino onboard Nova Star Cruises luxury cruise ferry Nova Star on it's maiden voyage from Portland, Main, to Yarmouth, Nova Scotia yesterday.
May 16, 2014
Austria: Creditors of DiTech Faced With Total Losses
The Austrian computer equipment retailer has filed for insolvency proceedings at the end of March.
May 12, 2014 · Updated: May 13, 2014; 10:55
Amazon Gets New Warehouse in the Czech Republic
US-based online retailer Amazon will get a warehouse in the EIA informationsystem in the Černovická terasa industrial zone in Brno.
May 12, 2014
German Retailer Metro Faces Massive Losses in CEE
Sales in CEE declined 14.8 percent last year for German retail and wholesale enterprise Metro Group.
May 9, 2014
Austria DIY Chain BauMax Avoided Insolvency
Austrian leading DIY chain bauMax announced cost saving programs as part of its restructuring measures in Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia. BauMax intends to focus on profitable business locations only.
May 9, 2014
Romania: BRD Group Societe General with High Expectations
The Romanian lender intends to increase its lending by four percent in 2014.
April 23, 2014
Industrial Location Austria Losing Attractiveness
Among other things, labor costs and energy prices are too high, according to the Austrian Federation of Industries.
April 16, 2014
DiTech: Insolvency Postponed
Heavily affected computer equipement trader DiTech has to postpone filing for insolvency proceedings, which was planned today at the Commercial Court in Vienna.
March 14, 2014
Austria: DiTech to be Taken Over by Investor
Insolvent computer equipment trader DiTech is supposed to be taken over by a German investor with Polish roots.
March 13, 2014
Wifo: Economic Recovery Lacks in Momentum
Economic growth in the Eurozone is still without a major drive. In Austria too, economic recovery is still restrained.
March 11, 2014
Austria: Computer Trader DiTech Declares Insolvency
Viennese hardware computer trader DiTech has slipped into insolvency.
March 10, 2014
Bulgaria: FDI Keeps Increasing
FDI (foreign direct investments) increased by € 1,229.4m in Bulgaria in 2013 while equity capital came at € 953.4m last year.
February 18, 2014
Austria: Slight Economic Growth
The Austrian Institute for Economic Research (Wifo) has forecast an increase of the macroeconomic production by 0.2 percent in real terms compared to the previous quarter.
November 14, 2013
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