The week in business: 4 August
Aoste develops preservative free meat products, Belgorail sold to France and an overview of the rest of the week's company news
Meat – Aoste
Railway – Belgorail
The company specialised in testing railway carriages and installations has been sold off to the French group Certifer. Belgorail was a joint venture of inspection company Vinçotte, tech industry federation Agoria and railway engineering company Transurb.
Air – Lufthansa
Brussels Airlines has earned the German carrier €13 million in operating profits, which means that Lufthansa has already earned back its €2.6 million purchase of a 55% majority stake in Brussels Airlines last January. Lufthansa already owned 45% of the airline’s shares.
Biscuits – Jules Destrooper
The biscuit producer, based in Veurne, West Flanders, made operating profits of €555,000 and a turnover of €40.5 million last year. The company attributes the increased turnover but decreased profits to high-cost investments and increased marketing costs.
Telecoms – Telenet
Fierce competition with Proximus and Orange has caused the Mechelen-based telecoms company to lose 4,700 digital TV customers to its competitors over the second quarter of this year.
Materials – Solvay
The Brussels-based chemicals group has announced that it expects profits to increase 7 to 8% this year. The company is reaping the benefits of both an increased demand for special synthetic materials used in cars and planes as well as the recovery of the US petrol and gas industry.
Cars – Porsche
The German car manufacturer is recalling 400 of its Cayenne models sold through its Belgian distributor D’Ieteren Auto. The move is part of a large recall that was ordered by German lawmakers over reports of illegal emissions controlling software.
