Other Pandox properties in Brussels include the Scandic Grand Place, Hilton Brussels City, Crowne Plaza Brussels City Centre, Hotel Bloom and the Holiday Inn in Zaventem. In Antwerp, the group has two hotels in its portfolio: the Scandic and the Crowne Plaza. Pandox will spend a further €25 million renovating the hotel, which dates from the 1960s, to bring it up to today's standards. The group hopes to raise the occupancy rate from the current 71%.

Pandox has a total of over 11,000 rooms in hotels spread across Sweden, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and the Bahamas.

Biotechnology - Galapagos
Mechelen-based biotech company Galapagos has acquired a research facility employing 130 scientists in Zagreb, Croatia, from the British GlaxoSmith-Kline group. The move allows Galapagos to develop its research capacity and increases the company's workforce by 20%.

Chemicals - Solvay
The Brussels-based chemicals and plastics group Solvay has acquired a minority stake in the US Polyera company, located in the US state of Illinois and specialised in organic materials used in transistors and micro-processors. Solvay is also in- creasing capacity at its Italian affiliate Solexis, where it produces Tecnoflon, a fluoroelastomer used in automotive and oilfield applications. Solvay has also de- cided to build a new fluorhydric acid production unit in China.

Customer Service - Vuitton
France's Louis Vuitton group has set up its European customer service centre in Brussels to handle relations with its clients in 11 countries. The new facility is expected to employ some 60 people skilled in five languages.

E-commerce - GIMV
The Flemish Region's investment company GIMV has invested €15 million in the French One-direct e-commerce platform, based in Perpignan and special- ised in the sale of telecommuni- cations-related products.

Ports - Antwerp
The Port of Antwerp has signed a partnership agreement with the Panama Canal to share information on the handling of large ships, market research and new port technologies.

Retail - Forever 21
The US apparel retail chain Forever 21 is opening outlets in both Brussels and Antwerp next spring as part of its expansion across Europe.