In Brief
Interest in e-purchases rising Interest in consumer purchases through the Web is on the rise, particularly for books, CDs, tickets and travel, but also for financial services and household goods, a study prepared by Eurisko in collaboration with Research International has found. The study, completed last December, involved 67 sites and of the 29,051 respondents to the relevant questionnaire (less than 10 percent of site visitors), 61 percent said they click on ads if interested in the subject and 32 percent because they find them novel. The use of wireless access (wap application) is rising while the data collected shows that 27 percent of site visitors have known them for more than six months, 26 percent visit them on a daily basis and 27 percent are satisfied with the services offered. Three out of every five Internet users in Greece are men, usually urban dwellers with relatively good education and income. Titan plans to grow bigger Titan Cement company plans to invest 350 million euros this year and next, mainly in expanding the capacity of existing plants, officials said in a presentation yesterday. Growth will be pursued through operating improvements, further acquisitions (after the Kosjeric plant in Serbia recently for 41.2 million euros), and vertical integration in related construction materials. Titan posted a 58-percent rise in consolidated turnover to 983 million euros in 2001, with after-tax profits of 103 million euros. The results incorporated for the first time those of Tarmac company in the USA. The group expects further improvement in 2002. Shipyard memo Hellenic Shipyards, in the process of privatization, will be broken up into five companies, according to a memorandum signed between buyers HDW Ferrostaal and the Elefsis Shipyards group, which was the only other bidder, sources say. The arrangement will be implemented after the finalization of the sale. Fuel prices rising New super and unleaded gasoline as of today will cost 0.724 and 0.675 euros per liter respectively, or about 0.07 euros more than on March 1, according to the new suggested prices issued by the Development Ministry yesterday. However, consumers are reported to be paying prices between 0.03 and 0.08 euros higher than suggested ones. Hungarian tourism Hungary’s National Tourism Organization is organizing a Gastronomy Week in the Athens Metropolitan Hotel, April 12-20. The week will be preceded on the evening of April 11 by a presentation of tourism destinations and investment opportunities in the country’s tourism sector. Casino fortunes grow Mont Parnes casino, which is being privatized, realized a 16-percent rise in revenues to 18.7 million euros in the first quarter, Hellenic Tourism Properties said yesterday. The casino now has an 18.3-percent market share, against 11 percent in 2000.
