Company briefs - 2007-09-26

  • 2007-09-26
Icelandic-owned Coffee Holding applied for regulatory approval to take over Lithuania's Presto Prekyba, owner of the Presto chain of cafes and tea shops. Presto Prekyba currently operates six cafes and 10 shops selling tea, coffee, chocolate and other confectionery products in Lithuania. Presto's chief competitor in Lithuania is Double Coffee, a chain of coffee restaurants that is owned by DC Holdingas, which is registered in Latvia. 

A state commission gave the green light for Vilnius Airport to open and operate a new 100 million litas (29 million euro) passenger terminal. Officials certified that the terminal is fit to be operated, and airport services are able to move in, airport spokesman Arunas Marcinkevicius said, adding that the terminal would open in October. The terminal will help separate passengers traveling within the Schengen area from "non-Schengen" passengers and to cope with rising passenger numbers. Also, the airport invited bids for a contract to extend the airport's runway to three kilometers. The airport plans to sign a contract with the winning bidder for two years, with the bulk of the work to be completed by next April. Currently, the runway is 2.5 kilometers long and 50 meters wide.

The largest British retailer Tesco is selling Viru beer produced by Estonia's Tartu-based A.Le Coq brewery in its 250 stores. Viru beer is also available in bars and restaurants in the London area, said Brand Independence, owner of the brand. The company plans to launch the sale of Viru in Italy in September and in Mozambique next month. In addition, talks are underway with several Asian distributors, the company said.