Business gazetteer

Published on Wednesday 6 February 2008 22:47

GOOD DAY

SABMiller

THE brewing giant has secured its 816 million (609m) takeover of Grolsch, acquiring 94.7 per cent of its Dutch peer's shares. SABMiller said its bid was now unconditional and shareholders who had not yet offered their shares could tender them until 20 February.

BAD DAY

Climate Exchange

BANK of America has pulled out of an agreed joint venture and will not be buying up to $25 million of shares in Climate Exchange. The firm, which runs the Chicago and European Climate Exchanges for trading carbon offsets, will retain BoA as a strategic partner.

FACT OF THE DAY

162,097

NEW-CAR sales slowed last month, although there was a rise in the number of diesel-engine cars sold.

A total of 162,097 new vehicles were registered in January – a 2.1 per cent fall on the January 2007 figure, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said.

The SMMT added that it was now forecasting that total 2008 sales would fall 2.5 per cent to about 2.345 million.

SOCIAL WEB

Networking takes flight for business class

FEELING like a fogey on Facebook? Or a bozo on Bebo? Now business travellers who feel their pin-striped suits and briefcases are leaving them far from down with the kids have formed their own social networking site.

Skylounge.com gives on-the-go executives a chance to make friends in their own community – inhabitants of the airport lounge. Members can see where their contacts are at any time and expand their business network at the click of a mouse button. And for those networkers sick of accidentally stumbling across their teenage children online, there is an added bonus – members' average age is 35.

There are also no profiles, "walls" or message boards where the excesses of last night's business trip party can be broadcast to the world – managers, of which Skylounge's membership is predominantly formed, just don't do that sort of thing.

One networker, property consultant Markus Lyshaug, says: "I joined several social networks but soon found that I was at least ten years older then most members."

Gazetteer is just foaming at the mouth at the prospect of all the dynamic new people it could meet.