July 24th - July 29th

Zurich, July 28th (Adnkronos) – According to a classification drafted by the Zurich Consulting Company Interbrand Zintzmeyer&Lux, and the USA financial magazine “Business Week”, Coca-Cola is the most precious brand in the world, worth approximately 83 billion Francs. Italy is present on this classification with four brands: Gucci (46th at 6.6 billion), Bulgari, Prada and Armani.

Milan, July 28th (Adnkronos) - Autogrill Group has been awarded a contract to renew its concession and develop new travel food, beverage and retail plazas on the Pennsylvania Turnpike. The contract provides exclusive rights to the 15 plazas for total accumulated sales of $3.5 billion. This is the biggest contract ever secured by the Autogrill Group.

Rome, July 28th (Adnkronos) - Nairobi is the seat of the new RAI correspondence office in Africa completing coverage of the continent which to the present had been limited to the Cairo office. The initiative is in the ambit of a project approved by the Board of Directors to expand the international information horizons of this Public Service TV and Radio agency.

Milan, July 28th (Adnkronos) – MPS Venture has acquired a 30% share quota in the Raco Attimis Group. This was announced by MPS, active in the closed real estate common investment funds management sector in Italy. Following the acquisition, the current Raco majority shareholder, the Absolute Trust Fund, will hold a 51% quota, MPS Venture a 30% quota and the management the remaining 18% quota. The new consolidated revenue of the Raco Group is approximately €80M.

Rome, July 28th. (Adnkronos) – Sanpaolo Imi has gone shopping in Serbia and has come back with an agreement with the Belgrade government for the acquisition of an 87.39% quota in Panonska Banka. The Serb Minister of Finance, Radovan Jelasić and the president of Sanpaolo Imi, Enrico Salza presided over the undersigning ceremony. The deal is subject to approval by the competent Anti Trust Authorities and will be finalized at the price of €122M.

Milan, July 28th (Adnkronos) - Recordati has agreed to acquire Jaba Farmacêutica and the other pharmaceutical businesses belonging to the Grupo Jaba in Portugal. The purchase price is € 45 million approximately but may be adjusted contingent upon the full year 2006 operating results. The closing is expected to take place during 2006. Jaba is the third largest Portuguese pharmaceutical group and generated revenues in 2005 of approximately € 39 million with positive margins.

Rome, July 28th (Adnkronos) – The Trieste newspaper “Il Piccolo” will be distributed in the former Yugoslavia to guarantee the exchange of information between Italy and the Italian communities in Slovenia and Croatia maintaining Italian cultural identity alive. This is the objective of an agreement undersigned today at Palazzo Chigi between Undersecretary of State with proxy to Information and Publishing Riccardo Franco Levi, the head of the Department for Information and Publishing, Paolo Peluggo and the CEO of the publishing house FVG Division of Trieste, Paolo Paloschi.

Ascoli Piceno, July 25th (Adnkronos) – Wines from Ascoli Piceno are also appreciated in London, where the promotional event at the Osteria dell’Arancio in the English capital, had the participation of 20 wine producers from Ascoli presenting their productions to the specialized English press and importers. This marketing initiative was finalized to valorising the historical, artistic, cultural and social aspects of the Piceno area.

Milan, July 27th (Adnkronos) - Seat Pagine gialle and the Turkish Dogan yayin have undersigned a Memorandum of Understanding to verify the development opportunities of a joint venture in the directories sector in Turkey. This was announced by the two companies in a joint press release stating that a market analysis and business plan are forecast for the 2006 Q3. If a deal is reached relative to the business plan, a joint venture will be created by the end of the year. Dogan yayin is the media sector group leader in Turkey with activities branching out and including magazines, newspapers, TV, radio, the internet and alternative communications systems.

Palermo, July 27th (Adnkronos) –The wine producing sector holds a strategic role in the national farm food division and Italy can boast 300 types of vines cultivated and a front row place in the world wine exports with Sicily alone accounting for 10% of the entire national production thanks to its 110,000 hectors of vineyards. “I am convinced – said the president of the Sicily Region, Salvatore Cuffaro – that in order to have a say in the national and international sites, we need clear rules that come from an agreement reached by all of the protagonists of the wine producing sector, including the government”.

Milan, July 27th (Adnkronos) - Napapijri, the sportswear brand belonging to Vf Corporation, is opening up its first US flagshop at 149 Mercer Street in Soho, the “coolest” New York shopping district. This NYC store will add on to the 27 Napapijri flagshops, 6 of which owned by the company, in Milan, Paris, St. Tropez, Chamois, Munich and Tokyo. The brand is currently present in 2500 points of sale in the world, 1000 of which in Italy.

Rome, July 27th (Adnkronos) – For the first time, a board made up by representatives of the International Trade Ministry and the Regions, presided over by Minister Emma Bonino with the presence of Undersecretaries Milos Budin and Mauro Agostini, met today with the objectives of establishing new relations between the State and the Regions for the relaunching of internationalization aiming towards better organization between the two bodies but also towards joint programs to better place made in Italy products on the international markets.

Turin, July 27th (Adnkronos) - Avio, a company operating in the aerospace and naval propulsion sector, will realise the autopilot system for the S-80 submarines of the Spanish Navy. The contract was undersigned with Navantia, the Spanish shipyard which will build this new class of conventional submarines. The autopilot system called Gaudi is characterized by an innovative structure patented by Avio and it will be produced in the Rivalta Plant (Turin) in collaboration with Faba, the electronics division of Navantia.

Milan, July 26th (Adnkronos) – Saipem net profits in the 2006 Q2 reached €86M (+56.4%), announced the company in a press release. Revenue equalled €1331M (+14.2%) while cash flow registered at €135M (+39.2%). The figures were elaborated without taking into account the effects of the control of Snamprogetti on April 1st 2006. Net profits reach €96M if Snamprogetti is included in the provisional balance.

Rome, July 26th (Adnkronos) - ''26 new products will be added on to enrich the list of traditional products from our Region”, said the Lazio Agriculture Councillor, Daniela Valentini, referring to the 26 new proposals listed in the regional project “Quality Agriculture”, published in the Official Bulletin No. 167 on July 20th. The list is available on the Arsial website www.arsial.regione.lazio.it.

Rome, July 26th (Adnkronos) – The L’Espresso Publishing Group closed the first half of 2006 with net profits at €54.8M, with a 0 variation compared to the same period in 2005. Revenue was up 6% at €601.5M compared to the €567.6M registered during the first half of 2005. The Group announced the figures in a press release following a Board meeting today presided over by its president Carlo De Benedetti.

Rome, July 26th (Adnkronos) – The president of Confindustria Luca di Montezemolo and Ratan Tata, the president of the Tata Group and Tata Motors, have agreed upon the constitution of an annual Indo-Italian CEO Forum, to give a further boost to the already strong business relations between Italy and India. In a press release Confindustria declares that the Indo-Italian CEO Forum represents an informal occasion to promote economic and trade relations between Indian and Italian businesspeople. India has a similar initiative only with the USA.

Rome, July 26th (Adnkronos) - Finmeccanica ''denies having participated in negotiations to acquire the majority shares of Avio”, said the Group in a press release commenting financial “gossip” reported in the press today.

Milan, July 26th (Adnkronos) - Pentar and Franchini International have underwritten a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the brand in the luxury boat sector. According to the MoU, Pentar will enter into the Franchini International company capital through the subscription of an increase in capital within the end of September. The objective of the deal is to support the company in its growth process and consolidate the brand on the luxury boat market, stated a press release.

Milan, July 26th (Adnkronos) - Gianni Versace has finalised the acquisition of all of the shares of its subsidiary Gianni Versace Japan with the reacquisition of the minority quotas held by Mitsui&Co.. The transaction, accepted by both parties and details of which have not been released to the press, “represents the logical and natural evolution of the new Versace strategies on the Japanese market”.

Rome, July 26th (Adnkronos) – The outline of a Contract for the use of tomatoes by the Italian food industries has been stipulated by Unaproa (National Fruit, Vegetables and Citrus Fruit Producers Associations Union), Unacoa (National Fruit, Vegetables and Citrus Fruit Producers Organizations Union) and AIIPA (Italian Food Products Industries Association). Under the agreement, the industries belonging to AIIPA will purchase 12,000,000 tons of Italian tomatoes for their transformation processes.

L'Aquila, July 26th (Adnkronos) – Saffron from L’Aquila, a unique and exclusive product for its history, environment, cultivation and transformation process and which has recently obtained the Protected Origin Denomination certification from the EU, will be the star of a day dedicated to understanding the naturalistic and historical-cultural beauties of the territory in which it is produced. This special event is on Friday, July 28th at the Castello Santucci a Navelli.

Milan, July 26th (Adnkronos) – Snam Rete Gas net profits were down in the first half of 2006 with the company registering earnings at €240M down 14.6% from the same period last year. Operating profits were also down to €472M (-9.1%) while revenue decreased to €904M (-2.3%). The natural gas injected into the National Pipeline Network increased 3.9% reaching quota 46.5 B cubic metres. Snam Rg estimates that the consumption of national gas in Italy will increase an average of 2% during the next four years.

Milan, July 26th (Adnkronos) - Autogrill’s consolidated revenue during the first half of 2006 registered at € 1,768.3 M up 16.5% over the same period last year. In detail, revenue from North America increased 5.5% while the growth rate in Europe was 9.6%. During the first half of 2006, revenue from Aldeasa reached quota €330M up 12.8% over the same period in 2005.

Palermo, July 26th (Adnkronos) - Banco di Sicilia (Capitalia Group) has confirmed its participation as the main sponsor of the 3rd edition of the MASV (Wine Enterprises Sector Manager) University Master’s Program as in the two previous editions. During the first days of September, information will be given on how to participate in this master’s course which will be held at the Faculty of Economy of the University of Palermo during the 2006-2007 Academic Year. Enrolment requests have to be presented by September 25th and the Master’s course will begin in October.

Perugia, July 26th (Adnkronos) – Visitors attending the 13th edition of Eurochocolate in Perugia from October 14th to the 22nd will be entering into an enormous open-air chocolate producing site with a chocolate factory on one side from which an exquisite hot chocolate cascade will drop and on the other side a crane holding an enormous trowel, the symbol of the 13th edition of Eurochocolate will be placed.

Maranello, July 25th (Adnkronos) – The new “Ferrari Classics” Centre is all about repair, maintenance, the production of parts conforming to the original, certification of authenticity and it is 980 m² with 110 m² set aside for offices and a historical archive. This new Centre was inaugurated today at Maranello by the president of Ferrari Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, the general director, Jean Todt, the vice –president Piero Ferrari and the vice general director Amedeo Felisa.

Rome, July 25th (Adnkronos) – The Cassini Probe has discovered a region situated at the south pole of Titan having a surface area of 235 per 73 km, more or less the same as Lake Ontario in North America. Scientists believe that this hydrocarbon lake is the result of a massive volcanic explosion or impact with an asteroid. This Cassini-Huygens probe realized by ASI in collaboration with JPL has again been an essential instrument in the continuous exploration of Titan.

Milan, July 25th (Adnkronos) - Amplifon today announced it has finalized the acquisition of two enterprises operating on the German market, Schnabel and Audimed, respectively situated in Northern and Southern Germany. These two new acquisitions allow for 22 new points of sale and annual total earnings of €6M. These two deals add on to the ones recently concluded in Germany by the Group which now owns 66 points of sale for annual earnings of €22M making it the 3rd leading operator on the German market.

New York, July 25th (Adnkronos) - Ennio Morricone is holding a concert the first time in the United States. The famous composer is playing at Radio City Music Hall in NYC on February 3rd 2007. The artist will be accompanied by a 200 element orchestra and chorus and he will play the most significant songs of his repertoire, among which the film scores that have made him famous the world over. Some of these film scores are those composed for Sergio Leone’s films such as “For a Fistful of Dollars” and “Once in America”, “New Cinema Paradiso” by Giuseppe Tornatore and the multi-awarded “Mission” by Roland Joffè.

Rome, July 24th (Adnkronos) - Fiat Auto e Crédit Agricole today announced they have reached an agreement for the creation of a 50/50 joint venture, Fiat Auto Financial Services (FAFS) which will carry out the main financial activities of Fiat Auto in Europe. The agreement is subject to final documentation, a press release by the Group announced.

Rome, July 24th. (Adnkronos) – The Fiat Group and Severstal Auto, in the spirit of expanding their collaboration in the Russian automotive market, today announced an agreement in the field of light commercial vehicles for the production and distribution of the Fiat Ducato (X2/44 platform). The production site will be located in the Elabuga area (Tatarstan region) and will significantly contribute to the industrial development of the region.

Rome, July 24th (Adnkronos) - Iveco, a Fiat Group company, has finalised an agreement for the creation of the joint venture with SAIC Motor Corporation Ltd., one of the leading Chinese automotive manufacturers, and with Chongqing Heavy Vehicle Group Co. Ltd., for the development of a long-term partnership in China in the heavy industrial vehicle sector.

Rome, July 24th (Adnkronos) – Illy Group SpA, the holding company belonging to the Illy family, has finalised a preliminary agreement for the buy-out of 80% of the shares of Domori Srl, the company yearly producing over 100 tons of high quality, gourmet chocolate. The original founding shareholders of the Genoa company will hold the remaining 20% of the shares, according to the agreement.

Milan, July 24th (Adnkronos) - Mondo Home Entertainment (an Italian company active in the film, home video products and TV rights distribution sector) has finalised an agreement with Nexo, a leading independent Italian operator active in the film distribution sector and the home video production of all of the titles in the catalogue and new releases. Mondo Home Entertainment estimates that it can reach approximately €7 M in revenue through home video distribution.

Rome, July 24th (Adnkronos) – 25 Italian enterprises active in the typical made in Italy sectors (fashion, furniture, accessories, mechanics) were recently in China for a trade mission, which resulted in four days full of contacts with 600 Chinese businesspeople interested in Italian products. The Italian companies participating in the mission were chosen by various Italian Chamber of Commerce associations (Promofirenze, Promos Milano, Centro Estero Lombardia, Centro Estero Veneto, Unioncamere Emilia Romagna, Eurosportello di Napoli, Intertrade Salerno).

Genoa, July 24th (Adnkronos) – Elderberry wine from the Scrivia Valley, steak tomatoes from the Albenga plains, “baci” cookies from Alassio, “focaccia” with olives, chestnut “canastelli” , “Avosso canastrelli”, “pane crescente”, “panettone” with chestnut flour, “torta crescente”: these nine Liguria products have been inserted in the national list of traditional farm food products following approval by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

Verona, July 24th (Adnkronos) – The 5th edition of Luxury Yachts, dedicated to all of those objects expressing luxury, is hosting a new area: ''Jewelry Top Brands by Vicenzaoro''. This area will be coordinated by Fiera di Vicenza, world leader in the organization of Made in Italy trade shows and events for the gold and jewelry sectors. The best in Made in Italy jewelry, universally recognised as the best in creativity, elegance and charm, will participate in JTB. Jewelry Top Brands is a collaboration between Fiera di Vicenza and Optimist srl, of which Luciano Coin is the CEO and creator of the event.

Milan, July 24th (Adnkronos) – Candy Group has opened branches in Romania, Ukraine and Latvia reaching quota 36 industrial, commercial and post-sales services Candy branches outside of Italy.

Milan, July 24th (Adnkronos) - Ctm Agrofair Italia, a company specialised in the fair trade distribution of fresh fruit, has been constituted as a joint venture between the Altromercato Consortium, the main fair trade association in Italy and Agrofair Europe bv, the main European importer of fair trade fresh fruit.

Ascoli Piceno, July 24th (Adnkronos) – China is looking towards the Ascoli Piceno bio farming model and the President of the Province of Ascoli Piceno, Massimo Rossi and the mayor of Ripatransone, Paolo D’Erasmo will be in Beijing on July 27th and 28th, together with a delegation of Ascoli Piceno businesspeople involved in bio farming techniques, to participate in a series of meetings with Chinese authorities.