In Brief: Impexmetal; Prokom; Balice airport; McDonald's; Polmos Toruń

Thanks to the sale of the Huta Zawiercie steel mill, Impexmetal can now concentrate on building a new strategy, to be announced in Q4 this year. The company's debts amount to zł. 160 million. Impexmetal will earn over zł. 100 million on the transaction which is to be finalized later this year. The new mill owner, US-based Commercial Metals International, will pay zł. 200 million for the assets. (Puls Biznesu, p. 7; Parkiet, p. 4) ... Prokom Software founder Ryszard Krauze has sold almost 200,000 of his shares in the company, reducing his stake from 33.6% to 32.1%, for a price of zł. 33.4 million. (Parkiet, p. 6) ... Three low-cost air carriers have submitted offers for the use of the Balice airport in Kraków. One of the interested is Ireland's Ryanair, which wants to sign a 14 year contract, initially for four daily flights with the possibility of going up to ten daily. Two German airlines are also interested in flights to and from the same airport, one of which has proposed a five year contract. (Puls Biznesu, p. 9) ... Kowary, a leading carpet producer in the first six months of 2003 managed to record a profit for the first time in several years. At the end of July the company had zł. 220,000 with revenues standing at zł. 23.34 million. (Puls Biznesu, p. 9)... McDonald's announced plans to increase the number of its fast food outlets on the domestic market. The company recorded a 40% increase in net profit in 2002, which reached zł. 19.2 million. Revenues are up by 50% compared to 2001 and amounted to zł. 504.4 million. (Puls Biznesu, p. 9) ... The State Treasury has invited potential investors to participate in the tender for a purchase of no less than a 51% share in Polmos Toruń. Interested companies have until October 6 to submit bids. Polmos Toruń is a medium sized spirit producer with brand names like Copernicus and Sukces. (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) A.K