In Brief: Industrial output figures; Polar; Tourism; Zlote Tarasy delayed

Industrial output slumped has slumped by 4.1% as compared to May 2001, and 1.6% since April, the Central Statistical Office (GUS) reported on Wednesday. This was more than double what some analysts had forecast earlier this month. (Reuters) ... Domestic household goods producer Polar will lay off 872 out of its 1,900 employees. The decision is a result of an agreement between the management and trade unions. These redundancies are part of a restructuring program which aims to quickly integrate Polar with its owner, the American Whirpool concern. (Puls Biznesu, p. 4) ... According to the Tourism Institute (IT), the number of tourists coming to Poland will slowly increase, reversing the recent trend. Last year tourists spent $4.9 billion in Poland, which was down $1.2 billion as compared to 2000. (Prawo i Gospodarka, p. 8) ... The start of construction on the zl. 1 billion development project Zlote Tarasy in central Warsaw will be delayed by one month. The general contractor for the project will be announced in the middle of July (Puls Biznesu, p. 8) M.T