Optimus looks forward to finishing the year on a high

Optimus president Jacek Krawczyk has revealed that the company's software spin-off, Optimus Technologie (OT), will be launched on the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE) in January. The creation of OT, which will be made formal at the end of the year, is the result of an agreement under which BRE Bank sold its interest in Optimus. Media group ITI Holding agreed to acquire only the part of Optimus that controls Onet.pl, Poland's leading Internet portal. According to Krawczyk, the OT launch will take place slightly later than had been anticipated, to take advantage of the fact that December is generally the best month for IT companies. Optimus itself is looking forward to an improved performance in the final months of the year. The company made a net loss of zl.7.1 million in the first three quarters, as a result of a 20% fall in revenues. However, a new advertising campaign and a recently concluded $12 million export contract with Ukraine promise that the company will finish the year on a high. (Gazeta Wyborcza, p. 28) M.K.