Romanian carmaker Dacia, owned by French group Renault, will launch two family car models this year, a minivan that will cost EUR 14,800, which could be called Popster, and a city car derived from a light commercial vehicle, according to L'Automobile Magazine.

Fewer Romanian companies suspended their activity in January this year compared to the same month in 2010, which could be one of the signs of incipient economic revival. The number of companies that stopped activity went down by 55.7 percent, to around 2,600, compared to the same month last year, according to the National Trade Registry (ONRC).

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer will buy the Danish food supplements producer Ferrosan Consumer Health, which owns a factory on the Romanian market, in Cluj – Napoca. The deal is expected to be closed in the second half of the year and will mark Pfizer's direct entry on production in Romania, after being present on the market only as importer.

Romanian music and video sharing website Trilulilu.ro has signed an agreement with Universal Music, the biggest record label in the world, allowing the website to stream any song licensed by Universal Music, even if the songs are uploaded by the website's users. These songs will however only be available for users in Romania. The deal consists in splitting advertising revenues between Trilulilu and Universal Music.

Romanian pharmaceutical producer Biofarm saw its net profit dropping by 26 percent last year, to EUR 3.45 million, according to preliminary financial data sent to the Bucharest Stock Exchange (symbol BIO), where the company is listed. Its operational profit was however up 22 percent compared to 2009, to EUR 3.9 million.

Aluminium producer Alro posted a preliminary net profit of USD 50.4 million last year, almost double on the previous year, the company has announced. Its turnover was of USD 570 million, up on the EUR 334 million posted the year before. The company paid a profit tax of EUR 7.9 million, while its other taxes amounted to EUR 19 million. RON 80 million.

Investors from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuweit and Qatar are interested in placing their money in Romania in sectors like agriculture, infrastructure and the financial sector, with a budget of minimum USD 20 million per project, according to Forum Invest, which will organize a business forum in this topic in Bucharest.

Swiss Daniel Bach (in picture) will be the new general manager of Holcim Romania from the beginning of April, replacing Markus Wirth, who will end his six-year mandate at the helm of the company. Wirth will stay president of the company's Board. He will also remain head of the Swiss - Romania Chamber of Commerce until March and member of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC).

The Romanian gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 1.2 percent in 2010 from 2009, according to the National Institute of Statistics. According to the early estimations, the fourth-quarter GDP was by 0.1 percent higher than in Q3 of 2010 in real terms (seasonally adjusted data).

Era Shopping Park Oradea has signed the contract with a new anchor and plans to open the shopping mall phase of the retail project this autumn. The developers, Omilos Group, have signed the lease with clothing retailer Sprider Store, which will open a 850-sqm store in the shopping galleria. The new Sprider Stores unit will be opened mid-March.

Romanian carmaker Dacia, owned by French group Renault, will launch two family car models this year, a minivan that will cost EUR 14,800, which could be called Popster, and a city car derived from a light commercial vehicle, according to L'Automobile Magazine.

Fewer Romanian companies suspended their activity in January this year compared to the same month in 2010, which could be one of the signs of incipient economic revival. The number of companies that stopped activity went down by 55.7 percent, to around 2,600, compared to the same month last year, according to the National Trade Registry (ONRC).

American pharmaceutical company Pfizer will buy the Danish food supplements producer Ferrosan Consumer Health, which owns a factory on the Romanian market, in Cluj – Napoca. The deal is expected to be closed in the second half of the year and will mark Pfizer's direct entry on production in Romania, after being present on the market only as importer.

Romanian music and video sharing website Trilulilu.ro has signed an agreement with Universal Music, the biggest record label in the world, allowing the website to stream any song licensed by Universal Music, even if the songs are uploaded by the website's users. These songs will however only be available for users in Romania. The deal consists in splitting advertising revenues between Trilulilu and Universal Music.

Romanian pharmaceutical producer Biofarm saw its net profit dropping by 26 percent last year, to EUR 3.45 million, according to preliminary financial data sent to the Bucharest Stock Exchange (symbol BIO), where the company is listed. Its operational profit was however up 22 percent compared to 2009, to EUR 3.9 million.

Aluminium producer Alro posted a preliminary net profit of USD 50.4 million last year, almost double on the previous year, the company has announced. Its turnover was of USD 570 million, up on the EUR 334 million posted the year before. The company paid a profit tax of EUR 7.9 million, while its other taxes amounted to EUR 19 million. RON 80 million.

Investors from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuweit and Qatar are interested in placing their money in Romania in sectors like agriculture, infrastructure and the financial sector, with a budget of minimum USD 20 million per project, according to Forum Invest, which will organize a business forum in this topic in Bucharest.

Swiss Daniel Bach (in picture) will be the new general manager of Holcim Romania from the beginning of April, replacing Markus Wirth, who will end his six-year mandate at the helm of the company. Wirth will stay president of the company's Board. He will also remain head of the Swiss - Romania Chamber of Commerce until March and member of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC).

The Romanian gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 1.2 percent in 2010 from 2009, according to the National Institute of Statistics. According to the early estimations, the fourth-quarter GDP was by 0.1 percent higher than in Q3 of 2010 in real terms (seasonally adjusted data).

Era Shopping Park Oradea has signed the contract with a new anchor and plans to open the shopping mall phase of the retail project this autumn. The developers, Omilos Group, have signed the lease with clothing retailer Sprider Store, which will open a 850-sqm store in the shopping galleria. The new Sprider Stores unit will be opened mid-March.