Makro to close two outlets
The Makro Taiwan Ltd (萬客隆) announced yesterday that it will shut down two outlets, one in Tainan and one in Kaohsiung, local TVBS reported, citing a marketing manager from the store surnamed Wang.
He said the closures, which are expected to affect about 200 workers, is part of the company's business streamlining plan.
Makro, a joint venture between Taiwan's Feng Chun Group (豐群集團) and the Holland-based company, opened its doors in Taiwan 14 years ago. Following the closures, Makro will have six outlets remaining in Taiwan.
TSMC waits for the Cabinet
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that the Cabinet will make a decision in early February whether it will allow Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to build a chip plant in China.
During a news briefing yesterday, Yu said that there's been no change in the government's plan to allow the chipmaker to invest in China. But because TSMC needs to provide more information to supplement its investment application, the government has to take added time to review the proposal, he said.
CAL seeks China's approval
China Airlines Co (華航) said yesterday it had submitted an application with China's aviation authorities to provide indirect chartered-flight services between Shanghai and Taipei during the Lunar New Year holiday.
China Airlines spokesman Roger Han (韓梁中) confirmed that the carrier has filed the application with the Civil Aviation Administration of China but declined to give further details, such as the date of the flight, on the grounds that the application is still awaiting approval by Beijing.
Other air carriers including EVA Airways (長榮), Far East Air Transport (遠東), TransAsia Airways (復興), UNI Airways (立榮) and Mandarin Airlines (華信), were tight-lipped on their application plans.
CPC may boost gas prices
State-owned Chinese Petroleum Corp (中油) said there's room for the company to raise petroleum prices, Chairman Kuo Chin-tsai (郭進財) told lawmakers Wednesday.
Kuo said the company will be closely watching the world oil market after prices surged to US$31.97 per barrel, a 23-month high, this week.
Concerns over a strike in Venezuela, a major oil producer, and the threat of a US invasion of Iraq, are sources of concern for Chinese Petroleum, he said.
Taiwan rules notebook market
Taiwan companies will account for 62 percent of world's notebook PC production this year, a local newspaper said, citing output targets of local makers.
The two largest suppliers, Quanta Computer Inc (廣達電腦) and Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶電腦), which will made more than half of Taiwan's notebook computers this year, plan to increase output next year to 12.5 million units from this year's 9.5 million, the report said.
Quanta and Compal share Dell Computer Corp, Hewlett Packard Co and Acer Inc as customers, while Quanta also supplies NEC Corp and Compal supplies Toshiba Corp, the report said.
NT declines against US dollar
The New Taiwan dollar traded weaker against its US counterpart yesterday, amid a thin trading. The local currency dropped NT$0.018 against the greenback to close at NT$34.868 on the Taipei foreign exchange market.
Turnover was US$270 million, compared with the previous day's US$134 million.
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