Innovation is the main engine of Novartis's growth and Slovenia will continue to play a crucial role in innovative technologies, chairman of Novartis-owned pharma company Lek, Zvone Bogdanovski, told the STA in an interview. He highlighted Lek's centre for the production of active substances for innovative medicines in Mengeš.
Slovenia's hardware retailer Merkur Trgovina, which was sold the US fund HPS Investment Partners more than a year ago, posted a net profit of 9.7 million euro in 2018, up nearly 26% from 2017. Its sales revenue rose to 231 million euro, up by over 12% from 2015.
Dnevnik says on Saturday national motorway company DARS plans to select the contractor for the second tube of the Karavanke tunnel by inviting six bidders to talks, but notes that such talks can be a dodgy business.
A photovoltaic array in Jesenice has become the first solar power plant in Slovenia installed on an apartment block. The EUR 36,400 installation operated by energy group GEN-I should pay for itself in seven years and GEN-I expects more such projects to follow given recent legislative changes.
Revenue from foreign tourists visiting Slovenia reached EUR 2.71bn in 2018, up almost 12% from 2017, data from the central bank show.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has placed the project to build a new railway line between the port of Koper and Divača among the projects it would finance with loans. The state-owned company managing the project said that the EIB would provide a EUR 250m loan.
The Competition Protection Agency has cleared the takeover of poultry producer Perutnina Ptuj, paving the way for the sale of steel group SIJ's 91% stake to Ukrainian poultry group MHP.