Person of the Week

Didier Hauret, Le Clos du Grand Riou vineyard, Loire Valley

Didier has setup a business that produces Dionysox, a drink made from the skins and other residue of grapes, which he sells as a dietary supplement. With revenue from wine consumption falling in France, an attempt is underway within the industry to tap into the teetotal market. "Personally I would prefer to drink the wine. But some people prefer to have the health benefits without the alcohol," he said.

Quote of the Week

"In Spain we are to the cap of the English and their lack of education when dealing Spanish affairs. Here we just say that no wonder they have so few British bathrooms on floors and in most cases they share."

A (rough) translation of a Spanish reader comment from a recent FT blog which dealt with a Spanish minister blaming evil speculators for talking down the country's economy

Facts of the week

Transport contract awarded for 2012

Valued at £20 million, the contract is one of the biggest transport deals to be awarded for London 2012

• First Group will provide almost 1,000 buses and coaches for venue shuttle services, park-and-ride schemes to get spectators to venues and express coach services for the Olympic Park and Weymouth.
• The company will also provide management of the direct coach operations and a bus and coach reservations and ticketing system, as well as operational staff at all bus and coach locations.
• Contracts to transport members of the Olympic family and athletes, requiring a further 1,500 buses and coaches, are still to be awarded.

Source: timesonline.co.uk

Rio de Janeiro clamps down on beach trading

Future World Cup and Olympic host clamps down on informal trade

• Labelled a "Shock Order" programme by the City's mayor, an endeavour is underway to crack down on cleanliness and order on Rio's beaches.
• Noting that, in recent years, residents identified so much with that public space that they began to want to use it as if it were their own, mayor Eduardo Paes has outlawed the sale of boiled corn and freshly cooked foods like steak and shrimp on the sand, amongst other new requirements.
• In the first month of operation officials confiscated 2,375 items including portable grills, drinks, push carts, clothes and cooking utensils.
• Beach vendors are one of the most visible informal economies within the city and it has led some traders to argue that the city should focus on better regulation of the traders themselves.
• However, Rio's secretary for public order has said, "You can't think of hosting a World Cup in 2014 and an Olympics in 2016 and not have a city that is ready to abide minimally by its own rules."

Source: nytimes.com

Article of the week

EP Condense is EP's weekly e-newsletter. But did you know that EP is also a bimonthly magazine available via subscription? Our Article of the Week provides a sample of what we have featured in past issue.

This week we feature a story from the EP archives. It is a business feature entitled "Fuller's pride". EP met with Simon Emeny, Managing Director, Fuller's Inns in order to talk about the pubs sector, and about the future direction of a growing business, whose rich heritage dates back over 100 years.