Briefs

New company registrations increased slightly last month by 1 per cent year on year and 21 per cent on month month to 4,906 cases, thanks to strong economic growth and improved consumer confidence. A total of 26,100 firms set up in Thailand from January-May, down 3 per cent from the same period last year, according to the Business Development Department.
The number of companies going out of business in May also surged by 39 per cent year on year and 18 per cent month on month to 948 cases.
Deputy Commerce Minister Siriwat Kachornprasart said yesterday that there was no significant reason for more closures last month as the major causes for shutting down are the end of export quotas, bidding for contracts and conflict between partners.
A total of 4,532 firms were folded in the first five months of this year.

Ministry moves to
cut fast-food prices
The Commerce Ministry aims to bring down the price of fast food by meeting with modern traders next week to persuade them to reduce revenue-sharing from vendors in their food courts.
Vatchari Vimooktayon, director-general of the Internal Trade Department, said yesterday that modern traders are causing high food prices as food sellers must mark up their prices to cover the payments to landlords.
“Modern traders should reduce their revenue-sharing from food traders to only 20 per cent, while freezing the operating cost of their distribution as some stores have planned to increase the cost to 15 per cent,” she said.
According to the department, modern traders are collecting 27-35 per cent of the sales of food stalls. The department has said it plans to control the price of cooked food at Bt30-Bt35 per dish. – The Nation