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Minor International yesterday reported a net profit of Bt4.4 billion for last year, an all-time high and a 7-per-cent increase from Bt4.1 billion in 2013. Net-profit growth was attributable to improved performance by all three core business units, the company said.

The company saw significant improvement in the performance of its Bangkok hotels in the second half of the year when compared to the first six months, and expects this positive trend to continue in 2015.

Rice auction on March 6

The Commerce Ministry is scheduled to open bids for 1,008,875 tonnes of rice on March 6, as it continues to clear rice from the government’s stockpiles. This will be the second rice auction this year, after the ministry opened bidding for one million tonnes, of which it was able to sell almost 50 per cent.

For the upcoming auction, interested traders must apply to have their qualifications checked on March 5, the day before the bidding.

More Krispy Kremes

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts has expressed confidence in Asia by announcing plans to launch 60 more branches, while Thailand will have a total of 50 outlets at an investment of Bt200 million-Bt300 million within five years.

Usanee Mahagitsiri, chairman for KDN, which owns the Krispy Kreme franchise in Thailand, said the five-year plan meant there would be six to eight more branches in Bangkok and other provinces this year.

Digital renumbering

The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission has suggested that cable- and satellite-TV platform providers should reserve the first 36 channels for digital terrestrial TV channels, while those channels are currently placed between numbers 11 and 46.