SBWire

In the last few years, the Slovenian government put a great deal of effort into preventing the expansion of obesity, which is at the same level as in other EU countries. Special concern is now focused on child obesity. In 1987, Slovenia had 16% of boys and girls aged six to 19 years who were overweight and obese. In 2007, it was 29% for boys and 24% for girls. This, along with the rising trend of active lifestyles, ensured current value growth of 9% in weight management, to reach EUR6 million in...

Sanitary protection, which is the largest and most developed tissue and hygiene category in Belarus, in terms of retail value sales, saw increased demand in 2011, despite the country's economic crisis. Sanitary protection is seen as a necessity by the majority of females in Belarus, which drove the volume sales growth seen in 2011.

In the last few years, Slovenians were more aware of taking personal responsibility for their health. Vitamins and dietary supplements cover almost all areas of life, and the health issues of each individual. Vitamins and dietary supplements help not only to treat health problems, but also, even more importantly, they can prevent the emergence of different problems. Due the rise in the natural way of life, consumers would mostly rather take vitamins and dietary supplements than chemical drugs.

Specialist coffee shops have traditionally been popular in Bulgaria as a place for socialising with friends. This remained true after multinational chains entered the area during the review period. This is also the case for bars and pubs, which remain popular amongst Bulgarians looking for somewhere to socialise during the evening. Although the financial crisis impeded the growth plans of some companies, the area was not severely affected by the downturn as a whole as the visiting of coffee...

Venezuela's tradition for smokeless tobacco can be entirely attributed to an artisanal local variety known as chimo. This product was considered marginal and restricted to rural areas up to 2000 but since then has begun to appear among urban youths. Anti-drug groups have become concerned about its heavy consumption among young students (consumers are typically aged between 13 and 25 according to the NGO Catedra Libre Antidrogas) and the products are often laced with addictive additives.

ICT in education sector consists of the implementation of various IT tools / applications which help facilitate imparting of better and efficient educational services. The market size was estimated to be valued a little over INR 40 bn in 2011. Encouraging Government initiatives and need for better and high quality educational services is boosting the ICT usage in education.

The in vitro diagnostics market in India has gathered momentum in the last few years. Several companies, both domestic as well as foreign are entering the business with enthusiasm due to the tremendous growth the industry has been experiencing. The steadily growing number of medical centers in the country along with the ever increasing patient population will result in a growing target base of consumers which in turn will result the market to exhibit steady growth in future.

Movies & Entertainment: Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Movies & Entertainment industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis on a global, regional and country basis.

Defense Spending - North America (NAFTA) Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Defense Spending industry in each of the North American Free Trade Agreement (United States, Canada, and Mexico) countries. The report includes easily comparable data on market value, volume, segmentation and market share, plus full five year market forecasts. It examines future problems, innovations and potential growth areas within the market.

Specialty Chemicals: Global Industry Guide is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the Specialty Chemicals industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, textual analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, and profiles of the leading companies. This incisive report provides expert analysis on a global, regional and country basis.

Global Market Direct's pharmaceuticals report, "Neovacs SA - Product Pipeline Review - 2012" provides data on the Neovacs SA's research and development focus. The report includes information on current developmental pipeline, complete with latest updates, and features on discontinued and dormant projects.

In 2011, current value sales of dishwashing products increased by 5%, which was the same growth rate as the CAGR in the review period 2006-2011. Indeed, the growing penetration of dishwashers in Portugal continued to have a positive impact on sales of dishwashing products, in particular automatic dishwashing products. Moreover, the economic crisis and weaker disposable incomes encouraged consumers to stay in and eat at home, boosting sales of dishwashing products.

This category continued to grow alongside the growth of the literacy rate in the country, and also doctors spreading the word about these products, particularly in rural areas, had a significant impact on demand. Moreover, people are increasingly aware of the possible infections that can result if wounds are cared for ineffectively, so they increasingly take precautionary measures.

Sports nutrition sales are dominated by protein powder. The increase in sales can be attributed to more education and self-awareness. More young people are practicing sports such as rugby as a hobby or part-time job, which has affected the level of growth. It is no longer for a particular group of professionals only.

Despite the high costs of dentist treatments encouraging a growing number Portuguese consumers to take better care of their oral health, thus encouraging sales of adult mouth care products, many consumers remain reluctant to spend money on things that are not considered a primary necessity, such as mouth care products.

Successful product innovation and continued consumer appreciation of the convenience of wipes ensured a sales increase of 3% in 2011. The sustainability trend could have encouraged consumers to buy cloth alternatives if it were not for the availability of products made from recycled materials.

BMI View: Although the latest statistical data indicates an increase in construction activity in H112, reports from the ground indicate that the reconstruction effects are not taking place uniformly or at the same pace across Japan, with several factors (ie, radiation fears, slow debris clearance and concrete shortages) causing delays in rebuilding certain prefectures. Therefore, we believe that the reconstruction efforts could take place over a longer time-frame. As such, we have revised down our real growth construction forecasts for 2012 to 3.9% (previously 4.1%) and revised up our forecasts for 2013 and 2014 to 2.1% and 0.8% respectively (previously 1.8% and 0.1%).

The Bahrain Retail Report examines the long-term potential of the local consumer market, but flags shortterm concerns about the impact on Bahrain's economic outlook of the ongoing political crisis.

Canada's mining sector will remain one of the steadiest growth stories in the Americas region thanks to a diversified mineral commodity basket and growing demand from abroad. Canada mineral commodity production is diversified across base and precious metals as well as industrial minerals. The country is a top ten global producer of zinc, lead, iron ore, nickel, copper, gold, silver, uranium and potash. The mining sector is one of the most important industries to the Canadian economy not only from a production standpoint but also because it is home to some of the world's largest mining company headquarters. Because historical production has focused primarily on serving North American markets faster growth in emerging markets in Asia and elevated metals prices are encouraging mining companies to develop Canada's mineral potential.

The new plastic dispensing closures, with a non-returnable valve, were first introduced by Heinz Foods in 2008 and were adopted by many brand owners over the review period. This new closure innovation focusses on convenience and helped to fuel strong retail unit volume growth for rigid plastic within sauces, dressings and condiments packaging in 2011. As a result, HDPE and PET packaging recorded significant growth and secured a strong position within areas like ketchup, barbeque sauce, table...

The increase in organised retailing drove the growth of home furnishings in 2011. The other major factors were the rising demand for housing, increased consumer interest in home decor products and rise in demand for premium brands. The increasing population of working women and rural women moving to urban areas and subsequently decorating their home interiors were also factors for growth in 2011.

Following the passing of Resolution 45/2011 by the Ministry of Industry, imports of DVD players and BD players and their component parts are now strictly controlled by the Argentinean government. The government has installed a system of non-automatic import licenses in order to protect domestic production of consumer electronics products. This is combined with the application of a lower VAT rate of 10.5% applied to products produced in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina's southernmost province, much...

The highly affected by the crisis Romanian economy experienced modest growth in 2011, with consumers still income-restrained. Economic instability and domestic consumption characterised by post-crisis shock were factors that hindered the evolution of the market. However, a more modern consumer lifestyle and increasing attention on discretionary needs, growing product variety and the fact that the Romanian market has a long way to go to become mature, reflected in a positive growth rate in 2011.

Trio Consulting, an independent DAU Certified Equivalent Provider (CEP), recently announced the addition of their newest DAU certification, continuing their curriculum expansion, with the addition of Intermediate Systems Planning, Research, Development, and Engineering, Part II (SYS 203). This supports a growing need for more access to effective, certified training for a range of defense-related careers. Trio will offer SYS 203 at its Lake Ridge, VA facility, starting Dec. 17. This course allows students to apply the Department of Defense systems engineering processes and techniques learned in SYS 202, while working in integrated product teams. Participants will learn to apply systems engineering technical processes and technical management processes to a defense system as it is developed across various phases of the acquisition lifecycle. This course is a critical requirement for the Systems Planning, Research, Development and Engineering—Systems Engineering (SPRDE-SE) Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Level II certification. Click on the link for information on BCF 211 Acquisition Business Management.