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Establishing a successful brand is vital for any business to survive, and a huge part of that brand is the unified design work that runs across all print media and marketing communications. This will often be the first thing that people see from a business, and making a great first impression is exceptionally important. It’s little wonder that the corporate branding and design industry is going from strength to strength.

Boxers is the leading type of men's underwear followed by briefs. Manufacturers are focusing on the design as young men prefer colourful rubber bands. However, the package of two single-coloured boxers was the most popular in Greece due to the special price offer.

The majority of people who still smoke are well-aware of the health impact of smoking, but nonetheless choose to continue. The declining trend in NRT smoking cessation aids is leading to a lack of interest amongst manufacturers.

Clothing accessories was the most dynamic category within apparel in 2011. Belts, gloves, hats/caps, scarves and ties were popular among French consumers, especially those aged less than 35 years old, as they offered an easy and affordable way to refresh their existing wardrobe. Sales of clothing accessories therefore increased by 3% in 2011 in current value terms.

Fast Market Research recommends "Venezuela Mining Report 2012" from Business Monitor International, now available

BMI expects the Thailand IT market will grow by around 12% in 2012 which is an upwards revision, following strong growth in 2011, despite the impact of the floods. In 2012 consumer electronics spending is expected to be driven by an improving economy and salary increases for civil servants and others. Spending growth was buoyant in 2011, with vendors reporting double-digit growth in spending on products such as flat-screen TV sets. In future, a record low unemployment rate of 0.9% should provide support for continued consumer spending, but in our view the main driver will be product innovation such as LED and 3D TV sets, tablets and smartphones.

On account of unfavourable domestic and external conditions, we do not envisage a pick-up in Slovenia's levels of consumer confidence in the course of 2012. Ongoing deleveraging at the household and corporate level and stubbornly high unemployment (expected to rise to 12.9% by the end of 2012) mean operating conditions for many food and drink companies are still very challenging, with higher-end sectors finding things particularly tough. We have also recently downgraded Slovenia's 2012 real GDP growth forecast, expecting the economy to slip into recession.

Changes in consumer habits drove the development of vending machines, with these coming about as a consequence of rising urbanisation, marked increases in population size within cities, rising disposable incomes and more hectic lifestyles. Some of these developments gave rise to a trend for snacking, which led to the emergence of machines offering carbonated drinks, confectionery and sweet and savoury snacks. Many of these were well-known international brands, meaning they were easily...

In 2011, Hertz maintained its second place in the car rental market, by introducing a number of innovative and convenient services, expanding non-airport locations and carrying out aggressive marketing and communication efforts. The company's main challenge going forward is to secure federal approval to acquire US-based Dollar Thrifty. Through this acquisition, Hertz is hoping to diversify its brand portfolio further and gain substantial market share.

BMI has revised up estimates for the mobile market over our forecast period to 2016. Growth, though muted, exceeded BMI expectations in Q411, according to end-of-year figures from INDEC. The figures state that there were 57.91mn subscribers in the Argentine market at the end of 2011. The market has hit 142% penetration. There are signs that growth is beginning to slow, which is expected in a market that is so highly penetrated. Net additions totalled just 351,000 in Q112, following Q411's 1.53mn.

BMI View: We believe that the economic slowdown in China is dampening capital expenditure for mining and infrastructure projects in Australia. This is a major downside risk to the construction sector and we have revised down our 2012 real growth forecast accordingly, from 1.5% to 0.5%.

The India Insurance Report considers the prospects for both life and non-life insurers in the country. As of mid-2012, the latest developments indicate that life insurers continue to deal with the clampdown on the selling of unit-linked insurance plans (ULIPs) by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) - notwithstanding that the regulator has eased the rules slightly. In part because of the move against the sales of ULIPs, partly because of more general uncertainty over the regulator's view in relation to single-premium products and partly due to an exodus of agents from the industry, new business premiums shrunk in the year ending March 2012 (which is identified as 2011 in the tables in this report). Nevertheless, overall life premiums appear likely to have risen at high single-digit rates.

BMI View: With the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) taking a surprisingly hawkish turn in its latest monetary policy review, the country's commercial banking sector will not only have to grapple with an economy that is expected to sharply slowdown in the months ahead, but also with a more hostile monetary policy environment. While the question of which group of banks (state or private) is more vulnerable could prove to be immaterial, as these two overriding factors are unlikely to spare either over the longer term, we prefer state banks given the lower leverage. Even though Sri Lankan commercial banks are not as integrated with the domestic economy as compared to their South Asian regional peers, the industry will still feel the full brunt of the slowdown in real GDP growth we expect this year (see our online service, February 14 2012, 'Growth Slowdown Inevitable'). We estimate that total banking sector assets as a percentage of GDP in the country stood at 49.2% in 2011, below the estimated regional average of 61.1%. While the industry has slowly returned to its pre- 2008 levels - assets as a percentage of GDP fell markedly to 44.2% in 2008 from 50.0% in the preceding year - we believe that 2012 will mark a temporary hiatus to the recent upward momentum. We are pencilling in real GDP growth of 6.0% this year from an estimated 7.9% in 2011, with banking sector asset growth plunging to 12.0% from an estimated 21.5%. CBSL Targets Loan Growth Against the backdrop of a slowing economy, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL)'s hawkish turn in early February represents a twin blow for the industry in 2012. To be sure, even though the central bank has been dovish on interest rates over the past three years, we note that it decided to increase the reserve ratio by 100 basis points (bps) last April. In its February monetary policy review, the CBSL stated the need to restrain private sector credit growth by commercial banks to stem import-related credit (to ease balance of payments pressures) and to 'ensure' that inflation remains low. Firstly, it decided to increase borrowing costs by 50bps (taking the reverse repo rate to 9.00%). Perhaps more importantly, the CBSL directed commercial banks to moderate disbursements to make sure that annual loan growth this year does not exceed 18%. Considering that loan growth came in at an estimated 30%, the mandated fall in 2012 will undoubtedly prove costly for the industry. Stress in the banking system has certainly increased over recent months. The overnight Sri Lanka Inter Bank Offered Rate (SLIBOR), which largely remained stable in 2011, has been extremely volatile since November. Indeed, the overnight SLIBOR has ticked up from 8.05% in the end of October to 9.67% as of February 27 - a 162bps increase. Which Banks Will Fall First? Even though state banks will likely be induced to limit loans more aggressively than private banks (especially if the latter refuse to do so), the fact that

Beer (retail) in Poland by Mintel Global Market Navigator provides you with annual year-end market size data, most recently updated in 2012. This market covers packaged extra strong, strong, standard, light and no alcohol beers.Market size is based on sales through all retail channels (off trade) including direct to consumer. Market size for Beer (retail) in Poland is given in %, PLN, USD and litres with a minimum of five years' historical data. Market Forecast is provided for five years. Included with this snapshot is socio-economic data for Poland. Population, Consumer Price Index (CPI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Exchange Rates.

This report is the result of ICD Research / Strategic Defence Intelligence's extensive market and company research covering the South Korean defense industry. It provides detailed analysis of both historic and forecast defense industry values including key growth stimulators, analysis of the leading companies in the industry, and key news..

BMI View: There remains a sense of slow but steady progress in Bahrain's investment climate. The government's decision to move for a US-dollar denominated bond issue, as part of efforts to provide more funding for social issues, is a positive sign and the ratings agencies have maintained the sovereign's previous foreign currency issuer ratings. Though no major new water projects have been announced in Q212, there is no sign of change in the government's commitment to the water sector and for private developers to play a major part in rolling out new capacity in terms of both desalinated water and treated wastewater.

BMI's Q312 telecommunications market report includes analysis of Denmark's mobile, fixed-line, broadband and pay-TV markets. The report contains analysis of the trends and developments in technologies, operator strategies, regulatory issues, acquisitions, service deployments, investment in network infrastructure and operator performance. It draws on operator data for the country's mobile, broadband, fixed-line and pay-TV markets covering the period to the end of March 2012 and regulatory data covering the first half of 2011. Data are sourced from Denmark's leading network operators TDC, Telia Denmark and Telenor Denmark for both the mobile and wireline markets, as well as data released by Hutchison Whampoa for 3 Denmark for FY11. It is the first time the parent company has released data for 3 Denmark as a standalone operation. Finally, the report contains our five-year forecasts for the mobile, fixed-voice and broadband subscriber markets, as well as for monthly blended mobile average revenue per user (ARPU) through to 2016.

BMI View: Japan has generally recovered well from the March 2011 earthquake, but the country's underlying long-term economic weaknesses remain and will make their impact felt across the agribusiness industries we cover. Rice production has been the sector most affected in the aftermath of the quake, with significant areas of farmland near Fukushima under a cultivation ban. Poultry facilities have been largely replenished, and poultry looks to be the strongest performer in livestock consumption at the expense of beef, which will stagnate in the face of slow economic growth. Demand for soybean will fall in line with this lower demand for beef, as well as because of high prices in world markets.

GlobalData's report, Styrene Industry Outlook in Germany to 2016 - Market Size, Company Share, Price Trends, Capacity Forecasts of All Active and Planned Plants provides an in-depth coverage of Germany Styrene industry. The research presents major market trends affecting the Styrene industry in Germany. The report covers Germany Styrene plants and presents installed capacity by process and technology. In addition, it presents Styrene demand and production forecasts, end use demand forecasts, price trends, trade balance data and company shares of the major Styrene producers in Germany. Overall, the report presents a comprehensive coverage of Germany Styrene industry including all the major parameters.