It’s taken Spark ATM Systems under five years to deploy a nationwide network of ATMs across South Africa, using cutting-edge technology and based on a strong ethos of customer service. Managing director Marc Sternberg talks to Gay Sutton about the innovations behind this success and the plan to capture 50 per cent of the market in the next two years.

US sportswear and equipment supplier NIKE has reported revenues of $20.9 billion for the fiscal year ending 31 May 2011, a ten percent rise over the previous year.

Diluted earnings per share for both the quarter and full year hit record highs.

“In fiscal year 2011, we delivered exceptional results in extraordinary times,” said Mark Parker, president and CEO.

Chinese regulators have approved Diageo’s acquisition of an additional four per cent stake in Sichuan Chengdu Quanxing Group, a Chinese white spirits company.

The deal is worth £13 million, Diageo said.

Once completed, the four per cent transfer will bring Diageo’s holding in Quanxing to 53 per cent.

Diageo has agreed to facilitate financing for Quanxing of up to approximately £193 million for the development of its main business.

Jeff Daniels looks at an emergency service that knows no bounds to its possibilities.

Like many an African country, Botswana has a few large-ish urban centres where a sizeable but minority proportion of the population live, and then lots of wide open spaces where the remainder of the two million inhabitants are to be found (if you look hard enough—Botswana still has around 10,000 Bushmen living a nomadic life, much as they have for centuries).

There’s work to be done in Africa, the Middle East and—following the lead it took in the movement that is being called Arab Spring—in Egypt itself. Eng Hisham el Kheshen, CEO of Samcrete Development, and Yahia Adly, business development director of Samcrete Investments, tell John O’Hanlon how the group is ready to do its part.

Offshore Marine Management is deftly responding to gaps in the market provided by the expansion of the renewable energy sector and the investment being poured into it, moving from human capital to project management to business critical support partner with proven offshore experience.

In less than five years, IMPERIAL Air Cargo has captured around 50 per cent of the market share in overnight express airfreight services in South Africa. Ben Sansom reports.

IMPERIAL Air Cargo is a specialist in overnight express airfreight services within South Africa, and operates as part of the Integrated Services division of IMPERIAL Logistics, alongside other companies such as e-Logics, IMPERIAL Security Services, Megafreight, Paltrack, Pragma, Volition and IMPERIAL On-line.

HMV Canada has been sold to British retail restructuring specialist Hilco UK for £2.05 million as part of HMV Group’s plans to reduce debt and secure its main business in the UK.

Hilco UK will also provide HMV Canada with up to C$25 million in working capital to fund the Canadian management team's plans for the continued evolution of the business.

A Chinese company has placed an order to purchase 582 Saab vehicles with a total value of €13 million from Saab Automobile, offering the company a short reprieve from its financial difficulties.

The order will allow the beleaguered car maker to pay its employees’ wages and make partial supplier payments.

Meanwhile, Swedish Automobile and Saab Automobile are continuing discussions with several parties in the hope of securing additional short-term funding to restart production.