Germany’s Rhenus Group has agreed to acquire the mainland European activities of UK-based Wincanton Group, it has been announced.

Wincanton’s German and French businesses generate revenues of approximately €550 million and employ 3,000 people. The companies’ activities are predominantly in contract logistics and intermodal transportation.

Canadian engineering and construction group SNC-Lavalin has been awarded a contract by Emirates Aluminium Company (EMAL) for phase II of its smelter in Al Taweelah in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi.

The contract involves the engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) services for a new aluminium smelter, including a 1,000 MW power plant and a 1.7 km-long potline, the longest ever built.

UK budget hotel operator Travelodge is to spend £135 million on expansion within and around the country’s national parks.

The company said it is responding to the rise in the number of people staying in or near the UK’s 15 national parks.

The Travelodge property team is prioritising a search for 37 sites in total, with key locations including Aviemore in the Cairngorns, Betws-y-Coed in Snowdonia, Grasmere in the Lake District and Minehead on Exmoor.

Anheuser-Busch InBev, the brewer of Budweiser, Becks and Stella Artois, has reported rising profits in the second quarter of 2011.

The world’s largest brewer announced net profit of $1.6 billion in 2Q11, up 11.3 percent from $1.440 billion in 2Q10. Total revenue grew 3.7 percent in the quarter, driven by brand building strategies and the implementation of revenue management best practices, the company said in a statement.

The first new aluminium smelter to be built in the Arabian Gulf in 25 years has become a catalyst for industrial growth in the region, helping to make Oman an attractive destination for multinationals to locate facilities.

David Falzani, CEO of business consultancy Polaris Associates and president of the Sainsbury Management Fellowship, says engineers need to get a taste for marketing.

When the opportunity came along to develop a local crisp I jumped at the chance. The client, Quex Foods, manages 2,000 acres in Kent. After years of supplying the multiples, they wanted higher value-add products and suspected that crisps could do the trick.

After almost 115 years in business, Godrej Industries has an excellent track record in ethical behaviour. Managing director Nadir Godrej explains to Gay Sutton how good labour relations and environmental best practice have helped to promote growth.

The last 10 years have witnessed an incredible blossoming in the Indian economy, and one of the companies playing a key role in promoting India as a producer of quality chemical products is Godrej Industries, part of the Godrej Group.

It has already won the bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup; and when it comes to liquefied natural gas (LNG), Qatar is the undisputed world leader. Ras Laffan City has scored a hat trick over the last year by achieving 77 million tons of LNG production capacity, 5,000 LNG tanker calls, and the loading of six massive LNG tankers at the same time.

Parmalat South Africa’s operations director Hannes Wagener and marketing executive Cathy Eve talk to Gay Sutton about expanding the market for quality and innovative dairy products and increasing operational efficiency.

Sam Howard speaks to Willie Wood, senior sustainable horticulture manager at Chingford Fruit Limited, to find out how partnerships with producers and growers worldwide are impacting the products found on UK supermarket shelves.