Upskill in international expansion : Midlands : Insider News : Insider Media Ltd

Ilkeston-based training company Upskill is expanding overseas after winning contacts in Malaysia and Dubai.

Upskill has signed a formal agreement with the Open University of Malaysia, based in the capital Kuala Lumpur and with 60 educational centres nationwide that will use its management development programmes. The initial contract is worth £60,000, but Upskill, which is ran by brothers Frank and Mick Dunne, said there is significant potential for growth.

The company has also won a second international contract with Al Futtaim Carillion – an organisation based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and jointly owned with major British support services and construction company Carillion – to train senior managers on high-profile projects.

via insidermedia.com

It has been our experience, during the past 20 years, that education is big in those parts of the world. We see a lot of franchised education offers in our international expansion business.

Brazil M&A activity drops in first quarter - new international expansion opportunity

By Rogerio Jelmayer

SAO PAULO (MarketWatch) -- Mergers and acquisitions in Brazil dropped in the first quarter due to economic slowdown and high comparison basis, the Brazilian Association of Financial and Capital Market Institutions, or Anbima, said late Thursday.

via marketwatch.com

The current slowdown in Brazil is an opportunity for companies expanding internationally. While the locals are afraid, the outsider can spot opportunities and establish a beachhead without running into as much competition.

International expansion costly for Expedia

Due to international expansion and technology investment, Expedia profits shrink. 

Hotel revenues, its largest business, were up 16%. Advertising and media, second-largest, rose 23%. 

The dispute with American Airlines dispute hurt its air business, which came in third, but was only up 6%.

American Airlines are again on Expedia (as of April 4).

International expansion in the airlines business continues

International expansion in the airlines business continues. This time, it is the SkyMiles partners adding transatlantic flights. Why not if you can sell business class tickets for $5-9,000?

Here is what PRNewswire reported on March 25, 2011

 -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and the Air France-KLM Group (OTC: AFLYY) kick off a major international expansion this week with new flights connecting Florida with three major European cities: London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Delta will launch daily new nonstop service between Miami

 and London

's Heathrow Airport on March 26. On March 27, KLM begins new nonstop flights between Miami and its hub in Amsterdam four days weekly. And on June 11, Air France will inaugurate new nonstop service between Orlando and its Paris hub three days weekly.

The airlines will operate the new Florida flights under their industry-leading trans-Atlantic joint venture, an agreement, which also includes Alitalia, that allows the partners to coordinate flights and share costs and revenues of the service. 

In conjunction with its new service between Miami and London, Delta is also adding new nonstop service between Miami and Jacksonville, Orlando and Tampa. Those flights, operated by Delta Connection carrier Comair, begin March 26 and will provide convenient connecting service for Florida customers traveling to London-Heathrow.

International expansion at consulting firm

International expansion may be key to the future of this consulting firm according to Zack's Investment Research. Here is what they have to say:

We maintain our long-term Neutral rating on Baltimore, Maryland-based FTI Consulting Inc. due to the absence of any significant driving factor in the stock. ... impressed with FTI Consulting’s one brand strategy as well as international expansion, lackluster performance in Corporate Finance and Restructuring segments and depressed margins will remain a haul.

... the company plans to bring all its acquired firms under one brand i.e. FTI Consulting by November 2011. FTI Consulting has acquired more than 25 companies over the last five years.

The company’s has also been aggressive in international expansion. During March 2011, the company announced its plans to acquire the majority of LECG Corporation’s remaining European operations. FTI Consulting intends to strengthen its already sound advisory team in U.K. and Europe via this acquisition.

The company expects to add a billion dollars in revenue over the next four years through growth and acquisitions, most of which will be from Europe, Asia and Latin America. 

International expansion of real-time airline flight information service system

If you are interested in international expansion, you may run into this company sooner or later:

Flyte Systems, a provider of airport travel information displays and digital signage content for the hospitality industry, convention centers and related businesses, announced the international expansion of its real-time airline flight information service system. The expansion will begin with hotels in South America and the Caribbean.

Flyte Systems offers a suite of products that serve the traveling public: FlyteBoard, FlytePass, FlyteChannel, FlyteTouch and FlytePad.

• FlyteBoard is a wall-, floor- or ceiling-mounted, high-definition flat panel screen for lobbies, restaurants, bars and other public areas, displaying flight information for one or more airports. 
• FlytePass combines FlyteTouch with free, secure boarding pass printing and can be provided as a stand alone or packaged in an optional all-wood kiosk or integrated metal kiosk, to match hotel décor. 
• FlyteChannel permits guests to view live airport flight information from their in-room television.
• FlyteTouch enables individual guests to search flight information using an interactive touch screen that displays real-time flight arrivals and departures for one or more airports.
• FlytePad is a mobile-ready service that delivers real-time airline information via the iPad, enabling hotel staff to provide guests with airline information anywhere and anytime.

We welcome its international expansion and think its system is a real convenience. 

Famosa toy company focuses on international expansion

International expansion is one of the strategic priorities of Famosa. It is already present in more than 50 countries, although its own organization operates only in Portugal, France, Italy, and Mexico. These and other key markets mean approximately half of its revenues.

According to Key4Communications, its strategic priority is to grow outside Spain without neglecting its leadership in the local market.

The firm has more than 500 people in several countries. Products manufacturing is based in China, as well as in Alacant and Monterrey (México) factories. Headquarters are in Madrid. 

Famosa sells two kinds of licensed products: own development, manufacture, and distribution of such brands as Ferrari, in the Feber line, or novelties such as The jungle on wheels, of Disney (which will launch in May); also, manufacture of products distributed by third parties with license, such as the Disney Phineas & Ferb line.

Online sales are not yet significant for the toy industry, but will continue to grow medium term.