FRANKFURT, March 3 (Reuters) – TUI AG’s (TUIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) supervisory board gave the go-ahead for a possible initial public offering (IPO) of container shipping group Hapag-Lloyd [HPLG.UL], as TUI aims to sharpen its focus on tourism.

A partial IPO could reportedly involve the sale of shares worth about 1 billion euros ($1.4 billion), which would make it Germany’s biggest listing in more than three years.

A person close to Hapag-Lloyd’s owners said TUI will sell up to 30 percent of the company in the IPO, plus another 350 million euros worth of new shares.

Reports have put the value of Hapag-Lloyd at between 3 billion euros and 3.5 billion, meaning a placement of 30 percent could have a value of around 1 billion euros.

TUI declined to comment on the size and timing of the IPO.

Hapag-Lloyd’s other shareholder, the Albert Ballin investor group, will not sell any shares in the IPO, which is scheduled for April 15, the person said. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ For a factbox on the EMEA IPO pipeline, see [ID:nLDE71K1XB] For a dealtalk on upcoming listings, see [ID:nLDE71H0EV] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

ANCHOR INVESTOR

FRANKFURT, March 3 (Reuters) – German group Beiersdorf (BEIG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will invest close to 100 million euros ($140 million) in its Nivea product this year and call on pop star Rihanna as part of efforts to regain market share.

“Beiersdorf is investing an additional high double-digit million amount … This will strengthen Nivea in the long term,” Chief Executive Thomas Quaas said on Thursday.

The company refused to be any more specific on the exact amount to be invested, but later said it would also splash out over 1 billion euros on the marketing budget for Nivea in 2011 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the brand.

The group will also sponsor R&B music star Rihanna’s upcoming LOUD tour, a move it hopes will attract a younger generation of customers, particularly thanks to the singer’s large presence on social media websites such as Facebook.

The group announced the level of investment as it confirmed its outlook for sales to be flat in 2011 and profit margin to be impacted by restructuring measures such as scaling back make-up and hair-care lines.

The focus on skincare products at Nivea is part of a package of measures that will cost the company 270 million euros ($374.9 million) by 2012 and which resulted in two profit warnings at the end of last year.

The Hamburg-based company, which also makes the la Prairie luxury skin care range and Tesa adhesives, said it expected group sales and margins to improve once again in 2012.

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany (Reuters) – Adidas AG (ADSGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) posted record sales and raised its 2011 sales goal on Wednesday as consumer confidence improves and its three-stripes logo lures buyers in emerging markets such as China.

Shares in the world’s second largest sporting goods company after Nike Inc (NKE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) rose 3.1 percent to 47.95 euros by 1154 GMT as the sales outlook impressed, outperforming Germany’s benchmark DAX index .GDAXI which was down 0.9 percent.

“2011 is shaping up to be another great year for the Adidas group and we are off to a fast start,” Chief Executive Herbert Hainer said after the group reported yearly sales of 11.99 billion euros ($16.7 billion), topping forecasts which averaged 11.67 billion.

Hainer, whose favorite sports are soccer and golf, told reporters he expected double-digit growth in China in 2011.

The German company is aiming to increase margins to 11 percent by 2015 but in the shorter term it said higher raw material costs would offset the benefit from improved margins from its network of own stores, meaning group gross margins would remain flat in 2011 at between 7.5 and 8.0 percent.

“If input costs continue to rise at such a pace, then the challenge will undoubtedly intensify and lead to further margin pressure for our industry beyond 2011,” Hainer said.

Chief Financial Officer Robin Stalker told journalists the group had “tremendous confidence” it could meet the 2015 target thanks to its ability to implement price rises.

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, March 2 (Reuters) – German sporting goods maker Adidas (ADSGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said rising input costs would prevent margin growth this year, even as it increased its sales goal as consumer confidence and emerging markets grow.

Shares in the world’s second largest sporting goods company after Nike (NKE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), rose 1.3 percent to 41.14 euros as the sales outlook impressed, outperforming the DAX index .GDAXI, which was down 1.2 percent at 0958 GMT.

“2011 is shaping up to be another great year for the Adidas Group and we are off to a fast start,” Chief Executive Herbert Hainer said on Wednesday after the group reported record sales of 11.99 billion euros ($16.56 billion) for 2010.

The German company with the three stripes logo said higher raw material costs would offset improved margins from its network of own stores, meaning group gross margins would remain flat in 2011 at between 7.5-8.0 percent.

It is aiming to increase margins to 11 percent by 2015.

“If input costs continue to rise at such a pace, then the challenge will undoubtedly intensify and lead to further margin pressure for our industry beyond 2011,” Hainer said.

High commodities prices are affecting a variety of companies, from consumer goods groups, such as Henkel (HNKG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), to clothing manufacturers and chemicals firms, such as AB Foods (ABF.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and BASF (BASFn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

FRANKFURT, Feb 24 (Reuters) – German detergent and glue maker Henkel (HNKG_p.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is eyeing faster growth than its rivals in a year set to be shaped by how well companies can cope with soaring raw material costs.

“The economic conditions remain challenging, especially in view of the highly competitive environment in which we operate, and rising raw material costs,” Chief Executive Kasper Rorsted said in a statement on Thursday.

Rorsted told journalists he sees commodity costs rising by a high single digit percentage in 2011 and that price increases across all of its divisions were inevitable.

Rival Unilever (ULVR.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said earlier this month it would raise prices and slash costs to deal with increased commodity costs. [ID:nLDE711130]

Henkel, which makes Persil detergent in Germany, Schwarzkopf hair products and Pritt stick glue, said it was aiming for organic sales growth of between 3 and 5 percent in 2011.

This compares, for example, with the 4-6 percent targeted by Unilever (UNc.AS: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), the maker of Knorr soup and Dove soap.

Shares in Henkel were down 2.3 percent at 43.15 euros at 0955 GMT, after earlier falling by as much as 4 percent.

HERZOGENAURACH, Germany, Feb 15 (Reuters) – German sportswear maker Puma (PUMG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) joined rivals Adidas (ADSGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Nike (NKE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) in warning of price rises for its products as a result of rising commodity and wage costs.

Puma, the world’s No.3 sporting goods maker after Nike and Adidas, said the rising costs meant net profit would not grow as fast as sales in 2011, and margins would be lower.

Outgoing Chief Executive Jochen Zeitz told reporters the group would definitely increase prices in 2012 and possibly sooner.

Adidas and Nike have both said they are considering price rises to offset the impact of rising commodity prices, such as cotton. [ID:nLDE7170D4] [ID:nN21269397]

Puma forecast a mid single digit rate of growth for profit in both 2011 and 2012 and a mid to high single digit rate of growth in sales as it reported 2010 results on Tuesday.

That compares with 2010 sales growth of 10.6 percent and a jump in net profits of 154 percent to 202 million euros ($272.8 million).

Shares in the group fell after the results, losing 1.8 percent to 216.35 euros by 1155 GMT.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Turmoil on the streets of North Africa could lead to a tourism boost for Spain as tour operators rush to offer alternatives for customers seeking winter sun.

With Tunisia effectively closed to tourists and no package holidays leaving for the Red Sea resorts of Egypt from Germany, thousands of customers have been asked to rethink travel plans, with the major operators waiving rebooking fees.

This week, the German divisions of Thomas Cook (TCG.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and TUI Travel (TT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said they were seeing a trend for customers to switch Egypt holidays for ones to Spain or Turkey.

German tour operator Rewe also promoted trips to the Canary Islands, Majorca and Turkey for those who had been hoping for a Red Sea holiday.

This is good news for Spain, where income from tourism fell to 38 billion euros in 2009 from about 42 billion in the previous two years as recession took hold and many British and German customers stayed at home.

At about 10 percent of GDP in 2009, tourism is an important contributor to Spain’s economy, hurt badly by the collapse of the solar and construction sectors.

The amount that could be won from Egypt is significant. In 2009, about 12.5 million people holidayed in the Arab country, bringing revenue of $10.8 billion. The greatest number of tourists come from Russia, Britain and Germany.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Thousands of foreigners were queuing to fly out of a chaotic Cairo airport on Wednesday as opponents and supporters of President Hosni Mubarak clashed on the city’s streets.

“The airport is in a state of pandemonium; all airlines are struggling to gain landing and takeoff slots,” said Mark Briffa, chief executive of Air Partner, which provides chartered flights for companies, governments and individuals.

“It was ok inside the airport but outside there were lots of crowds,” said holidaymaker Professor Treuter, arriving at Frankfurt airport on Wednesday afternoon. “Many people had to spend the night outside.”

China, Japan, Canada, Britain and Turkey have all announced extra flights to evacuate their nationals over the last couple of days.

All Chinese travelers stranded in Egypt are expected to have returned to China by Thursday, in time for the start of the Chinese New Year festivities, the official Xinhua news agency said, citing national tourism authorities.

China had sent a total of eight special commercial flights to Cairo, Luxor and Hurghada, and six of the planes had already returned, carrying 1,371 people, including those from Hong Kong, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Slovakia sent a government plane to bring back expatriates on Wednesday. Of 100 Slovaks in the country, 50 wished to leave, the government said.

BEIJING/FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Governments, airlines and tour operators worked together on Monday to fly their nationals out of Egypt where protesters pressed their campaign to topple President Hosni Mubarak.

The U.S. embassy in Cairo said it began evacuating U.S. nationals who wish to leave to locations in Europe.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Janice Jacobs said 2,400 U.S. citizens had asked for help to leave Egypt. Up to 52,000 Americans are registered with the embassy in Cairo.

An embassy spokesman was quoted as saying by Egyptian state media that a total of eight planes were scheduled to leave on Monday evacuating 1,000 passengers.

European airlines, including Lufthansa (LHAG.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), Austrian Airlines and Air Berlin (AB1.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said they were sending larger aircraft than usual to Egypt to meet demand and had agreed additional flights with foreign ministries.

Officials in Turkey and Cyprus said they were making contingency plans to receive tourists evacuated from Egypt and speed them on to their destinations.

Two Chinese airlines, Air China and Hainan Air, said they would each send a chartered flight to Cairo on Monday to bring home Chinese citizens. There were at least 500 Chinese nationals stuck at Cairo’s international airport, a Chinese consular official in Cairo told Reuters by telephone.

LONDON/FRANKFURT, Jan 27 (Reuters) – Europe’s biggest travel company TUI Travel (TT.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said summer bookings were up strongly and its first-quarter result had improved as customers seek more exclusive, five-star holidays.

London-listed TUI Travel, controlled by German group TUI AG (TUIGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), said its underlying operating loss for the first quarter had narrowed by some 20 million pounds ($31.8 million) from a year-earlier 107 million. Results are due next week.

TUI Travel said overall bookings were up between 8 and 16 percent in its key markets on demand for ‘differentiated’, higher-margin products, such as five-star Sensatori hotels or holiday villages designed for families.

“In the UK … bookings for differentiated products are up 26 percent and we expect these products to represent half of all holidays sold over the full season,” it said in a trading update to accompany an investor day.

Chief Executive Peter Long said it plans to focus on rolling out these products to offset margin pressure on mass-market trips, being felt due to competition from online booking sites.

It also plans to expand online and invest in its accommodation-only businesses. However, it remained cautious given the uncertain economic and geopolitical environment.

Unrest in Tunisia resulted repatriating customers, while a contraction in fourth-quarter GDP prompted warnings of a grim 2011 for the British economy. [ID:nLDE70D16V] [ID:nLDE70O19B]