UK retail gets regulated for monopolies..

Funny why stores / store franchisees do not choose / get selected for each location based on simple geocoding of available competition and complimentary businesses? Hospitality ould never have done well in the entire United states if the simple principles had not been applied - Ramada inn, how far from gas stations, public attractions and how far from other Ramadas, other competition in 3 stars, in 5 stars.. all required to approve a new Ramada or renew any inn property's licenses/approvals.

Ft.com extract:

Competition watchdog proposes curbs on spread of 'Tesco towns'

By Andrea Felsted and Jim Pickard

Published: October 3 2009 03:00 | Last updated: October 3 2009 03:00

Tough curbs to rein in the spread of so-called "Tesco towns" were proposed by competition authorities yesterday, in spite of vehement objections from Britain's biggest retailer.

The Competition Commission recommended that the government introduce a test for planning permission decisions that would seek to curtail the dominance of any one supermarket in towns, improving choice for consumers.

The test - a key recommendation of the commission's two-year probe into the supermarket sector - would oblige local authorities to consider the relative local strength of retailers when deciding whether to grant planning permission for new, larger grocery stores or larger extensions.

The commission said the test would "bring in competition where it is lacking and . . . stop individual retailers consolidating strong positions in local areas to the detriment of consumers".

Analysts said that while the test would apply to all supermarket groups, Tesco, as market leader, had the most to lose.

Tesco said the commission had made the "wrong recommendation in this small but important aspect of its extensive inquiry".

Lucy Neville-Rolfe, Tesco's corporate and legal affairs director, called on the government to "think very carefully before proceeding with this recommendation and intervening aggressively in what is acknowledged to be a highly competitive industry, and deterring investment in these difficult economic times".

Asda, the UK's second-biggest supermarket chain, which stands to be a beneficiary of the test, welcomed it as a "modest proposal". It added: "Anyone opposing [it] is in effect opposing more competition."

The Association of Convenience Stores called on the government to implement the test, but warned it was "not a panacea for the competition failings".

However, analysts said that, with a general election looming, the test was unlikely to be implemented any time soon.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills said it would "consider carefully what a new competition test in the planning system for the largest grocery stores would mean for business, local authorities, consumers and communities, in conjunction with other recent planning policy developments".

Squeezing the girdle, Page 15

2016 Olympics bid

Borrowed from the Washington Post for good effect

zyaada notes: The Chicago, Rio and Tokyo competition ('16 Olympics bid) is to be a secret ballot of 106 members of the IOC on October 2nd at Copenhagen

In the wake of a bribery scandal that caused the IOC to revamp its selection process 10 years ago, IOC members are no longer allowed to visit the bidding cities. Each instead receives a dense technical report on all of the bids, which seems decidedly overshadowed by the big-picture geopolitical issues in play when the election takes place, and what occurs in hotel ballrooms and on red carpets in the days leading up to the vote.

Added Mallon: "The IOC sees itself in a more hallowed position than U.S. people do. . . . The IOC thinks heads of state should come and, if not beg, at least plead their case that their city should host the Olympic Games. If heads of state don't do that now, I think the IOC is a little bit offended.""If it's anything like U.S. Congress, they're not going to read it anyway," Olympic historian Bill Mallon said. "If that's the case, it really is very much, 'Hey, the prime minister of Japan came; obviously they really want the Games, and the U.S. sent [Obama senior adviser] Valerie Jarrett -- who the hell is that?' It matters a lot" that President Obama decided to attend.

Before the Obama announcement, Chicago had said Jarrett, first lady Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey would campaign in Copenhagen with other dignitaries; Rio is sending soccer legend Pele, Olympic swimmer Cesar Cielo and President Luiz In?cio Lula da Silva. Tokyo has a prince, a princess and a prime minister. Madrid will roll out King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia.

Does it really matter? London upset the heavily favored Paris for the 2012 Summer Games after then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, showed up in Singapore, chatting up IOC members for hours.

"I'm convinced London would not have won if Tony and Cherie Blair had not gone out to Singapore," Pound said.

Borrowed from the Washington Post for good effect

Pharma News from Monday

Wyeth added $1.3 billion to its bottomline in the second quarter, a windfall for its acquirer Pfizer in a complex deal valuing Wyeth $47 per share including a mix of cash, swap and some other for later analysis

Also, new drugs include PCVs ( see http://healthpost-z.blogspot.com ) from Glaxo and Pfizer and the new COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder) drug QAB149 from Novartis will each see a billion plus dollars in annual sales going forward

QAB 149 showed 20% improvement in medication free relief days over Spiriva from Pfizer

Novartis is riding on the sales of Galvus and Tekturna. Januvia from Merck introduced as vildagliptiin ( Galvus) substitute?

GSK has thence signed a contract with Brazil govt to tend to 13m children every year for $2.2 billion, pricing doses for Brazil at $11.5 in year 1 to $5 in the final years looking for volume in emerging markets against its price of $25 in European markets.

At the same time, drug sales are also growing quickly in China, reaching $33.9 billion in 2007, up 25.6 percent from 2006, according to Business Monitor International data cited in the Sinopharm prospectus. Sinophrarm listed its $1.13 billion offering on Sept 23 in HKG (China State constrn Engg was the largest IPO at $7.3 billion)

The challenges / silver bullets bitten

Novartis

Diovan will get competition from generics once Cozaar from Merck loses patent in 2010 and currently sells $5.7 b worldwide

New drug Valturna is only a rehash of Diovan and Tekturna for High BP

Pfizer

Paid $2.3 billion in fines for illegal drug promotions ( golf weekends, junkets for Doctors) - fourth settlement in 10 years

Still second largest in India after buying Wyeth

GSK

Advair ( competing with QAB149) for COPD is losing patent protection in 2011