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Top story
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Student homes help Watkin Jones sales surge
The resilience of the UK's student accommodation sector was a major driver behind a £46m leap in sales at builder Watkin Jones Group. The Bangor-based construction business posted revenue of £142m for the year to 30 September 2010 - up from £96m in 2009. Student accommodation represented about three quarters of its turnover. Watkin Jones said it had an "excellent pipeline" of development sites which it expected to produce "significant profitable growth" in the future.
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Deals
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Energist buys US skin treatment firm
Energist, a beauty equipment maker based in Swansea, has acquired Plasmogen, a US company with a skin treatment technique.
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Companies
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Smart phones help IQE call up record results
IQE, the computer chip technology company, this morning said that demand for smart phones and tablet computers were likely to have contributed to record sales and profits in 2010. The Cardiff company’s adjusted earnings (EBITDA) grew by more than 56 per cent to at least £12.6m, ahead of market forecasts.
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Harris Pye pulls out of Swansea
Harris Pye, the marine engineering group, is to pull out of Swansea and cancel plans for a £5m headquarters at the city’s docks after being refused a licence to continue refurbishing ships there.
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Turnover up by £46m at Euro Alloys
Newport-based aluminium trader Euro Alloys made turnover of £134m for the year to 30 September 2010, up from £88m in 2009, but its profits narrowed.
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Darwin Gray expands into Newport
South Wales commercial law firm Darwin Gray has opened an office in Newport. The Cardiff-headquartered firm said the expansion was needed to cope with increased demand for its services.
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Property and construction
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Liberty buys Llanishen base
Liberty Marketing, the online marketing agency, has bought Costain's former office at Cardiff Business Park in Llanishen, North Cardiff.
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Government and politics
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Wales needs new trains, says Arriva
Wales will need to start ordering new trains to replace its ageing local fleet soon, operator Arriva Trains Wales will tell the National Assembly’s enterprise and learning committee today.
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Assembly Government seeks economic research
The Welsh Assembly Government has called for proposals for research studies on the economy, and is asking for bids worth between £5,000 and £20,000.
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