http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/financial-markets/egypt/en-usCopyright 2012 Zawya Ltd. All rights reserved.Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:51:02 GMT714476http://www.zawya.com/middle-east/financial-markets/egypt/http://www.zawya.com/images/newsletter_zawya_logo.gifhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120213T105057ZIFT84/France_Telecom_Orascom_reach_deal_on_Egypt_mobile_unitFrance Telecom said on Monday it had signed a non-binding accord to acquire most of the stake held by Egyptian mobile phone services company Orascom in their ECMS cellphone joint venture.Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:54:58 GMTAFP ANA20120213T105057ZIFT84Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120212T124208ZIDB62/Orascom_says_in_advanced_talks_with_France_TelecomEgyptian mobile phone services company, Orascom, said Sunday it was holding advanced talks with France Telecom over the future of mobile operator Mobinil.Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:21:44 GMTAFP ANA20120212T124208ZIDB62Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidZW20120212000022/MobinilOTMT_shares_suspended_pending_clarity_on_Mobinil_future_EGXThe Egyptian Stock Exchange said it has suspended trading in the shares of Egyptian Co. for Mobile Services, or Mobinil, and Orascom Telecom Media and Technology, or OTMT, pending clarification on Mobinil's future.Sun, 12 Feb 2012 10:41:56 GMTZawya Dow Jones News ZW20120212000022Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidANA20120210T143849ZHXZ91/SP_downgrades_Egypt_on_politics_currency_fearsRatings house Standard & Poor's said it lowered Egypt's long-term foreign and local currency ratings from B+ to B on Friday because of a sharp decline in foreign currency reserves and ongoing concerns about political stability.Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:42:07 GMTAFP ANA20120210T143849ZHXZ91Openhttp://www.zawya.com/story.cfm/sidpdf_100212123523/BMI_Egypt_Food__Drink_Report_Dec12Egypt's near-term growth outlook remains weak. Nevertheless, in an outlook pertinent for our food and drink forecasts, household and government spending are expected to outperform, even though fixed investment and the export sector will be unlikely to stage a more pronounced recovery amidst the political crisis. Risks to our food and drink forecasts are, however, on the downside, as consumer confidence takes time to recover, especially as we see little prospects for a swift economic recovery in Egypt heading into 2012. Still, in our opinion, Egypt has the greatest potential as a consumer market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and is also one of our favourite emerging markets. We expect it to be targeted both by imports from regional bases and directly.- 2011 per capita food consumption = +12.1%; forecast compound annual growth rate to 2016 = +11.2%- 2011 beer sales = +11.2%; forecast compound annual growth rate to 2016 = +11.8%- 2011 carbonated drink sales = +7.9%; forecast compound annual growth rate to 2016 = +9.6%- 2011 mass grocery retail sales = +14.9%; forecast compound annual growth rate to 2016 = +38.6%Key Company TrendsRegional and Multinational Players Remain Interested in Egypt ? Saudi Arabia-based industrial company The Savola Group reported plans to buy a controlling stake in two Egyptian food makers. The firm is looking at a deal worth US$97.8mn to acquire a 78% stake in Al-Malika and Al-Farasha. Similarly, USbased multinational beverage corporation The Coca-Cola Company announced plans to launch a new juice product wholly made in Egypt. The firm said it has invested around US$16.7mn in the production of Cappy juice and is focusing on the expansion of its fruit juice product portfolio. Having opened its first Egypt store at the end of 2010, UK-based retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) unveiled plans to launch three more stores in the country, as part of its five-year regional expansion programme.Key Risks to OutlookDownsiFri, 10 Feb 2012 12:30:00 GMTBusiness Monitor International Limited pdf_100212123523Subscription