February 12, 2012
Published: 7 Sep 08 11:39 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/14188/20080907/
Swedish investment fund Cevian is putting pressure on German car maker Daimler to countenance a move to hive off its truck and van division. A Daimler spokesman rejected Cevian's move on Saturday.
"It is not a subject for discussion," a spokesman for the Stuttgart-based manufacturer, whose most prestigious brand is Mercedes-Benz, told AFP.
"We are against detaching the utility vehicles division."
In a report to appear Monday, the weekly magazine Focus says representatives of Cevian Capital had called on Daimler boss Dieter Zetschke to break up the division and sell off the heavy vehicles subsidiary.
The Daimler spokesman refused to comment on reports that Cevian was aiming at taking a significant slice of the company's capital, saying only that "every new investor is welcome."
Last month the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily quoted an unidentified fund manager as saying that Cevian, which also owns stock in the Swedish group Volvo, had bought packets of Daimler shares.
According to Focus the fund now owns some 2.0 percent of Daimler. There are legal declaration levels of 3.0 and 5.0 percent.
The shares have fallen by 42 percent in the past year, making Daimler's stock attractive to investors.
It is also spread among a multitude of shareholders, with only the Emirate of Kuwait's holding of 7.6 percent exceeding the market's lowest benchmark of 3.0 percent.
The head of the company works committee, Erich Klemm, said in a separate interview with the weekly Der Spiegel that he was worried about the reports of moves to break up the company.
Workers would put up massive resistance to such a move, he said, adding that selling the trucks division would severely weaken the group, which is a leader in the sector.
Swedish defence group Saab on Friday reported a major boost in earnings for 2011 thanks to winning several major contracts, but a drop in orders left investors jittery, sending Saab's stock price down nearly 10 percent. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Mats Sundin, the ex-Swedish hockey great, has made a donation supporting research into children's health at Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and the University of Toronto. READ (4 COMMENTS) »
H&M has been criticized for choosing not to attend a hearing to highlight poor conditions for textile workers in Cambodia, where hundreds of employees at a plant run by the Swedish fashion giant mysteriously passed out in August. READ (6 COMMENTS) »
The bankruptcy of Spanair pulled SAS into the red for 2011, despite improved operating profits, the Scandinavian airline reported on Wednesday. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Swedish defence group Saab have announced that it will cut the price on its Gripen fighter jet to secure its Swiss order after a threat by French planemaker Dassault to undercut them. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
An overwhelming majority of Swedes disagree with Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt's suggestion that workers should be ready to stay on the job until they are 75, a new poll shows. READ (34 COMMENTS) »
Several companies are interested in buying Saab, confirmed the bankrupt Swedish carmaker's administrators on Tuesday, while currently unwilling to disclose the identities of the bidders. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
The Swedish National Police Board has called for new international laws to catch hackers on the internet, after US internet service providers refused to divulge information on the weekend's attack on government websites. READ (5 COMMENTS) »
Emergency services in Gothenburg have come under fire recently after it came to light that a fire station had been renting out rooms to visiting colleagues. READ (2 COMMENTS) »
Swedish investment firm Kinnevik has made an offer to buy up Metro International, a global publisher of free newspapers. READ (2 COMMENTS) »

As diverse as Sweden is, there are a few societal norms that are distinctly Swedish. Understanding a handful of them will hopefully prepare you culturally before you relocate. When you're invited home to a Swede, you better be on time and take your shoes off, writes expat Lola Akinmade-Åkerström. Read more »
Sweden is a country where almost everyone can speak English. So why bother to learn Swedish? Edina Varnagy from Hungary managed with English for a whole year but then found that Swedish could open doors – to a job, a social life and greater understanding. Read more »
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