Associated set to increase Metro run

Associated Newspapers is to increase the distribution of its free newspaper Metro by 250,000 copies from the beginning of October. The 22.5 per cent increase to a print run of 1.36 million copies a day will take Metro to 250 new stations in London and around the SouthEast commuter belt.

The company said that it had plenty of room to expand, particularly in London. However the newspaper – along with its growing number of free rivals – has attracted criticism from local councils because of problems of increased litter. (Sarah Butler)

Heywood’s Irish buy

Heywood Williams, the building products distributor, is paying €23 million (£15.6 million) for Avenco, an architectural hardware supplier in the Irish Republic. Avenco is a large customer of Carlisle Brass, the maker of doorknobs and window latches that was bought by Heywood last year for £48 million, from which it sources 60 per cent of its products. (Nick Hasell)

EADS admits hitch

Louis Gallois, the new sole chief executive of EADS, has admitted that the aerospace group is unlikely to meet its 2009 target for delivery of the A400M military transport aircraft, which is to replace the C-130 Hercules for Europe’s Nato members. He becomes EADS’s sole chief today after sharing the job with Thomas Enders, now Airbus’s chief executive. (Nick Hasell)

Consumer optimism

Consumers are more optimistic about the prospects for interest rates, with a balance of those predicting an increase rather than a decrease slipping to a six-month low of 69 per cent, according to a survey by Lloyds TSB. The survey also found that more consumers were more positive about their job security, with an equal amount feeling more secure to those feeling less secure. (Sarah Butler)

Wal-Mart eyes buys

Wal-Mart, the American retailer, is looking to hire a team to lead acquisitions in its home market for the first time since the 1980s as it considers opening smaller stores to combat a challenge from Tesco. Wal-Mart is forming a team to form a “comprehensive multi-format growth strategy” away from its hypermarket focus. Tesco plans to open hundreds of neighbourhood stores in America from November. (Sarah Butler)

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