Business and City Summary

BEAZER HOMES GETS NEW CHAIRMAN

Victor Benjamin, deputy chairman of Tesco and Lex Service, is named chairman of Beazer Homes, the house builder Hanson intends to float for around pounds 400m in March. He is joined as non-executive director by David Legg, joint managing director of GE Capital Europe.

A prospectus will be issued on 10 March with applications closing on 18 March ahead of dealings on 25 March.

AEROSPACE CALL

Juergen Schrempp, chairman of Germany's Deutsche Aerospace AG, called yesterday for Europe's aerospace and defence industries to consolidate in order to become equal partners with the US. Mr Schrempp, whose company is a subsidiary of German industrial giant Daimler-Benz, said it was necessary for Europeans to prepare for longer-term industrial transatlantic co-operation.

COLOMBIAN PARTNER

Business opportunities in Colombia could be worth pounds 6.6bn to British firms, following the removal of trade barriers and tighter control of drugs warlords, the Confederation of British Industry says. Britain is top of the Colombian national investment agency's list of preferred European investment partners.

RETAIL CREDIT UP

December demand for retail credit was 15 per cent higher than in the same month of 1992, according to Infolink, the credit information company. This was well ahead of the annual rises in the previous two months.

TODAY 7.2.94

Interims: Black (Peter) Hdgs, Bryant Gp, Dalgety

Finals: WMI

UK Credit business (Dec), housing starts (Dec)

TOMORROW 8.2.94

Finals: Reuters Holdings

UK cyclical indicators (Jan)

WEDNESDAY 9.2.94

Interims: Elbief, Grosvenor Inns, Lloyds Abbey Life

THURSDAY 10.2.94

Interims: Amstrad, British Telecom (Q3)

Finals: British Petroleum

FRIDAY 11.2.94

Finals: Lloyds Bank

UK balance of visible trade (Nov)

US retail sales (Jan), producer prices (Jan).