Europe

UK - Department store James Beattie's company profits have been dented by a fall in the firm's £40m pension fund's surplus.

UK - Energy supply company BG Group has appointed Abbey National Asset Managers to a £45m active UK equity brief.

UK / EUROPE - CGNU has achieved its target of a 20% share of the stakeholder market, as sales of its group and individual pensions products grew across Europe.

UK - Scottish Widows will launch four multi-manager portfolios on January 28, the result of its recently announced strategic alliance with multi-manager Frank Russell.

UK - Barclays Global Investors (BGI) has appointed Simon Thompson as head of equity trading (Europe) where he will be responsible for the global equity trading requirements of BGI's active, index and transition products in Europe.

UK - Vauxhall & Associated Companies Pension Funds has landed £136m worth of mandates for its own manager-of-managers product from three other motor industry firms.

UK - Jardine Lloyd Thompson (JLT) is running a trustee development programme throughout 2002, starting in London on February 26.

UK - The £317m London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham Superannuation Fund may review its existing asset allocation later this year following mounting concern around the state of the stock markets.

UK - Institutional asset managers WestAM - the investment arm of German WestLB Group - has strengthened its global fixed income and currencies team in London.

ICELAND - Four Icelandic pension funds are considering pooling their assets, in a move that could lead to the retendering of about Ikr1.2bn (approximately EUR136m).