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In this week’s Business News: US real estate giant eyes Czech expansion; surveys show slowdown in warehouse and shopping developments; bed maker Linet seeks to crack US market; Plzeňský Prazdroj drops clean beer campaign; and betting chains combat match fixing.

The Czech Beer and Malt Association said beer production by affiliated breweries fell by 5.9 percent last year compared with 2008. It added that most of the decrease stemmed from the fall in local demand but exports also dropped by more than 10 percent. It is the first time since the creation of the Czech Republic. Non-alcoholic beer production, which has sharply increased over recent years, also fell back by 1.0 percent. Final figures for total Czech beer production should be released in the summer.

Several Czech brewers, including the makers of Pilsner Urquell, are calling for tightening of the rules for using an industry quality control label named České Pivo (Czech Beer). The move comes in reaction to a recent consumer test of several Czech beers. It revealed that some brewers are using a chemically modified hops extract – a substance that purists say has no place in Czech beers, which are known around the world for their high quality.

For centuries, the northern Bohemian town of Žatec has been the centre of hops growing in the country. Known as the home of hops and beer, the town is now trying to cope with a decline in its traditional industry. It recently launched a multi-million euro tourism project called Temple of Hops and Beer – but it is also slowly coming to terms with recent history that saw the town’s original German population replaced by Czechs in the aftermath of WWII.

The mayor of Náchod, Oldřich Čtvrtečka, has been charged by police over alleged corruption linked to the sale of the east Bohemian town’s brewery last year. It was bought by the Liberec-based company for CZK 150 million (nearly USD 8 million). Another interested party, the brewer Holba, has questioned the sale, saying it offered CZK 185 million. The mayor is suspected of abuse of office and dereliction in connection with the management of the property of others. Mr Čtvrtečka rejects such allegations. He told the news website novinky.cz that such sales were carried out by local authorities, not mayors.

In this week’s edition of Business News: hotel and guest house visitors stay away; Prague airport predicts doubling of passenger numbers; home construction sector sees more completions but fewer new starts; Škoda Auto ponders low cost large car; and a new Czech brew from across the border.

Dutch beer producer Heineken is planning to construct a new bottling line in its Starobrno brewery in the Moravian city of Brno, the Czech news agency ČTK reported on Thursday. The new line, which will increase the brewery’s bottling capacity to 1.7 million hectolitres a year, should be finished in May. The line will be manufactured by the German firm KHS, and will use plastic PET bottles. The brewery is also expected to hire some new employees.

Heineken is the third largest beer maker in the Czech Republic, with a 12 percent share of the market. Last year, Heineken-owned breweries produced 2.8 million hectolitres of beer.

Czech men get a shot at the Mr World title; a red-faced and suffering chief health officer; special beer offers for Valentine’s Day and the Olympics; Eurovision star targeted by hackers; clearance for investigation into 400-year-old mystery; and rare species make a comeback in the mountains. Find out more in Magazine with Chris Johnstone.

In this week’s Business News: fewer workers in the population; equipment producer lands prestigious helicopter contract; TPCA plant in car recall; performance related pay sought for top state bosses; and Czech-owned brewery bucks downward sales.

In this week’s Business News: sobering state deficit figure announced, Prague airport sees passenger decline, bankruptcies climb in 2009, statistics office fuels recovery hopes, and non-alcoholic beer demand bright spot for sector.