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Small newsagent’s-cum-tobacconists are an extremely common sight in the Czech Republic’s cities and towns. However, times are tough for the industry and the shops are today closing at a rapid rate, the newspaper Mladá fronta Dnes reported this week.

The government agency CzechInvest concluded 147 projects in 2014 - worth 87 billion crowns - with both Czech and foreign investors in 2014. Company representatives made the announcement on Tuesday, specifying a total of 16,000 new jobs would be created, with more than 6,000 in Moravia-Silesia and Ústí alone - regions often suffering from high unemployment.

Kvasiny, one of Skoda’s three production facilities in the Czech Republic is to undergo a major expansion- the biggest in its 81-year old history. Underlining the significance of the plant’s presence in the region, the Czech government has promised a two billion crown injection to support the transformation.

Minister of Finance Andrej Babiš has signaled he is will to make concessions on the scope and timetable for one of his key tax proposals to come into force.

Minister of Industry and Trade Jan Mládek says he is still struggling to get backing for a new long term energy plan. He warns if his first choice scenario is not backed then a worse energy mix might result by default.

The craft beer market, which is a fairly recent phenomenon in the Czech Republic, is experiencing a major boom. The number of small breweries is coming close to 300 and last year their overall production rose by 30 percent.

Dopravní podnik (Prague’s public transit company) has opted to repair its fleet of more than 50 14T trams, first put into operation in 2006. The trams were side-lined after problems with the vehicles became apparent. Soon they should begin returning to daily rotation.

Furniture makers in the Czech Republic have reasons to be cheerful. According to figures just released by the Czech Statistics Office and quoted by the business daily E15, the industry saw a 13-percent increase in revenues last year – the healthiest growth it has experienced for a decade and a half.

The Czech Cabinet has moved to clamp down on retailers’ abuse of their power against suppliers with the competition office being offered a more meaningful and workable set of laws. But the real test of whether the right toolbox can be found will have to wait another year or two.

The government’s special representative for Moravia-Silesia says there is a real threat that steelmaker Vítkovice Steel could close and operations could shift to Russia. The company has rebuffed the comments but there’s little doubt that the steelmaker has still to recover from the sector's downturn.