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The paper has hired Susan Relihan, a former sales manager at National Magazine Company and US Vogue, as international sales manager at The Business. Relihan will coordinate advertising sales between its European sales operations in France, Germany and Switzerland.

Paul Woolfenden, the paper's manging director, said the paper is currently in negotiations, as part of expansion plans, to set up sales operations in Italy, Spain and the Benelux region.

"We want to make The Business a global brand within 10 years and we are expanding into the international sales market," Woolfenden said.

The Business is printed in Bologna, Madrid and Frankfurt, and is available throughout Europe and Scandinavia.

The Business is also considering resurrecting its colour supplement Business & Pleasure as part of a series of plans to help the publisher of the weekly business broadsheet hit financial targets.

Previously a monthly supplement in Sunday Business, Business & Pleasure was axed at the end of 2001 prior to the paper relaunching as The Business at the start of 2002.

"We would look at bringing back [Business & Pleasure] as a quarterly insert if there's enough revenue to make it profitable. If we can make it pay, we'll do it," Woolfenden said.

The company is currently just over a year into a three-year plan aimed at moving the company into profit by end of the fourth quarter of 2004.

Editor-in-chief Andrew Neil indicated earlier this year that the paper may launch into the US market if it was on sound financial footing in the first half of the year. At the time, no indication of a launch date was given but now it looks as though it could happen later this year, or possibly in January 2004.

Woolfenden said: "Any decision will be delayed until the autumn. If we can launch it then we will. It's an objective and an ambition, but we're not going to rush into it."

The Business was relaunched at the start of 2002 after its future was plunged into doubt when it racked up losses of £7.8m, following a £30m investment by its owners, the Barclay brothers.

It also slashed its cover price to 50p, which was increased by 10p at the beginning of this year. The recent price rise saw its circulation dip 6.25% month on month in February to 90,290, although this was a 16% increase on the previous year.

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