BUDGET airline easyJet is expecting to report a profit for the past six months, helped by favourable weather and an early Easter. The firm has traditionally made a loss for the first half of its financial year but yesterday said it would report a modest profit for the half-year to March 31. It said the results would be helped by strong control over costs, as well as the timing of Easter, which meant revenues from the break fell into the half-year's figures.

JOB LOSSES: Jeans maker Levi Strauss is closing six US plants and cutting 3,600 jobs as it moves away from the business of actually making the clothes it sells. About 650 Scottish workers are also expected to lose their jobs later this month with the closure of two plants in Dundee and Bellshill, Lanarkshire. The San Francisco company said it would lose 22 per cent of its staff after deciding that factories with much lower labour costs would help it boost sales.

FIT OPERATOR: Health club operator LA Fitness has posted a surge in profits, as customers' desire for a healthy lifestyle paid dividends. LA Fitness said membership soared by 65 per cent during the six months to January 31, giving it 106,400 members across 41 clubs. The improvement helped push turnover up 78 per cent to £21m and pre-tax profits 38 per cent ahead at £3m.

CONFIDENCE VOTE: Endeavour Housing, in Thornaby, has won praise from the Government's Housing Corporation for the standard of its service. The Government agency report said Endeavour put a strong emphasis on involving tenants in decisions, completed 96.5 per cent of routine repairs in 20 days or less, and focused on delivering a high quality all-round service.

S&N CLEARANCE: Brewing group Scottish & Newcastle's £1.2bn acquisition of Finnish beer and soft drinks business Hartwall has been approved by Ukraine's anti-monopoly committee. Hartwall runs a joint venture with Carlsberg in the country.

NEW STORE: Hugo Boss has chosen McArthurGlen in York as the location for its first UK outlet fashion store. The 3,850sq ft store sells mens and womenswear from the Hugo and Boss ranges at up to 50 per cent off normal retail prices