Moeketsi Mosola, CE of the tourism division of Imperial Holdings Ltd. said that the firm should increase its presence in sports and conferencing, and is eyeing possible acquisitions in the conferencing sector.

Imperial Holdings Ltd. and WesBank Corporate will commit ZAR 100 million in seed capital to a 50-50 joint venture that seeks to boost both companies' presence in the fleet market. In terms of the deal announced, the new venture, to be called Imperial Fleet Management and to become a Wesbank division, will offer vehicle leasing solutions to corporate fleet clients. By creating the leasing or rental option, the deal signals that fleet companies are keen on easing the pressure on their balance sheets by entering into off-balance-sheet transactions. Imperial will provide vehicles and full maintenance through its 250-dealer network, while Wesbank will bring funding as it has access to "competitive funding".

Imperial Holdings Ltd. reported earnings results for the half year ended December 31, 2009. For the period, the company has reported a 17% rise in headline earnings per share in the first half of the current financial year. The company said the spike in HEPS is mainly due to a drop in costs in its car dealership unit. Headline earnings per share rose to 506 cents, after forecasting a range between 476 and 521 cents. The company said that in line with the group's positive growth a preference dividend of 399.863 cents per preference share, coupled with an ordinary dividend of 150 cents per ordinary share for the period.