Information Services, the division of British Telecom Enterprises, which publishes Yellow Pages and manages Prestel, announced the launch of a free European business directory. Europages will carry the names, addresses and telephone numbers of over 130,000 companies in the six principal European markets. Over 500 separate business classifications will be listed so that users may find the service or product they are seeking simply and quickly.

The publication of Europages represents a major collaboration between British Telecom and its five joint European Yellow Pages partners, who have together developed the idea and are now engaged in active marketing campaigns in Europe. The five other partners are Promedia in Belgium; Deutsche Postreklame GMBH in Germany; Office d’Annonces, France; Seat in Italy and Publimedia in the Netherlands.

The first United Kingdom edition of Europages contains all entries from the five other countries in one volume. A total of 40,000 copies will be distributed free to around 38,000 selected firms in the U.K. The British firms in Europages will appear in all the European directories (except the U.K.) which will be distributed throughout the five countries. In addition, British firms will be eligible to advertise in the U.K. edition so long as they are advertising in at least two of the European directories.

Although the directory is free, the project is self-financing, revenue being generated by the sale of advertising space as in the case with the highly successful Yellow Pages. In Britain, this is being handled jointly by GTE Directories Ltd. and ITT World Directories (U.K.) Ltd. Production of Europages is undertaken on a shared basis between the six partners with computerised setting being undertaken in Italy and printing in Belgium.

Midland Bank has raised its interest on its solicitors’ Clients Premium Deposit Account Scheme from 1½% to 2% over its seven-day notice branch deposit account rate (at present 7%). In addition, all United Kingdom clearing bank drafts will be treated as cleared same day funds eligible for interest. Midland was the first major clearing bank to introduce a solicitors’ Clients Premium Deposit Account Scheme and at 9 % the present special rate of interest is the highest of its kind offered by the main clearing banks.

Other features of the scheme, which was introduced last October, are:—