Corbett's nice Woolie earner

FORMER Railtrack chairman Gerald Corbett is to pick up £125,000 a year for working up to three days a week as Woolworths chairman. Mr Corbett will take the part-time role after handing over day-to-day running of the business to new chief executive Trevor Bish-Jones in May. The salary and level of commitment is more than Woolworths forecast at the time of its demerger from owner Kingfisher in August.

SWEDEN VISIT: The North-East Chamber of Commerce is planning a trade mission to Gothenburg in May, and is holding a meeting for interested parties at 9am at its Aykley Heads office in Durham on Friday. For details, contact Angela Foster on 0191-386 1133.

RECORD LENDING: The Woolwich said total mortgage advances by all UK lending groups reached £12.3bn in January, the highest level since its mortgage index began in 1993.

HORSEY HIT: Horse racing media rights consortium attheraces said its website, which allows punters to bet and watch live racing, signed up its 10,000th subscriber this month.

TAYLOR SALE: Builder Taylor Woodrow has sold the UK tower crane hire business of subsidiary Taywood Plant to Kier Plant for £2.4m.

DEAL COMPLETE: Shepherd Engineering Services (SES), of York, has completed phase one of the Natural History Museum's new £17m Darwin Centre in London. SES has installed and commissioned the £4.7m mechanical and electrical services for the seven storey building.