Graymont, the Canadian lime business, has agreed to buy McDonalds Lime from Holcim New Zealand, which plans to close its Westport cement plant in 2016, and Bluescope Steel-owned New Zealand Steel for an undisclosed sum.   The local operations of the international cement company will also sell its Taylor’s Lime assets to Graymont, the companies said in a joint statement. McDonalds Lime is …

Cooks Global Foods widened its first-half loss after buying the Canadian franchise rights to Esquires Coffee Houses, completing its ownership of the brand outside New Zealand and Australia, and spending more to expand its global footprint The loss widened to $1.2 million in the six months ended Sept. 30, from a loss of $831,000 a year earlier, the Auckland-based company said in a statement. Operating income was $4.3 …

Pulse Energy, the electricity retailer controlled by lines company Buller Electricity, sank deeper into the red in the first half as historical electricity derivatives tied the company to substantially higher than expected wholesale prices and chewed up revenue growth. The Auckland-based company reported a net loss of $9.99 million, or 2.9 cents per share, in the six months ended Sept. 30, widening …