Sharp CE Sales Jump 12.2%

By Jeff Malester -- TWICE, 5/8/2006

Osaka, Japan — Sales of audio/visual and communication equipment at Sharp for the fiscal year, ended March 31, jumped 12.2 percent, hitting $9.5 billion, up from $8.5 billion in the previous 12 months. The company's A/V segment is composed primarily of consumer electronics.

Sales of LCD color televisions, mainly large-sized models, soared 33 percent in the 12 months, reaching $3.6 billion, while sales of mobile phones moved up 10.7 percent in the year, hitting $3.9 billion.

Sharp reported a 26.4 percent decrease in year-end sales of color TVs, down to $566.1 million, and DVD players/recorders, down 2.7 percent to $362.9 million.

Sales of LCD panels for the 12 months increased 16.5 percent to $5.5 billion, compared with $4.7 billion the prior year. The solid growth in sales of LCD panels for large-sized color TVs and mobile equipment contributed to an overall sales increase, said the company.

Overseas sales of A/V and communication equipment edged upward 2.3 percent to $3.3 billion, while overall sales to the Americas hit $3.9 billion this past fiscal year, up from $3.2 billion the previous 12 months. LCD panel overseas sales soared 34 percent, coming in at $3.7 billion, said Sharp.

For more on Sharp's financial performance see www.TWICE.com.