Matsushita CE Biz Sales Rise 9%
Osaka, Japan — Strong sales of digital A/V products, mainly plasma TVs and digital cameras, boosted sales of video and audio equipment at Matsushita Electric Industrial 9 percent in the company’s fiscal third quarter, hitting $4.4 billion, up from $4 billion in the year-ago three months.
Maytag Appliance Segment Sales Rise 6.9%
Newton, Iowa — Maytag reported higher sales of refrigerators and laundry products were offset by charges and lower sales of floor-care products.
Amazon N.A. CE Sales Increase 29%
Seattle — Sales for the North American electronics and other general merchandise business at Amazon.com jumped 29 percent in the fourth quarter, hitting $580 million, compared with $449 million in the same period last year.
Gateway Sales Rise 8%; Moves To Black
Irvine, Calif. — Fourth-quarter revenue at PC maker Gateway increased 8 percent, reaching $1.1 billion, from $1 billion the previous year.
Tokyo — The digital media and consumer products business at Hitachi, mainly consumer electronics, increased 11 percent in the company’s fiscal third quarter, coming in at $3.1 billion, up from $2.8 billion in the year-ago period.
Matsushita Sells Off Remaining Universal Studios Stake
Osaka, Japan — Matsushita Electric sold off its remaining 7.66 percent stake in Universal Studios to France-based Vivendi Universal in a deal reportedly worth $1.15 billion.
Whirlpool Posts Record Sales, Earnings
Benton Harbor, Mich. — Whirlpool posted record sales and earnings for the fourth quarter and full year in 2005.
Osaka, Japan — Growing sales of LCD televisions, mainly large-size models, as well as increasing revenue from mobile phones, lifted fiscal third quarter sales in the audio-visual and communication equipment business — namely consumer electronics — at Sharp by 13.8 percent, hitting $2.7 billion, up from $2.4 billion in the year-ago quarter.
JVC CE Sales Flat Overall, But Americas Climb
Tokyo — Victor Company of Japan (JVC) Americas region improved its fiscal third-quarter consumer electronics business, driven by growth in sales of HD-ILA hybrid projection TVs and camcorders, the company said.
Toshiba CE Business Sales Climb 15%
Tokyo — Fiscal third-quarter sales for the digital products business at Toshiba jumped 15 percent, hitting $5.9 billion, up from a year-ago $5.2 billion.
Pioneer CE Sales Rise 12%, Loss Cut
Tokyo — Overall home electronics sales at Pioneer climbed nearly 12 percent in the company’s fiscal third quarter, reaching $984.7 million, up from $879.3 million in the same quarter the previous year.
TDK Recording Media Sales Flat
Tokyo — Sales of recording media at TDK were flat in the company’s fiscal third quarter, coming in at $260.6 million for the three months, ended Dec. 30, compared with $259.8 million year
UPDATED! Lyndhurst, N.J. — Custom CE installer and high-end retail specialist Harvey Electronics reported a drop in both fiscal year-end sales and revenue.
