This is a few weeks old, but gives good insight into the first quarter results.
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Video Sales Remain Strong
VCR Sales Set All-Time Record for January
Arlington, Va., March 17, 1999 - According to figures released today by the Consumer Electronics Manufacturers Association (CEMA), video sales remained strong in February with sales of total video hardware exceeding 3.3 million pieces - up 6 percent over last February. Year-to-date video sales are up 11 percent with 6.5 million units sold so far this year.
Strong growth continued across video categories during February, with VCR decks up 8 percent from last year with monthly sales of 1.2 million units. TV/VCR combination sales reached 249 thousand units in the month, surpassing last February by 40 percent. Thanks to great sales in January for these categories, year-to-date comparisons for VCRs and TV/VCR combinations are even more impressive with 18 percent and 54 percent increases, respectively. In a different scenario, projection television sales shot up more in February than in the previous month, climbing 39 percent in February to 83 thousand units, placing the year-to-date sales 16 percent ahead of last year.
Direct view color televisions and camcorders were off 3 percent and 5 percent respectively in February, but the product segment for large screen TVs (30Ó and higher) rose 14 percent. Year-to-date sales of TVs are comparable to 1998 sales, with a very respectable 2.9 million units sold in just the first two months of the year. |
