sales

Stories 41 - 58 | << Prev 

In Recession, Sales of Sex Toys Boom

People have 'more time on their hands'

(Newser) - The recession is good news for at least one retail segment: Sales of so-called sexual enhancement devices are through the roof, Advertising Age reports. Lubricant sales jumped 32% in the first quarter, and sales of “marital aids” sold in food, drug, and mass-market stores have soared 74%. “When...

'Inaugurabilia' Reaps $2M for Ceremonies

Ceremonies fully funded by trinkets, donations

(Newser) - Barack Obama's inauguration fundraisers had no problem capitalizing on a hot market for keepsakes. Obama-themed clothing, jewelry, rulers, and piggy banks raked in a grant total of $2 million for the inaugural committee. Even before the tchotchke change, the committee was already debt-free—the $53 million in individual donations disclosed...

Volkswagen Challenges Toyota's No. 1 Ranking

Global sales surge on Germany, China stimulus, Toyota lags

(Newser) - Volkswagen may have beaten Toyota in global sales in the first quarter, Reuters reports. Although VW sales declined overall, the company's market share increased to 11% with 1.39 million vehicles sold. Toyota has not released sales figures, but it estimated its first-quarter sales at 1.23 million. Volkswagen had...

Wii Muscles Up With 'Sports Resort'

Nintendo hopes Frisbee, fencing will boost flagging console sales

(Newser) - Get ready to pull a muscle as Wii expands its offering of audience participation sports to Frisbee (with a dog), fencing and jetskiing, reports Reuters. Sports Resort is scheduled to be released in June, said Nintendo executives. The company hopes the new activities will boost flagging sales of Wii game...

China Firm Sold Illegal Nuke Materials to Iran: Prosecutors

Company said to have sent tons of supplies, breaching UN rules

(Newser) - New York officials today charged a Chinese businessman with illegally selling tons of materials to Iran that could be used to make rockets and nuclear weapons, the New York Times reports. Sales in 2006-08 of tungsten and other metals, often through shell firms, break UN rules, prosecutors say. Li Fang...

De Beers to Halt Work at Diamond Mines

Firm last suspended production during the Great Depression

(Newser) - De Beers has temporarily shut down its diamond mines in Botswana due to low demand for the precious stones, the Telegraph reports. The firm’s Botswana mines account for half of De Beers’ output, and about a fifth of diamond production worldwide. De Beers was not able to sell a...

Wii Are the Champions as Holiday Sales Rocket

Game sales stay strong despite recession

(Newser) - Video game sales remain strong despite the flagging economy, reports USA Today. Nintendo Wii had its biggest month ever in November, selling more than 2 million systems, twice what the company sold last November. Microsoft Xbox 360 also had a strong month with best-selling games Gears of War 2, and...

Declining Paper Sales Sink Landmark Harvard Sq. Kiosk

Stand has sold print for 50 years above university's T stop

(Newser) - Harvard Square will most likely soon lose the iconic newsstand that has operated there for 50 years, the Cambridge Chronicle reports. The lease for Out of Town News expires at the end of the month, and the business has declined to renew it because of poor sales. “Nobody buys...

Everything Must Go: Hard Times Create Yard Sale Boom

'Thrift economy' thriving as households struggle to meet mortgage payments

(Newser) - Yard sales are on the rise nationwide as the economy heads for the cellar, the New York Times reports. Flyers for sales cover lampposts in formerly booming communities as struggling homeowners seek to raise cash from selling off all the non-essentials—even children's toys. Many of the bargain-hunters are in...

Eagle Eye Soars At Box Office
 Eagle Eye Soars At Box Office 

Eagle Eye Soars At Box Office

Spike Lee's new war film barely breaks Top 10

(Newser) - Eagle Eye flew into first at the weekend box office by grossing $29.2 million, Variety reports. The Diane Lane-Richard Gere romantic drama Nights in Rodanthe swooned into second place with $13.6 million, while Lakeview Terrace ranked a neighborly third by banking $7 million. Spike Lee’s Miracle at ...

Hirst Auction Yields $199M
 Hirst Auction Yields $199M 

Hirst Auction Yields $199M

Dealer-less London sale smashes records

(Newser) - Damien Hirst sold 223 pieces of artwork for $199 million by the end of a two-day auction yesterday, shattering the record for most revenue in an auction of a single artist’s work, Forbes reports. The previous mark was held by Pablo Picasso, with 88 sold for $20 million in...

Clog-Maker Crocs Falling Off
 Clog-Maker Crocs Falling Off

Clog-Maker Crocs Falling Off

Firm has seen drastic decline in sales, share price

(Newser) - Crocs, Inc,. the firm that makes those ubiquitous rubber clogs, is having a bit of a fashion emergency. The stock has lost 90% of its value in less than a year, and the company predicts a 20% sales decline by the end of 2008, NPR reports. The firm’s execs...

Apple Sells 1M iPhones in 3 Days

Gadget posts phenomenal first weekend

(Newser) - The iPhone 3G turns out to be pretty popular, technical glitches or no. Apple sold 1 million units in its first weekend, Bloomberg reports, sending the company’s shares up 3.5%. As of last night, half of the company’s 187 US retail outlets were already sold out. “...

Laptops Finally Outsell Desktops
Laptops Finally Outsell Desktops

Laptops Finally Outsell Desktops

Laptop sales soar 21% this year as desktops sag by 4%

(Newser) - Tech buffs have forecast a laptop takeover for years—and now US buying data is finally confirming a coup de desktop. Consumer laptop sales beat out desktop buys for the first time last year, and corporations will likely follow in 2008, the Los Angeles Times reports. New technology, lower prices,...

Toyota Poised to Overtake GM
Toyota Poised to Overtake GM

Toyota Poised to Overtake GM

Plans to build 9.95 million vehicles, widen lead as largest automaker

(Newser) - Toyota, the most profitable automaker in the world, says it will increase production by 5% to a record 9.95 million vehicles in 2008, opening up a lead over General Motors, Reuters reports. Toyota, which sold 9.36 million vehicles in 2007, also expects sales to increase 5% in 2008...

Are Brits Less Stout of Heart?
Are Brits
Less Stout
of Heart?

Are Brits Less Stout of Heart?

UK sales of Guinness slip as pub-goers seek more 'refreshing' pints

(Newser) - The champion of breakfast beers the world over, Guinness is facing stiff competition from more refreshing lagers targeting the after-work crowd. Sales in in Britain were off 13% in each of the last 2 years, the BBC reports, and in Ireland, where the black stout has been the best-selling beer...

Amazon Reports Large Increase in 3Q Sales

Despite 313% jump, stock drops in after-hours trading

(Newser) - Amazon reported strong increases in third-quarter sales, citing once again its low pricing and free shipping for success. But investors may have been hoping for an even larger increase, because Amazon's share prices fell over 8% in after-hours trading. The company netted a profit of $80 million for the quarter,...

Amazon Stock Soars on Booming Sales
Amazon Stock Soars on Booming Sales

Amazon Stock Soars on Booming Sales

Shares jump 21.4% as retailer boosts volume worldwide

(Newser) - Amazon.com shares shot up 21.4% in after-hours trading yesterday following a report that profits more than tripled in the second quarter thanks to booming sales and a new membership program that offers express shipping for a flat fee, reports the Wall Street Journal. The bump boosted the stock...

Stories 41 - 58 | << Prev 
Most Read on Newser