Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latin America. Show all posts

Saturday, 1 February 2014

Fiat disappoints with profits, waives dividends

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Fiat disappoints with profits, waives dividends

 

Milan (AFP)

 

Italian car giant Fiat on Wednesday reported 2013 results which were below analysts expectations and said it would be waiving dividends, causing shares in the group to plummet.

 

The carmaker reported a trading profit of 931 million euros ($1.27 billion) for the fourth quarter of 2013, less than the 1.5 billion euros forecast by analysts.

 

The Turin-based company also cut its 2014 forecast more than expected, to between 3.6 to 4.0 billion euros -- down from a previous estimate of up to 5.2 billion euros.

 

Subsequently, the board of directors "has decided not to recommend a dividend payment on Fiat shares, given the company's desire to maintain a balanced level of liquidity following the acquisition of the minority stake in Chrysler Group LLC," the company said in a statement.

 

Shares were down 4.37 percent on the FTSE Mib market at midday.

 

Fiat blamed in part a profit drop on conditions in Latin America, which it said was due primarily to "input cost inflation, unfavourable production mix and lower result in Venezuela."

 

(Agence France-Presse, 29 Wednesday January 2014 The Roman)

 

Wednesday, 22 January 2014

Drinks giant SABMiller toasts rising Q3 sales

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Drinks giant SABMiller toasts rising Q3 sales



London (AFP)



British drinks firm SABMiller reported rising sales in the third quarter of its financial year as business in emerging markets offset a poor performance in Europe, in a statement released Tuesday.



Sales grew by four percent in the three months to the end of December, compared with the outcome in the same period of the previous fiscal year, said a trading update from the maker of Grolsch and Peroni Nastro Azzuro beers.



In Latin America and Africa, sales rose by five percent and eight percent respectively.



Revenues grew six percent in Asia Pacific and by seven percent in South Africa.



However, North American revenues added just one percent, while Europe posted a six percent decline on the back of challenging market conditions.



"Growth in the third quarter was driven by our emerging market businesses where we are successfully targeting new consumers ... across our brand portfolios," said chief executive Alan Clark in the statement.



Total beverage volumes meanwhile grew two percent in the reporting period, with lager volumes rising one percent and soft drinks volumes gaining seven percent.



SABMiller, which is listed in London and Johannesburg, produces well-known beer brands including Foster's, Grolsch, Miller Lite, Peroni Nastro Azzuro and Pilsner Urquell.



The group had announced in December that its chairman and former chief executive Graham Mackay had died following an illness.



South African national Mackay, 64, had stepped down as chief executive last April after undergoing surgery for a brain tumour.



(Agence France-Presse, 21 Tuesday January 2014 The Roman)

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

Grâce à des prix en baisse, un milliard de smartphones vendus cette année With falling prices, a billion smartphones sold this year

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Grâce à des prix en baisse, un milliard de smartphones vendus cette année

 

[caption id="attachment_10274" align="alignnone" width="400"]ALeqM5h1jOUMSaTRsoIpeX0pdknGfaUqlA (Le nombre de smartphones vendus cette année a bondi de 39,3% par rapport à 2012 (AFP/Archives, Nicolas Asfouri)) (The number of smartphones sold this year jumped 39.3% compared to 2012 (AFP/Archives, Nicolas Asfouri))[/caption]

 

Washington — Les smartphones ont franchi le cap symbolique du milliard d'unités vendues cette année dans le monde, grâce à une baisse des prix, et les ventes devraient continuer à croire dans les prochaines années, indique une étude publiée mardi.

 

Le nombre de smartphones vendus cette année a bondi de 39,3% par rapport à 2012, un rythme qui devrait toutefois ralentir les années suivantes, précise le cabinet de recherche International Data Corporation (IDC).

 

Un des facteurs clés de l'engouement pour ces téléphones multi-fonctions est leur prix, qui a baissé de 12% en un an, selon IDC.

 

Le prix moyen d'un smartphone a atteint 337 dollars cette année, en baisse de 12% par rapport à 2012, et pourrait encore diminuer jusqu'à 265 dollars d'ici 2017.

 

"Le moteur des ventes de smartphones les années prochaines devrait être la baisse des prix", souligne un analyste d'IDC, Ramon Llamas.

 

"Dans les marchés émergents notamment, où la sensibilité et l'élasticité des prix sont si importantes, les prix vont diminuer pour les smartphones, qui ne seront plus seulement entre les mains des élites urbaines mais aussi entre celles des consommateurs des marchés de masse", précise M. Llamas.

 

"Chaque vendeur regarde de près de combien il peut baisser le prix des appareils pour à la fois dégager un bénéfice et offrir une expérience solide de smartphone", explique-t-il.

 

Les ventes de smartphones pourraient représenter 1,7 milliards d'unités d'ici 2017, avec un taux de croissance de 18,4% l'année prochaine, selon IDC.

 

"Il y a juste quelques années, le secteur (des smartphones) parlait du prochain milliard de gens qui allaient se connecter, et on partait du principe que la majorité de ces gens allaient le faire avec leur téléphone portable. Etant donné la trajectoire des (prix), les smartphones sont maintenant une option très réaliste pour connecter ces milliards d'utilisateurs", selon M. Llamas.

 

Le nombre d'unités vendues a particulièrement augmenté dans les régions d'Asie-Pacifique et d'Amérique latine, chacune prévoyant une hausse du nombre d'unités vendues d'environ 23% au cours des quatre prochaines années.

 

L'Amérique du Nord, qui compte déjà un grand nombre de smartphones, devrait voir la progression du nombre d'unités vendues ralentir à un rythme de 7,8% et en Europe à 11,1%.

 

Copyright © AFP 2013. Tous droits réservés.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 26 mardi novembre 2013 le Romain)

 

 

With falling prices, a billion smartphones sold this year

 

Washington - Smartphones have crossed the symbolic threshold of one billion units sold this year worldwide, thanks to lower prices and sales should continue to believe in the coming years, says a study released Tuesday.

 

The number of smartphones sold this year jumped 39.3% compared to 2012, a rate that is expected to moderate in the following years, says research firm International Data Corporation (IDC).

 

A key factor in the popularity of the multi-function phones is their price, which fell 12% in one year, according to IDC.

 

The average price of a smartphone hit $ 337 this year, down 12% compared to 2012, and could decrease to $ 265 by 2017.

 

"The driver of smartphone sales in the coming years should be lower prices," said an analyst at IDC, Ramon Llamas.

 

"In emerging markets in particular, where the sensitivity and price elasticity are so important, the price will decrease for smartphones, which are no longer only in the hands of urban elites but also between those consumer mass markets", says Llamas.

 

"Each vendor looks almost how it can lower the price of equipment for both a profit and provide a solid smartphone experience," he says.

 

Smartphone sales could represent 1.7 billion units by 2017, with a growth rate of 18.4 % next year, according to IDC.

 

"There was just a few years, the sector (smartphones) spoke of the next billion people going to connect, and it was assumed that the majority of these people would do with their mobile phone. Given the trajectory of (price), smartphones are now a very realistic to connect billions of users option”, says Llamas.

 

The number of units sold increased particularly in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America, each providing a higher number of units sold of approximately 23 % over the next four years.

 

North America, which already has a large number of smartphones should see growth in the number of units sold at a slow pace of 7.8% and in Europe 11.1%.

 

Copyright © 2013 AFP . All rights reserved.

 

(Agence France-Presse, 26 Tuesday November 2013 The Roman)

(Translated: R.S.F. tohiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 27 Wednesday November 2013 The Roman)

 

 

 

Monday, 18 November 2013

Sony: 1 million de PlayStation 4 vendues Sony: PlayStation 4 to 1 million sold

Sony: 1 million de PlayStation 4 vendues

 

Sony a annoncé dimanche avoir vendu un million d'exemplaires de sa nouvelle console de jeu vidéo PlayStation 4 au cours de la première journée de commercialisation aux Etats-Unis et au Canada.

 

La PS4, grâce à laquelle le groupe japonais espère relancer ses activités d'électronique grand public, est arrivée vendredi chez les détaillants nord-américains et sera lancée en Europe et en Amérique latine le 29 novembre.

 

Le chiffre de ventes annoncé dimanche n'est pas une surprise puisque Sony avait déjà annoncé avoir enregistré plus d'un million de réservations.

 

Mais il marque une première étape dans le match qui opposera au cours des prochains mois Sony à l'américain Microsoft, dont la nouvelle console, la Xbox One, sera mise en vente vendredi prochain.

 

Le japonais s'est fixé pour objectif de vendre cinq millions de PS4 d'ici la fin de son exercice fiscal, le 31 mars.

 

(Le Figaro, 18 lundi novembre 2013 la Romaine)

 

 

Sony: PlayStation 4 to 1 million sold

 

Sony announced Sunday that it had sold a million copies of its new PlayStation 4 console video game during the first day of marketing in the United States and Canada.

 

The PS4, through which the Japanese group hopes to restart its business of consumer electronics, arrived Friday in North American retailers and will be launched in Europe and Latin America on November 29.

 

Net sales on Sunday is not a surprise since Sony has already announced that it saved more than one million reservations.

 

But it marks a first step in the match between the months ahead to U.S. Sony Microsoft, the new console, Xbox One, will go on sale next Friday.

 

Japanese has set a target to sell five million PS4 by the end of its fiscal year on March 31.

 

(Le Figaro, 18 Monday November 2013 The Roman)

(Translated: R.S.F. toshiki speed news press, Agence France-Presse, 18 Monday November 2013 The Roman)