The News Review:
- eLong Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2008 Unaudited Financial Results
- Retailers hope Black Friday isn’t dark day for sales
- Ceapro Reports Increased Sales in Third Quarter and Nine-Month …
- Digital Sales Surpass CDs at Atlantic
eLong Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2008 Unaudited Financial Results
MarketWatchnbsp;
Service development expense increased 16% over the prior
year quarter mainly driven by increased investment in platform enhancements. Service development expense increased by 141 basis points to 17% of net
revenues when compared to the same quarter last year. Sales and marketing expense for the third quarter 2008 increased 37% over
the prior year quarter mainly driven by the brand awareness and consumer
promotion marketing campaign which began in July higher sales commissions
and increased online marketing expense. Sales and marketing expense increased
by 13 percentage points to 60% of net revenues when compared to the same
quarter last year. General and administrative expense for the third quarter 2008 decreased
24% over the prior year quarter mainly driven by decreases in external
consulting fees. General and administrative expense as a percentage of net
revenues decreased by 7 percentage points year-on-year to 16% in the third
quarter.
Retailers hope Black Friday isn’t dark day for sales
Los Angeles Timesnbsp;CAnbsp;
Still “we’re conservative and I think that’s the way you have to be in this. “Of course there are some shoppers who will always turn out on Black Friday regardless of the economy. Jacqueline Hurwitz a marketing professional from Los Angeles said despite taking advantage of some major sales recently she still planned to hit the stores Friday. “I don’t like Black Friday” she said “but it’s like the necessary evil. “Chang is a Times staff writer.
Related from Advertisingmonster: Black Friday: Retailers Advertising More Than Ever
Ceapro Reports Increased Sales in Third Quarter and Nine-Month …
MarketWatchnbsp;
The focus of the Company on its core expertise – extracting active
ingredients from natural sources – has delivered good growth in
revenues during the third quarter and the Company foresees increased
sales for the rest of the year and in 2009. A contract manufacturing organization will be contracted for
supplement production of bulk intermediates during the fourth
quarter while the finishing manufacturing steps will continue to be
done at the Company’s facilities in Leduc Alberta. This will allow
the Company to increase sales and gross margins in 2009. Out-licensing discussions are advancing well with a strategic partner
for the Company’s proprietary diabetes test meal CeaProve(R). Financial Highlights for Third Quarter and Nine Month Period Ended
September 30 2008
– Sales of active ingredients to personal care markets were $871000
for the quarter and $3179000 for the nine-month period compared
with $591000 and $2671000 in the corresponding periods in 2007. – Gross margins were at 30% for the quarter and 38% for the
nine-month period down substantially from the same periods in 2007. The majority of costs are variable in relation to volume and specific
formulation of products but the Company continues to face pressures
from higher labor costs and labor shortages rising commodity prices
and a lower US dollar during the first nine months of 2008.
Digital Sales Surpass CDs at Atlantic
New York Timesnbsp;United Statesnbsp;
Atlantic a unit of Warner Music Group says it has reached a milestone that no other major record label has hit: more than half of its music sales in the United States are now from digital products like downloads on iTunes and ring tones for cellphones. #8220;We#8217;re like a college basketball team on an 18-2 run#8221; said Craig Kallman Atlantic#8217;s chairman and chief executive. At the Warner Music Group Atlantic#8217;s parent company digital represented 27 percent of its American recorded-music revenue during the fourth quarter. (Warner does not break out financial data for its labels but Atlantic said that digital sales accounted for about 51 percent of its revenue. )With the milestone comes a sobering reality already familiar to newspapers and television producers.