Daily News (New York, NY) articles from August 2001

Daily News (New York, NY) archives from August 2001

FTC Sings Out against Price Fixing on Opera CDs.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Nancy Dillon Aug. 1--The government has accused AOL Time Warner and Vivendi Universal of working in concert to overcharge opera buffs. The Federal Trade Commission said in a complaint yesterday that the two recording industry...

Daily News, New York, Media Column.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 1--CBS EYES AXE FOR 'FIRST AT 4': Channel 2's afternoon news show "First at 4 p.m.," near dead-last for viewers, may be gone by fall. Its demise would be part of a broader effort to stem the station's...

Unwary Lose $3 Billion A Year to Internet Scam Artists.
August 1, 2001... Byline: William Sherman Aug. 1--The dot-com stock boom has gone bust, but dot-cons are exploding on the Internet, with unsuspecting consumers defrauded to the tune of $3 billion a year. Online auction hustles, stock schemes, quack...

Prodigal Publisher Returns to New Yorker.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 1--A big shakeup in the magazine industry unfolded yesterday as The New Yorker welcomed back a former publisher, jolting a cross-town rival that lured him away only seven months ago. David Carey, 40, who...

Wall Street Betting on Consumer Spending Holding Steady.
August 1, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 1--Wall Street likes the idea consumers will keep on spending. So as a dismal second-quarter earnings season trickled toward a close yesterday, investors set aside falling consumer confidence and...

Economy Still Weak, But Tech Stocks Perk Up.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 2--The nations' economy continued to show signs of sickness yesterday, and blue-chip stocks responded with a whimper. Only stocks from the tech sector bloomed. Investors took heart early when a Merrill Lynch...

UBS PaineWebber Chairman to Step Down.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 2--Donald Marron, who ran PaineWebber for 20 years and oversaw its sale to Swiss conglomerate UBS, is stepping down as chairman of the combined company's brokerage unit. But he can't avoid speculation about a...

Tax Rebate Checks Buoy Retail Sales.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Nancy Dillon Aug. 2--Tax rebate checks already are making their way direct from consumer mailboxes to retailers' cash registers. Top discounter Wal-Mart said a growing number of customers are taking advantage of the chain's...

New York Stock Analyst Sued for Investor Fraud.
August 2, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 2--The queen of the Internet bubble, high-powered stock analyst Mary Meeker, was hit yesterday with lawsuits that could open a floodgate of litigation against the stars of the Nasdaq explosion. Two suits...

Commerce Department Says Manufacturing, Economy Remain Weak.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 3--The world's biggest computer chip maker hinted better days are just around the corner, but the government said yesterday we're continuing to suffer through tough times today. Intel CEO Craig Barrett...

EMI to Merge Rap Label, Artists into Capitol Records.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 3--Priority Records, the rap powerhouse behind Master P and Snoop Dog, is getting the ax from parent company EMI Records. The rap label will be merged into EMI-owned label Capitol Records, according to a...

New World Trade Center Owner Gets High Credit Rating; Rents Could Rise.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 3--Office rents at the World Trade Center are destined to go nowhere but up -- at least 40 percent for many tenants. That was the message yesterday as Larry Silverstein's mammoth $3.2 billion deal for the World...

Daily News, New York, Publishing Column.
August 3, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 3--HOLLYWOOD'S CALLING ON ONE LINE and New York book editors are ringing the other. Eric Konigsberg's first big piece for The New Yorker -- this week's colorful portrait of his black-sheep granduncle, the...

Stocks Fall as Investors Try to Cope with Tough Economic Numbers.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 4--The evaporating dream of a near-term recovery helped push stocks lower yesterday as investors faced some dismal economic numbers. Unemployment last month held steady at 4.5 percent, though the Fed...

New York Law Journal Names New Editor.
August 4, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 4--The New York Law Journal named a new editor yesterday as newly-unionized staffers continued to wait for the paper's parent company to negotiate a contract. Kris Fischer, who has been executive editor of...

New York Law Schools' Arbitration Clinics Aid Investors with Small Claims.
August 6, 2001... Byline: David Andelman Aug. 6--Think you've been wronged? Your broker won't call you back? Neither will his boss? Well, there's hope. At least four New York law schools have securities arbitration clinics that can bail you out, even if...

Daily News, New York, Guerrilla Investing Column.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Peter Siris Aug. 6--Aug. 1 marked the start of Analyst Hunting Season. This is the time when everyone who has lost money in the stock market can go out and sue their favorite analyst. You can have Mary Meeker, Henry Blodget,...

Shareholders Want VA Linux, Credit Suisse Held Accountable for Stock Hype.
August 6, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 6--Shortly after VA Linux, one of the hottest high-tech IPOs of 1999, hit the market, Anita Budich bought 23 shares at $227 each for a total of $5,221. This morning her investment is worth $49. "I'm...

CNN's `Moneyline' Moves to 6 p.m.
August 7, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 7--CEO's are about to get grilled a half-hour earlier. Starting Aug. 27, "Lou Dobbs Moneyline," known for its top business-celebrity interviews, will move to 6 p.m. from 6:30, marking CNN's latest attempt to...

EchoStar's CEO Garners Investor Support for Bid for Rival Hughes Electronics.
August 7, 2001... Byline: PHYLLIS FURMAN Aug. 7--Some of EchoStar's biggest investors gave CEO Charlie Ergen a thumbs-down yesterday after he made a $32 billion bid for rival satellite TV company Hughes Electronics. The preference seemed to be for a...

Bill Clinton's $10 Million Deal with Publisher Could Prove Even More Fruitful.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 8--For Bill Clinton, $10 million may be just the beginning. Crunching the numbers and noting the former president's enduring popularity, publishers and literary agents said yesterday his $10-million book...

Italian Boutique to Expand Its New York Store.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 8--Goodbye, chinos. Hello, leather pumps. In a high-stakes wager that the economic slowdown won't dull the appetite for $250 shoes and $110 neckties, Salvatore Ferragamo is expanding along one of the toniest...

Cisco Systems Meets Quarterly Profit Expectations.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 8--The good news was that Cisco Systems managed to meet Wall Street's expectations for its latest quarterly profits yesterday. The bad news was that it barely turned a profit. Cisco, tech bellwether and...

Worker Productivity Increases; Consumers Reduce Borrowing in June.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 8--Soaring job cuts translated into more output per worker in the past three months, while signs of slower consumer spending suggested any economic recovery may be months away. Worker productivity from...

Morgan Stanley Analyst Hit with Another Shareholder Lawsuit.
August 8, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 8--Morgan Stanley star analyst Mary Meeker, hit with two shareholder lawsuits last week, got socked with a third yesterday. This time it was buyers of AOL Time Warner stock. They alleged that Meeker,...

Bayer Yanks Cholesterol-Reducing Drug; Baycol Linked to 31 Deaths.
August 9, 2001... Byline: David Andelman Aug. 9--Bayer pulled its cholesterol-reducing drug Baycol off shelves yesterday, after it was linked to 31 deaths across the country. The German drug company withdrew Baycol, also known as Lipobay, two weeks...

Federal Reserve Says Economy Nears Recession.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 9--The economy is edging closer to a recession, the Fed said yesterday. Weakness in the hard-hit manufacturing sector finally spilled over into other parts of the economy for the first time last month, the...

Goldman Sachs to Force Analysts to Disclosure Certain Ownership Shares.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 9--Goldman Sachs, the busiest underwriter of new stock deals on Wall Street, has told analysts they must disclose ownership of shares in companies they cover. The new rules fall short of more dramatic...

Aetna Reports Heavy Losses in Recent Quarter.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 9--Aetna, the nation's No. 1 health insurer, delivered sickly financial results yesterday, as soaring medical costs ravaged its profits. The news comes at a time when all major health insurers are reeling from...

Publishers Scramble for Once-Rejected Memoir by Supreme Court Justice's Widow.
August 9, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 9--In an embarrassment for the book business, a once-rejected manuscript has suddenly become a hot property. A dozen publishers are scrambling for the right to bring out a little-known memoir written by the...

Discount Stores See Increased Sales; Other Retailers See Slower Spending.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 10--Blue lights and other discount specials lured shoppers to Wal-Mart, Kmart and Target last month, but full-priced stores felt the full force of slowing consumer spending. With the smallest July increase...

Wall Street Fund Manager Faces Charges for Second Time.
August 10, 2001... Byline: Robert Gearty Aug. 10--A big-time Wall Street pension fund manager had the cuffs slapped on him for a second time yesterday. And this time, he was held without bail. Money manager Alan Bond, once a regular on PBS' "Wall Street...

Carnegie Hall Evicts Upstairs Tenants, Including Violin Dealers.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 13--At Carnegie Hall, you can still go to a concert and hear someone play the violin. But soon you won't be able to go there to buy one. After getting evicted two weeks ago by the Carnegie Hall Corp., violin...

Daily News, New York, Peter Siris Column.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Peter Siris Aug. 13--The economy is slowing. Retail sales are weak. Unemployment is up. Businesses are cutting back. This should all be bad for companies that own real estate. Yet Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) have been the...

Stem Cell Research Firms Find Themselves in Sudden Spotlight.
August 13, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 13--Until last week, Geron was a little-known, thinly funded biotech firm performing research that few people understood. It featured on its Web site a company photo of its 112 employees smiling on their Silicon...

Developer Plans New York Rental Apartment Building.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 14--After years in limbo, a development site on W. 34th Street is about to become home to hundreds of young, well-heeled apartment-dwellers -- if the developer is lucky. Leasing has already begun at J.D....

Many Magazines Struggling to Sell Issues at Newsstands.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 14--Many of the nation's top magazines are having a harder time selling issues at the newsstand. Among the big newsstand losers in the first six months this year were Tina Brown-edited Talk Magazine, US Weekly...

Analysts Predict Brighter Future for Computer, Technology Industries.
August 14, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 14--A prediction from Goldman Sachs that better times are ahead for the computer chip and PC industries turned the Nasdaq to the plus side for the first time in more than a week.The Nasdaq rose 25.78 to...

Head of New York Entertainment Firm Expected to Announce Departure.
August 15, 2001... Byline: David Hinckley Aug. 15--John Scher, whose concert promotions for 30 years have ranged from the Ritz to the Grateful Dead to Woodstock is movin' on. Scher is reportedly being ousted from Metropolitan Entertainment, the company...

Midway Airlines Files for Bankruptcy.
August 15, 2001... Byline: J.K. DINEEN Aug. 15--Squeezed by a dramatic drop in business traffic and a rise in fuel costs, Midway Airlines filed for bankruptcy yesterday and laid off half its workforce. The mid-sized airline, based in Raleigh/Durham,...

Reader's Digest Hires New Editor in Chief.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 15--The world's largest circulation magazine is getting a new editor. The Reader's Digest, the pocket-size American mainstay now struggling with flagging ad sales and profits, said Jacqueline Leo would take...

Boutique Owner May Be Looking to Sell.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 15--Super hot boutique Jeffrey, which two years ago turned a gritty corner of the meatpacking district into a fashion destination, may be on the block. Speculation in the fashion industry has been rife...

Stock Trader Posts Bail after Accusations of `Cherry Picking' Scheme.
August 15, 2001... Byline: Robert Gearty Aug. 15--Friends and family greeted prominent stock trader Alan Bond with hugs and kisses yesterday after he was sprung from jail on $1 million bail and sporting an electronic anklet. Bond, 40, spent five nights...

Jet Blue Airline Launches $99 New York-to-California Special.
August 16, 2001... Byline: J.K. Dineen Aug. 16--Discount airline Jet Blue is preparing for takeoff with a $99, nonstop New York-to-California special, a fare that could spark a price war in the turbulent airline industry. The one-way cross-country...

Economy May Rebound Due to Slowdown of U.S. Manufacturing Decline.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 16--The decline of U.S. manufacturing slowed last month, a sign the economy might be poised for a rebound. But July still marked the tenth straight month the manufacturing sector shrank. And Wall Street failed...

Advertising Slump Hits Rupert Murdoch's Media Empire, News Corp.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 16--Rupert Murdoch's media empire suffered in recent months amid the dry advertising climate that's choking media companies everywhere. News Corp., a vast media kingdom that includes such properties as the...

July Ad Sales Fall More than 11 Percent for New York Times Co.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 16--Reflecting the economic stagnation that has hit media nationwide, The New York Times said yesterday its ad sales fell more than 11 percent last month. The New York Times Co., which publishes The Boston...

Federated Department Stores Lowers Sales Expectations.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 16--The holiday season will be a few jingle bells short of a full ho-ho-ho this year at Federated Department Stores, including Macy's and Bloomingdale's. Suffering along with other department store chains...

Los Angeles-Based Real Estate Firm to Transform Twin Towers Plaza in New York.
August 16, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 16--The five-acre plaza with its signature fountain that lies between the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center may soon be altered beyond recognition. Imagine a roof over the benches and the walkways where...

New York's Public College System Bucks Trend, Keeps Prices Steady.
August 17, 2001... Byline: J.K. Dineen Aug. 17--Pretty soon the best deal in New York may not be a hot dog or the Staten Island ferry, but a college degree. Bucking a national trend, the state's public college system isn't jacking up tuition this fall...

July Retail Prices Post Biggest Decline in 15 Years.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 17--Retail prices across the country had their biggest decline in 15 years last month, while residents of the New York City area also paid less for life's necessities. Along with word new housing...

New York City's Unemployment Rate Dips in July.
August 17, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 17--The city's unemployment rate fell to 5 percent last month from 5.3 percent in June, but still remained among the highest in the state. At the same time, New York City's private sector gained 2,300...

HarperCollins' Top Executive Credited with Breathing New Life into Company.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 20--Rupert Murdoch's recent purchase of 10 more TV stations and his grand plan to build a worldwide satellite-TV network overshadow one of the sure things in his News Corp. portfolio -- books. Four years...

Federal Reserve Expected to Cut Interest Rates.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 20--As sure as death and taxes, there'll be a Fed interest rate cut tomorrow, economists and Wall Street experts agree. But it probably won't be the last one this year, as debate rages whether the economy...

Editor of Hollywood Publication Suspended in Wake of Allegations.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Jack Mathews Aug. 20--Hollywood will have its breakfast today over two trade papers that are without editors. Cahners Publications suspended Peter Bart, editor in chief of venerable Variety on Friday, two-a-half months after...

Daily News, New York, Peter Siris Column.
August 20, 2001... Byline: Peter Siris Aug. 20--Are we having fun yet? I'm not. This is one tough market. Don't get me wrong. I'm still doing fine. I'm up double digits for this year and 25 percent in the past 12 months. But it hasn't been easy. ...

London-Based Advertising Empire Faces Tough Time in Media Industry.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 21--Hard-charging Martin Sorrell built the world's second biggest ad empire through a breathless streak of acquisitions. But even he can't insulate his group, WPP, from the tough economic times that have...

Amazon.com to Distribute TVs, CD Players through Circuit City Stores.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 21--Amazon.com customers will soon be able to buy TVs and CD players on the Web site and pick them up the same day at a Circuit City store. The partnership, one of several Amazon has struck lately with...

Credit Suisse First Boston Names New General Counsel.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 21--Credit Suisse First Boston named Gary Lynch, former chief enforcer for the Securities and Exchange Commission, as its new general counsel. Allegedly the focus of government and law enforcement probes...

Economic Indicators Offer a Glimmer of Hope.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 21--The economy gave signs yesterday that improvement could be just around the corner. The index of leading economic indicators rose for the fourth straight month in July, thanks in part to ongoing...

Daily News, New York, Publishing Column.
August 21, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 21--MAGAZINE MERGER: The new owner of Avenue said his company is "really jazzed" about taking over the giveaway magazine that has targeted readers in the wealthiest Manhattan zip codes since 1976. Gerry...

Federal Reserve Slashes Interest Rates to 3.5 Percent.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 22--Warning of continued economic weakness and suggesting more cuts may come, Alan Greenspan's Fed sliced interest rates a quarter per cent to 3.5 percent, the lowest in seven years. On Wall Street stocks...

Daily News, New York, Media Column.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 22--Fresh from a brief stint as the substitute anchor for Dan Rather, "60 Minutes II" correspondent Scott Pelley's name is resurfacing as a serious contender to succeed the veteran newscaster. CBS News...

Lawsuit against Morgan Stanley Analyst Is Dismissed.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Robert Gearty Aug. 22--Lawsuits that dubbed Morgan Stanley analyst Mary Meeker "the Internet Queen" were tossed out of court yesterday by a sharp-tongued federal judge who called them "an entangled mass of verbiage." The suit...

Twelve People Linked to Florida Stock Brokerage Are Indicted for Fraud.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Mike Claffey Aug. 22--Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn indicted 12 people with ties to an allegedly mob-controlled Florida stock brokerage in a $40 million pump-and-dump stock fraud scheme. The secret owners of the defunct firm,...

Target Sues Kmart for False Advertising, Consumer Fraud.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Nancy Dillon Aug. 22--Target put Kmart in its legal cross-hairs yesterday, suing the rival retailer for false advertising and consumer fraud. The Target complaint, filed in federal court, alleges that nearly three quarters of...

Technology Magazine to Be Back on New York Area Newsstands.
August 22, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 22--Rising from the graveyard of tech-focused magazines, AlleyCat News will be back on newsstands tomorrow with more tales of Silicon Alley. An 88-page issue, carrying 42 pages of ads, will be the first...

Enthusiasm over Cancer Therapy Boosts California Biotechnology Firm.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Nancy Dillon Aug. 23--Enthusiasm over a new lung cancer therapy turned biotech firm Isis Pharmaceuticals into the star of the Nasdaq yesterday. Isis, maker of an experimental drug meant to reverse the growth of lung cancer...

Economist Group Sells Commerce Magazine.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 23--An echo of old New York -- a publication that has tracked the movement of ships and cargo in and out of New York Harbor since 1827 -- is changing hands for $45 million. JoC Week -- a glossy magazine...

Business Week Taps CNN Veteran for Sunday Show.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 23--Gearing up for its first big foray into television, Business Week has tapped financial news veteran Bill Tucker to head up a soon-to-be launched Sunday business show. The magazine is set to announce...

Manhattan Office Rents Show Signs of Falling.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 23--The Manhattan office market, a key barometer of New York's 1990s economic revival, is showing the first signs of turning downward. Average office rents in the second quarter of 2001 reversed an upward...

Stocks Bounce Back a Bit.
August 23, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 23--Wall Street staged a reflex rally yesterday as investors focused on positive news, like GM's forecast for a better-than-expected summer making cars. The Dow roared 102.76 higher to 10,276.90. The...

Good Economic News Spurs Markets to Life.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 24--Investors turned some good news in the economy into good news in the markets. The good news began with tech bellwether Cisco reporting its business was showing signs of life and continued with a report...

Krispy Kreme Sweetens Its Profits.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Nancy Dillon Aug. 24--Doughnut maker Krispy Kreme remains on a roll. The wildly popular confectioner, famous for its glowing red "Hot Doughnuts Now" signs, served up yummier-than-expected quarterly profits yesterday, then...

Daily News, New York, Media Column.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 24--As staffers of The Industry Standard cleared out their desks this week, their memories of the once-sizzling magazine were colored by bitterness over how it died. Many blamed the majority owner,...

Money Market Funds Hit Lowest Point in Seven Years.
August 24, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 24--Money market funds, where cautious investors keep money safe from the stock market's ups and downs, are offering their lowest returns in seven years. The average money market fund now pays just 3.2 percent,...

Swiss Bank May Sell Historic New York City High-Rise.
August 25, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 25--As UBS closes in on a major lease on Seventh Avenue, the Swiss financial giant is also in talks to sell a signature building. The company has entered negotiations to sell 10 E. 50th St., at the corner of...

Microsoft Prepares to Launch Windows XP as Complaints Mount.
August 25, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 25--With a grand sendoff via helicopter, Microsoft sent the final version of its new Windows XP software on its way to computer makers yesterday, even as critics of the product continued to voice concerns. ...

Business Magazine Inc Takes New Format to Garner More Sales.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Paul D. Colford Aug. 27--Unveiling a bolder design, larger size and wider range of stories, Inc is pushing to stand out in the crowded -- and struggling -- field of business magazines. The September issue, on sale this week,...

Daily News, New York, Peter Siris Column.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Peter Siris Aug. 27--What if the Mets announced they were now 10 games over .500 because they had decided to exclude all away games lost by three runs or more? How about if Gary Condit announced he was a moral man, excluding...

Some Television Shows Get Paid to Feature Sponsoring Businesses.
August 27, 2001... Byline: Phyllis Furman Aug. 27--John Lundeen, product manager for tech company WideLearning, recently had an unusual offer. A TV producer called to ask whether WideLearning -- a small New York-based startup -- would agree to be...

Airlines Slash Fares for Fall.
August 28, 2001... Byline: Eric Herman Aug. 28--Airline tickets got cheaper yesterday, as four major U.S. airlines slashed fares in an effort to entice customers. Northwest Airlines led the charge and was followed immediately by similar cuts at American,...

New Chip Means PCs Will Get Faster, Likely Cheaper This Fall.
August 28, 2001... Byline: Rachel Scheier Aug. 28--Thanks to a tiny new computer chip, PCs will get faster -- and probably cheaper -- in the next few months, but analysts question whether the new technology will revive sales. Intel, the Silicon Valley...

Quarterly Home Resales in New York Surpass Most of Nation.
August 28, 2001... Byline: Judith Schoolman Aug. 28--Sales of previously owned homes in New York outdid much of the nation in the three months ended in June. They're expected to keep growing at the same brisk pace, helping push national sales levels to...