European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday january 10, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 19 business news women shoppers what they look for in a store shopping environment Price and value Chicago Tribune graphic by Kevin Boyd source newspaper advertising Bureau inc. Housewares firms predict \ Revenue increase of 20% i Chicago up with Miami i swimming pools and top Oun tableware leading the Way the housewares Industry is predicting Revenue increases of nearly 20 percent in 1988, Jay Spaulding president of the National housewares manufacturers association said Friday. The association s s7th International exposition Fea Turing 1,850 exhibitors was scheduled to open on Sun Day and As Many As 60,000 buyer Are expected to attend the Trade show which runs through wednesday. The exposition traditionally a showcase for new products ii not open to the Public. Spaulding said microwave accessories and read to assemble furniture Are expected id be High volume areas in the next two Yean. Among the new microwave products being introduced is a personal site Popcorn Popper from in id which holds live cups of popped Corn. In the furniture category arc All kinds of spa organizer systems from closet organized to portable kitchens. Housewares makers have not neglected juvenile con Sumers this year. Star wares is introducing its eat run f-l4top gun dish Complete with cockpit Wann ing compartment. And for the youngster whose parents Are Miami vice fans there s the Palm tree swimming Pool from splash arcs which includes a Row of Palm Trees lining the water s Edge. A downturn in the Economy won t hive a major impart on the House wars Industry Spaulding said. Housewares Are not a luxury. Regardless of How peo ple use their time today and regardless of working families and compression of Lime people still use their Home for some entertaining. They will buy More products for their Homes for their  Spaulding said the association s members predict an average 19.5 percent growth rate in 1988, with som companies expecting to increase Revenue by 22 per cent that compares with an average growth of 7 per cent last year although some companies did report 23 percent increases he said. There Are a number of things that Are Silling just right spauling said. The value Eft he Dollar we re not too worried about Competition Flora abroad. Companies Are More optimistic. The number of households is growing 1w limes faster than the population presenting a great number of opportunities to sell housewares Lypp products to people. Retailers Are Selling up new types of store formats. And it s not just the mass merchandisers it s the food stores and drug retailers As Well. They have to till that space with products some of which they have deem Pha sized in the  More . Corporations changing their names new York up a record 1,753 . Corporations changed their names in 1987, a 27 percent increase above in previous year s record of 1,382 changes a study by Anspach Grossman Portugal inc. Said. The changes reflected the Many corporate acquisitions sales or restructurings that have occurred in the past Cou ple of years said Joel Portugal a principal us the corporate identity consulting firm in new York. Even Black monday failed to reverse the trend he said noting that 434 name changes occurred in the fourth Quarter Down 6 percent from the same period in Issei but 8 percent higher than 1987 s third Quarter. More than half of All corporate name changes i4 percent were the results of mergers or Nuqui Simions the study said. Contributing to the  sit Ion total were 126 Banks and thrifts which acquired new identities through rescues by the Federal Deposit insurance corp. And Federal savings & loan insurance corp. Corporate downsizing through divestitures spin offs leveraged buyouts and asset sales accounted for 293 new names up 80 percent from the 1 fi3 changes associated with downsizing the previous year the study said. The elective or straight name category brought about 290 new names Orone out of every sin identity changes. Chances in this category signalled a Strat egy change by corporations la capitalize on the familiarity of a Brand name or to eliminate a perceived limitation to future growth said Portugal who cited Baxter International s change from Baxter to Ravanol. And Kalleco formerly know Nas Allegheny beverage As examples. Continuing the trend first noted in 1986, name changes in the manufacturing sector and Industrial sector outnumbered those among Banks accounting far 474, or 27 percent of the total the study said. The communications Industry showed Strong activity up 42 percent in part due to an ongoing consolidation among Cable companies. But the biggest percentage increase was shared by the health care and transportation industries who both saw in creases of 59 percent the stud 1 said. New York led states in corporate name changes last year with 172, or 10 percent of the total. Following were Cali fornia 152, Texas 133, Pennsylvania. Is and Illinois 69,respectively. Noting the types of new names chosen by companies last year Portugal cited two smaller corporations that showed some creativity in their selections the rather dry sounding Sandusky plastics became the racier Chariot group and sickroom service co. Picked a name with a nicer ring to it Hafi Hall inc. Japanese spent $9 billion buying . Firms by Bob Deans Cox news sit Nice Tokyo there s one thing the United slates should t have any trouble Selling to the japanese this year . Corporations. In 1987, japanese companies poured a record amount of Money up to 19 billion by some Esti mates into acquiring and merging with american businesses. This year s figure will probably of that according id officials who put together such dealt. The interest in such deals is at an All time High said Jonathan e. Colby vice president for mergers and acquisitions for the first Boston corp s Tokyo  reason is thai the japanese yen has reached record highs against the Dollar giving japanese companies unprecedented buying Power in the , corporate marketplace. Meanwhile the october crash on Wall Street has slashed the paper value of most publicly held . Companies by 20 percent or More. Those conditions have combined to create a corporate fire Sale for japanese companies interested in acquiring american businesses. The bargains could hardly have come at a better Lime for japanese com  Strong yen and the growth of protectionist sentiments in the United staks Are making it increasingly difficult for japanese companies to continue exporting Al their historical Levels. Part of the solution has been for them 10 develop operations taking Quick advantage of rapidly fluctuating currency rates for  do not buy and sell companies As a commod Ity like you sometimes do in the United slates Sai Kenji Suganya general manager for mergers and acquisitions Lor the Yama Chi securities co.,  Japan the majority of companies do not buy companies in haste just because of the yen s , investors Archt seen Here As pulling the yen has nearly doubled in value against the on hold a prospective Deal on the belief that the yen Dollar since 1985 and has gained More than 10 per might go up still  you Rocc and steady Boom in acquisitions of american firms. I think the trend s being accelerated said Hisaji Nakazono general manager for corporate strategy and services at the Nomura securities co., ltd., Japan s largest securities House. Because of the yen s appreciation from the Japa Nese viewpoint. Everything in the United states looks like a bargain Nakazono said through an interpreter. Overseas particularly in the United states. A Good Way to do that has in to existing . Businesses. Bee to acquire or merge with Listin investment houses Here have geared up for a Long cent in the past three months alone. As much As the mighty yen has accented the a peal of acquiring . Assets japanese firms generally Are moving with caution in that direction. It typically takes six months or More for a Japa Nese company to decide to acquire part or All of a . Business and the benefits of a favourable currency Rale Are often overshadowed by Longcr Lynn considerations such As How Well the prospective Pur Chase fits into the buyer s Overall strategy. Price is just one consideration said merger and acquisition specialist Tony Zaloom. It s not really As important As some of these other  Zaloom a partner in the Tokyo office of Skadden arps slate Meagher & Flam a new York Law firm said merger and acquisition activity Here was quite As brisk As observers had thought in View of the Strong yen. There s been More Light than heat at this  one reason is that the Japan. Generally subject a potential merger or acquisition to a Long and meticulous review. Thai approach does t lend itself to to meet a very Nice girl for your match making you May not wonder How much her dowry May be now or in the future Nakazono said. If she s Good enough you la Lake her  thing now tempering japanese interest in buying american companies Nowc ver. Has been con Cern Over the Long term health of the . Economy. That concern has been sharpened in recent months by the Wall Street crash and the . Government failure to balance its  the uncertainty japanese companies Are picking Over corporate America with a ical As yet unmatched. Lost week for example. Sony sealed its 12 billion Purchase of lbs records in the largest Deal Ever involving a japanese corporation buying an american  Boston s Colby said his office had twice As Many pending purchases by japanese companies As it had this time last year. At Yamaichi securities such pending deals Are up 50 percent and the com Pany added 11 new staffers to its merger and acquisitions office last year to keep Pace with the work Load