News-Press from Fort Myers, Florida • Page 15

Cb Chge B.d Ask Chge Am.Agronom. 1 Mi Alko 78 81 i Ajtof 19H Vi Coostlond 2 2. Deitona 6i PBAir l4 1 22 -Vi Seago 5 6- FPt 27 '4 S.AHontk 116 316 Gannert 60 '4 TwisM 3 516 3 716 GDC-um 15 -'4 US Sugar 52 60 Naples Fed. 18. -H Dean Witter Reynolds PGI 5 'A Utd.

Telephone 23 V4 -Vt DOW closed at 1,518.23 VOLUME 176.46 million NYSE 1.33. closed at 118 67 ASE closed at 244 32 SAP -1 6j closed at 228 72 Gainer. 334 Loer 1.492 Unchanged, 239 NEWS-PRESS THURSDAY. JANUARY 10, 1986 15A ajor retailers say CSnrDsSmnias sales OK By The Associated Press strengthened in the final days before Christmas and double-digit increases were registered throughout the nation in the week ended Dec. 28.

For the year-to-date, Sears' sales edged up 0.1 percent to $26.81 billion from $26.77 billion. mart, with headquarters in Troy, said its sales for the month came to $3.59 billion compared with $3.39 billion. In the first 48 weeks of the year, mart said its sales rose 7.6 percent to $21.17 billion from $19,676 billion. New York-based Penney said its December sales came to $2.29 billion, compared with $2.1 2 billion a year earlier. For the year-to-date, sales rose 2.3 percent to $11,965 billion from $1 1.699 billion.

"It was modest gains for Christmas," said Jeffrey Edelman, a retail analyst with the New York investment firm Dean Witter Reynolds Inc. Monroe Greenstein, an analyst with Bear, Stearns said: "Business was satisfactory but not strong. There was no real buying enthusiasm on the part of the consumer. Part of the lack of strength in sales, just part of it, was due to the fact that we had six fewer shopping days." The Christmas selling season begins the day after Thanksgiving, which fell Nov. 28 in 1985, compared with Nov.

22 in 1984. Greenstein said sales also were hurt by the fact that many Americans bought cars to take advantage of auto makers' incentives calendar. But, he added. "If we take the two-month period combined, sales were in line with expectations." Even better news for the retailers is that they were able to keep their inventories under control, which meant there were fewer markdowns. And that means healthy profits are expected for the fiscal fourth quarter that ends Jan.

31. Sears, which is based in Chicago, said its sales for the five weeks ended Jan. 4 came to $3.73 billion, compared with $3.67 billion a year ago. Each of the retailers' quarters include two four-week periods and one five-week one. Edward Brennan, chairman and chief executive officer of Sears, said sales last fall, leaving them less to spend on Christmas.

In addition, there were fewer bargains to spur shopper interest, he said. But cold weather boosted sales, said Walter Loeb, a retail analyst with Morgan Stanley Co. "In addition to that, in some geographic areas, you had some additional momentum because they had Hanukkah, the Jewish gift-giving season, which was early this year," he said. "That gave the retailers the confidence that their merchandise assortment was right." The five days before Christmas were "explosive," Loeb said. Edelman said the results varied widely among the companies for November and December because of quirks in the reporting NEW YORK The nation's major retailers released December sales reports Thursday that analysts characterized as satisfactory, considering the crucial Christmas season was six days shorter than in 1 984.

Sears, Roebuck and the largest retailer, said its sales rose 1 .7 percent. Second-ranked mart Corp. said its sales climbed 5.7 percent, but sales at stores open more than a year fell 0.3 percent. J.C. Penney the third biggest, said its sales increased 8 percent.

Federated Department Stores No. 4, said its sales edged up 1.1 percent, and Dayton Hudson No. 5, reported a 5.6 percent gain. WCAI-AM sells for $51,000 Consumers jam Kodak phone lines seeking camera trade-in information By RICKCHRISTIE News-Press Business Writer By JOHN RUMSEY Gannett News Service Jensen said because of Caloosa Television's initial bid, which was reflected in the public notice, she had to start the bidding at $50,000. Her Initial idea to sell the station's license and hard assets separately met with disfavor from two of the station's primary leinholders, Truman Morris and Ron Pierce, who filed an objection with the Tampa bankruptcy court.

She said a hearing will be held today at 1 1 1 5 a.m. in the Federal Courthouse by Tampa Bankruptcy Judge Hugh Paskay to hear the Morrises' and Pierces' objections. However, their attorney Jeff Rice said he only thought the hearing would last about 1 0 minutes. Jensen said since Coleman has bought the failed station license and all, it is now his responsibility to work out some type of payment plan with the leinholders, or secured creditors. The primary reason why Ercona South headed by James Seemiller, placed the station in liquidation was because the company was unable to reach an agreement on payments with former owners Morris, Pierce and Charles Frank.

Coleman, who said some friends told him the station was for sale, said he has no immediate plans for WCAI's format, but hopes to begin broadcasting as soon as possible after the FCC approves the sale. WCAI-AM, the financially strapped newstalk radio station that filed for liquidation bankruptcy last month, was sold for $5 1 ,000 to an Illinois radio station owner at a public auction Thursday. With more than a dozen people crowded into a conference room at the downtown Fort Myers law office of Pavese, Shields, Garner, Haverfield, Dalton Harrison, a Gaelsburg, 111., radio station owner, Roger Coleman, turned in the only bid for the failed station. Diane Jensen, the court-appointed receivertrustee for the WCAI Chapter 7 liquidation, said Coleman purchased the station's license and certain unsecured assets including real estate, office equipment and other tangible items. "But unquestionably, the most important thing here is the right to apply to the Federal Communications Commission for the license," Jensen said.

Caloosa Television Corp. of Bonita Springs owner of WEVU Television-Channel 26 withdrew Its initial $50,000 bid before the auction, and Ray Karpowicz, general manager of Caloosa Television, was not present at the auction. -1 I -i in 1 ROCHESTER, N.Y. With Eastman Kodak Co. now out of instant photography, its long-distance telephone lines were jammed Thursday with people wanting to trade a Kodak camera for a disc camera, a coupon book or a share of Kodak stock.

To handle the camera trade-in program, Kodak set up a toll-free telephone line at a redemption company in Omaha, Neb. Camera owners must call 1-800-792-3000 for instructions. Company spokesman Charles Smith said that as of 1 p.m. Thursday, 7,000 calls had been received by Kodak operators. About 50 operators were staffing each shift on the 24-hour lines, but more were summoned as the firm began the unique nationwide offer to owners of instant cameras for which it no longer can make film.

The financial costs of Kodak's patent infringement dispute with Polaroid Corp. can't be accurately estimated, but Kodak is expected to take a large write-off against its 1985 earnings, scheduled for announcement Feb. 18. An injunction forced Kodak out of the instant photography business, shutting down for keeps a division that involved 4,500 jobs in Rochester and sales estimated at between $200 million and $300 million. Kodak employed 53,200 here at the end of 1984.

Kodak said it will try to keep as many employes as it can, placing them in other jobs. Sears 'wish book' hits street sporting Fort Myers photos AP A representative of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Motor Vehicles in Harrisburg, takes a driver license photograph of Ann Battaglia with a Kodak instant camera. The state, which had planned to replace its present photo system, has a six-month supply of film. which was taken over by a photo of the Sears promotional hot-air balloon soaring over Mount Rushmore in South Dakota. The first identifiable Fort Myers photo appears on page 101 astand alone picture of the royal palms lining McGregor Boulevard.

The other photographs emphasize the models and their clothing or the seven-story balloon and fade Fort Myers into the background. Those photographs were taken in August at the Edison home, the federal building, the Metropolitan Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce gazebo and the historical museum. In the copy accompanying the McGregor Boulevard photograph, Sears notes: "Fort Myers, Florida, is sometimes called the 'city of palms' because of its boulevards and streets lined with tall, majestic palm trees. Long a resort area, such legendary men as Thomas Edison and Henry Ford, along with baseball teams like the Kansas City Royals, have called it their winter home. Congratulations, Fort Myers, as you celebrate another landmark year." Other cities and areas included in the catalog are Chicago, Minot, N.D., Lincoln, 111., Berwick, Austin, Pasadena, Calif, and Liberty Island in New York City.

By PATI DAVIS News-Press Business Editor Southwest Floridians browsing through the just-out SpringSummer Sears, Roebuck Co. catalog might get a Jolt of recognition from eight of the catalog's 1 ,252 pages. Because both Sears and Fort Myers have just hit the 100th anniversary mark, the new "wish book" features photographs shot in Fort Myers and other American centennial cities. Sears says the new catalog will be read by 14 million people. Fort Myers didn't make the cover The Instant Photography division's equipment, valued at $200 million, will be scrapped if It can't be adapted for other uses.

It has been estimated the writeoff of inventory alone instant cameras and film made but not shipped could be $50 million. And the costs of the redemption program could reach $1 00 million. Cameras must be shipped by Dec. 31. Kodak will reimburse the owners for shipping costs.

Film won't be accepted presumably the owners will use it up before sending in their cameras. PBA announces air fare discounts Myers, Sarasota, Melbourne and Marathon under a commuter marketing agreement with Southern Express Airways and Transair, using the prop aircraft of the two smaller carriers. In addition to Naples, its jets fly to Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, TampaSt. PetersburgClearwater, Miami, Orlando, Gainesville, Tallahassee, Key West, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Pensacola. Fiala said PBA's discount fare offer "really didn't have anything to do with" the new Piedmont service.

"Traditionally, tourist business is extremely slow in the month of January so many carriers are offering discount rates. This is to encourage people to travel." Piedmont spokesman Claudette McCullough at the carrier's base in Winston-Salem, N.C., said Piedmont's current super-saver round-trip rate between Naples and Tampa, Key West or Miami is $78. The round-trip rate between Fort Myers and Miami or Tampa as of the Jan. 15 service start will be $99. Asked if Piedmont would match the PBA discounts, McCullough said no changes have been announced but "Normally, our procedure it to stay competitive in the cities we serve." PBA also flies in New England.

And in another jolt to the troubled airline. Piedmont announced Thursday's it has signed another commuter marketing program with Brockway Air, a northeastern regional carrier that serves Boston, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, prime areas served by PBA during the summer months. That commuter service goes into effect March 1 5, Piedmont said. PBA has been in financial trouble since the fall of 1984 when it was grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration for safety violations. Its problems worsened after a fatal accident killed 13 people, Dec.

6, 1984, shortly after it resumed limited service. The 36-year-old airline filed for protection from creditors under federal bankruptcy laws in March while working on a plan to pay $18 million in bank loans. PBA eked out a profit of $1 14,001 for the third quarter of 1985 after a multi-million-dollar string of losses. By PATI DAVIS News-Press Business Editor Naples-based Provincetown-Bos-ton Airline (PBA), bucking new competition from Piedmont Airlines' statewide shuttle service, Thursday began a "super discount fares" program. The financially troubled regional carrier jumped into the fare wars arena with discount fares, good through Feb.

6, on PBA non-stop flights between the 16 cities on its southern routes. Sales manager Donna Fiala said fares under the new program include $29 one-way fares between Fort Myers and Miami, Fort Myers and Tampa, Naples and Tampa, Naples and Key West and Naples and Miami. Previously, the fares were $58 between Fort Myers and Tampa and Miami, $62 for Naples to Tampa, $44 for Naples to Key West and $55 between Naples and Miami, she said. Piedmont began offering in-state jet service in Naples in October and Jan. 15 will begin flying into Fort REGISTER TO WIN a a ft.

long party sub. one GIVEN AWAY AT EACH LOCATION. FILL-OUT ENTRY BLANK AND DROP OFF AT NEAREST LOCATION. (DRAWING FRIDAY 1-24-86) rn EZ3 EZZI TRY OUR "FRESH" BAKED BREAD OPEN LATE 7 NIGHTS A WEEK BUSINESS BRIEF (fjVfl) (P)(o)t oiivM off Uu Judge to rule on request Postage hikes rescinded Buy any foot long sub or large salad large drink and get second foot long sub or large sub or large salad of equal or lesser value for only 99. Limit one coupon per customer.

Expires 1 -3 1 86. Buy any foot long sub or large salad large drink and receive 1 .00 off regular price. Limit one coupon per customer. Expires 1 -3 1 -86. 3501 FOWLER STREET 1567s McGregor IONA POINTE 4901 PALM BEACH BLVD.

MORSE SHORES 693-0866 11791-2 S. CLEVELAND AVE. (ACROSS FROM HAVERTY'S) 936-2003 COLUMBUS SQUARE 275-7744 433-2022 rl A federal judge in White Plains, N.Y. reserved decision Thursday on a request from Texaco Inc. for a court order that would block Pennzoil Co.

from seizing Texaco assets in an attempt to collect an $11.1 billion damage judgment. After almost two hours of arguments, U.S. District Court Judge Charles Brieant told attorneys a temporary order protecting Texaco would remain in effect until his ruling Friday. Texaco went to federal court in New York after a Texas court ordered the nation's third largest oil company to pay Pennzoil $10.53 billion in damages and $600 million in interest for Improperly interfering in a merger of Pennzoil and Getty Oil Co. Texaco acquired Getty for $10.1 billion two years ago.

After discovering a miscalculation, the Postal Service Thursday rescinded a just-approved Jan. 18 postage rate increases for certain newspapers and nonprofit organizations. A resolution approved in a telephone vote by the postal board said some second-class newspaper rates approved Tuesday "were technically incorrect." David F. Harris, board secretary, explained that a calculation error would have resulted in charging newspapers about $5 million more than was necessary to cover a shortage. The postal governors said they would address the rate change at their meeting during the first week of February.

A rate increase was made necessary by a reduction of taxpayer subsidies for newspaper delivery and mailing of library, church and charitable mail. FREE 4 FT. PARTY SUB ENTRY BLANK NAME ADDRESS PHONE NO..