The News Tribune from Tacoma, Washington • 19

The News Tribune Tuesday Oct 12 1993 Bll Nintendo repackages popular NES unit in time for Christmas Proposed NAFTA pact delights Central Washington businessmen By Janwa Klockow The Associated Press By Nicholas Qaranloa The Associated Press The Boeing Co in Seattle Recent problems at Boeing have prompted layoffs at Dowty he said NAFTA would strengthen Boeing's business in Merioo and is unlikely to prompt an exodus of high-tech jobs than the United States Wheeler said The trade agreement would drop tariflb and other trade bar- The Clinton administration estimates the agreement would create 200000 jobs in the United States Bill Douglas of Douglas Fruit in Yakima said three yean ago his company was able to export apricots to Mexico But last year its new restrictions blocked imports common sense as a businessman says that when you have open trade with three large countries all three Douglas aaid Tom Mathison of Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee said that Canada and Mexico combined to buy 10 million boxes of Washington apples last year some 17 percent of the total crop Free trade could expand that by tqi to GO percent Mathison said NAFTA pass those numbers will shrink" Mathison raid Phil Jones of Seattle who has been hired by 150 Washington businesses to coordinate aupjiat for NAFTA said the agreement would create more jobs and income in Washington by increasing exports to Mmim He contended 5000 Washington jobs now are directly dependent on trade My common sense as a businessman says that when you hare open trade with three large countries all three benefit Jf BB Douglas Yskkna businessman YAKIMA Central Washington business leaders came out strongly Monday for the North American Free Trade Agreement saying it will improve sale of everything from apples to airplanes UB Sep Jay Inslee (D-Sdah) organized news conferences in Yakima and the Tri-Cities and called NAFTA a jab creator for his constituents This will level the playing field between us Mexico and Canada" Inslee said The dropping of high tariffe imposed by Mexico win help fenners and manufacturers increase exports to that growing Countzy Inslee said He was supported by a who of mqjor industries in Central Washington Included were Tree Top Inc Boeing Computer Services Richland Westinghouae Hanford Co Snokist Growers Lamb-Weaton Inc Siemens Power Cop of the Tri-Cities and the Washington Apple Commission William Wheeler president of Dowty Aerospace Yakima said his aircraft parts company does half its annual business with Nintendo has redesigned the hardware for ita enormously popular videogame system and will have the new version an store helves in time for the holiday shopping season the company said Monday The changes an almost wholly cosmetic but could boost sales of the Nintendo Entertainment System a spokeswoman said Sales of the NES declined this year for the first time since the device was introduced eight years ago said Perrin Kaplan at Redmans Nintendo of America Inc The Redmond office is the US subsidiary of Nintendo Co which is based in Kyoto Japan The company introduced the 8-bit NES in 1985 It quickly became one of the moat popular on the market with worldwide sales of 60 million systems The systems are found in about 35 million American hones the company said in a release noting that just 176 million UB homes have a personal computer But sales have leveled off in the last few yean and actually declined this year Kaplan said NES accounted for about $27 million in hardware sales for 1992 and nearly $1 billion in software The redesigned version will be available without a game and with only one control piece which will lower the suggested retail price from $8995 to $4995 and make the system the most affordable on the market Kaplan said Games coat between $20 and $40 The new version is about half the size of the original the company said NES Game Fake are loaded from the top rather than the front and the oontmller has been redesigned with a larger directional key and Bmy Sws Associated Press Nintendo of America president Minoru Andrews presents the redesigned NES video unit which about half the sbe of the original riers between the United States Pnruulq and Mwnan creating a unified marketplace of 370 million people NAFTA feces a tough ratification fight in Congress including opposition from people who fear that businesses will flee the United States seeking cheaper labor and fewer regulations in Mwim tems and may do the same for the NES she said The first of the redesigned NES systems were shipped Monday from Japan and are expected to arrive Thursday at the national distribution center in North Bend From there they will be parceled out to about 18000 stores serosa the country in time for the Christmas holidays The games should be in atone in about three weeks Kaplan said' Nintendo Co is the largest manufacturer of video games and maintains about an 80 percent share of the home videogame market In the United States the company claims a 99 percent share of the 8-bit market an angled bottom a Nintendo release said The redesign was not an effort to reverse the leveling-off of sales Kaplan Mill think we just felt it was time to update it It certainly waa not lack of she said If the change accompanied by an increase in sales will be icing We are well on our way to reaching our sales Kaplan Baid the lock of the NES been updated for a modem but only minor changes were made in the electronics and none of those will affect how the system runs Introduction of stripped-down versions sold without games a extra accessories led to sales increases for the company's Game Boy and Super NES sys son goes to them and says How do I paint when got cedar aiding bleeding? all over We can help them They Fabulich said The company bought out six independent Parker Paint dealers in the past 12 years and might buy out more to eliminate middlemen and increase profits Parker Paint which is owned by Williams Holding of England might build more retail stores in its regional market especially in Oregon Fabulich said The company still has 50 independent dealers in its Washington Oregon and Alaska service area Parker Paint was founded in 1947 by painting contractor William Parker who built the paint manufacturing plant on South Tacoma Way in 1951 Fabulich joined the company as a salesman three years later Fabulich said the parent company allows Parker Paint to retain its independent Tacoma tradition "We're still Parker Paint We run our own show" he said solvents Parker Paint also uses computers to match new paint colas to existing paint or oven to rugs afiimiture The company plana to install color-matching computers in some of its larger stores The main Tacoma store next to the at 3003 South Tacoma Way the computer now Fabulich said Despite the soft economy sales are up from last year to paint contractors and general consumers Fabulich said although he didn't want to release figures for competitive reasons The company added stores in Kennewick and Spokane this year Parker Paint employs 235 people It sella 70 percent of its paint to contractors and 30 percent to general consumers But the company and its independent dealers ere feeing etiflfer competition from home improvement stores with their high sales volumes and low overhead he said "They might cut into our consumer business But when a per Parker Continued from B7 encourages the use of any fire-retardant paint Developing a cheaper fire-resiating paint is one way Parker Paint is trying to build its market share during a soft economy "This is added value to the customer a need for Fabulich said Parker Faint Manufacturing Co is the largest paint manufacturer and seller in the Pacific Northwest It will produce 25 million gallons of punt in 1993 he said The company grows and survives through development of new products and technique About 25 years ago it came out with one of the first exterior latex paints in the Pacific Northwest called Flextron Flextron gave the company an advantage with contractors because they could clean up with water after painting instead of using more costly thinners and At your service for three years Free Wal-Mart Continued from B7 Wayne Finneseth assistant manager of Olympic Sports center on Tacoma Mall Boulevard said visited a Wal-Mart in Hood River Ore real he said you need something the chances are going to find it at Finneseth already faces price competition from a SportMart under construction across 1-5 in Tacoma Place shopping center scheduled to open the middle of next month what we need more he said of Wal-Mart "But I guess that's just part of the retail Debbie Dolan manager of the nearby House of Fabrics seemed less waned about competition from Wal-Mart would add some traffic around here that would help" she said So far Wal-Mart has opened Washington stores in Moses Lake Omsk and Colville Wal-Mart spokeswoman Sandy Brummett would only comment generally on the interest in Tacoma deny that looking she said have to look around to find the beet retail rites that are available That mean though that sure we want to build (Staff writer Linda Woo contributed to this report In the Los Angeles area alone Briggs said Wal-Mart has announced plans to build at least 25 stores -Traditionally Wal-Mart has built in rural areas underserved by other retailers But in recent years it has moved into Kansas City and Las Vegas and into the suburbs of Chicago and Denver Managers of stores surrounding the Wapato Hills property gave mixed reactions to the possibility of Wal-Mart as a Intel wireless communications and advanced electronic products the announced Monday company i estimated 80 percent of PCs now use Intel microprocessors the brains of these computers -In other earnings news Monday Motorola Inc of Schaumburg DL doubled its third-quarter profits amid sharply ales of higher semiconductors Third-quarter $254 million a 92 cents a share versus profits of $127 million or 47 cents a share a year ago Sales increased 30 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