In a statement to reporters today, Stan Glasgow, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics, said that Sony is seeing little or no sign of softer demand among U.S. consumers for its range of digital TVs, cameras and computer goods despite a weakening economy. "We are not seeing clear signs of softness. In the high end, it is hard to keep up with the full demand," he said of demand for Sony"s pricier flat-panel TV models.
Heading into the company"s current fiscal year that started in April, Glasgow said that he had taken into consideration the impact of spiraling oil prices and the housing credit crunch in forecasting Sony"s U.S. growth for the coming year. "I didn"t see so much good in the economic forecasts," he stated. But despite these cautious calculations, underlying demand continues to power sales of products across major categories. "Sony Electronics is growing at a substantial level in the U.S." relative to the fiscal year that ended in March of this year, Glasgow told Reuters. "We are exceeding the aggressive goals we set."