LG tops Middle Eastern LCD TV market

SEOUL, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's LG Electronics Inc. said Tuesday it
recently topped the LCD television markets of five nations within the Middle
Eastern and African region.

LG was the top seller of televisions in Egypt and Israel in June and July,
accounting for 31 and 21 percent shares of the respective markets, the company
said, citing a report from market researcher GfK. Actual sales figures weren't
disclosed.

The company also said it led sales in Iraq, Lebanon and Nigeria, accounting for
market shares of 35 percent, 33 percent and 45 percent, respectively, during the
two-month period. Sales data for the three nations was compiled separately by LG,
it said.

Sales from the five nations all showed growth from last year, ranging between 5
percentage points and 15 percentage point increases, according to LG.
LG attributed the strong growth to an increased demand for its premium models,
such as its Scarlet LCD TV model, which helped the company chalk up a 70 percent
year-on-year increase of television sales in Egypt alone.
The company said it plans to strengthen its presence in the region by releasing
its latest premium David LCD TV model in the Middle East later this month.
Despite a recent slowdown of the global economy, LG's global LCD television sales
in the first half climbed 55 percent from last year, according to the company.