EARNINGS : Amway Hits $2 Billion in Sales

Amway Corp. sales rose $300 million to an estimated $2.2 billion retail for the fiscal year ended today, the direct marketing firm announced.

“Reaching and exceeding the $2-billion milestone after only 31 years in business reflects the strength of our sales and marketing plan, plus the extraordinary efforts of independent Amway distributors worldwide,” said Jay Van Andel, chairman of Amway.

“It’s also a tribute to the hard work of Amway’s 7,500 employees throughout the world,” he said.

Amway--which specializes in the multilevel marketing of soaps, cleansers and personal-care products through a network of locally recruited distributors--added East Germany and Mexico during the last fiscal year to its global operations, which span more than 40 countries and territories.