OTHER NEWS - Feb. 9, 1994

Sears Has Record Annual Profit; Mattel Reports Loss in Quarter: Sears, Roebuck & Co. announced that it vaulted from its worst year ever in 1992 to a record profit of $2.37 billion in 1993. The results, equal to $6.13 per share, contrast with a loss of $3.93 billion, or $10.72 per share, in 1992. In the fourth quarter, Sears had net income of $544.6 million, or $1.39 per share, contrasted with a net loss of $1.8 billion, or $4.84 per share, in the fourth quarter of 1992. Separately, Mattel Inc. reported a $42.7-million fourth-quarter loss, citing the costs of acquiring toy maker Fisher-Price Inc. The loss of 26 cents per share for the merged company contrasts with a profit of $49.6 million, or 28 cents per share, in the same period a year earlier. Fourth-quarter sales rose to $753.9 million from $727 million. For the year, the merged company’s earnings fell to $117.2 million, or 66 cents per share, from $184.8 million, or $1.04 per share, in 1992. Sales rose to $2.7 billion from $2.56 billion.