TELECOMMUNICATIONS
<i> Times Staff and Wire Reports</i>
Packard Bell, NEC Finalize Investment: Under terms of the deal, Tokyo-based NEC Corp. acquires a 19.99% stake in Sacramento-based Packard Bell Electronics Inc. for $170 million. The investment deepens the relationship between Japan’s top personal computer maker and the leader in U.S. personal computer sales. NEC now supplies components for Packard Bell computers and uses Packard Bell software on PCs it sells in Japan. In worldwide sales last year, Packard Bell was No. 4 and NEC was No. 5. The deal gives Packard Bell cash it has been seeking to further its growth. Groupe Bull, the French computer maker that bought a 19.99% share in Packard Bell in 1993, raised its investment by $27 million to stay even with NEC.
