OSAKA – Panasonic Corp. said sales of so-called white goods comprising refrigerators, washers and other appliances are expected to surpass its audiovisual products in the business year ending next March.
It will be the first time sales of home appliances eclipse audiovisual goods since Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., the predecessor of Panasonic, went public in 1949, the company said.
In a briefing for analysts Wednesday, the electronics giant presented a strategy for seeking more profits from white goods with advanced functions while de-emphasizing flat-panel TVs in light of tough price competition from South Korean makers.
Panasonic said the sales ratio for white goods will rise to 52 percent from 49 percent the year before, while the ratio for audiovisual products will decline to 47 percent from 51 percent, it said.
Panasonic expects to chalk up ¥2.39 trillion in sales of household products in fiscal 2012, almost unchanged from the previous year, as growth in emerging markets is offset by sluggish sales at home.