Sales to the USA and Canada by Austrian glass products manufacturer Riedel Glas rose to EUR 18.4M in the first half of 2004, up 35% year-on-year. Riedel Glas' sales in Asia went up by 19%, year-on-year, while those in Europe increased by 6%. Sales in Germany, Switzerland and Austria continue to fall, due to the stagnant market. The company is aiming at sales of EUR 100M for 2004, up from EUR 90M in 2003. In 2003, the biggest sales increases were in the United States and Japan, but profits on those markets fell because of unfavourable exchange rates. The company produced around 7.8M pieces in 2003, including 600,000 which were handmade and mouthblown, at its plants in Kufstein, western Austria, and Schneegattern, northern Austria. Riedel plans to further expand its stores chain, which accounted for some 50% of all sales in 2003.
