DIRECT SELLING SECTOR'S REVENUES DOWN 4% IN 2007

TAIPEI, July 9 Asia Pulse - The 258 companies engaged in direct selling in Taiwan last year had combined sales revenue totalling NT$53.11 billion (US$1.74 billion), down 4 per cent year-on-year, according to a report released Monday by the Cabinet-level Fair Trade Commission (FTC). Only 10 of the direct selling companies had sales revenues exceeding NT$1 billion, accounting for only 4.7 per cent of the total, but their combined sales revenues reached NT$32.35 billion, representing 60.9 per cent of the sector's total revenues. According to the report, 5.68 million people were employed in the direct selling sector as of the end of 2007, posting a year-on-year growth of 7.2 per cent. Domestic direct selling companies paid NT$20.61 billion-worth of commission or bonus to individual direct sellers in 2007, representing 38.8 per... [read full story]