Retailers flood Brazil with flatscreen TVs before the World Cup

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As World Cup fever gets into full swing, we hear that TV imports into Brazil rose 57% in the first quarter, year on year. To put this into perspective, shipments of everything in the quarter rose just 0.4%. Oddly, however, this is not necessarily related to the competition being held in Brazil. World Cup sales spikes happen in South America – and not elsewhere – wherever these matches are played; TV shipments to the continent rose 30% in 2010, for example. However, warns one executive, such a large increase could be due to retailers overestimating the stock needed, and not actual demand.