Wii Fit Keeps Nintendo Healthy

Released in the UK late last month, Wii Fit is now ranking fifth in the top ten game sales for the week.

And now, from the USA we have the first general sales data coming in confirming the $90 unit’s stateside popularity too. Just days after launch, Amazon.com has had to restock and has announced on the product page that it was waiting for more supply from Nintendo Co. Other important online retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City Stores Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. have had to do the same.

Other non-official reports are claiming 650,000 units on its first day, with an estimate of 1.2 million by the end of the first week. While this isn’t as good as the record achieved by Rockstar’s GTA 4 over the same time frame, it would certainly be a terrific result.

There are approx 10 million Wii owners in the US compared to a combined 16 million PS3 and Xbox 360 owners.

In Nintendo’s home market of Japan the Wii Fit has sold 2 million units since its release last year.

QXL All Sold Out

The online auction site QXL is shutting its doors.

As of May 9 it will not accept any more listings. After May 30th it closes. And so it ends. Or not. Because this news only applies to the UK.

In December 2007 QXL was sold for £946m (at £18 per share) to Naspers, a subsidiary of a media company based in South Africa, and changed its name to Tradus. And Tradus is still operating. In Eastern Europe it’s a real brand: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Norway, Romania, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine all do QXL. In March 2008, Tradus also acquired Moonfish Media, which operates online auction and classified businesses in Estonia and Lithuania. QXL Ricardo of Poland is exceptionally strong.

So, in many markets where English is not the automatic second language the QXL auction will continue. What a strange life this web brand has had.

EBTM Confirms First Profits

Online Fashion Retailer EBTM has confirmed a first annual pre-tax profit for yearly trading. Chief executive Richard Breeden says the company, which lost £661,570 in the year to April 2007 on £1.3 million turnover, will ‘report a maiden full-year profit before tax’ for 2007/08.

The London-based, AIM-quoted company, which wholesales on the internet, paid £4.75 million in cash and shares last June for the ‘complementary’ Lowlife clothing and accessories brand.