What progress at Datatronic AB, the Swedish personal computer and electronics group, following its high-risk acquisition of Victor Technologies in 1984. The answer is considerable. The Stockholm company has announced pre-tax profits for 1986 up 60% to the equivalent of $7.28m, and the company puts the increase down largely to profitable sales of Victor Personalikes in Europe. Datatronic’s sales rose 43% to $130m, and total revenue, including financial operations, rose 41% to $137m. As for Victor itself, it turned in operating profits of $6.67m in Europe, but they were offset by losses in the US totalling $3.34m – still claimed to be an improvement over 1985. The poor performance in the US is put down to lower sales of both the computers and the old Victor calculator business, and to the falling value during 1986 of the US dollar.
