News In Brief

Behold the power of cheese

Mom and Dad always said snacking too much is a bad habit. It was that and much more for a man in Fayetteville, Ark., with a penchant for cheese. It all started when Anthony Lee Robinson, police said, took $1,800 in property from a home there. And then, apparently, he just couldn't resist munching on his favorite food. When the homeowner noticed some cheese wrappers, he had a good idea who was behind it: Robinson, a childhood friend, who back then was a noted cheese lover.

You're making this too easy

Motels sometimes contend with guests who steal, but rarely do burglars register under their real names. Kenneth German appears to be an exception. After the owner of a motel in Chippewa Falls, Wis., found German's room emptied of more than $1,000 worth of property, police simply drove to the address that they figured out from his motel registration. A refrigerator, television, and other items from the motel were inside.

Circuit City grabs top spot in ranking of specialty stores

For the first time in 15 years, a consumer-electronics retailer leads an annual ranking of specialty stores. Circuit City had the most sales last year, reports the National Retail Federation, an industry association, in its August issue of Stores magazine. Circuit City's 16.7 percent sales increase vaulted it not only over Best Buy, another electronics retailer, but also over Toys 'R' Us, which had occupied the top spot in the ranking since 1990. The top 10 specialty stores, as reported in Stores magazine according to 1999 sales volume (in billions):

1. Circuit City $12.61

2. Best Buy 12.49

3. Toys 'R' Us 11.86

4. Gap 11.64

5. Office Depot 10.26

6. Limited 9.72

7. Staples 8.84

8. TJX 8.80

9. CompUSA 6.32

10. OfficeMax 4.84

- PR Newswire

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