OSAKA -- Sharp's group operating profit for the nine months ended December looks to have soared 270% on the year to around 70 billion yen ($640 million), supported by earnings improvement in the consumer electronics maker's mainstay liquid-crystal display business.
Sales for the three quarters probably rose about 20% to roughly 1.8 trillion yen. Osaka-based Sharp saw growth in medium-size LCD panels used for tablet computers, as well as in televisions overseas, particularly in China. The home appliance business also performed well, with the Healsio steam oven and Ractive Air vacuum cleaner selling briskly.
