
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, June 26, 1990                   TAG: 9006260377
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

BRIEFLY

Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads have been hit hard by the economic slowdown and Richmond may be next, says Alan M. Gayle, chief economist and senior vice president at Crestar Bank. Northern Virginia is hurt by defense-budget cutbacks and Richmond's construction industry is likely headed for leaner times, he said.

Unilever, the giant consumer products company, said Monday it planned to buy the 50 percent of a Swedish margarine maker, Margarinbolaget AB, from the Aritmos Group for $35.8 million. Unilever operates the Elizabeth Arden cosmetics plant in Roanoke.

Domestic coal production totaled 20.1 million tons during the week ending June 16, down 2 percent from the previous week but more than the 18.2 million tons mined in the same week last year, the U.S. Department of Energy said. Coal production so far this year is 462.5 million tons, 5 percent ahead of last year's at this time.

Sales of domestically produced cars and light trucks fell 3.9 percent in mid-June. Manufacturers reported selling 212,655 cars in the period, a decline of 4.6 percent from a year earlier, and 128,752 light trucks, a decline of 2.6 percent.

by CNB