ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Tuesday, November 19, 1996             TAG: 9611190080
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: B-6  EDITION: METRO 

IN BUSINESS

Some Wal-Marts to drop computers

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. said it plans to stop selling personal computers at about 25 percent of its stores and shift the merchandise to the remaining 1,600 stores where customer demand is greatest.

The world's largest retailer said it will move the computers out of the 679 stores where sales weren't strong and will use that space to expand its selection of electronics. Those stores will continue to sell computer software and accessories. Wal-Mart said it has no plans to drop computers altogether.

-Bloomberg Business News

Briefly

* U.S. coal production fell slightly in the week ended Nov. 9, to 21.19 million tons from 21.2 million the week before, the Department of Energy said Monday. The industry produced 20.2 million tons in the same week last year. Virginia mines produced 618,000 tons that week, up from 605,000 tons the previous week but down from 648,000 tons a year earlier.

* Signet Mortgage Corp., a subsidiary of Signet Banking Corp. of Richmond, has agreed to sell its consumer first-mortgage loan production offices to AccuBanc Mortgage Corp. of Dallas, Texas. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction, expected to close by year-end, includes 24 mortgage production offices in seven states, primarily in the Southeast and Middle Atlantic areas, including one in Roanoke. It also includes a large part of Signet's centralized processing.

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