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Amway announced plans earlier this week to expand its business in China over the next year. The American based direct sales company made the announcement last Monday in Guangzhou. Douglas Devos, head of the company said that they will invest $15 million dollars over 2009 to expand operations within the region.

A large portion of the money will go directly to the Guangdong Province where Amway’s China headquarters are located. The headquarters in the Province is the company’s largest overseas base. The headquarter covers over 141,000 square meters of land and employ over 6,000 people.
Money will be used to develop new and improved household products such as air and water purifiers as well as other kitchen appliances.

Amway opened up operation in the Guangdong Province in 1992 and since has expanded production there eight times. In total, Amway has invested over $220 million dollars to operation in China.
One strong reason for the company’s dedication to its operations in China is the struggling U.S. economy. While sales in the United States hold steady or dwindle, sales overseas, in China in particular, continue to remain strong. Over the last year, sales revenue increased 15% percent to climb to over $2 billion dollars. The company expects its latest sales figures to climb over 20% percent.

“For all the negative impact of the global financial crisis, we have strong confidence in the Chinese market,” said Devos. He went on to say, the country’s stable economic growth over the years has served as a backbone for Amway’s business expansion in China

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Amway Global has just signed a deal with new age entertainer and radio host, John Tesh to develop and distribute health and beauty products and advertise on Tesh’s radio show, “Intelligence for Your Life”

Under the agreement, Amway will work with Tesh and his wife, actress Connie Selleca to distribute Selleca’s line of skin care products, Selleca Solutions. Amway Global in return will be an advertiser and sponsor of Tesh’s radio show which is broadcast to more than 275 radio stations around the U.S. and Canada, reaching more than 8 million people.

The multiyear agreement will also allow Amway Global and its distributors sell existing Tesh products including books and CD’s as well as products developed jointly with Amway Global and Mr. Tesh.

“John Tesh’s philosophy of helping people live better lives is a perfect fit with Amway Global’s business model,” said Steve Lieberman, Managing Director of Amway Global. “Our business is about empowering people to take actions to make life better for themselves and their families, and ‘Intelligence for Your Life’ supports the same objective.”

Tesh will also make appearances at Amway Global events and appear in company advertisements.

“I’m proud to partner with Amway Global through this relationship,” said Tesh. “I’m an entrepreneur at heart and am pleased to be working with the company that has put millions of entrepreneurs into business for themselves worldwide.”

Amway Global will begin selling Tesh products as well as the Selleca skin care products in 2009.

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The Direct Selling Association will be on hand this week to help the Today Show kick off their annual Toy Drive. The 15th Annual TODAY Show Holiday Toy Drive will be launched Monday November 24th at 8:30 AM. This will be the fifth year that the DSA has been a part of the annual drive.

The DSA will kick off the drive by presenting the direct selling industry’s donation live in Rockefeller Plaza. Thirty two direct selling companies have come together to donate products to the drive, the total donation coming in at over $9 million dollars in products. Seven of the DSA’s companies will be featured in spots on the TODAY show during the holiday season.

Items donated include books, clothing, toiletries and of course toys for children and families all across the United States. Over the past five years, DSA member companies have donated over $37 million dollars in cash, product and services to the Toy Drive.

This is a a brilliant move on the part of the DSA and the member companies that are a part of this. Given the economic times, network marketing companies are going to continue to thrive as more and more people seek additional forms of income.

The following direct selling companies donated products to this year’s Toy Drive:
4Life
Advocare
Amway
Arbonne
Avon Products, Inc
Blessings Unlimited
Butterfly Worldwide, LLC
Clever Container
Cookie Lee
Creative Memories
CUTCO
DeMarle at Home
DeTech
Essential Bodywear
Fifth Avenue Collection
The Happy Gardener
lia sophia
The Longaberger Company
Mary Kay Inc
National Companies
Nature’s Sunshine
Oxyfresh
The Pampered Chef
PartyLite Gifts
Purse Party, Inc
Shaklee Corporation
Signature HomeStyles
Southern Living at Home
The Southwestern Company
Stampin’ Up!
UDesign Jewelry
Vantel Pearls

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Amway Global announced it will be the Presenting Sponsor for the NBC Holiday Celebration on Ice event featuring entertainers Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. National, World and Olympic figure skaters will skate to the music of the season, provide by Grant and Smith. The skating cast is highlighted by Olympic Silver medalist and U.S. National champion Nancy Kerrigan and six-time U.S. champion Todd Eldredge, to name a few.

The ‘NBC Holiday Celebration on Ice, Presented by Amway Global’ is scheduled to air nationally on NBC stations Nov. 30, 2008. The actual event will be taped Nov. 11, 2008 at The Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

As Presenting Sponsor, the Amway Global name will appear in television advertising surrounding the telecast, print materials, and event signage. ARTISTRY Skin Care and Cosmetics, an Amway Global brand, also will have a special opportunity to share product information and samples with fans in attendance, while the program will showcase Artistry’s ‘Beauty Begins with Heart’ cause marketing program benefiting Easter Seals.

‘We are very excited to be part of this unique holiday event,’ says Steve Lieberman, Managing Director for Amway Global. ‘This event captures the spirit and warmth of the season and we are proud to be associated with the quality of the performers and skaters involved.’

The sponsorship is part of a larger Amway Global investment to help build public awareness of its business opportunity and products in North America. The company, which had operated under the Quixtar brand for most of the past decade, is transitioning to the Amway Global name by 2009.

On the ice, Kerrigan and Eldredge will be joined by Olympic champion Ilia Kulik, World champion Yuka Sato, six-time Canadian National champion Jennifer Robinson, and World ice dancing champion and nine-time Canadian National champion Shae-Lynn Bourne. Two-time World Silver medalist ice dancing champions Marie-France Dubreuil and Patrice Lauzon, plus three-time World Silver medalist Surya Bonaly and three-time U.S. champion and World Bronze medalist (with partner Kyoko Ina) John Zimmerman, will make for an incredible holiday celebration.

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