The Aurora Group, a well-known Taiwan office equipment and furniture supplier, published its January sales report, on Feb 7, with sales reaching almost NT$860 million ($29 million), and showing a drop of 6 percent from the previous month, and 15 percent compared to the same period last year.

That is because the results of Aurora Telecom, one of the group’s subsidiaries, were included in the overall 2012 figure. If they are excluded, then January 2013 shows a 20-percent growth in sales over the same 2012 period, as seen in the chart below. Since December 2012, Aurora Telecom’s sales were no longer counted in the total figure.

Because January was so close to the Spring Festival holiday, government units and private companies generally bought less office automation (OA) equipment. For the month, sales on the mainland were down 8 percent, to 124 million yuan, from the previous month, yet they still showed a remarkable 27-percent growth over last year’s same period. They also accounted for 66 percent of total overall sales. Sales of OA products for the month saw a year-on-year growth of 48 percent, while furniture was up 22 percent, and electronics, 12 percent.

Note: Figures above were unaudited and prepared in accordance with Taiwan GAAP standards.