【正确答案】Although sales at both Rowe and Topco experienced a number of ups and downs over the time frame 1998— 2002, sales figures at both companies showed a general upward trend. At the start of this period, Rowe sales stood somewhere above $ 30m. They remained almost unchanged the following year, before picking up dramatically in 2000 and reaching an all-time high of $ 70m in 2001. Sales fell down slightly in the last year but remained twice as much as those of 1998.
Topco sales overtook the level of Rowe in 1998($ 46m compared to $ 34m). Its advantage continued to enlarge the next year. Despite suffering a sharp fall in 2000, overall trend for the last three years was a stead rise. Both companies ended 2002 with turnover of around $ 65 with Topco outselling Rowe for the first time since 2000.