Czech Shoppers End Year in Style With Champagne, Wide-Screen TVs

Czech holiday shoppers are snapping up Moet champagne, designer chocolates and Lego play sets as renewed economic optimism boosts demand for branded goods this year.

The country’s largest retailers say year-end sales are on the rise, with Tesco Stores Plc reporting a 6 percent increase in revenue in the past month, compared with the same period a year earlier. Sales at Koninklijke Ahold NV’s Czech outlets jumped more than 10 percent during the period, the Dutch company said.