Record sales for Amway in 2009

ADA, Mich. (WOOD) - Despite what is generally considered a poor economy, Amway's parent company announced Tuesday the direct sales organization had a record year in 2009.

For the year, Alticor had sales of $8.4 billion, an increase of 2.3% over 2008.

In a statement, chairman Steve Van Andel and president Doug DeVos attributed the growth to several factors.

"The global economy challenged every business in 2009," Van Andel said. "Our continuing investment in products, technology, and connecting with consumers helped us weather the storm."

Added DeVos: "We put a lot of effort into improving our product offerings and building consumer awareness; the distributors put in the work to drive sales to our customers."

Amway continued to grow globally, as regional sales in China, India, Southeast Asia and Korea continued to show strength. A relaunch in Latin America also proved beneficial.

"In 2010, we will continue to change the way people see Amway," said DeVos. "We are finding new ways to articulate our values and our opportunity so that we can connect to entrepreneurs and product consumers around the globe."

24 Hour News 8 will have more information on this throughout the day.