1.   Competition also got rougher, with rival Natural Wonders INC. of Fremont and similar stores luring away consumers.

2.   It plans to open one new store a week and is investing heavily in new technology as competition gets stiffer.

3.   And although the competition only got underway at the NEC event, organisers Reed Automotive have already been flooded with calls from owners.

4.   The challenge comes at a time when competition is getting tougher.

5.   And the competition is getting nasty, with the pure consultants saying that equipment makers cannot be trusted to be objective advisers.

6.   And the competition is getting fierce.

7.   And, competition is getting stiffer as old-economy retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are starting to figure out what clicks on the Internet.

8.   As competition at home gets tougher for Telefonica, it is pursuing aggressive cost-cutting to survive a price war with new rivals like British Telecommunications Plc.

9.   As competition at home gets tougher for Telefonica, it is pursuing aggressive cost-cutting to survive an expected price war with new rivals like British Telecommunications Plc.

10.   As competition has gotten tougher, consumer tastes have changed.