Amazon results beat Wall Street estimates as ad-supported Kindle tops e-reader sales.

American Apparel partners with eBay.

Comcast and NBC launch TV's "holy grail" — dynamic VOD advertising.

Dunkin' Brands prices IPO at $19/share for $2.4 billion valuation; but can it grow coffee biz?

Facebook launches new portal to help brands better target their marketing.

FOX narrows window on free streaming of network programming, with Dish Network first to sign on.

Google targets small business ad market, while interest in Hulu raises speculation.

Kraft begins global pitch for Trident.Continue reading...

It's getting to the point where one might consider LVMH the European Union of brands.

The French conglomerate, which legitimately calls itself a "world leader in luxury goods," owns 60 upper echelon brands, many of which have the kind of global cachet most brands can only dream about. These brands accounted last year for more than 20 billion euros in sales and 3 billion euros in profit.

The LVMH stable includes Dom Perignon, Krug and Hennessy in wine and spirits; TAG Heuer and DeBeers in watches and jewelry; Celine, Givenchy and Louis Vuitton in fashion; Christian Dior, Emilio Pucci and Fendi in perfumes and cosmetics; and beauty products purveyor Sephora in specialty retailing.

Add the one billion-euro Italian luxury jewelry brand, Bulgari to the list, acquired this week by LVMH.Continue reading...

Though Phoebe Philo's first collection for Celine only arrived in international stores last week, she has a ton of changes up her sleeve for the company. The former head designer of Chloé joined the house of Celine in September 2008. "By giving Philo Celine, we’re giving her a platform to express her vision," said Pierre-Yves Roussel, CEO of LVMH's fashion division, owner of Celine.

This past year, Celine closed more than a few stand-alone stores, but the brand plans on opening a new boutique concept early in the new year.

"There are certain stores that are not adapted to the way we see the brand today, the product today and the consumer who will aspire to it," Marco Gobbetti, chief executive officer of Celine told WWD. He also revealed that at least 10 locations will be brought in line with Philo's design vision over the coming year.Continue reading...