Dirce Navarro de Camargo, Brazil's richest woman and owner of Havaianas, dies at 100.

Apple faces criticism over Siri's long memory as market expects it to report profit drop.

Nutrisystem joins forces with Walmart in retail push.

Amazon asks viewers for help in selecting which pilots to turn into original TV series.

Ahold donates a half-million dollars to Boston fund.

Boeing will see timeline of Dreamliner return to skies vary widely around globe.

Chipotle sees expansion of US investigation into its hiring.

Clorox aims to expand market for Green Works beyond niche.

Coach fights to keep its cachet as competition rises.

Comedy Central plans to use Twitter to host comedy festival.Continue reading...

Kohler was a brand caught squarely in the bursting of the U.S. housing bubble a few years ago. But it's only because of that debacle that the Wisconsin-based maker of bathroom fixtures now is busy supplying a still-promising boom in demand for its most expensive toilets by upper-middle-income consumers in China.

The century-old company made porcelain, mainly in Wisconsin, and became a multi-billion-dollar brand by supplying it for homes and businesses as the American building boom continued from after World War II to a few years ago. Along the way, the family that owned the privately held company was able to build up a five-star resort in its hometown, an elaborate "toilet museum" nearby, and world-class golf courses such as Whistling Straits, on the banks of Lake Michigan several miles a way.

But Kohler sales fell from about $5.5 billion in 2008 to about $5 billion last year largely because of the U.S. housing bust, forcing a cut in the Wisconsin manufacturing workforce to about 1,800 people from about 2,700 people. And that's where the silver lining comes in.Continue reading...

Procter & Gamble’s Febreze air fresheners just joined the billion-dollar brand club. It’s the 24th P&G brand to reach $1 billion in annual sales, an elite club that includes Pampers, Tide and Pantene — the mainstays of 70% of the company’s sales yielding $79 billion last year.

Febreze’s success may come as something of a surprise (especially if you go by the somewhat geeky campaign above) in a cash-challenged consumer environment where purchases of more expensive detergent, shampoo and even toilet paper are generally down — unless you're paying attention to moms who blog and exchange tips on social media.Continue reading...