China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's the week's reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week: Cadillac sales... stretching Jag... dim sum Puma... Met ball influence... Porsche... Luxury brands... Jets... Avril Levine's tea... Hyundai pop... Lenovo... Shanghai Disney... Bitcoin... LeTV... Tainted L'Occitane... Pearson Ed... Iron Man badminton... and more.Continue reading...

When you’re working for public broadcasting, it helps to have an entrepreneurial spirit.

So the producers of the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning TV drama Downton Abbey are going all out to bring in some extra revenue by expanding from DVD sales to creating a whole line of clothing, homeware, furniture, wallpaper, beauty products and stationery around the show that will go on sale later this year, according to CNBC.

After all, who couldn’t use an extra cape, cravat or pair of elbow-length gloves?Continue reading...

Netflix reports strong subscriber growth.

Amazon may be planning to open a store in London, reports say.

Ford is reaching record profit on growing sales of Fusion, as company extends programmatic ad buying to online video.

Twitter reportedly reaches deal with Publicis' Starcom MediaVest Group for hundreds of millions over several years.

Airbus strategy for big A350 is being vindicated.

Apple grapples with hardware-software identity crisis.

Burger King tests delivery in Los Angeles.

Cadillac eyes smaller cities for Chinese luxury share.

Del Taco debuts revamped menu.

DuPont more than doubles profit.

Fisker loses $21 million to US seizure.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt belittles importance of UK taxes.Continue reading...

It's Day 2 of the post-Johnson era at JCP—or JCPenney (or is it back to J.C. Penney now?)—and it isn't at all clear how the venerable American retailer is going to recover from what just-sacked CEO Ron Johnson did, and didn't, do.

But JCPenney, now back under the leadership of pre-Johnson CEO Myron "Mike" Ullman, is going to try. Wall Street has been tapping down Penney's stock in the wake of the board's decision to oust Johnson earlier this week, but it isn't because investors believe that Johnson should have stayed. It's because they fear that the former head of Apple retail operations did so much damage during his short tenure at the helm that the company isn't salvageable.

Ullman is at least going to give it everything he's got in his second shot at the job. The retailer is still fighting a 10 percent sales drop during its ongoing fiscal first quarter, the Wall Street Journal said, on top of a 19 percent drop during the same quarter a year ago and the overall 25 percent dip in revenues during 2012.Continue reading...

China is the second largest economy in the world and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse)—but who's got the time?! Here's 10 reads that will make you look like a keen China observer in case you find yourself immersed in a cultural conversation.

This week: Baby Formula is the new smuggled white powder... Nike... Luxury Cars... Yale... Japanese Putters... Ghost Malls... McDonald's goes to the mountaintop, and more.Continue reading...

Taco Bell makes new Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos available a day early.

Fox reveals details of new planned national sports network to compete with ESPN.

Best Buy ends work-at-home program for corporate employees as Yahoo! policy continues to be debated.

Alfa Romeo says its performance numbers make 4C an ideal car for U.S. market.

Doritos launches first global campaign.

Fiat chief Sergio Marchionne presses full merger with Chrysler.

Groupon CFO says company's business model will stay.

JCPenney board's patience said to be wearing thin with CEO Ron Johnson, as Martha Stewart dished from the witness stand and rehashes her testimony on NBC's Today Show.Continue reading...

Not long ago, Coach was the name to have on your handbag. Plenty of celebrities were walking around with them. Gwyneth Paltrow, Eva Longoria, and Jennifer Garner all had one, as did many other American women, whether the real thing or at least a knockoff.

Things changed fast. Now Coach is feeling pressure from competitors like Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, and Tory Burch. It announced that sales dropped in the 2012’s final quarter despite the busy holiday shopping season and an overall 10 percent growth in the handbag market, marking the first time since it went public in 2000 that “North American sales grew more slowly than the broader market for women's handbags and accessories,” according to The Wall Street Journal. And North America accounts for two-thirds of the company’s sales.

So Coach says it's branching out, attempting to turn itself into a lifestyle brand — and turn itself around in the process. It will grow its footwear line this year before focusing on women's apparel, jewelry and watches, British Vogue reports. And its stores will also get a new look, Women's Wear Daily reports.Continue reading...

Hostess Brands gets a stay of execution as company and union agrees to mediation today.

Ikea gets green light in India.

GM launches Springo sub-brand in China.

BMW shows off speed with tire-track promotion.

Best Buy posts loss as store sales drop.

Billabong Americas head considers buyout bid for company.

Campbell Soup builds giant Pinterest board out of classic green-bean casserole.Continue reading...