China is the second latest economy in the world, and every significant brand's future is impacted by its growth (or collapse!); but who's got the time?! A weekly potpourri of reads that will make you look like a keen China observer during any conversation about China. First up:

IKEA stores, a wonderland for Chinese freeloaders
"A net user named @薇薇诺诺2661317325 posted on Sina Weibo, China’s hugely popular microblogging service, a series of photos she took in an IKEA store in the eastern city of Nanjing where almost every bed in the show rooms is occupied by one or two people soundly asleep. 'From age 0 to 80, each of them has fallen into a rapturous sleep! Even on those beds that are not occupied, sheets are in a mess after a havoc has been created,' she commented."
Related Reading: China's Kunming Adds Fake Ikea Store to Apple Clones [below: Evisu, Angry Bird meat, and more]Continue reading...

Warner Bros. issues statement as The Dark Knight Rises opens somberly as Denver gunman kills 14 at screening, while movie opens strongly at box office.

Heineken offers $4.1 billion to buy out JV partner for Asia Pacific Breweries stake as Kirin's next move pondered.

Chick-fil-A homophobia shamed by actor Ed Helms.

Apple's original iPad prototype revealed as new iPad launch in China today fails to cause a fuss.

BlackBerry woes broken down to five mistakes by nymag.com.

Comcast prepares ultra high-speed broadband.Continue reading...

Every August, IKEA fans look forward to the thunk of the furniture store's new catalog in their mailbox or doorstep. Those days may be packing up — IKEA US has announced that its 2013 catalog being shipped to homes next month will be pre-released as a digital version on July 31, including relaunching its IKEA Catalog App for smartphone or tablet with a digital twist this year: augmented reality.Continue reading...

Apple reportedly ordered by judge to run "Samsung didn't copy the iPad" ads.

AT&T fires back at Verizon with shared-data plans.

Bank of America and Credit Suisse launch new cost cuts.

Capital One to pay $210 million in fines over deceptive credit practices.

Duke Energy pins CEO swap on handling of troubled Florida nuke plant.

Facebook to offer voter-registration platform in Washington state.

GM buyout plan poses deadline dilemma for retirees.

Hermes sales slowly rise.Continue reading...

AB InBev closes in on buying remainder of Mexico's Grupo Modelo for more than $12 billion.

Apple adds Yelp check-ins to iPhone maps app, sees Motorola Mobility patent case shut down by federal judge and retail workers described by NYT as "loyal but short on pay."

Best Buy tries to regain edge before back-to-school season.

BlackBerry owner RIM reportedly considers a plan to split its company in two.

Cadillac surprises with integration of Apple's Siri voice.

Carl's Jr. and Hardee's set Spider-Man movie tie-in.

Dewar's announces three-year partnership with TED.

Dairy Queen gripes about New York menu restrictions as it enters the city.Continue reading...

CNBC joins with Yahoo to bolster web reach via content, programming and distribution alliance.

Comcast and fellow U.S. cable operators face DOJ inquiry over treatment of Netflix and Hulu.

New York's proposed big soda ban goes to public comment as former Coca-Cola exec switches sides.

American Express sponsors Kenny Chesney concert for live-streaming on YouTube.

Apple is likely killing Ping.

Burger King's summer BBQ menu rolls out with sweet potato fries and bacon sundae.

Citi partners with USAID to foster mobile commerce in developing nations.Continue reading...

(Editor's note: The following has been updated with comment from Ikea.)

About 80 percent of furniture maker Ikea’s revenue comes from its stores in Europe — not the idea place you want to depend on your cash flow these days as the continent’s collective economy struggles to stay above water.

So Ikea is keeping itself busy expanding into – where else? – Asia, where it made $31.4 billion in its last fiscal year, which ended Aug. 31. Ikea had been opening one store a year in China but has now upgraded that to three, according to Bloomberg. And it is waiting to see what happens with legislation in India in hopes of entering that country’s retail space as well.

“Cautiously we are adding new markets,” Ikea CEO Mikael Ohlsson told Bloomberg. “We have big interest in opening in India. When the conditions are ripe in India we can start to prepare for an opening there.”Continue reading...

The Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan has a sweet-sounding name, but it is just an incredibly massive furniture fair that is held each April in one of the world’s design capitals.

This year’s trade show featured a nice surprise from the folks at IKEA, who were in Milan to talk up their sustainable designs: a pleasant place to go to the bathroom. However, the company did themselves a big favor on the marketing front with the public bathroom created for the event.Continue reading...