Marks & Spencer will open its most sustainable store to date, in Sheffield, England, next month. As outlined in its press release, it will be the first of a number of "Sustainable Learning" stores.

In the video above, Mike Barry, the retailer's head of corporate responsibility, explains its green commitment. Dubbed Plan A, it's an innovative eco and ethical program that aims to make M&S the world's most sustainable major retailer by 2015.Continue reading...

The value of a sound…sound strategy is still a dim second in advertising briefs but smarter brands are catching on. Audi achieved sonic branding two years ago, with its sport for the A5 sportback —a steady, pumping heartbeat, breath and a piano as seen (and heard) above.

Last month, in an industry first, Unilever brand managers for its Comfort fabric conditioner hit MIDEM, the world's largest music industry trade fair, with an unusual proposition.Continue reading...

Amazon steps up European expansion plans.

Australia floods will impact global steel industry.

Barnes & Noble sees holiday sales growth from Nook e-reader.

Borders meets with publishers to discuss the US bookseller's future.

Coca-Cola takes nuanced approach in India.

Consumer Electronics Association annual CES show prepares to open with latest tablets and more.Continue reading...

Comcast acquisition of NBC Universal won't be approved by Dec. 31.

Craigslist removes "adult services" listings worldwide.

JPMorgan maintains global top spot for investment banking fees.

L.L. Bean among retailers enjoying a happy holiday season.

Lilly Pulitzer fashion brand changes hands.

Marks & Spencer celebrated with a museum exhibit in its birthplace.

President Obama signs bill repealing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" as Senate ratifies nuclear pact.

Skype outage affects millions worldwide (and potentially Twitter).Continue reading...

Teleflora may be lawsuit-mad about Marks & Spencer using its name to directly compete on Google, but a similar scenario is playing out with Chevrolet's new Cruze model and Honda's Civic. Except this version is "IRL." That's "in real life" to all the old-timers out there.Continue reading...

Ambush marketing, the practice of piggybacking on the sponsorship of others brands, has most commonly occurred at large sporting events. Indeed, the recent World Cup saw an explosion of ambush marketing, some of it more effective than others.

But a new lawsuit out of Europe finds ambush marketing starting to appear in a whole new arena with extraordinarily game-changing repercussions: Google.Continue reading...

Brandchannel readers have seen China mentioned numerous times of late. The reason: China's robust economy hasn't slowed. Even in the face of a global recession, retail sales grew more than 15% in 2009, according to official Chinese statistics. Consumers in what is now the world's second biggest economy are hungry for quality goods, and that makes the Asian giant a hotbed of brand activity.

Just in the last month, we've reported on Levi's new brand in China (dENiZEN), Merck's joint venture to market vaccines in China, Pabst beer's upmarket offering in China, GM's new Chinese car brand (Baojun), the launch of a new Hermes brand (Shang Xia), and Burberry's Chinese growth strategy.

With all of this activity, you have to wonder whether Chinese consumers are becoming, well, a little jaded. Indeed, the UK's Telegraph reports that, despite the frenetic retail activity, "the underlying hard data shows that margins are being increasingly squeezed by rising costs and intensified competition."

Of even greater concern, perhaps, is the fact that "shoppers are simply no longer wowed by any new launch."Continue reading...

Ford and GM posted stronger sales in May, as Ford confirms rumors that it's ending its Mercury brand.

Investors bet on BP rebound as US Gulf coast cities use digital billboards to lure tourists back to the beach.

Viacom veteran turned digital exec Herb Scannell is now running the BBC's US brands, including BBC America.

Amazon's Kindle e-reader will be available in US Target stores starting Sunday.Continue reading...