Consumer

Circuit City Puts Itself Up for Sale, Hires Goldman to Advise; Shares Jump Circuit City Stores Inc., pressured by investor Mark Wattles to raise its stock price, put itself up for sale and opened its books to Blockbuster Inc. and billionaire Carl Icahn to prepare for a possible offer.

Ahold Sales Drop 1.3% on Dollar's Slide, Will Only Improve Later This Year Royal Ahold NV, the Dutch owner of the U.S. Stop & Shop supermarket chain, said first-quarter sales fell 1.3 percent because of the dollar's slide and forecast no improvement until later this year.

Diageo to Build New Irish Brewery and Sell Half The Land at Guinness Plant Diageo Plc will build a new Guinness brewery on Dublin's outskirts, increasing capacity to meet demand for the stout abroad, and sell half the land at its site in the Irish capital, where production started 250 years ago.

Sodexo Pancakes Poison 128 People at Hong Kong International School Sodexo, the world's second-largest catering company, found salmonella in pancakes it served at a school fair in Hong Kong that poisoned 128 people.

Rice Gains for Sixth Day on Increased Demand, Damage From Myanmar Cyclone Rice rose, heading for the biggest weekly gain since reaching a record last month, as Nigeria and the Philippines sought to buy more, further straining global supplies after a cyclone devastated crops in Myanmar.

Valentino Brand Plans to Double Fashion Sales in Five Years, Chief Says Valentino SpA, the Italian luxury clothier purchased last year by Permira Advisers LLP, plans to double its sales in the next five years, Chief Executive Officer Stefano Sassi said.

Ryohin Keikaku, Owner of Muji Stores, Plans to Open Bigger Shops in Tokyo Ryohin Keikaku Co., the Japanese operator of the Muji chain, plans to open five large-scale outlets in Tokyo next year as it wins market share from department stores and other retailers.

HMV Revenue Jumps on Video Games; Earnings Will be at `Upper End' of Range HMV Group Plc, the U.K.'s largest music retailer, said fourth-quarter sales growth accelerated as a boom in video-game sales helped to draw back shoppers from supermarkets and online competitors.

Merlot Made From New York's Hamptons Vineyard for $100 Beats Saint-Emilion After making wine since 1992 surrounded by the mansions of the Hamptons, Roman Roth got the ingredients for the ideal vintage last summer: steady sunshine and little rain.