Content about the Financial Times

New York -- A Thursday report by the Financial Times said that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is in discussions with Turkish retailer Migros Ticaret AS to acquire an 80% stake in the company from London-based private equity group BC Partners.

The Times said that Walmart held meetings with Migros managers in recent days in Turkey but it had not placed a bid for the Turkish retailer. Sources have not been identified and Wal-Mart so far has not commented.

Toronto -- A Tuesday report by the Financial Times said that c-store operator 7-Eleven will open as many as 200 new corporate stores in Ontario, between 2012 and 2016, with a major focus on the Greater Toronto area.

The announcement is slated to take place at this week’s International Council of Shopper Centers’ conference in Toronto.

The planned expansion is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and would boost the operator’s Canadian store count by nearly 50%. 7-Eleven currently operates 467 locations in Canada.

London — A Wednesday report by the Financial Times said that Citigroup Inc. may retain its store credit card unit, after trying to divest it earlier.

The $41 billion unit could be moved out of Citi Holdings, according to the report, over to its core credit card operations.

Citi, whose store credit card unit has such clients as Zale, Home Depot, Macy’s and Sears, has not commented on the reports.

Tokyo -- A Monday report by the Financial Times said that Walmart’s chief executive in Japan has resigned suddenly, just over a year after he assumed the position.

Toru Noda became CEO of Walmart Japan and Seiyu, its Japanese supermarket chain, in February 2010. He has cited personal reasons for the unexpected departure.

Noda will be replaced by Steve Dacus, former COO of both Walmart Japan and Seiyu.

London -- A Tuesday report by the Financial Times said that Andy Bond, former CEO of Asda, has left his post of part-time chairman of the United Kingdom’s second biggest supermarket by market share, a position that he has held for less than a year.

The report also said that Bond will leave Walmart as well, which owns Asda, once its $2.4 billion deal to acquire a majority stake in South Africa’s Massmart is complete around the end of March.

New York City -- Neiman Marcus plans to increase spending on technology to align its in-store and e-commerce businesses, the Financial Times reported.

Sales at Neiman’s e-commerce businesses increased 16.9% during the quarter ending Oct. 31, compared with a year ago.

Karen Katz, who took over the reins as chief executive from Burt Tansky in October, said Neiman planned to “ramp up how we connect” with customers who are increasingly equipped with smartphones and tablets, the report said.