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By Times Staff Writer
Published December 13, 2007

Swedish vodka icon on block? Absolutely

The Swedish government on Tuesday started its long-anticipated auction for Vin & Sprit, the owner of the iconic Absolut brand. Possible bidders for V&S include Diageo PLC, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi International and Fortune Brands Inc. All have publicly expressed interest, but the first two would have some potential antitrust issues: Pernod markets and distributes Stolichnaya vodka, while Bacardi owns Grey Goose. Diageo has Smirnoff, but it typically sells at a much lower price point than Absolut.

CNBC shows get Yahoo exposure

Yahoo Inc., owner of the most-visited U.S. Internet site, struck an agreement with CNBC, putting content from the business news network on its finance siteto lure more users away from competitors. CNBC will provide Yahoo with video clips from Mad Money with Jim Cramer and Fast Money, as well as news reports from its networks. The clips and articles will run on Yahoo Finance in the United States and on 21 international Web sites, according to a statement from the companies. Yahoo is trying to win advertisers from Google Inc., the most popular Internet search engine, as well as the business Web sites of Microsoft Corp. and Time Warner Inc. Yahoo Finance was the most popular U.S. financial news site in October, with 13.1-million visitors, according to ComScore Inc. of Reston, Va.

Penthouse tries to spice up revenue

Penthouse Media Group Inc., facing declining circulation at its men's magazine, bought the owner of social-networking Web sites for dating and meeting sexual partners for $500-million in cash and stock. The acquisition of Various Inc., operator of more than 25 online sites including adultfriendfinder.com, will increase revenue to an expected $340-million this year, Penthouse of Boca Raton, said Wednesday. The purchase will make Penthouse, which emerged from bankruptcy in 2004, about as large as rival Playboy Enterprises Inc. by sales. Various, based in Palo Alto, Calif., has more than 1.2-million subscribers. The company owns the dating sites friendfinder.com, asiafriendfinder.com and seniorfriendfinder.com, as well as passion.com.Penthouse magazine's circulation sales declined 17 percent in 2006 to $20.3-million, according to the Magazine Publishers of America. That's about a fifth the circulation of Playboy, the world's most widely read men's magazine.

Even Toyota to rely on more incentives

Toyota Motor Corp., No. 2 in U.S. vehicle sales, may increase incentives in the first half of 2008 to counter a projected industrywide decline. The automaker may use "tactical incentives to help stimulate the market," Jim Lentz, president of Toyota's U.S. sales unit, said Wednesday. Such incentives are tailored to specific markets and vehicles. Toyota expects 2008 U.S. sales to be about 3 percent higher than this year's 2.6-million units, Lentz said.

[Last modified December 13, 2007, 01:44:45]