Bloomberg McDonald’s Corp. agreed to sell a controlling stake in its China and Hong Kong operations to a group of financial investors in the latest effort by the world’s largest fast-food chain to catch up with Western rivals by opening new stores in smaller Chinese cities. A consortium including Citic Ltd. and Carlyle Group LP will buy an 80 …

  Bloomberg Barnes & Noble Inc. posted its first decline in holiday sales in three years, hurt by a downturn in the coloring-book category, bringing another sign that the Christmas season wasn’t kind to retailers. Same-store sales sank 9.1 percent for the nine-week holiday period, the New York-based company said. Coloring books and other art supplies — products that had …

  DUBAI / WAM Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) saw its network of members grow by 9 percent or 16,800 companies in 2016, bringing the organisation’s total membership to 201,000 by the end of the year. The rise in number strengthens its position as one of the largest membership-based chambers of commerce in the world. The total value …