AFP British retailer Marks and Spencer said on Tuesday it will shut more than 100 stores, among them many foreign shops including its Champs Elysees branch in Paris, in order to cut costs after posting a first-half loss. M&S, regarded as a barometer of UK consumer demand, said it would close around 60 food and home stores in Britain …

  Dubai / Emirates Business Marka PJSC (DFM: MARKA), the first public joint stock retail operator in the UAE, is expanding its hospitality portfolio in partnership with Hearst Magazines International, with a second launch of the popular Harper’s BAZAAR Café located at CITY WALK Dubai. Elegant in concept, Harper’s BAZAAR Café is at the heart of Marka’s hospitality expansion plans. …

  Rome / AFP Hard on the heels of stoking anger over plans to open a restaurant in the Vatican, McDonald’s has filed a $20-million lawsuit against Florence for blocking a proposed outlet in the city’s most revered square. The US fast-food chain said it was claiming 17.8 million euros ($19.65 million) in damages after the city rejected an application …