TREND WATCH

A roundup of business developments spotted by other publications.

Mini-Venture: Texas Instruments and Sharp Electronics of Japan are designing a 4 1/2-pound laptop computer that they will market, with slight variations, under different names. Sharp’s version, the PC-6220, was introduced at trade shows last month. TI will manufacture not only the PC-6220 but its own version, the TI TravelMate 2000 Notebook PC, and versions that customers will sell under their own names. Industry watchers say the joint venture is an opportunity for TI to break into the computer business and will give the company a new market for its core business of integrated circuits. Dallas Morning News, Denver Post

Brewer’s Bonus: Miller Brewing Co. is reaching for more of the beer market by offering wholesalers 50 cents for every case of premium beer sold over company goals--in addition to the $2 per case they usually make. The target is a 3% increase over last year’s sales. Milwaukee Journal

Florida Bound: The world is opening up, more people than ever are traveling and Florida expects a big piece of the action. Rockwell Schnabel, head of the Commerce Department’s tourist and travel operations, said foreign travel to the United States should double by 2000. Florida has had 82% more foreign visitors since 1985, mostly from Europe and Japan. The next wave, expected to last through the decade, will come from Eastern Europe. St. Petersburg Times

Spotting Theft: After a record loss to shoplifters of $25 billion last year, retailers are looking for new ways to deter thieves. One concept is a tag that squirts indelible ink onto a garment when improperly removed. Security Tag Systems of St. Petersburg, Fla., says it has sold 500,000 since production began last fall, and ColorTag of New York has sold more than 1 million since 1988. Although ink tags are more expensive than electronic-alarm tags, they seem to be effective, reducing losses about 60% at the 40 Casual Corner stores testing them. Tampa Tribune

Added Warning: In a move that caught the attention of several U.S. drug manufacturers, a Milwaukee law firm recently placed ads in the local paper about theophyllines, a family of drugs used to treat asthma and other lung diseases. In some cases these drugs have severe side effects, such as fever and seizures, if taken when a patient has influenza. A spokesman for Schering-Plough Corp., one of the makers of the drug, says its product “has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and provides effective warnings about circumstances that can produce side effects.” Milwaukee Journal