Also. . .

* Seagram Co. said it’s entering discussions about selling its Mumm and Perrier-Jouet Champagne companies to an unidentified French group. Montreal-based Seagram, which owns Universal Studios, has in recent years been transforming itself into an entertainment company. It’s in the process of purchasing Polygram for $10.4 billion, a move that will make it the largest music company in the world.

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* Amazon.com Inc., the No. 1 online bookseller, said it opened Amazon.com-branded Web bookstores for Germany and Britain, extending its reach into the European market. Seattle-based Amazon.com is expanding into the international book market to get a jump on rivals such as Bertelsmann, which last week agreed to buy half of Barnes & Noble Inc.’s Internet book business.