Also. . .

* Service Merchandise Co. said five vendors forced the troubled specialty retailer into court-supervised reorganization as it filed an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. Among the vendors were Samsonite Corp., which claimed it is owed $3.62 million; Remington Products Co., claiming $3.64 million; and the Toy Biz Inc. unit of Marvel Enterprises, claiming $707,342. The listings were in documents released in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Nashville.

* Zale Corp., the largest U.S. specialty jewelry retailer, said it will buy closely held Peoples Jewellers Corp. of Canada for $75.2 million cash in its first purchase abroad. Peoples operates 175 fine-jewelry stores in Canada, Zale said.

Financial services giant Citigroup Inc., citing opportunities it sees in emerging markets, named William Rhodes vice chairman. Rhodes, 63, has experience with international financial crises such as last year’s South Korean debt issue, the 1994 Mexican peso devaluation and financial turmoil that rocked Latin America in the 1980s. Rhodes has worked with the company since 1957.