Also

* Ending months of speculation, Coca-Cola Co. said it will launch a vanilla-flavored version of its flagship soft drink May 15. Vanilla Coke is a line extension of Coca-Cola, to be available in the same bottle and can configurations. With Vanilla Coke, the company is hoping to replicate the success of rival PepsiCo Inc.’s Code Red.

* J.C. Penney Co. said it plans to open at least 60 Eckerd drugstores by the end of 2004.

* Ford Motor Co. and Bridgestone Corp.’s Firestone unit are expected to ask a federal appeals court Wednesday to reverse a November ruling that ordered a single trial on millions of claims related to tire failures and rollover accidents.

* Gasoline prices fell 0.9 cent to $1.404 a gallon in the week ended Monday, the Department of Energy said in a survey of 900 filling stations. Gasoline was most expensive on the West Coast, where pump prices averaged $1.542 a gallon.