Nokia yesterday carved out a new unit focused on growth opportunities around music downloading, Internet browsing, mapping and other services. Under the reorganization--which takes effect Jan. 1--another unit will oversee mobile devices, and a third will be responsible for supply chains and sales and marketing. The changes underscore the pressure on cell phone companies to find new businesses as the industry matures. The moves also highlight a broader shift where software is becoming as important--or more important--than hardware, says Ben Wood, an analyst at consulting company CCS Insight. By combining the various device businesses, Nokia hopes to make …

Following the implementation of its "Right Portion, Right Price" menu four months ago, the number of customers has increased at T.G.I. Friday's by 1.4%, compared with the same period a year earlier. For the industry, guest counts were down by 2.8%. Other restaurant chains have offered smaller portions, but they have not succeeded because the offerings were often relegated to a "lighter fare" section of the menu. Or they were not much cheaper than full-size entrees. What makes Friday's smaller portions different is that they are not necessarily healthy (ribs with fries is one "right size" entree), and they …

Cindy Alston, who has spent two decades building Gatorade into the country's sixth-largest liquid-refreshment megabrand, is reportedly resigning from the PepsiCo unit to spend more time with her family. Matt Knott, currently marketing director for Propel, will become vice president-marketing for the division. Alston became CMO last September after leading Gatorade through some of its biggest years to nearly 1 billion gallons. She also oversaw the launch of Propel Fitness Water; solved the dilemma of core-user burnout for Gatorade that led to a lighter version called Gatorade Rain; and shepherded the launch of the "Is it in You" …

As part of his strategy to implement a brand-centered organization, Liz Claiborne CEO William L. McComb is scrapping the group president role and literally dividing the company's portfolio between "power brands" and the rest. Jill Granoff, formerly group president of direct-to-consumer, is being promoted to executive vice president of direct brands and will be responsible for Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand and Sigrid Olsen, as well as the company's outlet and e-commerce business. The direct brands will receive more time and talent investment going forward. Claiborne president Trudy Sullivan will run the less sexy of the two new divisions. …

About 25% of the 4,500 or so members of Shula's Athletic Club in Miami Lakes are over age 65--a figure that general manager Bill Higgs sees as part of a national trend. In fact, as more of America's baby boomers start entering their 60s, even startup gyms are homing in on the mature market. The business potential is huge -- and expanding. The U.S. health club industry pulls in about $16 billion in annual revenue. Club 50, a fitness chain for the over-40 crowd, points out that seniors control more than 70% of the country's disposable income. …

Phillips-Van Heusen plans to open 10 full-price Calvin Klein white-label stores in the U.S. over the next 24 months, according to CEO Emanuel Chirico. If they are successful, the retail venture could evolve into a 100-door chain, with Calvin Klein boutiques in malls and prime shopping streets across America. Chirico will not disclose locations for the first units, but says the initial stores will be based in malls, with the potential to expand into street locations in places such as downtown Manhattan. A recent survey compiled by the Milan-based Bocconi School of Management, Altagamma and Ernst …

During the marriage of Daimler and Chrysler, the German executives running the company fought to keep Mercedes and Chrysler separate to preserve Mercedes' luxury image. But Mercedes appears to have taken one key thing from the union: It gained insight into the American consumer and is better poised to woo U.S. buyers. Germans are used to waiting weeks for their cars to arrive, while Americans want to buy cars off the lot. Germans love technology and don't mind wading through gigantic manuals to figure out their cars. Americans want things easier. Americans love a car with oomph when …

Lingerie is the fastest-growing apparel category after handbags. Hoping to steal some thunder from the Limited's Victoria's Secret chain, retailers, including J.C. Penney, Target, and Kohl's, are launching lingerie lines, giving old ones a makeover, or redecorating dressing rooms and offering professional fitting. Driving the growth are new technologies and fabrics that allow for such innovations as laser-cut seamless bras and the growing fashion appeal of lingerie. Many younger women today have no compunction about "wearing inner-wear as outerwear," says Marshal Cohen, chief research analyst with NPD Group-allowing, for instance, colorful bra straps to show without embarrassment. That creates …

In letters to five of Kellogg's chief competitors, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., demanded that they implement limits on advertising to children similar to those announced by the cereal maker last week. Markey, who chairs the telecom panel of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, says his panel's hearing this Friday on the impact of violent and tobacco-smoking images children see on TV will also examine the repercussions of food ads. The letters ask the companies--McDonald's, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kraft Foods and PepsiCo--to respond by June 29. An aide to the congressman says they were selected because of their extensive …

Just weeks after a U.S. District judge allowed AT&T to replace the Cingular logo on Jeff Burton's No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet with AT&T branding, the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) has filed a $100 million counter suit against AT&T. It claims that the wireless carrier is interfering with its exclusive sponsorship agreement with Nextel. Burton's car had been sponsored by Cingular. After AT&T took ownership of Cingular, it said it planned to eliminate the Cingular brand name. NASCAR officials had repeatedly forbidden AT&T to switch the logo because Nextel sponsors NASCAR's top series: the …