Couponing is making a comeback. The expanding availability of printable coupons online, of paperless digital coupons that can be accessed from cell phones and store loyalty cards, and an explosion of Web sites and bloggers focused on sharing coupon information are feeding a comeback of what had been a fading Sunday tradition. Amid soaring fuel costs and a housing and credit crisis, Americans last year halted a 16-year trend of declining redemptions by turning in 2.6 billion manufacturers' coupons, according to CMS Inc., a coupon processing agent and promotions logistics service. Coupons are also available in more ways …

Distillers are expanding their bourbon production and storage and dispatching sales teams around a world that's increasingly thirsty for a traditionally Southern beverage. Surging exports, the weak U.S. dollar and rising popularity among younger Americans are driving the boom. "It's an exciting time to be in the bourbon business," says Max L. Shapira, president of Heaven Hill Distilleries Inc., a family-owned liquor company based in Bardstown, Ky. Wild Turkey, part of beverage company Pernod Ricard SA, sold more than one million cases worldwide last year for the first time. A $36 million expansion will nearly double its production. The …

Rob Walker, who writes the "Consumed" column for the New York Times Magazine, has written Buying In (Random House, $25), which mines data and explores theories about humans under the influence of branding. In one study conducted by Baylor University researchers, subjects were presented with two glasses of soda -- one labeled Coke and the other unnamed -- and asked to state their preference. They overwhelmingly chose the labeled drink, even though both were Coke. In another, a subject who had been shown sunny ads for a new juice called "Orange Grove" was led to declare, of the vinegar-laced "Orange …

Starbucks is closing 600 stores, or 8.5% of its U.S. company-operated portfolio, affecting about 12,000 employees. Although it is not releasing a list of which cafes are targeted, the company says that many of them are near another cafe, so customers will not be left without a Starbucks close by. Some of the stores were so close that they were cannibalizing each other, says CFO Pete Bocian. About 70% of the stores designated for closure opened after October 2005, representing about one in five of the new stores opened during that period. Collectively, they were not profitable. The …

As the struggles of the U.S. economy worsen, retailers and fashion brands are focused more than ever on the Millennials -- the savvy and hard-to-please consumers between the ages of 14 and 29. Females between the ages of 13 and 24 spent $33.7 billion on clothing in the 12 months through April, according to The NPD Group. That compares with $16.9 billion purchased by 25- to 34-year-old women, including some older members of the Millennials, and $29.8 billion by Baby Boomers between the ages of 45 and 64. The poster girl for the group is Miley Cyrus, the …

The Omnicom Group, the largest advertising holding company, is starting a consultancy named G23 that will be focused on female consumers. Seven senior leaders at Omnicom agencies -- all of them women -- are the founding partners and will work for G23 while continuing in their agency posts in fields like public relations, cultural anthropology, corporate identity, and behavioral planning. Janet Riccio, EVP at Omnicom, "took it on herself to formulate the idea and gather the people" for G23, according to John D. Wren, president and CEO of Omnicom. Riccio, who reports to Wren, says that G23 is intended …

Wal-Mart expects to buy about $400 million in locally grown produce this year, and says it is bringing more American farmers into its supply chain to keep food prices down amid rising fuel costs. Fruits and vegetables grown in-state account for about one-fifth of the produce in its stores this summer. Partnerships with U.S. farmers have increased 50% in the past two years, the retailer says. Wal-Mart will also be working with state departments of agriculture and local farmers to develop or revitalize growing areas for produce like corn in Mississippi and cilantro in southern Florida. By buying cilantro …