Charley's Grilled Subs, the 454-unit Philly steak restaurant chain, has grown to 15 restaurants in the United Arab Emirates. The most recent opened Jan. 19 at the Dubai International Airport, the 14th busiest airport in the world.

The Kroger Co. has launched a parenting website to promote its Comforts private-label baby line. Comfortsforbaby.com is an online community that provides articles, coupons, tips and forums. The Comforts line includes diapers, soaps, shampoos, lotions and baby accessories like cups and pacifiers.

Margin squeeze and flagging same-store sales hurt Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s fourth quarter profit, which dropped nearly 80% to $19.6 million from $92.6 million a year earlier.

Maybe affluent people want their sports cars to have gasoline engines. Tesla Motors, the maker of pricey battery-powered two-seat sports cars, said its fourth-quarter net loss grew to $81.5 million as electric Roadster sales end ahead of the release of Model S sedans. The business is owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Nestle SA, the world's biggest food and drinks maker, managed to brush aside the impact of a soaring domestic currency to post a solid increase in profits in 2011 as sales rose strongly, particularly in developing countries.

A new measure, Amendment 217 of the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act of 2012, is currently before the House of Representatives that would overturn the 50-year-old ban on the sale of food, fuel and other convenience items at interstate rest stops.

The number of U.S. auto dealers will steadily decline each year - with massive cuts during the industry's recent downturn - but 2011 saw an unexpected turnaround with the dealer count actually rising for the first time in years.

Mazda is in a serious bind. The maker is forecasting a $1.3 billion loss for the current fiscal year, which ends March 31. And it is struggling to reverse a sales slide that saw it drop to 1.25 million units, a 2% dip, in calendar 2011. Mazda may need a new partner to replace the once-powerful alliance it had with Ford Motor. It could also force Mazda to have to share its new and highly touted SkyActiv powertrain technology with an erstwhile competitor.

Cads: it's not too late to give a virtual Valentine's Day gift. Starbuck's app stays live until Thursday. It's part of the Starbucks Cup Magic App program developed last year for the holidays to allow its customers to share augmented reality experiences. The short-term program has Valentine's Day-themed coffee cups with red hearts. Consumers can download an app and send Valentine's Day greetings through augmented reality technology that interacts with the cups. Users tap the "Send a Virtual Valentine" button to send the message. Recipients can scan a limited-edition Valentine's Day Starbucks cup that reveals the sender's message of love. …

Mercedes-Benz has found a new way of showing off all the space inside its vans: by allowing consumers to open the vehicle's doors in its ads using their car keys.