Starbucks has rolled out its red cups for the holiday season. People with nothing better to do apparently have to go to social to tweet about it. There have been more than 40,000 tweets within the past day using the official hashtag #RedCups, according to Brandwatch, with the sentiment being 92% positive. In addition to purchasing a promoted hashtag, Starbucks sprung for a sponsored Twitter Moment titled "Red Cups Return" showing off the cups and a custom emoji for the hashtag.

Volkswagen's emissions cheating scandal was far broader than originally believed, according to allegations by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is now accusing the German maker of using a so-called "defeat devices," software designed to fool government emissions tests, on a variety of luxury models from the Audi and Porsche brands. Six weeks ago the feds charged VW took steps to cover up excess emissions on 482,000 vehicles sold in the U.S. over a seven-year period.

Burger King France is pursuing an acquisition of the 509-store Quick burger concept from Qualium Investissement for an undisclosed amount. Operator Restaurant Brands International CEO Daniel Schwartz told analysts that at least the 400 Quick stores in France (it also operates in Belgium) would become Burger Kings. Burger King returned to France in 2012 after leaving the market in 1997. McDonald's has about 1,200 locations in France.

ConAgra is closing a sad chapter with the pending sale of its foods division private-label business, for $2.7 billion. The Omaha-based food manufacturer can focus on the challenges ahead in refreshing some of its brands as it relocates its headquarters to Chicago, observers said. ConAgra said 145 Omaha employees are among the 9,300 people who work in its private-brands business.

Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson is not only one of the top players in the NFL, he also is No. 1 in the league's Q2 sales of merchandise - a $1.4B annual category for the NFL - leading in such items as jerseys and college co-branded products, according to the NFL Players Assn. He is among a pack of QBs including Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, but he falls behind J.J. Watt in sales of Bleacher Creatures, Dez Bryant in bobbleheads and Brady in Fatheads.

Amazon is about driving the death of small bookstores, and, of course, physical books. Presumably. But the company plans to open its first physical storefront in its history on Tuesday. The store will be called Amazon Books, and it will open in its hometown of Seattle. The company said the physical store would use online customer reviews and other digital data to inform some of its inventory decisions.

Chipotle restaurants in two states have closed because of an apparent outbreak of Shiga toxin E. coli in recent weeks at six restaurants in Oregon and Washington. Currently, there three illnesses in Oregon and 19 in Washington. A total of 43 restaurants have closed.

Starbucks Corp. recorded a strong fourth-quarter performance, with an 8% increase in global same-store sales, including 4% growth in traffic, according to company numbers. The Seattle-based chain's results in the Americas region, including roughly 7,500 units in the U.S., mirrored global sales trends. The Americas even ranked ahead of the China/Asia Pacific countries, typically Starbucks' strongest-performing region.

Google has begun testing extending its DoubleClick ad technology beyond desktop computers and mobile phones to billboards with programmatic buying. It uses DoubleClick's automated processes, versus manual buying via an outdoor advertising company upfront. It's a really significant move for Google and for the outdoor advertising industry.

Ford may be kicking off a new battle royal with its "Friends & Neighbors" sales event, which starts Nov. 3 and runs through Jan. 4. The automaker's incentive program may nudge the others to respond with sales promotions of their own, closing 2015 with one of the biggest incentive battles in years. That competition could carry over into 2016, when the industry is expected to have little growth.