The company expects not only to win a bigger share of the German sports-goods market largely by taking over uncompetitive small firms but also to fatten its margins, 2.3% last year, to 6% in 2005.

ECONOMIST: KarstadtQuelle

The company is made up of two main types of business - luxury goods and sports and lifestyle brands.

BBC: Gucci owner PPR's shares hit 12-year high in France

Today the company's products end up in goods ranging from cars to electrical goods, cosmetics, sports equipment and medical devices.

ECONOMIST: BASF and the chemical industry