<p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20051225/bs_afp/japanretailcompany"><img src="http://us.news3.yimg.com/us.i2.yimg.com/p/afp/20051225/capt.sge.qvv80.251205180137.photo00.photo.default-384x250.jpg?x=130&amp;y=84&amp;sig=Yi42jQ0zXe5uZ4b aGzw0Pw--" align="left" height="84" width="130" alt="Customers line up to enter an Ikebukuro Seibu department store in Tokyo. Japanese groups which own supermarket chain Ito-Yokado and Seibu Department Stores are in the final phase of merger talks in a bid to form the nation's largest retailer, news reports said.(AFP/File/Kazuhiro Nogi)" border="0" /></a>AFP - The Japanese groups which own supermarket chain Ito-Yokado and Seibu Department Stores are in the final phase of merger talks in a bid to form the nation's largest retailer, news reports said.</p><br clear=all>

View the entire article: Japan's Ito-Yokado and Seibu groups to merge: reports (AFP)