Asda is looking to simplify its portfolio of own-label ranges, which includes Extra Special and Organic. Marketing director Rick Bendel said: 'We have overdosed on own-labels in the past. We are simplifying the range to include a value, mid-range and premium offering.' Marketing

Sony, which had neglected consumers wanting basic cheaper televisions, has had a runaway success with the US launch of the no-frills Bravia M flat-panel TV. Faced with consumer belt-tightening and cut-price TVs from rivals such as Visio, Sony let its engineers in Mexico use off-the-shelf parts to design the set, which doesn't have the fancy features of most Sony flat-panel TVs. Wall Street Journal.

KFC is to open for breakfast for the first time in a test that is expected to roll out nationwide in 2009. The KFC A.M. menu is aimed at working men. Both McDonald's and Burger King have revamped their breakfast menus in recent months. Marketing 

Unilever is investigating alternative ingredients and changing the recipes of some food products to help offset rising commodity prices, with the proviso that the changes do not affect taste. The company is also developing lower-fat spreads and dressings, which are healthier and have the bonus of using less costly vegetable oils. The Guardian

Car manufacturers on both side of the Atlantic are offering free petrol deals to overcome the effect of high fuel prices on the psychology of car buyers. Fiat is offering a payment-free period of nine months plus £1000 of fuel to people who buy a Grande Punto supermini. Chrysler, which makes minivans and trucks, is offering a three-year guarantee of a lower-than-market-rate fuel price. Financial Times

The video game Grand Theft Auto IV sold 6m copies, worth $500m, in its opening week, breaking the record for first-day sales of an entertainment product. Brands are increasingly tapping into in-game advertising. Marketing

Whitbread, the hotel and restaurant group, is trialling an all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant format. The Tay Barn chain will be aimed at low-income families and students, with peak and off-peak prices of £7.99 and £5.99, respectively. Marketing

Social networking site MySpace has struck a deal with Yahoo!, eBay and Twitter that enables its users to share their content and profile information with the other sites. It will also allow users who wish to, to move their social information between sites. Financial Times

Fox Interactive Media, the digital wing of News Corporation, will fall 10% short of its $1bn revenue target for this year, signalling the difficulty it has experienced in converting MySpace's vast online audience into advertising sales. The company said the site's users had created so many web pages that it was difficult to raise rates for marketers. Financial Times