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• Altria said yesterday that it will make a final decision about the spinoff of its Kraft Foods unit and announce it on January 31, 2007. There had been concerns about a spinoff because of litigation against Altria’s cigarette divisions, but the board of directors apparently has decided to be more aggressive about maximizing Kraft’s value.

• A new trade group, the Convenient Care Association (CCA), has been created to represent, in part, the companies that run the walk-in medical clinics currently being established in retail stores throughout the country.
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