PLUS BUSINESS - Chicago Sun-Times

Sportmart, Gart merger completed Gart Sports Co. on Friday completedits merger of Chicago-based Sportmart Inc., creating the nation'ssecond-largest sporting goods retail chain behind Sports Authority.Gart now has 123 stores in 16 states, with combined 1996 revenues of$718 million. Under terms of the merger, Sportmart shareholdersreceived 27.5 percent of Gart Sport Co. common stock. Sportmartcorporate headquarters in suburban Wheeling will close and allcorporate functions will be consolidated in Denver, the companiesannounced previously. No store closings or layoffs were anticipated,officials said.

Sen. John Kerry on Vietnam trade visit Sen. John Kerry, adecorated Vietnam War veteran and champion of normalized relationswith Hanoi, has begun a weeklong trip to Vietnam boost trade andeconomic ties between the one-time enemies. Vietnam's emergingeconomy could offer tremendous rewards for U.S. companies if thecommunist leadership forges ahead with economic reforms, theMassachusetts Democrat said today in Hanoi. In meetings with thedeputy interior minister, Kerry said he was impressed with efforts toliberalize both political and economic issues. 'I did not meetwith rigidity or an ideological wall,' he said. Kerry said he willemphasize the need for continued reform in talks next week withPremier Phan Van Khai and other senior officials.Nike's financial chief steps down Nike Inc. said today its vicepresident and chief financial officer has resigned to pursueopportunities outside the company. Robert Falcone, 50, had been withNike since 1990, serving as CFO for the past six years. ControllerRobert Harold, 50, has been named interim chief financial officeruntil a permanent successor is found. Nike, a leading maker ofathletic footwear, apparel, equipment and accessories, is based inBeaverton, Ore.France vows millions for unemployed France's prime minister, LionelJospin, on Friday pledged more than $160 million to help theunemployed. Some grass-roots jobless activists said they wouldnonetheless continue their protests, and called for a day of nationaldemonstrations for next week. Unions, though, called Jospin's move'sensible.' Jospin's announcement came a day after he met withlabor leaders and protesters in an attempt to end more than a monthof sit-ins at unemployment offices across the country. 'I know theheavy load that prolonged unemployment weighs on hundreds ofthousands of unemployed people,' Jospin told a news conference. Themoney he pledged will create a fund to help the hardest-hit joblesswho have trouble paying for basic needs.Canada jobless rate at 7-year low Canada's jobless rate fell to itslowest level in more than seven years in December, dropping agreater-than-expected 0.4 percentage points to 8.6 percent from theprevious month. The report beat economists' expectations that therate would fall to 8.9 percent. December's rate was the lowest sinceit touched 8.3 percent in August 1990, Statistics Canada said. Evenwith the unexpected surge of new jobs, most analysts don't expect theBank of Canada will immediately raise rates. That's because a likelyslowdown in growth tied to turmoil in Asian financial markets shouldkeep expansion in check, traders and analysts said.Free airline tickets draw throngVanguard Airlines collected nearly 50,000 pounds of food from eagerdonors Friday, and handed back something for their trouble: a freeround-trip ticket. The airline, which began promoting the giveawayWednesday, scrambled to deal with a response that was about threetimes as large as the company had expected. The giveaway wasscheduled from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. in Kansas City, Mo., but people beganarriving Thursday evening and stayed all night, braving bitter coldin a stadium parking lot. 'We were suprised that people werewilling to sit outside in the cold all night,' said Vanguardspokeswoman Lynn McAdoo said. She said between 2,500 and 2,800tickets were given out.