James M. Kilts

NEW YORK (AP)—Procter & Gamble Co., the leading U.S. maker of household products whose brands include Crest, Pampers, Tide and Charmin, is buying the razor and battery maker Gillette Co. for $57 billion in a deal that will create the world's biggest consumer-products enterprise, the companies announced Friday. The merger, which must still be approved by regulators and shareholders, would create a company with revenues of more than $60 billion that would have even greater clout against mass-market retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which have been pressuring consumer product suppliers to keep costs low. Executives from both companies made their case for the

More Blogs