Check out accessories companies across the globe teaming up.

According to traders in Germany, Adidas shares rose on Monday due to a market rumor that Japanese and U.S. sneaker makers Asics and Nike would together bid for the German company.

But industry sources pointed out that such a merger could get a regulatory red light since Nike is the industry’s largest player and Adidas is the second-largest.

Talk of the potential sneaker tie-up follows a report on Sunday that
U.S. jeweler Tiffany & Co. has formed a strategic alliance with Switzerland-based watch maker Swatch to boost development and distribution of Tiffany-branded watches.

Tiffany, which last week raised its full-year profit forecast, is one of the few U.S. high-end retailers still doing well amid a slowdown in consumer spending.

The company, which has been planning to re-enter the watch business for a long time, said on Monday it would take a $20 million expense in the fourth quarter related to inventory of watches that it will discount as a result of the deal with Swatch, the world’s largest watch maker.

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Survey says shoppers awaiting discounts late in month

Britain’s Tesco starts small in the U.S. to win big

(Photo: Reuters)