Also. . .

* Estee Lauder Cos. said it plans to open as many as 260 new stores in the next few years in an expansion focusing on its Origins, Aveda and M.A.C cosmetics lines. Estee Lauder, whose namesake and Clinique brands are sold at department stores, has been adding free-standing stores to sell its newer product lines. It now has 240 such stores.

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* Wilsons the Leather Experts Inc., a chain of stores that sell leather clothing and accessories, agreed to acquire El Portal Group Inc., which sells higher-end leather goods. Wilsons didn’t say how much it is paying for closely held El Portal, which sells premium brands such as Bally, Coach and Kenneth Cole Productions and its own El Portal brand.

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