BOOKSTORES

University-owned bookstores to take on industry giants

NEW YORK — The ranks of independent bookstores have grown steadily over the past decade, as small shop owners regained their footing in a publishing industry transformed by the rise (and fall) of the big-box stores and the emergence of Amazon. Now the indie movement is heading back to school. The National Association of College Stores announced the launch of a consortium of university-owned stores during an industry conference on Saturday. The goal is to push the two corporate giants in college bookstores, Follett Corp. and Barnes & Noble Education Inc., off campus. The group would pool buying power and management expertise in a bid to boost profits and lower costs for students. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

BREXIT

AIG to open Luxembourg insurer after Britain leaves the EU

NEW YORK — American International Group Inc., the global provider of commercial property-casualty coverage, said it plans to open an insurer in Luxembourg to write business in the European Economic Area and Switzerland once the United Kingdom exits the European Union. Financial firms are shaping their Brexit plans after Prime Minister Theresa May announced in January that the United Kingdom would leave the European Union’s single market in 2019, likely spelling the end of passporting, where companies seamlessly service the rest of the bloc from their London operations. AIG currently writes business in Europe from a single insurer based in the United Kingdom. The New York-based company has more than 2,000 employees based in London and has already been cutting staff there and in other cities as part of a separate cost-cutting initiative. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

PHARMACEUTICALS

Canadian drugmaker to expand in south Florida

NEW YORK — Canadian drugmaker Apotex Inc. said it will spend $184 million to expand its facilities in South Florida and create 150 new jobs. The investment, Apotex’s largest ever in the United States, will add space for research and development, manufacturing, and packaging, as well as its US headquarters in Miramar, Fla., the closely held company said Wednesday in a statement. The Toronto-based maker of generic drugs, which said it has annual sales of about $2 billion, will continue to operate two existing facilities in Florida. Growing in the United States fits with the company’s long-term strategy and reflects the importance of the US and Latin American markets, said chief executive Jeremy B. Desai, who has led the company since 2014. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

EMPLOYMENT

Businesses add nearly 300,000 jobs in February

WASHINGTON — US businesses added the most jobs in three years last month, a private survey found, a sign that hiring may be accelerating from last year’s modest levels. Payroll processor ADP said Wednesday that businesses added 298,000 jobs in February, up from 261,000 the previous month. The gains were led by a huge 66,000 increase in construction, the most in 11 years, and 32,000 manufacturing jobs, the most in five years. The hiring boom in construction was likely driven by unseasonably warm weather in much of the country. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

PAY EQUITY

Iceland to made employers prove they pay men, women equally

LONDON — Iceland will be the first country in the world to make employers prove they offer equal pay regardless of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, or nationality, the Nordic nation’s government said Wednesday. The government said it will introduce legislation to Parliament this month, requiring all employers with more than 25 staff members to obtain certification to prove they give equal pay for work of equal value. While other countries, and the state of Minnesota, have equal-salary certificate policies, Iceland is thought to be the first to make it mandatory for both private and public firms. — ASSOCIATED PRESS

SODA

Indian retailers boycott Coke, Pepsi over water concerns

MUMBAI, India — Retailers in India’s drought-hit southern state of Kerala plan to join peers in neighboring Tamil Nadu in a boycott of beverages made by PepsiCo Inc. and Coca-Cola Co., alleging that the multinational soda makers are depleting ground water. The looming threat of a boycott in Kerala comes a week after numerous retailers in Tamil Nadu stopped selling sodas made by PepsiCo and Coca-Cola as the state’s population battles water scarcity. Of the 6,607 areas assessed in India to check groundwater developments, 1,071 areas were categorized as “overexploited’’ including parts of the two southern states, according to federal government data released Dec. 1. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

ELECTRONICS

Samsung in talks to expand manufacturing in the US

NEW YORK — Samsung Electronics is in preliminary talks to expand its manufacturing operations in the United States with a new facility for home appliances. The South Korean technology giant expects to spend at least $300 million on the project and is discussing the plans with at least five states, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources. The shift may involve moving some of the production of oven ranges to the United States from Mexico and could generate about 500 jobs, according to the Journal. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

SALARIES

Want to make a lot of money? Go into health care, technology, law

NEW YORK — Looking to score the big bucks? A new report finds that the best-paying jobs in America are concentrated in health care, technology, and law. Physicians have the highest median base salary, coming in at $187,876, according to the report from career website Glassdoor Inc. The second-highest salary went to pharmacy managers, a gig that requires both a pharmaceutical degree and management experience; patent attorney came in third. — BLOOMBERG NEWS

WEBSITE

Pinterest acquires q&A app

SAN FRANCISCO — Pinterest Inc. has acquired Jelly Industries, the question-and-answer app led by Twitter Inc. cofounder Biz Stone. Jelly’s product lets people ask questions and then uses an algorithm to pair them with experts to give answers. Pinterest said the startup’s skills will help expand its online search tools, including a new feature called Lens that conducts a search based on what’s in a photo. As part of the deal, Stone will become a special adviser to Pinterest’s cofounder and chief product officer, Evan Sharp. Jelly cofounder Ben Finkel will join the growth product team. — BLOOMBERG NEWS