LONDON, Nov 3, 2009 (AFP) - HSBC is to cut more than 1,700 jobs across its retail banking division in Britain, a spokesman for the global group said on Tuesday. HSBC will axe 'just over 1,700' jobs, a spokesman told AFP.

The announcement came as the British government unveiled a major shake-up of the country's banking sector and one day after state-controlled Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) said it would eliminate about 3,700 jobs across its British retail operations.

WASHINGTON - JOHNSON & Johnson, a leading US health care and consumer goods company, said on Tuesday it will slash between six and seven per cent of its global workforce in a restructuring to cut costs.

The restructuring is expected to generate US$1.4 to 1.7 billion in (S$1.96 billion to S$2.38 billion) annual savings when it is fully implemented in 2011, the company said in a statement.

CHICAGO - ENERGIZER Holdings Inc posted a steep decline in quarterly profit, weighed down by charges related to job cuts and sluggish sales of its namesake batteries.

The maker of Energizer batteries, Schick razors and Playtex tampons said it could post low double-digit growth in earnings excluding unusual items in fiscal 2010, as it steps up advertising and promotional spending behind its brands.