RETAILING

* Staples Inc. agreed to buy three office supply companies in Europe for $120 million in cash, as part of its plan to expand its European outlets to 120 superstores from 79. The companies, whose combined annual revenues are $185 million, would be purchased from a joint venture of Germany’s Metro and Deutsche Bank. The acquisition would bring Staples into the Netherlands and Portugal for the first time and would add 15 superstores in Germany for a total of 41. Staples also operates 53 stores in Britain. Staples shares rose $1.25 to close at $24.56 on Nasdaq