Thyssen and Fried. Hoesch-Krupp of Germany agreed...

Thyssen and Fried. Hoesch-Krupp of Germany agreed to merge their steel operations, effective April 1, and pledged to reduce their work force by 8,000 through voluntary departures or transfers rather than layoffs. . . . Staples Inc. and Office Depot Inc. agreed to sell 63 stores to OfficeMax Inc. for about $109 million. The move is designed to help win regulatory approval for Staples’ proposed $4.3-billion purchase of Office Depot. . . . IBP Inc. of Dakota City, Neb., the nation’s largest meatpacker, agreed to buy Oklahoma City-based Foodbrands America Inc. for $640 million. . . . Daimler-Benz, Germany’s largest company, reported net income of $1.7 billion in 1996, contrasted with a 1995 loss of $3.38 billion. . . . A judge in New York has dismissed an antitrust suit filed by financier Carl Icahn’s Las Vegas-based travel agencies over the sale of TWA tickets.