The Ministry of Trade and Industry said yesterday that a letter of demand was issued to retailer 3 Stars on Monday.
The company has until today to submit explanations and provide full documentation on the basis of the selling prices of their masks, including their cost price and profit margins.
Should “3 Stars” be italicised or within inverted commas?
Thanks.
3 Stars is the name of the retailer. It can stay exactly as it is 
Think of other companies like Amazon, eBay or Target. We don’t use italics or inverted commas with them. Perhaps 3 Stars is unusual as it is not one word.
To me, some highlight will add to its clarity. I wonder why the company could not be named Three Stars in which case it would have been better. So, either italicization or single inverted commas or ‘boldening’ would be desirable. After all, why tax the reader and obstruct quick comprehensibility?
Maybe ‘3 Stars’ was chosen because it was more eye-catching and recognisable than ‘Three Stars’.
Exactly. It’s a bit like 3M.
So, it should be ‘3M’.
3M can stay 3M, no need for any inverted commas.
3M is the name of the company so it’s perfectly fine to have as is.
From the website: At 3M we are always in pursuit of solutions that make lives better.
Another interesting acronym or abbreviation is AAA which is pronounced ‘Triple A’.