Retail M&A Activity Grinds to a Halt

Retail sales may have recovered nicely in the past year, but a resurgence in acquisitions and IPO activity may have to wait until next year due to tougher financing and market volatility. The number of U.S. retail deals has totaled 113 so far this year, down slightly from 120 deals in the same period a year ago, according to data from Thomson Reuters. "There's very little M&A activity. There's very little bankruptcy activity. There's very little retail closure activity, and there's very little retail expansion activity," said Hilco Real Estate Executive Vice President Nina Kampler.