Legal

Stein Mart Inc. will be paying an $800,000 penalty related to Securities and Exchange Commission charges that the Jacksonville, Fla.-based retailer improperly valued its inventory. When it would permanently reduce the prices it charged customers on some items, the retailer never reduced the value it reported for those items in inventory, the SEC said in a…

U.S. supermarket chain Albertsons Companies Inc is moving ahead with plans for an initial public offering in late September or early October that could value it as much as $24 billion, including debt, according to people familiar with the matter. The determination of Albertsons' majority owner, private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP, to carry out…

Quiksilver Inc., the California clothing chain that helped spread surfer and skateboarder styles around the world, filed for bankruptcy with a plan to hand control over to its senior lenders. The company, rooted in the seaside cultures of Australia and Southern California, failed to pull off a turnaround begun in 2013, Chief Financial Officer Andrew Bruenjes…

Haggen says it's filed for protection from creditors while it tightens its business into a smaller, profitable footprint, signaling a surprisingly early demise for its unlikely bid to become a West Coast grocery superpower. The Bellingham, Wash.-based grocer on Tuesday filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition with a U.S. court in Delaware. Haggen says its creditors…

Costco willfully infringed Tiffany & Co's trademarks by selling counterfeit diamond engagement rings bearing the luxury retailer's name, and now must face a jury trial to assess damages, a U.S. judge ruled on Tuesday. U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan rejected claims by Costco that Tiffany's trademarks were invalid because they sought to prevent…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is stepping up its probe of Staples Inc.’s takeover of rival Office Depot Inc., seeking sworn legal declarations that could be used if antitrust enforcers decide to challenge the deal, according to people contacted by the agency. The requests for sworn statements from other market participants about the deal’s impact on the…

At Home Group, a chain of stores that sells furniture, rugs and other home goods, said Friday that it plans to become a publicly traded company. The company, founded in 1979, was formerly called Garden Ridge until it changed its name last year. At Home has 94 stores around the country. The retailer didn't say how many…

Kmart, a discount department chain owned by Sears Holdings Corp , has paid $1.4 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act, the U.S. Justice Department said on Tuesday. The retailer illegally used drug manufacturer coupons and gasoline discounts to convince beneficiaries of the Medicare healthcare insurance program for the elderly to fill their…

The small grocery store chain Haggen on Tuesday sued Albertsons for more than $1 billion in damages, alleging the supermarket giant engaged in systematic efforts to eliminate it as a viable competitor in five states. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Delaware, accuses Albertsons of anti-competitive practices. Haggen, based in Bellingham, Wash., says those efforts…

RadioShack's unsecured creditors are suing all the people they blame for the company’s demise. The official committee of unsecured creditors is suing one of the company’s former shareholders, its lender, chief executive and board of directors. The lawsuit was filed Monday in federal court in RadioShack’s hometown of Fort Worth. The creditors committee is asking for a…