Mergers & Acquisitions

American Apparel has a few new rumored bidders. Reports say Amazon.com and teen apparel retailer Forever 21 are now among the companies vying to acquire bankrupt American Apparel LLC. Amazon and Forever 21 join the likes of Next Level Apparel and brand licensor Authentic Brands Group LLC in acquisition conversations with American Apparel. Total Retail's…

ThreeSixty Group, which recently bought FAO Schwarz, has made another big-name purchase, this time acquiring gadget retailer Sharper Image for $100 million. Sharper Image was owned by Iconix Brand Group. Sharper Image closed its U.S. stores in 2008 after the company filed for bankruptcy protection, and has operated as an online retailer and by selling Sharper Image-branded…

2016 was quite the year for the retail industry, from mergers and acquisitions to leadership changes, and bankruptcy filings to the presidential election. As we enter the first few days of 2017, we want to take a look back at our top stories from last year (based on number of visitors). Here's a list of Total…

Kate Spade & Co. stock went up 23 percent on Wednesday as rumors of a sale spread through the market. The Wall Street Journal reported that company is working with an investment bank and has contacted possible buyers, including other retailers according to a source close to the matter. Kate Spade and Co. was valued…

The owner of Snapchat, Snap Inc., has acquired Israeli augmented reality (AR) start-up Cimagine Media for a reported $30 to $40 million, according to CNBC. Retailers should be intrigued by this acquisition because Cimagine Media makes software that allows businesses or consumers to visualize what an item might look like in their environment. Snapchat already…

L.A.-based fashion retailer American Apparel has closed all but one of its U.K. stores. The store closings resulted in a loss of 150 jobs, and this is just the beginning of global store closings for the company. In November, Canadian t-shirt maker Gildan Activewear bought the worldwide rights to the American Apparel brand, but does…

Destination Maternity announced plans on Tuesday to merge with French company Orchestra Prémaman S.A. The merger will create a global provider of maternity apparel, children's wear and baby goods, with revenues of more than $1.1 billion. If the merger goes through, the group will operate under the Orchestra name and maintain its corporate headquarters in…

St. Louis-based Caleres, which owns shoe brands like Famous Footwear and Vince, has acquired Allen Edmonds from Brentwood Associates for $255 million. The acquisition of Allen Edmonds, a men’s premium leather footwear and accessories retailer, is a strategic expansion for Caleres, according to the company. Total Retail’s Take: During its time as owner, Brentwood Associates…

Kroger Co. is close to wrapping up a deal to buy some of the Walgreens and Rite Aid stores that Walgreens needs to divest in order to complete its acquisition of the drug store chain. The Cincinnati Courier reports the deal involving multiple buyers for nearly 1,000 stores should be finalized by year-end. Kroger is in…

Walgreens Boots Alliance may be getting closer to divesting hundreds of stores to win U.S. regulatory approval of its Rite Aid acquisition as reports of U.S. pharmacy consolidation escalate. A Walgreens partner emerged when Fred’s Pharmacy disclosed its management was discussing a “pending transaction.” Management at Fred's cautioned on its third quarter earnings call that “no…