Mergers & Acquisitions

After securing a last-minute buyer, LL Flooring is reversing course on shutting down all of its stores. The hardwood flooring retailer formerly known as Lumber Liquidators signed an agreement with private equity firm F9 Investments for a sale of its business on Friday afternoon. Under terms of the deal, expected to close by the end of September,…

Nordstrom is looking to go private, with members of the Nordstrom family offering $3.8 billion to seal the deal, according to a report from The Seattle Times. Nordstrom CEO Erik Nordstrom and his brother Pete, who serves as president of the company, announced Wednesday they had been exploring ways to take the upscale department store…

Kroger sued the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Monday, seeking to block the regulator from reviewing the grocery chain's proposed $25 billion merger with smaller rival Albertsons in its in-house tribunal. Kroger called the tribunal unconstitutional, saying the matter should be resolved in a federal court. The lawsuit filed in Cincinnati comes a week…

Under Armour, Inc. is appointing Eric Liedtke as executive vice president of brand strategy following the completion of its acquisition of Unless Collective, Inc., a zero-plastic regenerative fashion brand. The transaction is expected to be completed later this week. After a 26-year career at Adidas Group, culminating in roles as brand president and executive board…

The parent of Saks Fifth Avenue sealed a $2.65 billion deal to buy rival Neiman Marcus, according to people familiar with the matter, creating a powerhouse in luxury retailing that seeks to hang onto wealthy shoppers — all with a little help from Amazon.com. Amazon and Salesforce will take minority stakes in the combined company, to…

FullBeauty Brands earlier this week announced that it will acquire Avenue Stores from City Chic Collective Limited, an Australian publicly traded company. Terms were not disclosed. Avenue is a U.S.-based digital specialty retailer of plus-size apparel, targeting value-conscious women aged 25 to 55. The plus-size brand closed its 220-plus store portfolio across 35 states in…

PHOENIX RETAIL, a newly formed joint venture comprising mall owners Simon Property Group, Brookfield Properties, Centennial, and brand equity and management firm WHP Global, received court approval on June 15 to acquire most of Express Inc.’s assets out of Chapter 11. PHOENIX will pay about $174 million split between $136 million in cash consideration and…

In 2023, rising interest rates, inflation, and less discretionary spending squeezed some consumer and retail companies. This year, even though some of the same factors are still at play, there is greater stabilization and along with it increased interest in pursuing mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity. In fact, this activity is already appearing on Datasite’s…

Hanesbrands, the apparel company with several brands within its portfolio, announced Wednesday it had agreed to sell its sportswear brand Champion to another retailer, Authentic Brands, for $1.2 billion. Authentic Brands also owns apparel brands such as Aeropostale, Billabong, Brooks Brothers, Forever 21, Juicy Couture, Lucky Brand, Nine West, Sperry, and Volcom. The sale was…

Investment firm Consortium Brand Partners announced on Monday that it acquired athleisure brand Outdoor Voices on May 15 for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition comes three months after Sourcing Journal reported that the 10-year-old activewear startup was planning to file for bankruptcy. Once a hit among millennials for its colorful athleisure in its signature geometric patterns,…