
Mergers & Acquisitions

Kroger keeps growing and growing. Not counting acquisitions, Kroger has notched a stunning 12 straight years of growing sales at its nearly 2,800 stores. But now, thanks to its financial strength, the Cincinnati-based supermarket giant is growing increasingly by taking over rivals too. This week, Kroger was named as a potential suitor for struggling upscale grocer…
The European Commission said on Wednesday that it had signed off on a $6.3 billion merger of Staples and Office Depot after the companies agreed to sell some of Office Depot’s operations in Europe to ease competition concerns. The approval comes just over two months after the Federal Trade Commission in the United States sued to…
Honest Company, the consumer products retailer from Jessica Alba that started by selling diapers online, is working with bankers on an IPO, according to a source familiar with the process. Whether the company makes it out into the public market, and how investors value it along the way, will likely be a barometer for what…
Pat Catan's Craft Centers, the family-run crafts and decor retailer, has been acquired by the Michaels Companies Inc., the largest arts and crafts retailer in North America, for $150 million. Michaels said Lamrite West, the name of the company Pat Catanzarite founded in 1954 to supply craft supplies, window displays and decorations to Cleveland department stores…
Lowe's is expanding its footprint in Canada with a $2.3 billion acquisition of the home improvement retailer Rona. It's Lowe's second run for the company. Lowe's made a $1.9 billion bid for Rona in 2012, but that deal never went through. Chairman and CEO Robert Niblock said in a written statement Wednesday that the acquisition gives Lowe's…
CVS Health is about to undertake its biggest expansion in years: the drugstore operator has opened the first of the pharmacies it's taking over from Target. Last summer, the two companies announced that Target would sell its 1,672 pharmacies to CVS for $1.9 billion, a deal that closed in December. Those CVS “stores-within-a-store,” beginning with a…
Office supplies retailer Staples Inc. delayed its planned merger with rival Office Depot Inc. on Wednesday as federal regulators continue their effort to block the deal. The boards of both companies said they will extend their merger agreement, which was set to expire Feb. 4, more than three months to May 16. The extension will allow…
Genesco Inc. President, Chairman and CEO Robert Dennis continues to up his efforts to turn around the company’s once-struggling Lids Sports Group. Genesco announced Tuesday that it has sold Lids Team Sports, part of Lids Sports Group, to sporting-goods marketer and distributor BSN Sports.
The board of American Apparel Inc. has rejected a $300 million takeover bid from investors who support the return of ousted Chief Executive Dov Charney, according to a person familiar with the matter. The rejection of an offer from Hagan Capital Group and Silver Creek Capital Partners is yet another dramatic turn for the Los Angeles…
Jerry Storch, the chief executive of Hudson’s Bay, comments on the company's deal to acquire digital retailer Gilt Groupe for a quarter of its private valuation.