Mergers & Acquisitions

Staples Inc. needs a Plan B as federal regulators move to block its merger with rival Office Depot Inc., analysts said Tuesday. But whatever that plan turns out to be, it won’t be as simple as pressing the big, red “Easy” button that once dominated Staples’ advertising. Staples’ next step — assuming its challenge to…

Carl C. Icahn, unhappy with Pep Boys’ decision to sell itself to Bridgestone, the tire company, is fighting back with his own takeover offer. Mr. Icahn, the billionaire investor, disclosed on Monday that he had offered to buy Pep Boys, the car parts retailer, for $15.50 a share in cash, topping the $15 a share…

The Federal Trade Commission has taken the first step toward blocking the proposed $6.3 billion merger of Staples and Office Depot, saying the deal would hurt competition in the market for office supplies sold to large corporations. The commission filed an administrative complaint charging that the merger between Massachusetts-based Staples, the world's largest seller of…

Keurig Green Mountain Inc. will be acquired by a JAB Holding Co.-led investor group for about $13.9 billion in cash, bringing a massive windfall to shareholders after a year of watching the stock get battered. Keurig, a maker of single-serve coffee brewers, will be privately owned and independently operated following the buyout, according to a…

Staples Inc. is ready to offer additional concessions to resolve U.S. antitrust concerns that its proposed takeover of Office Depot Inc. — which would leave one national office-supply chain — would threaten competition, according to two people familiar with the matter. Representatives from Staples and Office Depot are meeting this week with Federal Trade Commission…

Mattress Firm has agreed to acquire a competing chain, Sleepy's, in a $780 million deal that would give the Houston-based company access to new territory in the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast while combining the nation's two biggest specialty mattress retailers. Company officials said the acquisition would make Mattress Firm the first truly national coast-to-coast retailer…

Federal regulators scrutinizing Staples’ $6 billion-plus bid to buy rival Office Depot are leaning against the deal and are preparing to block it, The Post has learned. Regulators are wary of a tie-up that will result in a single nationwide office supply giant to serve big corporate and government clients, two sources said. The Federal Trade Commission…

lululemon suddenly seems to be in better shape, thanks to a sale rumor on the Street. There's plenty of chatter that Under Armour is in talks to buy the maker of sometimes-sheer yoga pants, sending lululemon’s shares up more than 7 percent on Wednesday and Thursday.

Bass Pro Shops may be gobbling up competitor Cabela’s. Missouri-based Bass Pro has been working with an investment bank on a potential offer of its Nebraska-based publicly traded competitor, according to these reports.

CVC Capital Partners and the Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board have agreed to buy Petco Animal Supplies Inc. in a deal worth about $4.7 billion, people with knowledge of the matter said. The two firms beat a joint offer from buyout firms KKR & Co. and Hellman & Friedman, as well as a bid by Apollo…