Mergers & Acquisitions

The parent company of Bluestem Brands, which operates in St. Cloud, is expected to acquire a similar business called Orchard Brands Corp. Orchard announced Wednesday that it has a definitive agreement to be acquired by Capmark Financial Group Inc. for $410 million in cash. Capmark is a holding company whose businesses include Bluestem, an online…

Dollar Tree said Friday that it has agreed to sell 330 of its stores to the private equity firm Sycamore Partners in order to get regulatory approval for its $8.5 billion purchase of Family Dollar. The Chesapeake, Virginia-based company said earlier this month that it would sell the stores, but it had not disclosed the…

Mall retail staple Hot Topic has entered into an agreement to buy Geeknet, Inc., the parent company of online retailer ThinkGeek. Hot Topic will pay $122 million to buy all outstanding shares of Geeknet. Hot Topic CEO Lisa Harper said the company is pleased to have entered into this agreement, and it looks forward to…

Department stores have dominated the cosmetics world for a long time. Macy’s purchase of the growing Bluemercury chain is an acknowledgment that things are changing at the lipstick counter. In February, Macy’s paid $210 million for Bluemercury, a chain of upscale beauty shops and spas based in Washington, D.C. Bluemercury’s new Dallas store is the first of about…

CVS Health Corp. agreed to acquire nursing-home pharmacy Omnicare Inc. in a deal valued at $12.7 billion, adding services for the elderly to bolster its position as the biggest U.S. retailer of prescription drugs. CVS will pay $98 per share in cash, the companies said in a statement on Thursday. Omnicare, with a market value…

Ascena Retail Group, which runs Dressbarn and Lane Bryant women's clothing stores, said it agreed to buy rival ANN Inc., owner of LOFT and Ann Taylor, for $2.15 billion. ANN Inc., which like Ascena targets women in the 20-to-40-year-old age group, has been hit hard by increasing competition from fast-fashion chains and a pullback in discretionary…

Back in March, online marketplace Farfetch raised $86 million from a host of investors like Condé Nast International and DST Global, with the stated intention of expanding its presence worldwide while developing its brick-and-mortar touchpoints through its click-and-collect service. Turns out the e-commerce startup is building out its real world presence in more ways than…

Discount retailer Dollar Tree said Tuesday it expects to be able to complete its purchase of competitor Family Dollar in May, and said it will have to sell about 340 Family Dollar locations to close the deal. Dollar Tree said the Federal Trade Commission is almost finished reviewing the $8.5 billion acquisition and has identified 340 stores that it wants the company to sell in order to preserve competition for consumers. Dollar Tree said all or almost all of those stores will be Family Dollar locations. 

A private equity firm said this week that it would buy retailer J.Jill, which specializes in casual women's fashion, shoes and accessories. TowerBrook Capital Partners, based in New York and London, will take over the fashion company from investment firm Arcapita and private equity firm Golden Gate Capital. Financial terms weren't disclosed. J.Jill, based in Quincy, Mass., has more than 250 stores nationwide.

Belk Inc is exploring a sale that could value the largest family-owned and operated department store chain in the United States at as much as $4 billion, including debt, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Belk has hired investment bank Goldman Sachs Group Inc to help it evaluate strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, the people said. Major department stores, such as Macy's and Nordstrom, as well as large private equity firms are expected to be contacted by Belk to solicit their interest in a deal, the people added.