Mergers & Acquisitions

Multiple sources have confirmed that Fab is in talks to sell to PCH International for $15 million, and possibly as much as $50 million, in a half cash and half stock deal. Contractual agreements are in the very early stages between the two companies. If it does happen, we've been told that some assets will be rolled into Fab founder Jason Goldberg's new furniture design company Hem and the rest will be taken over by PCH. Fab was once a Silicon Valley darling, raising $165 million (at a $1 billion valuation) just over a year ago. 

San Diego-based pet supply chain Petco is set to buy a competitor, online pet product retailer Drs. Foster and Smith. Petco announced its agreement with the veterinary-owned company on Wednesday. Drs. Foster and Smith, based in Rhinelander, Wis., is widely regarded for its leadership in pet care and education, and its expertise in prescription medications for pets of all kinds.

L'Oreal USA will acquire New York-based omnichannel beauty retailer Carol's Daughter, which sells its products through specialty beauty stores, mass retailers, HSN, e-commerce and two Carol's Daughter-branded stores in New York City. For the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2014, Carol's Daughter had net sales of $27 million. Carol's Daughter will continue to operate out of its New York City headquarters under the brand's current leadership team.

Conn's, The Woodlands, Texas-based chain that sells home appliances, consumer electronics and furniture, may put itself up for sale or make other big changes to try to increase its valus to shareholders, the company said Monday. "While we remain confident in the company's future prospects and have ample capital and liquidity to execute our business plan, we have decided to conduct a strategic review and explore options to accelerate the realization of value for our stockholders," said Theodore Wright, Conn's chairman and CEO.

Investors embraced shares of Wayfair Inc. in their first day of public trading, driving the stock of the Boston online furniture and home goods retailer up more than 30 percent Thursday. Wayfair raised $319 million Wednesday evening when underwriters priced shares in its initial public offering at $29 each, above initial estimates. The stock jumped as soon as it began trading publicly Thursday and closed at $37.72, giving the company a total market value of $3.1 billion by the end of the day.

RadioShack, the electronics chain trying to stave off bankruptcy, reached an agreement with a consortium led by Standard General LP to refinance about $590 million of loans to restock inventory ahead of the holidays, a person familiar with the matter said. Standard General, a New York-based hedge fund, will lead a group of lenders to refinance debt outstanding under a $535 million asset-backed revolving credit line from GE Capital, the lending arm of General Electric Co., said the person, who asked not to be identified because the negotiations are private. 

Sears, sorely in need of cash, is selling most of its stake in its Canadian unit in an effort to raise up to $380 million. The sale of the majority of its 51 percent stake in Sears Canada Inc. to its own shareholders will give the retailer some breathing room as it heads into the crucial holiday season. The company board approved a rights offering of up to 40 million shares of Sears Canada Inc. Chairman and CEO Edward Lampert plans to fully exercise his subscription rights. 

Chinese e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba Group priced shares on Thursday for its upcoming initial public offering at $68 each, putting the finishing touches on what is to be the largest IPO for a U.S.-listed company ever. According to various reports on the day before the company expects to list shares on the New York Stock Exchange, Alibaba and its selling shareholders will raise a combined $21.8 billion, a figure that could rise to $25 billion if underwriters exercise an option to buy more shares at the IPO price. 

Investors are giving a nod of approval to news Monday that RadioShack's chief financial officer has stepped down amid flagging sales. However, one analyst has an even more drastic solution to the consumer electronic chain's turnaround woes: a takeover by Amazon.com. 

Rakuten agreed to buy U.S. rebates website Ebates in Japan's largest e-commerce deal on record as the operator of the country's biggest online mall seeks overseas growth through acquisitions. Rakuten will pay about $1 billion for all of Ebates, it said in a regulatory filing. San Francisco-based Ebates offers cash rebates to customers who buy products from the website's retail partners. The deal comes after Rakuten has announced 18 acquisitions since the start of last year, and the cybermall operator said in June it's open to more large-scale buys following its bond debut.