Mergers & Acquisitions

PVH Corp. and The Warnaco Group today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement pursuant to which PVH will acquire Warnaco. The transaction values Warnaco at approximately $2.9 billion. With over $8 billion in pro forma revenue, PVH will be one of the largest and most profitable global branded lifestyle apparel companies in the world, with a diversified portfolio of iconic brands led by Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, as well as heritage brands Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Bass, Speedo, Olga and Warner’s.

Signet Jewelers announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Ultra Stores, Inc. from Crystal Financial LLC. and its other stockholders for approximately $57 million in cash. Ultra operates stores primarily in outlet centers, as well as licensed jewelry departments. Signet will not assume any debt in connection with the acquisition.

Macy's and Toys"R"Us — likely the two retailers most associated with Christmas — have joined together for a unique retail partnership. The companies have signed an agreement that will bring Toys"R"Us Express-branded departments in 24 Macy's stores in major markets nationwide during this year's holiday selling season. The departments, which will operate on a leased basis, will average approximately 1,500 square feet (with some smaller and some larger). They will be open for a period of about three months — roughly from Oct. 15 to Jan. 15, 2013.

Men's Wearhouse and The Knot Wedding Network, the country's leading wedding resource, have announced that they have entered into an exclusive agreement wherein Men's Wearhouse will be the tuxedo provider of choice on TheKnot.com. This arrangement will give brides-to-be the opportunity to view and interact with Men's Wearhouse brand-name tuxedo merchandise at an early stage of the wedding planning process.

For cross-channel retailer Quiksilver, which designs, produces and distributes a mix of branded apparel, footwear, accessories and related products for outdoor sports lifestyle enthusiasts, the launch of 10 new e-commerce sites in Europe signaled the growth of the brand beyond its traditional markets of the United States and Australia. Consumers in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom — not exactly surfing hotbeds — now can purchase Quiksilver gear and apparel online.

Lowe's said Monday it has withdrawn its bid to purchase Canadian home-improvement retailer Rona. The $1.86 billion unsolicited acquisition proposal had earlier been rejected by Quebec-based Rona, which said the offer was not the best deal for its shareholders. The proposal generated discord among Rona's dealer companies, many of whom threatened to sever their ties with Rona should Lowe's succeed in its acquisition attempt. In a Monday statement, Lowe's said

eBay is where you go to hunt down a mint $150,000 Joe DiMaggio baseball card, retro bathing suits and a $6 Nickelback CD. But when it comes to browsing for bargains, the venerable 17-year-old tech company, which along with Amazon.com helped pioneer online shopping, is looking downright dowdy. Hoping to update its own look, eBay announced it's acquired product discovery site Svpply. Pricing details weren't disclosed by either company.

Neiman Marcus has partnered with Visa to test a mobile program that connects shoppers to real-time offers from the national retailer. The new program, nmbuzz, delivers offers, up-to-the-minute fashion news from Neiman Marcus experts, and insider updates on sneak previews and designer appearances directly to the mobile phones of Neiman Marcus customers who enroll with their eligible Visa account.

Online marketing solutions provider LivePerson has created an infographic outlining the top four ways to acquire more customers. The infographic includes high-impact data compiled by numerous research organizations such as Forrester, eMarketer, RSR and SeeWhy.

Francois-Henri Pinault is finally ready to end his fling with plus-size fashions. The French billionaire jet-setter — whose luxury conglomerate PPR failed to unload its troubled Redcats catalog unit last year — is close to selling the profitable U.S. division of Redcats, The Post has learned. Redcats USA owns a stable of plus-size clothing catalogs and websites called OneStopPlus, which form the bulk of its business, sources told The Post.