Consumer Affairs & Relations

Fifth & Pacific plans to sell its Lucky Brand Jeans division to an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners for $225 million so it can focus on its fast-growing Kate Spade brand.

"We believe that by focusing all of our resources on the huge opportunity at Kate Spade, we can deliver the strongest value creation opportunity for our shareholders,” said William L. McComb, CEO of Fifth & Pacific (formerly known as Liz Claiborne). “This is all about bringing Kate Spade to its full potential.”

The WhiteWave Foods Company, a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company in North America and Europe, plans to acquire Earthbound Farm, a leading organic food brand, from its existing shareholders led by Kainos Capital and founders Drew & Myra Goodman, for approximately $600 million in cash.

The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company has turned to Velcro Industries to help it enhance packaging for its Scotts EZ Seed grass seed with Velcro-brand PRESS-LOK closure technology.

The leading marketer of branded consumer lawn and garden products and Velcro Industries worked with manufacturer Peel Plastics Products, a recognized leader in product and process innovation, to integrate Velcro Industries' PRESS-LOK closure technology into Scotts' grass seed package.  

Michael Jeffries is still CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch. The company has renewed Jeffries’ employment agreement for a second time, with this latest restructured agreement taking effect Feb. 1, 2014, when Jeffries' current agreement expires.

New York -- The once bankrupt and liquidated retailer Linens ‘n Things is poised for a comeback following an acquisition of the brand by Galaxy Brand Holdings.

Product designer, marketer and distributor FirsTime Design Limited elevated Christopher Bering to the role of president and CEO.

The company, which does business as FirsTime Manufactory through its License Products subsidiary, said Bering will also serve as a member of the board. Bering previously served as president and COO and fills the position occupied by Pete Wierenga since January 2012. Wierenga will continue to serve as chairman of the board.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots reported a net loss of $9.5 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2013, up from a net loss of about $6 million in the year-ago period. The retailer also said it will exit the unprofitable Canadian market, which it entered through an acquisition in 2011.

Net sales grew about 2% in the same period, to $1.15 billion from $1.13 billion, and consolidated same-store sales declined about 2.5%.

New York -- Barnes & Noble Inc. said is cooperating with a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigation into its accounting.

The SEC notified the bookseller Oct. 16 that it was investigating the company's restatement of earnings announced in July.
 
The agency’s New York regional office also said it was looking into a former non-executive employee's allegation that the company improperly allocated certain expenses between its Nook e-reader and retail businesses.