Finance & Capital Management

Framingham, Mass. - Staples has signed onto “100% Talent: The Boston Women’s Compact,” an effort to end the gender-based wage gap and advance women in the workforce. Staples has pledged to work with Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh in a public-private partnership to make Boston the best city in the country for working women.

Emeryville, Calif. - Jamba, Inc. has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Vitaligent LLC to refranchise 100 company-owned restaurants in the San Francisco, Sacramento and San Diego markets. Under the terms of the agreement, Jamba will receive a purchase price of $36.0 million in cash.

Springfield, Mo. – Los Angeles-based private equity group Leonard Green & Partners is reportedly in talks to acquire a stake in specialty outdoor retailer Bass Pro Shops. According to the Wall Street Journal, Leonard Green may make an offer that would value the privately-held Bass Pro at between $4 billion and $5 billion, including debt.

Minneapolis — Target Canada announced that it will complete its inventory liquidation efforts and close the last of its 133 Canadian retail stores to the public on April 12.

Indianapolis - Simon Property Group Inc. has withdrawn a roughly $22 billion offer to purchase California-based mall operator Macerich Co. In a brief statement, Simon said it decided to withdraw the offer, worth $95.50 per share, in light of the decision by the Macerich board of directors not to engage in discussions.

Target will complete its inventory liquidation efforts and close the last of its 133 Canadian retail stores by April 12.

The retailer has already shut down 46 stores across Canada and will close another 32 on April 2; 18 on April 4; and 24 on April 8. The final 13 stores will close just days after that.

Liquidation leaders in merger deal Retailers looking to realize maximum value when they close stores or liquidated inventory have a new ally following the merger of two industry leaders.

Gordon Brothers Group and AccuVal-LiquiTec announced that Gordon Brothers Group’s Valuation & Advisory Services Division and AccuVal-LiquiTec have entered into a merger to form Gordon Brothers-AccuVal.

The newly formed group will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Gordon Brothers Group, already one the world’s leading disposition and appraisal firms.

Weaker-than-expected demand for guns led to a decrease in same store sales for Sportsman’s Warehouse in the fourth quarter.

The Midvale, Utah-based company’s same store sales declined 5.3% for the quarter ended Jan. 31. Hunting and shooting make up roughly half of Sportsman's Warehouse's sales.

The retailer had net income of $3.2 million, or 8 cents per share, compared to $7.4 million, or 22 cents per share, in the year-ago quarter. Income from operations dropped to $14.1 million in the latest quarter, versus $16.4 million in the year-ago quarter.

Meijer has announced that it will invest nearly $50 million to remodel and expand four supercenters in Ohio, bucking a trend set by Walmart and other retailers of focusing on smaller stores<span style="color: rgb(54, 54, 54); font-family

Rite Aid's pharmacy and front-end divisions helped the retailer post a 4.3% gain in same store sales for March.