Finance & Capital Management

New York City — Forever 21 has taken space at the Mall at Bay Plaza, which is scheduled to open on August 14. The new store will span about 15,000 sq. ft.

A new 166,000-sq.-ft. Macy’s and an existing 150,000-sq.-ft. J.C. Penney will anchor the new mall. Forever 21 will join more than 100 retailers at Bay Plaza, including Kay Jewelers, Victoria Secret, H&M and Michael Kors.

Norwalk, Conn. — The Priceline Group Inc. and online restaurant reservation service OpenTable Inc. have entered into a definitive agreement whereby The Priceline Group will acquire OpenTable for $103 per share in an all cash transaction valued at $2.6 billion. OpenTable will continue to be headquartered in San Francisco and will operate as an independent business led by its current management team within The Priceline Group.

Boston — A joint committee of the Massachusetts state House of Representatives and Senate has filed a bill to gradually raise the state’s minimum wage from its current hourly rate of $8 to $11. The increase would occur in stages until reaching $11 in 2017.

Newell Rubbermaid president and CEO Michael Polk has joined the board of directors of Colgate-Palmolive. The move comes a little more than a month after the CPG company’s shareholders elected a slate of 10 directors.

Columbus, Ohio — Express Inc. confirmed that it has received a letter from Sycamore Partners, which owns approximately 9.9% of Express' outstanding shares, indicating that the private equity firm is interested in acquiring the company. In response, Express adopted a one-year “poison pill” shareholder rights plan that would double its shares of common stock in the event any stockholder acquires 10% or more of the company.

GNC financial chief and EVP Michael M. Nuzzo is exiting the company to take an executive position at a private equity funded consumer products company.

Nuzzo will remain with the company at least through July 18, which will include preparation of its second quarter earnings release and 10Q, both of which are expected to be issued on the normal schedule in late July or early August.

The Children's Place has added Susan Sobbott to its board of directors as a Class II director to serve for a three-year term.

Secaucus, N.J. — The Children’s Place Inc. has named Susan Sobbott to the board of directors as a Class II director to serve for a three-year term expiring in 2017. Sobbott currently holds the position of president of Global Corporate Payments, a global division of the American Express Company. From 2004 to early 2014, she was President and General Manager of American Express Open. The addition of Sobbott expands the company's board of directors to eight.