Finance & Capital Management

New York -- Sears Holdings Corp. said its board has approved the spin on of its Lands’ End business, effective April 4, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
The agreement, which was announced in December, will make Lands' End an independent company that will trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol “LE.”

Sears stockholders on record as of March 24 will receive about 0.3 shares of Lands' End common stock for each share of Sears they own.

New York -- Rwanda, Nigeria, Namibia, Tanzania and Gabon occupied the top five places of the first-ever A.T. Kearney African Retail Development Index (ARDI), a new study designed to help large, organized retailers determine where and how to best enter Sub-Saharan Africa's rapidly growing retail market. The ARDI not only identifies the markets in Africa most attractive for retail expansion today, but those that offer the most potential in the future.

Lands' End will be back on its own as a publicly traded company following a formal announcement by parent company Sears Holdings to spin off the well-known apparel brand.

The move follows years of speculation that Sears would divest the brand, which it acquired in May 2002 for $62 a share. At the time, Lands' End was a publicly traded company with revenues of nearly $1.6 billion, profits of $67 million and earnings per share of $2.23. The $62 a share Sears paid 12 years ago represented a 21.5% premium over the closing pricing of $51.02 prior to the announcement of the deal.

Hong Kong – Chinese e-commerce platform provider Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. is reportedly planning a U.S. initial public offering (IPO). According to Bloomberg, Alibaba has received approval from Hong Kong regulators for its proposed governance structure.

Denver -- Quiznos on Friday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to reduce its debt. The sandwich chain said it filed after reaching a deal to cut its debt by more than $400 million, or about two-thirds. Quiznos said it would continue operating while it works to implement a debt-restructuring plan and make operational improvements.

Destination XL Group was disappointed with its performance in the fourth quarter and said contributing factors were sluggish retail environment, a short holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions. The company reported a net loss of $55.1 million for the quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. Fourth quarter net sales declined nearly 6% to $108.5 million, from $114.9 million in the prior-year period. However, same-store sales rose 13.6%.

New York – Ann Inc., owner of Ann Taylor and Loft, on Friday reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profit but forecast a lower-than-expected outlook for the year. The retailer also announced a strategic realignment that includes integrating stores and e-commerce and will result in the loss of about 100 corporate jobs.

Severe winter weather may have affected Brown Shoe Company’s fourth-quarter results, but CEO, president and chairperson Diane Sullivan focused on the company’s fiscal-year results as she looks ahead to growing the retail and wholesale businesses in 2014.