Finance & Capital Management

Pittsburgh — GNC Holdings Inc. reported positive financial performance during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013. For the quarter, net income slightly rose to $47.7 million from $47.4 million in the same period the prior year.

In addition, the chain reported consolidated revenue of $613.7 million for the quarter, an increase of 8.6% from $565 million from the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 5% in domestic corporate stores and 3.3% in domestic franchise stores.

Sunbury, Pa. — Weiss Markets named Jonathan Weis as president and CEO. Weis, 46, will also retain his role as vice chairman of the chain.

Weis has been serving as the company’s interim CEO since David Hepfinger departed in September. He is the son of Robert F. Weis, who remains chairman of Weis Markets.


 

Sporting equipment and apparel manufacturer Bauer Performance Sports expanded its product offering in the baseball and softball world with the acquisition of those businesses from Easton-Bell Sports.

Bauer agreed to pay Easton-Bell Sports $330 million for Easton’s baseball and softball business in a deal that adds the well known Easton brand to Bauer’s existing stable of brands such as Bauer, Mission, Maverik, Cascade, Inaria and Combat.

Hampstead, Md. — Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. is buying the parent company of Eddie Bauer in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $825 million. The deal is the latest chapter in Jos A. Bank’s ongoing takeover battle with Men’s Wearhouse. Last fall, Jos. B. Bank tried and failed to buy rival Men’s Wearhouse for $2.3 billion. Men’s Wearhouse then began pursuing Jos. A. Bank.

The Container Store is marking Valentine’s Day with the launch of its Employee First Fund — an employee assistance fund that will provide grants to employees experiencing unforeseen emergencies, a major medical situation, a catastrophic event or other challenges in life that they are not financially prepared to handle.

St. Louis — Build-A-Bear Workshop swing to a profit in the fourth quarter as net income rose to $5.4 million, compared to a loss of $36.5 million a year earlier.

Consolidated net retail sales for the quarter totaled $106.3 million, while operating 28 fewer stores at quarter’s end compared to $116.1 million in the year ago period.

Same-store sales decreased 2.2%, including a 2.8% decline in North America and a 0.1% decline in Europe.

Jos. A. Bank is in the process of acquiring Everest Topco, a portfolio company of Golden Gate and parent company of the Eddie Bauer brand.

The purchase price for Eddie Bauer consists of a combination of $564 million in cash and approximately 4.7 million new shares of common stock of Jos. A. Bank, issued to Everest Topco at $56 per share, a premium to the pre-announcement share price.

New York — Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. will buy messaging app provider Viber Media Inc. for $900 million. Rakuten, which is also a major investor in Pinterest and owner of U.S. online retailer Play.com, seeks to use Viber as a platform for both mobile shopping and content consumption, according to the Associated Press.

Rakuten offers services from financing to shopping to online video on its e-commerce platform, the largest in Japan.