Finance & Capital Management

St. Louis, Mo. — IKEA plans to break ground on a three-level, 380,000-sq.-ft. building in midtown St. Louis this summer, according to Pace Properties, the broker selected by IKEA to help facilitate the chain’s expansion into the St. Louis market.

The site is a 21-acre redeveloped tract at the intersection of Forest park and Vendeventer avenues within the 240-acre CORTEX Life Science District in midtown St. Louis.

Lebanon, Tenn. — Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc has considered and rejected a recent filing and statement from top shareholder Sardar Biglari demanding that the company commence a sale process. Cracker Barrel has determined that the continued execution of the company’s existing business strategy is currently the proper course of action for the long-term best interests of the company and its shareholders.

Manchester, Conn. — Bob’s Discount Furniture has signed a definitive agreement to sell a majority stake of its business to Bain Capital for an undisclosed amount. Bob's management team will continue to own a "significant stake" after the deal and will remain involved in operations, according to the company, which has been majority owned by private equity firm KarpReilly/Apax for the past nine years.

The nation’s largest egg producer said premium prices for specialty products and an acquisition allowed it to growth sales and nearly double profits during its second quarter.

Los Angeles – Newegg has filed an opposition to Soverain Software's petition for the Supreme Court to review a January 2013 ruling by the Federal Court of Appeals in the Eastern District of Texas that found Newegg and other e-commerce retailers did not violate a patent on e-commerce shopping cart technology held by Soverain. In district court actions in the Eastern District of Texas, Soverain had obtained settlements and won jury verdicts estimated at more than $70 million.

New York -- Online discount retailer Overstock.com plans to let shoppers pay with the digital currency Bitcoin starting in June, according to The New York Times.

The report said the retailer is reviewing several third-party firms that facilitate Bitcoin transactions, and that it hopes to have one place by mid-January.

If the plan is carried out, Overstock will be the most prominent retailer to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment.

Columbus, Ohio – Kroger reportedly recent spent $9 million on renovating a store in the Columbus, Ohio, area, and plans to spend another $9.4 million renovating three other stores in the area of its headquarters city. According to the Columbus Dispatch, this spending is part of a larger $330 million the retailer plans to spend on renovations by the end of the current fiscal year.

New York -- The Conference Board Leading Economic Index (LEI) for the U.S. increased 0.8% in November to 98.3 (2004 = 100), following a 0.1% increase in October, and a 1% increase in September.