Mergers & Acquisitions

NORTHFIELD, Ill. — Kraft Foods Group has appointed former Procter & Gamble executive Teri List-Stoll as the company's SVP of finance, succeeding current CFO Timothy McLevish in the first quarter of 2014.

Internet services company Rakuten has acquired the global video streaming platform known as Viki as it looks to advance its digital content offerings and extend Internet services to new markets.

New York -- Brinker International chairman Doug Brooks and First Horizon National Corp. CEO Bryan Jordan were elected to the AutoZone board of directors.

The addition of Brooks and Jordan give AutoZone a total of 11 board members. The company is due to report fourth quarter financial results on Sept. 25.

New York -- Yankee Candle has agreed to be acquired by global consumer products company Jarden Corp. for $1.75 billion in cash from its private equity owner Madison Dearborn Partners. Yankee Candle, based in South Deerfield, Mass., operates about 575 stores in the United States and Canada.

Madison Dearborn bought Yankee Candle in 2007 for $1.4 billion cash and the assumption of $300 million in debt.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores saw net income for the second quarter drop to $9.1 million from $21.1 million a year earlier, due, in part, to expenses associated with its spinoff from Sears Holdings Corp, according to the company.

These results come a little more than a week after Sears Holdings saw revenues decrease to $8.9 billion for the quarter from $9.5 billion for the year-ago quarter. Fewer Kmart and Sears full-line stores accounted for approximately $210 million of that decline.

Global consumer products company Jarden Corp. agreed to acquire Yankee Candle for $1.75 billion in cash from its private equity owner Madison Dearborn Partners.

Jarden offers more than 120 well known brands in three major categories – outdoor solutions, consumer solution and branded consumables – but Yankee Candle will instantly become one of, if not the most, recognizable brand in the lineup. Yankee Candle brand products are sold in roughly 35,000 retail locations in North America.

Ripon, Calif. — Togo's Eateries has announced the opening of its first location in Ripon, Calif.

The restaurant will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Sept. 5 at 11:30 a.m. In addition, a grand opening celebration has been planned for Saturday, Sept. 7 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Togo's in Ripon will also offer online ordering and catering services for in-store pick up.

New York -- Hedge fund manager Richard Perry has upped his already substantial share in J.C. Penney Co. Perry’s Perry Capitol LLC now ranks as Penney's second-largest investor after George Soros.
    
It was disclosed on Friday that Perry bought an additional three million shares of Penney in a secondary offering for $12.90 a share, and that it now owns 8.62% of the company, up from its previous 7.3% stake.