Mergers & Acquisitions

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax Incorporated and Office Depot Inc. have hired global talent management consulting firm Korn/Ferry International to assist the search for a new CEO for the combined company that will result from the proposed OfficeMax-Office Depot merger.

The search will include both incumbent CEOs Neil Austrian of Office Depot and Ravi Saligram of OfficeMax, as well as external candidates.

Columbus, Ohio -- Glimcher Realty Trust has announced plains to purchase its remaining interest in WestShore Plaza in Tampa, Fla. and to sell its interest in Lloyd Center in Portland, Ore. Glimcher holds a 40% interest in a joint venture with Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI that owns both properties.

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — CableOrganizer.com, an online retailer of electrical, telecom/datacom/networking, home theater, cable and wire management products, has been acquired by KT Capital Partners and CapitalSouth Partners Funds.

The company has appointed a new CEO, Gerald P. Quindlen, who previously served as president and CEO of Logitech. Company co-founders Valerie and Paul Holstein, former CEO and COO, respectively, will retain a minority ownership position in the new company.

OfficeMax and Office Depot have tapped global talent management consultancy Korn/Ferry International to assist the CEO selection committee in finding a CEO for the combined company in the pending merger.

Dennis Carey, vice chairman of Korn/Ferry International, is leading the search. The CEO selection committee is co-chaired by Office Depot board member Nigel Travis, chairman and CEO of Dunkin' Brands and OfficeMax board member Jim Marino, former president and CEO of Alberto Culver Company.

Naperville, Ill. – OfficeMax shareholders will vote on a proposed merger with Office Depot on July 10, in a special meeting to be in Naperville, Ill. Shareholders of record as of May 28, 2013 are eligible to participate.

Shareholders will vote on a merger initially announced by OfficeMax and Office Depot on February 20, 2013. The merger process is ongoing and the transaction is expected to be completed by the end of this year subject to shareholder and regulatory approval.

Vancouver, British Columbia -- Lululemon Athletica Inc. on Monday said that its CEO, Christine Day, will step down when a successor is named. The announcement comes some three months after Lululemon, in an embarrassing and very costly snafu, had to pull 17% of its trademarked Luon pants from its store shelves after they were found to be too sheer.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — B&G Foods has acquired Robert’s American Gourmet Food, doing business as Pirate Brands — an all-natural snack foods category — from VMG Partners, Driven Capital Management, founder Robert Ehrlich and other entities and individuals.

B&G will pay approximately $195 million in cash.

Hordes of spend-happy young Mexican shoppers are successfully attracting specialty apparel retailers from the U.S. and Europe – and, as mentioned in a recent report by Wall Street Journal, Walmart is feeling the pain.