Mergers & Acquisitions

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that activist hedge fund Starboard Value has added former Home Depot and Chrysler executive Robert Nardelli and ex-Staples vice chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo as advisors – part of Starboard’s plan to make sweeping changes at Office Depot Inc.

According to a Monday filing, Nardelli and Vassalluzzo will provide counsel toward improving Office Depot’s operations and strategies.

New York -- Market share defensibility remains a key challenge for many traditional U.S. retailers, against a backdrop of minimal growth and heavy competition, according to a Fitch Ratings report. (Fitch views trends in market share as a key indicator of a company’s long-term financial outlook.)

Philadelphia -- Versa Capital Management, a Philadelphia-based private equity investment firm, has acquired Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS), effective immediately. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Mark Walsh, a Versa principal and chairman of Bob’s Stores, a northeastern apparel retailer that is part of the Versa portfolio, will serve as chairman of the board of EMS, which operates 69 stores in 12 Eastern states.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys“R”Us may be in the throes of an intensely competitive holiday season but several recently announced initiatives are designed to position the company for success beyond Christmas 2012. Expanding its presence in global e-commerce, as well as Asia, the company is launching a dedicated web store, Toysrus.com.cn, in China.

Surprisingly strong third quarter same store sales growth at Chico’s was attributed to a blend of compelling fall fashion assortments and effective marketing.

Toronto -- Canada's Hudson's Bay Co. is set to raise C$365 million ($367 million) in its initial public stock offering, Reuters reported. The amount is lower than the retailer’s original target of about C$400 million.

Hudson’s Bay has priced the offering of 21.48 million shares at C$17 apiece, which is at the bottom of the company's already lowered range of C$17 to C$18.

Best Buy on Tuesday continued its string of negative same store stores sales, posting a 4% decline at U.S. stores, and recorded a worse than expected profit.

Chicago -- GoldMax USA said it has opened a store in Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., marking the chain’s 50th store in the state. It operates more than 200 stores nationwide.

GoldMax said it has plans to open eight more California stores within the next 30 to 60 days in City of Industry, El Cajon, Los Angeles, Murrieta, Norco, Orange, Rancho Cucamonga, San Juan Capistrano, and Upland.