Mergers & Acquisitions

Wilmington, Del. -- Metro Commercial Real Estate announced that Books-A-Million has signed a lease for a 30,077-sq.-ft. former Borders located at 101 Geoffrey Drive in Christiana (Wilmington), Del.

The new Books-A-Million is expected to be open before year end.

New York -- Wet Seal Inc. sent a letter to its shareholders saying activist investor Clinton Group is looking to replace most of the retailer's board with its own nominees, Reuters reported.

Wet Seal urged its shareholders to reject Clinton's five-member slate, according to a filing with regulators on Sept. 24, the report said.

Cincinnati -- Macy's is enhancing its presence in the Las Vegas market. The department store retailer has signed on as the first anchor tenant at the Shops at Summerlin, in west Las Vegas.  

Macy’s will build a two-level, 180,000-sq.-ft. store in the open- air center, which is being developed by The Howard Hughes Corp. The new Macy’s is expected to open in fall 2014, with construction beginning in fall 2013.

The 1.5 million sq.-ft. Summerlin will feature over 125 stores and restaurants.

For many retail brands, Chapter 11 is not always the end of the story. Just consider the sequel being crafted by home furnishings retailer Bombay Company, which was founded in 1978 as a mail-order operation and grew to a national presence with 461 stores before filing for bankruptcy in late 2007 and closing all its U.S. locations.

Executive compensation has always been a hot topic in corporate America — and the retail industry is no exception. These days, two trends are upping the attention paid to pay at the top: the ongoing move to performance-based equity, and the scrutiny compensation packages are receiving from increased SEC regulations and shareholder involvement.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Limited Brands has announced the appointments of Michael Morris and Dr. Gordon Gee to its board of directors.

San Juan -- Taubman Centers and New Century Development announced Friday the groundbreaking on the 650,000-sq.-ft. Mall of San Juan, the island's first luxury retail development. The $405 million, two-level mall will feature the first Saks Fifth Avenue and Nordstrom in the Caribbean.  

Of the approximately 100 stores and restaurants, it is expected that 60% will be new to the island.

E-cards may be popular, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still a market for greeting cards. Just ask Dominique Schurman, CEO of Schurman Retail Group. The privately held, Fairfield, Calif.-based company owns and operates some 400 stores in North America, including the fast-growing Papyrus brand.