Mergers & Acquisitions

SEATTLE — William Meissner has resigned as CEO and board member of Jones Soda. Richard Eiswirth has also resigned as chairman of the board. Both resignations are effective Jne 30. Jennifer Cue will become the company's CEO. Mick Fleming, long-standing board member, will assume the role of chairman of the board.

The company also announced the elimination of the CFO position effective June 30. Carrie Traner, VP finance and principal financial officer will assume . Stapleton's duties.

New York -- Confirming the rumors that have swirled for the last few days, Seattle-based Nordstrom said Thursday that it has found a site for its full full-line department store in New York City.

The 285,000-sq.-ft. flagship will open along the 57th Street corridor at 225 West 57th – between Broadway and Seventh Avenue – at a site owned by Extell Development Co.

The store is expected to open in 2018.
 

Matthews, N.C. -- Family Dollar Stores Inc. reported Thursday that profit for the quarter ended May 26 rose 12.1% to $124.5 million, compared with $111.1 million in the year-ago period.

Sales increased 9.6% to $2.36 billion, just missing Wall Street’s forecasts of $2.37 billion in sales. Same-store sales climbed 5%.
   

I mentioned briefly in my last column that I’ve been a little puzzled by what seems to be an industry-wide reluctance to design and develop, and in many cases redevelop centers into, true mixed-use venues. It’s not that our industry doesn’t get excited about mixed-use spaces — they clearly do. But, something is getting lost between the glamorous articles and design concepts, and the real-world execution.

Goldsboro, N.C. -- Casto announced that Harris Teeter will open a 53,000-sq.-ft. store at Memorial Commons, located in Goldsboro, N.C. It is the grocer’s first store in the market.

Harris Teeter is slated to open late 2013, and will join Office Depot, Subway, Starbucks and T-Mobile.

Memorial Commons, a joint venture of Casto and 1st Carolina Properties, is a new neighborhood center located at the gateway to Wayne Memorial Hospital and Wayne County Community College.
 

Spartanburg, S.C. -- Denny's Corp. said Wednesday that it has opened its first restaurant in the Dominican Republic as part of a development agreement with Grupo Nahas, which owns and operates the Intercontinental Hotel and Holiday Inn, among others, in Santo Domingo. 

Located in the Food Court of the Las Americas International Airport in Santo Domingo, the new restaurant represents Denny's first airport location worldwide.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. -- Dollar General Corp. said Wednesday it is offering $450 million in senior notes due in 2017.

The retailer said it plans to use the proceeds, along with cash on hand and possible other borrowings, to redeem its outstanding senior unsubordinated notes.

Citigroup, Goldman, Sachs & Co. and KKR are serving as joint book running managers for the offering. BofA Merrill Lynch, Barclays, J.P. Morgan, Wells Fargo Securities, Fifth Third Securities, HSBC, KeyBanc Capital Markets, and US Bancorp are co-managers.

New York -- Ritz Camera & Image has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. As part of its restructuring, the company, which has 265 stores in 34 states, plans to close 128 locations and cut its staff of 2,000 in half.

This is the second time Ritz has sought protection under the bankruptcy laws, having emerged from Chapter 11 two years ago.