Mergers & Acquisitions

Chattanooga, Tenn. -- CBL & Associates Properties said it has appointed Jeff Curry as chief legal officer for the company.

Curry has been serving as interim chief legal officer for CBL since February 2012 and has served as an external legal advisor to CBL since 1986.

In his new role, Curry will oversee all of the company’s legal services, including real estate, corporate, securities and tax.
 

Dublin, Calif. -- Epicor Software Corp. said Thursday it has acquired Internet AutoParts, a provider of business-to-business e-commerce solutions for automotive replacement parts distributors, jobbers and vehicle repair businesses.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Woonsocket, R.I. -- A report on Friday by the Wall Street Journal said that CVS Caremark CIO Stuart McGuigan has left the drugstore retailer, and will be holding the same position at Johnson & Johnson.

According to the report, originally published in CIO Journal, McGuigan will begin work later this month at J&J.

McGuigan joined CVS Caremark in 2008, and oversaw the post-merger IT integration of CVS and Caremark following their deal, which was completed in early 2007.
 

New York -- The ax has fallen at J.C. Penney Co. The company on Thursday laid off 600 workers from its corporate headquarters Plano, Texas, as its looks to streamline its business model amid a major reinvention of the business. The staff reduction, which equaled 13% to 14% of the headquarters staff, did not include any senior executives, according to The New York Times.

NEW YORK — Avon Products announced that its board of directors elected Douglas Conant to the board, effective immediately.

Pittsburgh -- Dick's Sporting Goods has agreed to make a 20 million pound investment ($31.75 million) in U.K. sports retailer JJB Sports plc, which operates over 180 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Dick's will purchase 18.75 million pounds ($29.76 million) in junior secured convertible notes and 1.25 million pounds ($1.98 million) in ordinary shares of JJB Sports. The transaction is subject to approval of the British company's shareholders.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp. has appointed Leveraged Marketing Corp. of America as its exclusive global licensing agent as it looks to capitalize on, and ways to sell, its signature Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard brands outside its own stores.

Sears said it will work closely with Leveraged Marketing to identify, evaluate and manage licensing opportunities around the world.

PITTSBURGH — Dick's Sporting Goods is looking into opportunities beyond the United States and has agreed to make a 20 million pounds Sterling strategic investment in JJB Sports plc, a leading U.K. sports retailer.