Mergers & Acquisitions

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Two months after Sears Holdings Corp. received a $150 million Illinois tax credit for cementing its plans to keep its home base in the state, it announced Monday that it would close six stores in Illinois.

The retailer had already announced in December – two weeks after the tax credit – that it would close 100 to 120 stores, but no Illinois stores were on the initial list.

New York City -- Royal Ahold NV has agreed to acquire bol.com, the Netherlands’ largest online retailer, for about $470 million in cash.

New York City -- A Friday report in Crain’s New York Business said that Dallas-based 7-Eleven, which currently has 12 c-stores in Manhattan, plans to open another 14 in 2012.

Parent company Seven & I Holdings Co. said some of the 14 spaces were leased last year, but others have not been sited yet. Neighborhoods to be developed include Midtown, Greenwich Village, Chelsea and the Upper East Side. The Financial District is also on the boards, according to the report, which said that another 20 locations are planned between 2013 and 2017.

New York City -- Kenneth Cole Productions' board of directors has formed a special committee of independent directors to consider a non-binding proposal from Kenneth Cole, chairman and chief creative officer, that would take the company private.

Profits grew faster than sales at Walmart’s international division last year, despite investments to drive record expansion and inventory growth, as EDLP took hold in more markets.

Dallas -- Blockbuster parent Dish Network confirmed Thursday that it will close 500 underperforming Blockbuster video stores in the first quarter, which equates to about a third of its stores.

The company, which acquired Blockbuster in 2011, said it plans to expand Dish Services offerings in the remaining Blockbuster stores. It currently offers the services in 150 stores.

NEW YORK — Kenneth Cole Productions' board of directors has formed a special committee of independent directors to consider a non-binding proposal from Kenneth Cole, chairman and chief creative officer, that would take the company private.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sagging sales and declining profits plagued Sears Holdings during the fourth quarter as the company posted a $2.4 billion loss and announced several measures to bolster its balance sheet.