Mergers & Acquisitions

Atlanta -- The Home Depot board member David H. Batchelder has decided against standing for re-election. The company said Thursday that it is nominating Staples chairman and CEO Ronald L. Sargent and former accounting and consulting company executive J. Frank Brown for seats.

Batchelder, 61, has been a Home Depot board member since 2007. He is the founder and principal of Relational Investors LLC.

Sargent, 55, has served as Staples' CEO since 2002 and as chairman since 2005.

Columbus,Ohio -- Limited Brands has expanded its public senior debt offering to $1 billion from the $750 million that it initially announced on Tuesday.

The company plans to use net proceeds from the offering to repurchase $500 million worth of shares under a new stock buyback authorized by company's board. The new program includes $31 million remaining under the company's existing $200 million share repurchase program. Limited Brands has priced the notes, which come due in 2021, at 6.625%.

New York City -- Robert K. Futterman & Associates said that it represented buyer The Georgetown Co. in the acquisition of 35 North State Street, a 60,000-sq.-ft. building in Chicago, for $23 million.

The building is currently net-leased to Old Navy and serves as the retailers’ Chicago flagship. 

Greensboro, N.C. -- The Fresh Market announced that it has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed secondary public offering of its common stock.

The shares of common stock to be sold in the offering are expected to be offered by certain of its stockholders. The selling stockholders will receive all of the proceeds from the offering. The company will not receive any proceeds from the offering.

Boston -- The Wilder Cos. announced several new hires, including Howard A. West II, who joins the company as asset manager to assist in monitoring various properties’ financial and operating performance, act as a liaison to ownership groups on management and reporting issues, provide assistance on property acquisitions, and oversee daily operations for various shopping centers throughout the portfolio. 

Mississauga, Ontario -- Tb!s the bargain shop, a leading Canadian discount store chain, announced that Beryl “Jack” Buley has been appointed president and CEO, effective immediately. Tb!s operates 238 stores in Canada.

Buley’s promotion is designed to position Tb!s to continue to expand its retail footprint and gain share in the Canadian market. Former president and CEO, Michael Roellinghoff, will assume the role of vice chairman of the board.

By Will Ruiz,  [email protected]

Fort Worth, Texas -- Trademark Property Co. said Tuesday it acquired a vacant 67,000-sq.-ft. department store space formerly occupied by Mervyn’s in its Santa Fe Place mall located in Santa Fe, N.M.

The 571,238-sq.-ft. Santa Fe Place was acquired in the summer of 2010. Trademark is directing the remerchandising and redevelopment of the property, which is Northern New Mexico’s only regional mall, for its private equity partner.