Mergers & Acquisitions

Macy's and Sears are by no means the only department store companies with valuable real estate.    Activist investor Snow Capital Partners has built a position in Dillard's Inc. and is planning to push for changes at the retailer, including unlocking the value of its real estate portfolio, Bloomberg reported.  

Despite a drop in profits and same-store sales, Whole Foods Market still managed to surpass analyst predictions for the third quarter.   Net income for the quarter, ended July 2, net income fell to $106 million, or 33 cents per shares, from $120 million, or 37 cents a share, a year ago. This beat analyst expectations of 33 cents expected, according to Thomson Reuters.  

Nordstrom is offering a deal to potential equity partners willing to fund a buyout.   The group of Nordstrom Inc. family members seeking to take the luxury department store chain private is offering preferential terms to potential equity partners willing to fund the buyout, according to Reuters. The group involved in the negotiations are company co-presidents Blake W. Nordstrom, Peter E. Nordstrom, and Erik B. Nordstrom; president of stores James F. Nordstrom; chairman emeritus Bruce A. Nordstrom; and Anne E. Gittinger. 

Staples met the first requirement on its road back to private ownership.   The office supplies giant, which is being acquired by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, has been granted early termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976. This act states that no merger or acquisition can take place until the United States Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice have determined that the filed transaction will not violate U.S. commerce antitrust laws.   

Don’t expect Amazon to stop experimenting with cashier-less grocery stores anytime soon.   Despite announcing in June it would acquire Whole Foods Market for $13.7 billion, the online giant will continue evolving its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go concepts, among other efforts. Its goal: to reinvent the way consumers shop for food, according to Business Insider.  

Churchill and the RAF weren’t available to head off this German invasion. The proliferation of German discount grocers Aldi and Lidl in the U.K. over the past decade carved out a new battlefield for Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, and Morrisons, and they are still mired in the mud. Second-quarter results released by market researcher Kantar showed the Germans growing 19% over last year, while the British Big Four edged up less than 2%.

Trending Stores: No two stores are exactly alike at Warby Parker. But the popular eyewear company’s new store in Los Angeles, above, is a particular standout for its celebration of Hollywood’s moviemaking history. The store combines Warby Parker’s signature library-style design and fixtures with such location-specific elements as a classic movie theater-styled marquee with rotating titles, a Hollywood-themed mural, and a display of movie clapboards behind the checkout.

The challenges of physical retail have inspired new concepts and new entrants to the supermarket business in America

A 40-year-old mall in San Francisco’s East Bay that was put on the auction block has been snatched up by a partnership that pledges to revitalize the “irreplaceable” property.   New owners LGB Real Estate Companies and Aviva Investors see a successful, mixed-use future for the 1.1 million-sq.-ft. retail center.  

Carter’s credits its U.S. retail and international segments, and its new acquisition for a jump in its second quarter sales.   Net income for the quarter ended July 1, increased $1.7 million, or 4.8%, to $37.9 million, compared to $36.2 million, in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. Earnings per diluted share was or $0.78, which beat analyst expectations of $0.71 per share, according to Zacks Investment Research.