Mergers & Acquisitions

Toronto - Sears Canada Inc. has closed a transaction to sell and leaseback three properties to Concord Pacific Group of Companies. The transaction, originally announced on March 11, 2015, has closed for total proceeds of $140 million.

Brisbane, Calif. – Manny Mashouf, founder and chairman of Bebe Stores Inc., intends to gradually sell off his 59% majority ownership stake in the company. Bebe has filed a registration statement with the SEC for a proposed secondary offering of about 46.9 million shares associated with Mashouf.

Mashouf will sell the shares during a reasonable period of time. Bebe will not receive any proceeds from the sale.
 

Burlington, N.J. – Aided by reductions in areas such as interest expense, debt extinguishment and stock option modification, Burlington Stores Inc. more than doubled its net income to $25.69 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2015 from $11.77 million the same period a year earlier. The company plans to open 25 stores during fiscal 2015.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Retail Properties of America Inc. announced that Macy’s new off-price format, Macy’s Backstage, has signed a 35,200-sq.-ft. lease at Fordham Place in the Bronx, New York, as RPAI continues to execute on its remerchandising strategy of upgrading its tenancy and enhancing the dominance of its shopping centers.

Photo: Fred Morganthall has been named senior VP of retail divisions for The Kroger Co.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – A reduction in selling, general and administrative expenses helped Sears Holdings Corp. reduce its first quarter net loss even as its sales continued to slide. The results came in as the chain prepares for the launch of its real-estate investment trust this week to raise cash. Sears said it expects the REIT transaction to raise $2.6 billion.

The retail industry is accustomed to weak same store sales at Sears and Kmart, but the magnitude of the decline the company experienced in the first quarter was large even by its standards.

Crate & Barrel is joining Toys"R"Us and other retailers shutting down Manhattan flagship locations due to skyrocketing rent prices.

New York -- Just under half of retail firms expect industry expansion, and over two-thirds will consider seeking additional financing in the coming year. And 45% believe the sector will expand in the year ahead. That’s according to a survey by GE Capital of C-suite executives at middle market companies (ranging from $10 million to less than $1 billion in sales).

Performance in the middle-market retail sector was positive over the past year, the survey found, with 75% of firms reporting improved year-over-year financial performance.

Gloucester City, N.J. — The board of directors of Nest announced that Robert Almond, Jr. will take over as CEO of Nest, a 20-year-old multi-facility business advisor specializing in consulting, technology and financial solutions.