Mergers & Acquisitions

The Ferris Wheel in the Toys “R” Us’ Times Square flagship has had its last go round.

The 110,000-sq.-ft., four- level megastore shut its doors forever at 6 p.m., Wednesday, December 30, 2015.

Toys “R” Us Times Square opened in fall 2001, complete with a 60-ft.-tall Ferris wheel, a life-sized Barbie dream house, a giant animatronic T-Rex and other attention-getting attractions.

The retailer, which opted not to renew its pricey Times Square lease, is looking for another location in Manhattan.

Saks Fifth Avenue has another store to its lineup at Brookfield Place in downtown Manhattan.

The retailer, a division of Hudson’s Bay Company, said it will open a 16,750-sq.-ft. dedicated men’s store at the center, in spring 2017. As previously announced, Saks will open an 85,000-sq.-ft. full line store at Brookfield Place.

Activist investor Carl Icahn has prevailed in his fight to buy the Pep Boys – Manny, Mo & Jack.

Icahn’s Icahn Enterprises will buy the auto parts retailer for $18.50 per share. The all-cash deal is valued at approximately $1.03 billion.

The bidding war for Pep Boys continues with activist investor Carl Icahn increasing his bid for the auto parts chain.

Pep Boys – Manny, Mo & Jack on Tuesday said its board has delivered a notice to Bridgestone to terminate the agreement the chain made with the company last week. The action comes on the heels of a bid on Monday by Icahn Enterprises of $18.50 per share, up from its previous offer of $16.50, versus Bridgestone's offer of $17 per share. Icahn’s latest offer values the chain at about $1 billion.

Batavia, Ill. -- Mid-America Real Estate Corp. announced its Investment sales team brokered the sale of The Shoppes at Windmill Place in Batavia, Illinois. Cincinnati-based Phillips Edison purchased the 122,176-sq. ft. grocery-anchored property.

The Shoppes at Windmill Place is anchored by Jewel Osco and features national retailers including Comcast, Dunkin’ Donuts, Mattress Firm, Subway and more.

Abercrombie & Fitch elevated the head of its Hollister brand to the newly created role of president and chief merchandising officer after announcing the departure of another top executive.

Duluth Holdings built its brand online and now, fresh of its first quarter as a public company, the quirky apparel retailer thinks it could open as many as 100 stores.

Security technology specialist Tyco International plc is continuing to expand its focus on providing store analytics to retailers.

Tyco has reached a definitive agreement to acquire ShopperTrak, a global provider of retail consumer behavioral data and location-based analytics, for approximately $175 million in cash.

Based in Chicago, ShopperTrak provides customer traffic and related intelligence to more than 1,200 retailers in 97 countries.