Mergers & Acquisitions

Two weeks after publicly stating it had lost $56 million processing payments for Starbucks, Square no longer has to worry about future losses.

Starbucks has selected Chase Commerce Solutions, the global payment processing and merchant acquiring division of JPMorgan Chase & Co., to transition processing of all non-mobile payments and U.S. retail card payment transactions in company-operated stores. Chase will also partner with Starbucks on the rollout of chip-enabled payment terminals.

Walgreens Boots Alliance and Rite Aid Tuesday evening announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Walgreens Boots Alliance will acquire all outstanding shares of Rite Aid for $9 per share in cash, for a total enterprise value of approximately $17.2 billion, including acquired net debt.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- Inland Real Estate Acquisitions announced the acquisition of five properties in September on behalf of Inland related parties totaling nearly 500,000 sq. ft. across five states. The acquisitions collectively total $138.4 million in purchase price.

Fast-casual dining chain Johnny Rockets is expanding its range to include customers in the countries of Italy, Paraguay and Canada.

As part of its strategy to double its global footprint by 2017, Johnny Rockets has signed agreements for 49 new restaurant locations in those three new markets. Some locations will open as early as 2016.

It seems as though off-price is one of the few bright spots in traditional retail these days, so it's no wonder that Hudson’s Bay Company is adding another off-price concept to its portfolio.

Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone is accelerating its growth plans in the United States by acquiring the Pep Boys auto parts chain, just as Americans are keeping their cars longer.

The Pep Boys – Manny, Moe & Jack Co. has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Bridgestone under which BSRO will acquire Pep Boys in an all-cash transaction for $15 per share, or approximately $835 million in aggregate equity value.

The TJX Companies is expanding into another country with its acquisition of Trade Secret’s 35 stores.

TJX announced it has completed its acquisition of Trade Secret, an off-price retailer that operates 35 stores in Australia, from Gazal Corporation Limited for $59 million. The acquisition of Trade Secret provides TJX an opportunistic entry into Australia, where TJX currently operates one of its 13 buying offices.

Montgomery, Ala. -- Jim Wilson & Associates announced the addition of Doug Jeffords, VP of construction, and Evan Conder, development director.