Mergers & Acquisitions

Tewksbury, Mass. – A group of Market Basket employees known as “Save Market Basket” have threatened to walk off the job as of 4:30 p.m. ET on July 17 if former CEO Arthur T. Demoulas is not reinstated. Demoulas had been waging a public battle with his cousin Arthur S. Demoulas, a stakeholder and director of the company, about finances when he was fired by Market Basket operator Demoulas Super Markets Inc. in June.

San Mateo, Calif. - NetSuite Inc. a provider of cloud-based financials, ERP and omnichannel commerce software suites is acquiring London-based Venda, a provider of e-commerce solutions for an undisclosed amount. NetSuite says its acquisition of Venda builds on the momentum of NetSuite SuiteCommerce globally and supports NetSuite’s business expansion into the European market.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma announced the hiring of Ronald R. Young as senior VP global. Young will grow the portfolio of Williams-Sonoma brands outside the United States.

Loblaw’s board of directors has named executive chairman Galen G. Weston as president, effective immediately. Thomas O'Neill, lead independent director, confirmed the appointment as part of a series of management changes at the company.

As executive chairman, Weston is responsible for setting the strategic direction of the company and leading the board. In assuming the role of president, Weston will also be responsible for the execution of the company's strategy, leadership of the management team and its overall business performance.

Williams-Sonoma has appointed Ronald R. Young SVP, global, as part of its strategy to grow the brand outside the United States.

“Global expansion is one of our most important initiatives, and I’m pleased to have Ron Young, with his more than 30 years of experience in global markets, leading our continued growth,” said president and CEO Laura Alber. “Ron’s deep understanding of the global retail landscape, and his financial discipline are the ideal combination of skills and experience to lead our global strategy.”

A strong spring painting season drove a near 10% increase in same store sales at Sherwin-Williams and fueled record sales and profits for the operator of 4,100 stores.

The company’s total sales increased 12.1% to slightly more than $3 billion due primarily to higher sales in the company paint stores group. Acquisitions were said to have increased net sales by 4.6%. Profits grew at an even faster pace, with earnings per share increasing 19.5% to $2.94 from $2.46.

Dallas -- Corner Bakery Café announced its entry into Oregon, with the addition of franchise partner NW Ventures. As the operator of more than 138 Burger King franchises in Oregon and Mexico, as well as two TGI Fridays in Mexico, NW Ventures joins Corner Bakery Cafe as its 32nd franchise partner, with plans to open 12 neighborhood cafes in the state of Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced today plans to open a Nordstrom Rack at The Shops at Knollwood in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. The approximately 33,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in spring 2015. The property is owned and managed by Rouse Properties Inc.
 
Recently rebranded The Shops at Knollwood, Rouse Properties launched an extensive redevelopment project in an effort to modernize and improve the shopping environment.

New York -- IBM, and Apple have entered into a comprehensive partnership to spread advanced mobile and data analysis technology in the corporate world. The deal brings together two historic competitors.

The two companies are jointly working on, and will release, more than 100 mobile applications tailored to work with IBM’s data analytics and cloud services developed exclusively for Apple’s iOS operating system and for use on iPhones and iPads.

Flowood, Miss. — Inland Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. has purchased the 187,610-square-foot Dogwood Festival Shopping Center located in Flowood, Mississippi, approximately 10 miles northeast of Jackson, Mississippi.

Constructed in 2002, the center is 97.8% leased to 36 tenants, including T.J. Maxx, HomeGoods, Old Navy, Gap, Men’s Wearhouse, Hibbett Sports and several other national tenants. The property is shadow-anchored by Belk, an upscale department store, which was not acquired.