Mergers & Acquisitions

Montreal - Dollarama Inc. has named Elisa D. Garcia, executive VP and chief legal officer of Office Depot Inc., as an independent director and member of the Nominating and Governance Committee. Garcia’s appointment expands the corporation’s board of directors to 10 directors, seven of whom are independent.

Nordstrom is doing all the right things when it comes to store traffic, e-commerce and customer service, but it wasn’t enough for Wall Street in the fourth quarter.

Nordstrom’s same store sales grew 4.7% in the fourth quarter; online sales grew to now represent 40% of the store’s business. And just this month the company was ranked No. 1 in the United States in terms of customer service, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

Washington, D.C. – Regional pizza chain &pizza may not have the recognition or reach of its larger competitors, bur the company is taking a step in that direction with a $10 million investment for growth and expansion. The company plans to leverage the investment, along with the investors' experience in branded consumer retail, for expansion of its stores in key markets.  

Currently, &pizza operates nine locations in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, with six more slated to open in the first half of 2015.

Boston -- Gordon Brothers Group, a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors, announced the appointment of Ian Levine as managing director, head of business development, and Blair Nelson as managing director, corporate development, to Gordon Brothers Group’s management team.

Ann Inc. may be in talks with at least two potential buyers, according to a report this month from Bloomberg.

The $1.6 billion owner of the Ann Taylor and Loft women’s clothing stores said in an October regulatory filing it planned to review strategic options and that it is working with JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Denver - The Finish Line’s Running Specialty Group (RSG) division, which operates 70 stores, is adding the two-store, Utah-based Striders running company to its national network.

RSG operates in 16 states and the District of Columbia under a variety of banners.

Striders was founded in 2004 by John and Kristin Wojciechowski, who will now join RSG in senior advisory roles and will focus on developing community initiatives to enhance the customer experience.

Thousand Oaks, Calif. -- Gourmet hot dog and burger concept Dog Haus will open its fifth franchise location in Thousand Oaks, California, on Feb. 21.

The Los Angeles-based brand is making its Ventura County debut at 50 East Thousand Oaks Blvd. in a former Denny’s space.  Franchisee owners are Paul Homayoun and Gina Candari; the Thousand Oaks unit will be Dog Haus’s eighth location.

RadioShack has received court approval for its plan to sell the leases to more than 1,100 stores that it will close by the end of February, according to Reuters.