Mergers & Acquisitions

Burlington, Mass. -- Demandware Inc., a provider of enterprise cloud commerce solutions, has acquired CQuotient, a cloud personalization provider. The acquisition of CQuotient will accelerate Demandware’s plans to turn the data created across its community of retail brands into actionable insights for business optimization and differentiated consumer shopping experiences.   

Enterprise cloud commerce solutions provider Demandware has upped its predictive analytics game with the acquisition of CQuotient.

New York -- Ann Inc., parent of Ann Taylor and Loft, said Tuesday it has entered into a non-disclosure agreement with Golden Gate Capital to provide certain non-public information with the private equity firm.    Golden Gate disclosed in a filing in March it bought a 9.5% stake in the women's clothing retailer. Ann said it has been engaged in a "collaborative, constructive" dialogue with Golden Gate since March. 

Online referral service provider Angie’s List plans to increase the size of its headquarters in Indianapolis and increase the workforce to 2,800 people within five years.

Angie’s List, a review drive enterprise that helps facilitate transactions between more than 2.8 million consumers and service providers in 720 categories, said it plans to grow its base of employees from 500 in 2011 to roughly 2,800 by 2019. The company said the expansion was enabled in part by an attractive incentive plan from the City of Indianapolis and State of Indiana.

Hamilton, Bermuda –- In a surprise announcement, Signet Jewelers Ltd., the largest jewelry retailer in the U.S., U.K. and Canada, said that its president and COO, Mark Light,  will take over as CEO on Nov. 1. He will replace Signet’s current chief, Michael Barnes, who is resigning from his position and from Signet's board of directors to "pursue opportunities closer to his home in Dallas," effective Oct. 31.  

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- Quiksilver announced that Bob McKnight will retire as a senior executive of the company on Oct. 31, 2014. He will remain a director. The teen retailer also said CEO Andy Mooney has been elected chairman and Pierre Agnes has been promoted to president of Quiksilver, effective Nov. 1, 2014.  

Leading cosmetics retailer Ulta Beauty named veteran financial industry executive Michelle Collins to its board.

Milan, Italy -– Enrico Cavatorta, who accepted the role of CEO at global eyewear manufacturer/retailer Luxottica Group in September 2014, has resigned due to what the company termed disagreements with corporate governance structure. Board member Roger Abravanel also resigned for the same reason.