Mergers & Acquisitions

Conn’s has begun exploring a range of strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, while maintaining the company’s long term strategy is viable.

In this, the eighth installment in CSA's PizzaRev series, we’re featuring a Q&A that pools the expertise of several seasoned franchise operators to highlight the pros and cons of franchising with established brands and new concepts.

Salt Lake City - Spring Mobile, a retailer of AT&T wireless phones and a wholly-owned subsidiary of GameStop Corp., has acquired 53 retail store locations from Product Center. With the addition of the new locations, Spring Mobile now operates 298 stores in 26 states.

The Woodlands, Texas – Conn’s Inc. is considering a sale of the company, as well as splitting up its retail and credit businesses, following a cut in its profit forecasts in its second quarter results. Other options could include reducing the pace of new store openings and returning capital to investors.

Palo Alto, Calif. – HP plans to separate into two new publicly traded Fortune 50 companies: one comprising HP’s enterprise technology infrastructure, software and services businesses, which will do business as Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, and one that will comprise HP’s personal systems and printing businesses, which will do business as HP Inc. and retain the current logo.

New York -- Associated Foods Stores president Robert Sigel announced that Zulema Wiscovitch has joined the company as executive VP and chief administrative officer.

Elmsford, N.Y. - Party City has promoted Gregg A. Melnick to the position of president of Party City Holdings, effective immediately. Party City Holdings is the parent company of the Party City Retail Group and Amscan Inc., among other entities.  

Most recently, Melnick was the president of the Party City Retail Group. Melnick will partner with all of the key department heads across both the retail and wholesale divisions to provide the leadership to strengthen the brands and create opportunities for greater collaboration.

New York -- RadioShack Corp. has agreed to a financing packaging arranged by its biggest investor, hedge fund Standard General, that would help ease the retailer’s cash crunch as it heads into the holiday selling season, Bloomberg reported.