Mergers & Acquisitions

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

Cincinnati - Phillips Edison–ARC Shopping Center REIT Inc. acquired 11 grocery-anchored shopping centers during third quarter 2014. The company's portfolio now consists of 131 properties located in 27 states and leased to 38 leading grocery store anchors.

The 11 grocery-anchored shopping centers acquired during the third quarter to date expanded the company's presence in 10 states: California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Tennessee.

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.

Toronto -- Slate Retail REIT announced that it has entered into a binding agreement to purchase Stonefield Square, a 90,991-sq.-ft. grocery-anchored shopping center located in Louisville, Kentucky, for $12.6 million ($138 per square foot). The property is anchored by The Fresh Market.

The acquisition is expected to be completed in fourth quarter 2014 and remains subject to customary closing conditions.

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.