Mergers & Acquisitions

Retail industry veteran Marty Hanaka has joined Highland Consumer Partners as one of the firm’s operating partners.

Hanaka has held senior leadership positions with numerous retailers throughout his lengthy career. Most recently, he served as interim CECO of Guitar Center and from 2007 to 2012 he held the positions of chairman and CEO at Golfsmith. From 1998 to 2004 he served as CEO and chairman of The Sports Authority. Prior to that he spent three years as COO of Staples and also held senior leadership roles during a 20 year career at Sears.

Gordon Brothers Group, a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors, has promoted Kenneth S. Frieze to the role of CEO.

Frieze has more than 20 years of leadership experience in restructuring, consulting, brand redevelopment, appraisal and asset disposition. He has held various roles at the firm since 2003, serving most recently as president. Prior roles included leading the firm's brand, appraisal and business development efforts.

Lancaster, Pa. -- Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, the 1, 600-unit global franchise, has entered into a partnership with Meijer. In August, Auntie Anne’s opened its first Meijer franchise location, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
 
Auntie Anne’s will continue to build its partnership with the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer with two stores currently in the pipeline. The first is slated to also open in Fort Wayne later this year, with an additional location planned for Michigan in 2015.
 

With word this week that Walmart will rebrand its small format Express stores under the Neighborhood Market banner, there will be plenty of interest in an upcoming presentation by the retailer’s vp of small formats.

Marc Lieberman, vp of small formats for Walmart U.S., is slated to speak at a Doing Business in Bentonville event on Thursday, October 9. at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers, Ark., from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.

The WhiteWave Foods Company, a leading consumer packaged food and beverage company in North America and Europe, has agreed to acquire So Delicious Dairy Free from its existing shareholders, led by Wasserstein & Co., for approximately $195 million in cash.

Boston -- Gordon Brothers Group, a global advisory, restructuring and investment firm specializing in the retail, consumer products, industrial and real estate sectors, appointed Kenneth S. Frieze as CEO, effective Oct. 1.

Frieze has over 20 years of leadership experience in restructuring, consulting, brand redevelopment, appraisal and asset disposition. He has held various roles at the firm since 2003, serving most recently as president.  

Family Dollar is staying focused on making a difference in communities where it operates even as it remains the target of takeover battle between Dollar General and Dollar Tree.

The company has made a $458,000 donation to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger relief charity. The amount includes donations from Family Dollar and customers at more than 8,200 Family Dollar stores during the retailer’s ‘Feeding Families, Fueling Hope’ campaign. The donation translates to more than 4.5 million meals for children and families in need.

The nation’s largest wholesaler of retail returns, GENCO Marketplace, and marketing automation provider SnapRetail, have combined to bring new capabilities to those looking to efficiently and profitably liquidate merchandise.

The companies joined forces to offer new, easy-to-use online marketing tools to retailers and resellers within the $2.5 billion GENCO Marketplace who will receive special software pricing, access to free educational resources and one-on-one consultations from SnapRetail.