Mergers & Acquisitions

The coming months will see the name “At Home” popping up on 71 Garden Ridge stores in 21 states as the home décor store undergoes a significant rebranding and remerchandising initiative.

By Girish Pai, AVP, Group Manager, Retail, CPG and Logistics for Infosys


Ali Baba is a literary character from the Arabian Nights stories known for his ability to get virtually anything he wants by shouting “Open Sesame!”

San Bruno, Calif. -- @WalmartLabs, the Silicon Valley-based tech R&D and innovation arm of Wal-Mart Stores, has acquired Stylr, a mobile fashion app that helps shoppers finds clothes in nearby stores. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Stylr is @WalmartLabs' 13th acquisition in the past three years.

Stylr will be shut down and removed from the iTunes App Store by the end of the month. Wal-Mart's own mobile app won't run Stylr, but the newly acquired technology will be used to develop future mobile innovations.

New York -- DSW Inc.'s Affiliated Business Group and Yellow Box Corporation will open the first-ever Yellow Box store on June 20, at The Falls Shopping Center in Miami. The store opens on June 20.

Walmart added to its collection of Silicon Valley acquisitions with the purchase of mobile fashion app Stylr.

Late last week, Retailing Today reported the GNC CFO Mike Nuzzo had resigned his position to accept a role at a private equity-funded consumer products company. Today, 4moms, a special-purpose robotics company that makes high tech baby gear, confirmed that it has appointed Nuzzo as chief administrative officer and EVP of business development.

San Diego - Retail Opportunity Investments Corp. has completed the acquisition of Fallbrook Shopping Center, located in West Hills, California. ROIC acquired the property for $210 million in cash funded by a borrowing under its unsecured credit facility.

Pleasanton, Calif. – Safeway Inc. has entered into a memorandum of understanding to settle the consolidated class action pending in Delaware state court filed on behalf of alleged Safeway stockholders against Safeway in connection with Safeway's proposed merger with an affiliate of AB Acquisition LLC. The proposed settlement includes moving the expiration date of Safeway’s “poison pill” shareholder rights plan three months ahead to June 19, 2014.