Mergers & Acquisitions

Just a little more than a week after Jos. A. Bank announced its intentions of acquiring Eddie Bauer, Men’s Wearhouse has upped the ante.

New York -- Eminence Capital LLC, which owns 4.9% of the common stock of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. has issued a statement in support of the new offer by The Men's Wearhouse for the company. The statement, attributed to Eminence CEO Ricky C. Sandler, says that combining the two companies the best outcome for all shareholders.

San Jose, Calif. – Billionaire investor Carl Icahn and EBay are engaging in a public war of words that was ignited by an open letter Icahn sent to EBay shareholders on Monday, Feb. 24. In the letter, Icahn accused EBay CEO John Donahoe of ignoring conflicts of interest on its board and called for the company to spin off PayPal.

Ebates, the owner and operator of the world's most rewarding shopping programs, has appointed Yen Lee as SVP of corporate development.

eBay and billionaire investor Carl Icahn are engaging in a public war of words that was ignited by an open letter Icahn sent to eBay shareholders Monday, Feb. 24. In the letter, Icahn accused eBay CEO John Donahoe of ignoring conflicts of interest on its board and called for the company to spin off PayPal.

Houston - Men's Wearhouse has increased its purchase offer for Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. to $63.50 per share, or about $1.78 billion, from $57.50 per share, or about $1.6 billion. The bid may increase to $65 a share, or about $1.82 billion, if Jos. A. Bank agrees to halt its planned acquisition of Eddie Bauer and lets Men’s Wearhouse conduct limited due diligence. On February 14, Jos. A. Bank agreed to buy Eddie Bauer for $825 million, but reserved the right to terminate the deal if a superior transaction emerged.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores Inc. has opened two new Sears Hometown Stores. The stores are located in Longmont, Colo. and Wenatchee, Wash., and will celebrate their official grand openings Feb. 28-March 1.

The stores were the 15th and 16th Sears Hometown Stores to open in 2013. If a product is not available in-stores, Sears Hometown Store associates can order customers any product from the entire merchandise selection offered by Sears.

Coralville, Iowa — Pancheros Mexican Grill has announced plans to open 16 new locations in 2014. The fast casual Mexican restaurant rounded out 2014 with eight new location openings and 10 lease signings set for development this year.

Pancheros aims to sustain the expansion across the country with 70 additional restaurant launches over the next five years.