Mergers & Acquisitions

Weis Markets has named Jonathan Weis as president and CEO. Weis will retain his role as company vice chairman.

Weis has been serving as the company's interim CEO. In his new role, Weis will oversee all aspects of the company's retail, supply chain, merchandising, human resources, information technology, finance, real estate and manufacturing operations.

Jos. A. Bank is in the process of acquiring Everest Topco, a portfolio company of Golden Gate and parent company of the Eddie Bauer brand.

The purchase price for Eddie Bauer consists of a combination of $564 million in cash and approximately 4.7 million new shares of common stock of Jos. A. Bank, issued to Everest Topco at $56 per share, a premium to the pre-announcement share price.

Hampstead, Md. — Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Inc. is buying the parent company of Eddie Bauer in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $825 million. The deal is the latest chapter in Jos A. Bank’s ongoing takeover battle with Men’s Wearhouse. Last fall, Jos. B. Bank tried and failed to buy rival Men’s Wearhouse for $2.3 billion. Men’s Wearhouse then began pursuing Jos. A. Bank.

New York — Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten Inc. will buy messaging app provider Viber Media Inc. for $900 million. Rakuten, which is also a major investor in Pinterest and owner of U.S. online retailer Play.com, seeks to use Viber as a platform for both mobile shopping and content consumption, according to the Associated Press.

Rakuten offers services from financing to shopping to online video on its e-commerce platform, the largest in Japan.

Sporting equipment and apparel manufacturer Bauer Performance Sports expanded its product offering in the baseball and softball world with the acquisition of those businesses from Easton-Bell Sports.

Bauer agreed to pay Easton-Bell Sports $330 million for Easton’s baseball and softball business in a deal that adds the well known Easton brand to Bauer’s existing stable of brands such as Bauer, Mission, Maverik, Cascade, Inaria and Combat.

Rakuten has acquired Viber, a pioneering messaging and VoIP company, for $900 million.

Viber has a global user base of 300 million registered users. The acquisition will enable Rakuten to penetrate new markets with multiple digital content offerings, in combination with its e-commerce and financial services platforms.

Pittsburgh — GNC Holdings Inc. reported positive financial performance during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013. For the quarter, net income slightly rose to $47.7 million from $47.4 million in the same period the prior year.

In addition, the chain reported consolidated revenue of $613.7 million for the quarter, an increase of 8.6% from $565 million from the year-ago period. Same-store sales increased 5% in domestic corporate stores and 3.3% in domestic franchise stores.

From loading trucks at the age of 17, to meeting his wife on the Bentonville square to becoming an assistant buyer and interacting with founder Sam Walton, Walmart’s new CEO Doug McMillon is sharing details about his journey to becoming the company’s youngest CEO.