Mergers & Acquisitions

Nashville, Tenn. – Genesco’s net earnings fell 34% to $27.7 million, from $42.1 million during the third quarter of fiscal 2013 for Genesco. The company also reported a slight increase in net sales, to $666.3 million from $664.4 million, during the same period.

Whitehouse, Ohio — Devonshire REIT has announced the closing of its acquisition of the Great Lakes Plaza shopping center in Mentor, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. Michaels and hhgregg co-anchor the center, which is 100% leased.

Devonshire bought the 81,349-sq.-ft. center from Simon Property Group for $8 million. Goldman Sachs Mortgage Company provided financing.

Quebec City, Quebec – La Maison Simons will open a 113,000-sq.-ft. flagship at Square One Shopping Centre in Mississauga, Ontario in spring 2016. The two-level Simons store will be the retailer’s first store in Ontario and represents a $52 million investment and will occupy a large portion of the existing Sears store as part of Square One's ongoing development projects.

Houston — Simon Property Group has announced four new leases for The Galleria in Houston.

Rolex will open an 1,800-sq.-ft. store next summer in Galleria I. Taking 2,815 sq. ft. Tourbillon will open its first Houston store in Galleria II in the early summer of 2014. Tod’s will debut in Houston with a 2,000-sq.-ft. store opening in Galleria I in early summer 2015. Trina Turk will open a 1.400-sq.-ft. store in the fall of 2014 in Galleria I.

Sears Holdings' plan to spin off Lands' End may have gotten all the attention on Friday, but the retailer’s former hometown and outlet stores division shared results showing how it has fared after receiving similar treatment a year earlier.

Columbus, Ohio – Big Lots reported a net loss of $9.5 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2013, up from a net loss of about $6 million in the year-ago period. The retailer also said it will exit the unprofitable Canadian market, which it entered through an acquisition in 2011.

Net sales grew about 2% in the same period, to $1.15 billion from $1.13 billion, and consolidated same-store sales declined about 2.5%.

The Westfield Group has agreed to purchase the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s remaining 50% interest in the World Trade Center’s retail square footage. The purchase price is US$800 million. Following the transaction, expected to close early next year, Westfield will own 100% of the retail space, which totals 365,000 sq. ft.

In a move designed to accelerate adoption of RFID at the item level, Avery Dennison has signed a licensing agreement with Round Rock Research.