Corporate Governance

Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 stockholders have approved the previously announced merger agreement under which funds advised by Apax Partners will acquire the shares of Rue21 for $42 per share in cash. Approximately 99.7% of the shares voted at today’s special stockholder meeting voted in favor of the agreement.

Flemington, N.J. — HomeGoods has signed a long-term lease with The Shoppes at Flemington in Flemington, N.J., and is open and operating in a 22,000-sq.-ft. building that came as part of the deal.

Levin Management manages and markets the center for the owner, Garrison Investment Group. Welco Realty represented HomeGoods.

Levin also served as the construction manager for the development of the new retail space and managed the land development approvals.

Atlanta – The Home Depot, Inc. is reportedly going to stop providing health care benefits to part-time employees working less than 30 hours per week. According to Bloomberg, starting next month the retailer will send about 20,000 part-time employees to purchase their own insurance on government-sponsored healthcare exchanges that will be created under the guidelines of the Affordable Care Act.

Peoria, Ill. — Cullinan has announced the appointment of Victor Ambrosio and VP, director of leasing in the company’s Chicago office. In his new role, Ambrosio will direct Cullinan’s leasing, sales and marketing functions and manage third party broker relationships.

Burlington, Ontario -- Ikea announced the completion of North America's largest Ikea location, in Ville St. Laurent. Growing from 237,473 sq ft to 469,694 sq ft, the state-of-the-art Ikea Montreal will host a warehouse that is twice the size, doubling the amount of products available to take home at any time.

The new store will also offer customers 1407 parking spots, 600 seats in the restaurant, 48 cash lanes, 54 room settings and 2 full home settings.

Egg Harbor Township, N.J. -- Spirit Halloween, the largest seasonal Halloween retailer in North America, has officially opened the doors of some 1,050 plus locations in the United States and Canada for the 2013 Halloween season. The company this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

Spirit stores provide one-stop shopping for everything from top costumes and decor, to accessories and party goods. The stores are feature a variety of interactive displays designed to entertain and — in tune with the season — thrill shoppers.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods announced that its second freestanding Field & Stream location will open on November 1, in Buttermilk Towne Center, Crescent Springs, Ky.

Dodgeville, Wis. -- Lands' End has launched an easier and more efficient online shopping experience for international customers. Customers can now view local pricing the same way they would if they were ordering from a local site.

U.S. prices on landsend.com can be converted into more than 60 local currencies.

In addition, all fees (duty, tax and shipping) will be displayed and included in the order total at checkout.