Deals

London -- A report released Tuesday by Bloomberg said that U.K. clothing chain Bonmarche will close as many as 160 out of 390 stores after its owner Peacock Group sold the chain to an affiliate of Sun European Partners.

KPMG administrated the transaction; the new buyer said that about 2,400 of 3,800 jobs will be retained.

The report said that KPMG had been seeking a buyer for Bonmarche since being appointed earlier this month as administrator to Peacock, which also owns Peacock’s Stores Ltd., a U.K. discount apparel chain.

Dallas -- 7-Eleven said it has completed the transaction with ExxonMobil to acquire retail interests in 51 North Texas sites. The transaction concluded Jan. 20, and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The majority of locations will be rebranded as 7-Eleven stores.

"This acquisition fits well with our aggressive growth strategy," said Robbie Radant, 7-Eleven's new VP of mergers and acquisitions. "We met our goal of opening 650 stores in 2011, and with this acquisition 2012 is off to a great start."

New York City -- Starbucks Corp. is closing in on its retail deal with India’s Tata Coffee Ltd., which makes and exports instant coffee and plantation coffee, Reuters reported.

Tata Coffee plans to open a Starbucks coffee shop by the end of this year, the report said.

New York City -- Menards is considering a new store in a Springfield, Mo., shopping mall -- as long as it isn’t included in the development’s community improvement district (CID), according to an article in the Springfield News Leader.

The Eau Claire, Wis.-based home improvement chain is planning a 162,000-sq.-ft. store in the Hickory Hills Marketplace, which levies a 1% tax on tenants to help pay back the cost of public improvements at the development.

Richardson, Texas -- Wingstop said Wednesday that it has signed two development agreements that will result in 14 new restaurants in the Chicago area.

The multi-unit development agreements include a three-store deal with an existing franchise group and an 11-store deal with Chicagoland Wing Kings.

“We expect to double our presence in the area over the next two to three years," said Bev Rich, senior director of franchise development, Wingstop.

Wingstop currently has 19 restaurants in the Chicago area.

Jacksonville, Fla. -- Winn-Dixie said Friday that its CEO Peter Lynch will step down, as the supermarket chain merges with Bi-Lo LLC. Current Bi-Lo chairman Randall Onstead will replace Lynch as CEO.

Lynch said in a letter to employees that he will remain for another 60 to 120 days to assist in the transition.

Bi-Lo purchased Winn-Dixie for $560 million in December.
 

Boise, Idaho -- Albertsons LLC plans to close four underperforming stores: one in Arizona, one in Louisiana and two in Texas.

The closings will leave Albertsons with 205 stores in the Southwest and the South.

The Germans didn’t know the precise landing point of the allied of invasion of Europe, but Walmart now knows where Target plans to launch its assault on the Canadian market.