Deals

Rochester, N.Y. -- Wegman’s Food Markets, said Thursday it has broken ground on a 123,070-sq.-ft. grocery supermarket in The Village at Valley Forge in King of Prussia, Pa.

A lease has also been signed for Next Door Bar & Grill, a restaurant concept owned by Wegman’s Food Markets for 12,000 sq. ft. on an adjacent parcel in the mixed-use development.

New York City -- BJ's Wholesale Club announced on Wednesday that it has agreed to be acquired by the private equity firms of Leonard Green & Partners and CVC Capital Partners (“CVC”) in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $2.8 billion.

BJ's, based in Westborough, Mass., has 190 stores in 15 states. The company said its board unanimously approved the buyout.

Columbus, Ohio-based Steiner + Associates announced that the city of Hampton, Va. has been awarded the 2011 Donald E. Hunter Excellence in Economic Development Planning Award by the American Planning Association for the Peninsula Town Center. Located in Hampton, Va., the Peninsula Town Center represents the successful redevelopment of an enclosed mall into a vibrant town center, providing approximately 2,400 new jobs and significantly increasing the taxable sales base in the city. The site has been effectively transformed from the Coliseum Mall into a regional destination.

Tustin, Calif. -- Gold Max of California announced that is on track to open 100 Gold Max stores in Southern California within the next year.

With more than 150 stores, Gold Max operates the United States’ largest chain of stores specializing in buying gold and precious metals from consumers. Gold Max entered the Southern California market in the fall of 2010 and opened eight stores.

New York City -- Multiple reports on Tuesday said that French retailing giant Carrefour SA has received an offer to merge with Brazil’s Companhia Brasileira de Distribuicao.

Brazilian investment fund Gama said in a statement that it proposed a merger between Carrefour, the world’s second largest retailer by sales after Wal-Mart Stores, and CBD, a local retailing giant.

New York City -- BRE Retail Holdings, an affiliate of Blackstone Real Estate Partners VI L.P. announced Tuesday that it has acquired the U.S. assets and platform of Centro Properties Group and its managed funds for approximately $9 billion.

The sale includes 585 community and neighborhood shopping centers and related retail assets aggregating 92.1 million sq. ft. in 39 states.

New York City -- A report by the Associated Press on Tuesday said that private equity firm Aletheia Research & Management has once again reduced its stake in Barnes & Noble.

The major shareholder, which Barnes & Noble has said joined forces with Ron Burkle last year during a proxy fight, has for the second time in a month cut its shares, now owning about 3.2 million shares, or 5.4% of Barnes & Noble's outstanding stock, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing on Tuesday.

Minneapolis -- Target on Friday announced that Target Canada has reached an agreement to transfer to Walmart Canada the leasehold interests in up to 39 sites, currently operated by Zellers.

Specific locations will be identified later this fall. Terms of this transaction were not disclosed.