Family Dollar

Family Dollar delayed a shareholder vote on a potential acquisition by Dollar Tree until Jan. 22 in a move that allows more time to contemplate a rival bid from Dollar General.

Family Dollar convened as planned on Tuesday and, based on insufficient votes, subsequently adjourned its Special Meeting of Stockholders on the proposed transaction with Dollar Tree.

New York City - In not-unexpected news, Family Dollar has delayed its shareholder vote on a potential acquisition by Dollar Tree; the vote is now slated for Jan. 22, and analysts say this could bode well for a potential deal with industry giant Dollar General.   Family Dollar convened as planned on Tuesday and, based on insufficient votes, subsequently adjourned its Special Meeting of Stockholders on the proposed transaction with Dollar Tree.  

New York - A Delaware judge has denied a request  to block Tuesday's vote by Family Dollar Stores on a  $8.5 billion take-over bid by Dollar Tree,  saying dissident shareholders "failed to demonstrate a reasonable probability of success on any of their claims."   A shareholder lawsuit had requested a preliminary injunction against the vote until Family Dollar “properly engaged” in talks  with rival Dollar General to “achieve a value-maximizing transaction.”  

Goodlettsville, Tenn. – Dollar General Corp. stated on Dec. 19 that it remains actively engaged in discussions with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the extent of potential divestitures that would be required in connection with an acquisition of Family Dollar Stores Inc. Dollar General does not expect to provide any further update prior to the Family Dollar shareholders meeting currently scheduled for Dec. 23, 2014.   

As the acquisition of Family Dollar moves closer to resolution, would-be acquirers Dollar Tree and Dollar General maintain widely differing views on the superiority of their respective offers and the opinion of federal regulators.

Goodlettsville, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. and Dollar Tree engaged in a verbal war on Friday as they both seek to acquire Family Dollar.    In a news release, Dollar Tree said Dollar General's bid "may ultimately fail" because the Federal Trade Commission may require it to sell more than the 1,500 stores the retailer has said it is willing to let go of.  

Even if Dollar General is unsuccessful in acquiring Family Dollar, the company plans to get bigger faster in 2015 by opening two stores every day and enhancing the productivity of an already expansive footprint.