Hudson's Bay Co. (HBC)

Toronto -- Canada’s Hudson's Bay Co. said Monday that it has completed its $2.4 billion acquisition of Saks Inc. Saks shareholders overwhelmingly approved the sale of the New York company during a special meeting on Wednesday. The combined company will operate a total of 320 stores, including 179 full-line specialty department stores, 72 outlet stores and 69 home stores in prime locations throughout the U.S., and Canada, along with three e-commerce sites.

Hudson’s Bay Company has appointed Michael Crotty as EVP, chief marketing officer, Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor and Russ Hardin as SVP, chief creative officer, Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor.

Both Crotty and Hardin will report to Liz Rodbell, incoming president, HBC Department Store Group, effective Nov. 11.

Toronto -- Hudson’s Bay Company has appointed Michael Crotty as executive VP, chief marketing officer, Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor. He will be responsible for the overall marketing strategy for Hudson’s Bay and Lord & Taylor.

Crotty has more than 25 years multichannel retailing and brand management marketing experience  For the last 10 years, he has held progressively senior positions at Bergdorf Goodman, Neiman Marcus and, most recently, Nordstrom.

New York – Saks Inc. has settled lawsuits from investors related to its proposed buyout by Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC). According to Bloomberg, Saks has reached an agreement that reduces the termination fee it would pay HBC in the event the purchase does not happen and reduces the time Saks has to seek alternative offers

New York -- Lord & Taylor, a division of Hudson’s Bay Company, has opened a store at Mizner Park, an open-air, mixed-use center in downtown Boca Raton, Fla. The two-level, 80,000-sq.-ft. store store marks the retailer’s return to the Sunshine State.

The new store features the company’s latest store design, which emulates a classic style but with a new, updated twist. A sense of glamour permeates the space, seen in such details as chandeliers imported from Italy and 300 mannequins that showcase strong fashion statements.

Plano, Texas -- J.C. Penney Co. announced that departing Saks Inc. CEO and chairman Stephen Sadove has been elected to its board of directors.

Sadove's  election is effective upon his leaving Saks, which will occur once the acquisition of the upscale department store by Hudson's Bay Company is completed, which is expected by the end of the year.

Sadove is a highly regarded industry veteran. He is the current chairman of the National Retail Federation.

Saks chairman and CEO Stephen Sadove has been named to the board of directors at J.C. Penney to fill a position being vacated by Geraldine Laybourne.

Sadove will be leaving his position at Saks soon as the upscale department store chain was recently sold to Hudson’s Bay Company. Sadove joined Saks in 2002 as vice chairman and assumed the additional post of chief operating officer in 2004. He became CEO in 2006 and the following year was named chairman.

Dallas – Neiman-Marcus Group Inc. and Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) are reportedly seeking loans to support merger and acquisition activity.

According to Bloomberg, Neiman-Marcus is trying to secure $3.75 billion in loans to support its planned buyout by Ares Management LLC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board. That figure reportedly includes a $2.95 billion term loan and an $800 million asset-backed loan.