Financial/Banking

Hampstead, Md. – The board of directors of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, Inc. has unanimously rejected a non-binding acquisition proposal it received on Nov. 26, 2013, from The Men's Wearhouse, Inc. Assisted by outside financial advisors, the board determined the price of roughly $1.54 billion significantly undervalued the company and its near and long-term potential and was not in the best interest of the company's shareholders.

A 1,500-store market potential and an untapped online opportunity await Michaels Stores in 2014 as the retailer’s private equity owners look to sell a portion of their stake and return the nation’s largest arts and crafts retailer to public ownership.
 

New York – Factors including the permanency of the 2013 payroll tax increase, uneven job creation and uncertainty caused by the autumn partial government shutdown are expected to continue constraining consumer spending in 2014. According to a new economic insight report from Sterne Agee, lower gas prices, a lingering wealth effect from home price appreciation and record highs in equities helped boost holiday spending, but will not be enough to counteract a trend toward weak consumption that has been in place since the beginning of this year.

The Jones Group has accepted a buyout offer of $15 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $1.2 billion, from private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Upon completion of the deal, Jones, whose brands include Nine West, Anne Klein and Easy Spirit, will become a privately held company.

New York -- The Jones Group has accepted a buyout offer of $15 per share in cash, or a total of approximately $1.2 billion, from private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Upon completion of the deal, Jones, whose brands include Nine West, Anne Klein and Easy Spirit, will become a privately held company.

Brentwood, Tenn. – Tractor Supply Company has been added to the Nasdaq -100 Index, effective with the market open on Monday, Dec. 23, 2013. Shares of TSCO will also be included in the Nasdaq-100 Index Tracking Stock (Nasdaq: QQQ).

"We are proud to be joining this elite group of public companies traded on the Nasdaq exchange," said Anthony Crudele, executive VP and CFO. "Being added to the Nasdaq-100 Index is a reflection of Tractor Supply Company's significant growth and its stock performance.”

Fort Myers, Fla. – Chico’s FAS repurchased approximately 6.7 million shares of its common stock, for approximately $125 million, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, completing all but $55 million of its existing share repurchase authorization. The Chico’s board of directors has cancelled the remainder of its March 2013 share repurchase program and approved a new $300 million share repurchase authorization for the company's common stock.

New York -- PayPal, a division of eBay Inc. has acquired mobile app developer StackMobile. Experts say the purchase could strengthen eBay and subsidiary PayPal in enabling consumers to pay with mobile devices.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

StackMob launched in 2010 and offers a platform and development environment that lets developers build applications for any mobile device