Supply Chain & Merchandising

Rye, N.Y. -- Jarden Corporation, a global consumer products company, announced that it has completed its acquisition of Yankee Candle Investments LLC from a fund managed by Madison Dearborn Partners for approximately $1.75 billion in cash, subject to final working capital and other adjustments.

Publix is heading to South Carolina with two stores which will be located in North Myrtle Beach and Pawleys Island.

The first lease is for North Myrtle Beach located in the Coastal North Town Center at Hwy. 17 and Moss Place. The store will be a 49,000-sq.-ft. Publix supermarket and is expected to open in late 2014.

U.S. retailers increasingly tapping into global markets via online efforts

Demand for American brands around the globe is getting bigger every day. There are currently more than 2 billion prospective global customers, and about 25% of the traffic from U.S. retail sites comes from international shoppers, according to industry experts, with Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Russia and Hong Kong currently the top international markets for U.S. retailers.

Borrowers have more flexiblity, but also face more complex marketplace

For mid-size retail companies — those with anywhere from $10 million to $1 billion in revenue — the combination of today’s steady growth and affordable capital is rare indeed. There is also ample liquidity as traditional middle-market lenders are being joined by institutional investors with deep pockets and a strong desire to participate in these loans. What’s more, new products are available that give borrowers more flexibility. In short, it’s a near ideal environment for midsize company borrowers.

Ikea shares lessons learned from 39 diverse installations

Sustainability is a cornerstone of home furnishings retailer Ikea, its brand and its business plan, reflecting the company’s Swedish heritage.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. - Sears Holdings Corp. has borrowed $1 billion under a new a senior secured term loan facility under an existing credit agreement from April 2011. The existing credit agreement continues to provide for a $3.275 billion asset-based revolving credit facility.

Last month, Sears said it would obtain the loan to help reduce how much money it borrowed under the existing credit facility. The new loan is due June 2018.

New York -- Artisanal Brands, a marketer and distributor of specialty, artisanal and farmstead cheeses and other specialty food products, has signed a long-term lease on a new Artisanal Cheese Center in New York City with cheese aging caves, production and office facilities, as well as the first retail outlet to be owned and managed by the company.  
   

Retailers will gain $81 billion from the “Internet of Everything,” which is the term given to the connectivity of an increasing number of people, processes and things, in 2013. But according to new research from Cisco Systems, Inc., this only reflects 45% of the potential return.