Children’s Retailer Carter’s to Buy OshKosh

Atlanta, Carter’s Inc. has announced that it will acquire its rival OshKosh B’Gosh for $312 million, merging two brands into one company that will generate more than $1.3 billion in annual sales.

Carter’s, which operates 181 retail stores and whose brand is sold in 3,000 department stores, will pay $26 in cash for each share of OshKosh stock; the deal includes redemption of employee stock options.

Last February, Oshkosh, Wis.-based OshKosh retained investment bank Goldman Sachs to help pursue what the company called strategic alternatives, launching speculation about the future of the brand. The retailer ran into financial trouble this year when a move into adult clothing flopped.