Destination Maternity Rebuffs French Offer

Destination Maternity Corp. has rejected a French suitor, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Monday. Shares of Destination Maternity, which makes maternity wear, shot up 17 percent at the start of trading Monday on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange, but soon settled down to about the same level as its Friday close of $9. Orchestra Premaman S.A., which makes clothing for children and babies, said in the filing that it paid $16.6 million for a 13.3 percent stake in Destination Maternity, and reiterated its desire to engage in merger talks with the brand.