Legal
Several shareholder-rights law firms said they were examining the private equity takeover of BJ's Wholesale Club to see if the company acted in the best interest of investors by accepting a $2.8 billion offer.
Borders Group has a $450 million starting bid for a bankruptcy court auction of its assets later this month. Direct Brands was selected as the stalking horse bidder. It's offered $215 million in cash, $220 million in assumed debt and $15 million to help wind up the nation's second-largest bookseller's Chapter 11 proceedings.
eBay said most of its sellers would be exempt from a new California law requiring out-of-state retailers to collect sales tax in the state if they deal with California businesses.
After cutting ties with Illinios and Texas, Amazon is now looking to turn its back on California too, after Governor Jerry Brown signed a bill that would enforce the collection of online sales tax.
The Retail Industry Leaders Association criticized a final rule released by the Federal Reserve as failing to honor the intent of the bipartisan reforms passed by Congress. The rule, which guides implementation of the debit swipe fee reforms, is a startling departure from rules that the Federal Reserve proposed in December and will ultimately prevent the intended relief from reaching merchants and consumers.
BJ's Wholesale Club is officially going private, the company announced. Two private equity firms, Leonard Green & Partners LP and funds advised by CVC Capital Partners, have agreed to an all-cash transaction worth an estimated $2.8 billion.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) has introduced the Postal Reform Act of 2011. The USPS is looking forward to working with Issa as the bill makes its way through the legislative process.
Women's apparel retailer Deb Shops filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court as part of a financial restructuring in which the company will be sold to a group of senior lenders. Ableco Finance LLC entered into a "stalking horse" agreement to acquire the retailer's assets.
While bad news around the economy continues to pile up — a plunging stock market, troublesome unemployment, a soft housing market, national debt that's out of control — the e-commerce industry seems unaffected. E-commerce sales are steadily rising and for many cross-channel retailers the channel is a bright spot in an otherwise dark place. This mood was certainly reflected at IRCE, where people were upbeat with where they were at and optimistic about their future.
An Apple store employee has started a drive to unionize retail workers of the company. Cory Moll, a part-time employee at an Apple store in San Francisco, is working to form a union to fight for better wages and benefits and to address what he says are unfair practices.