Legal
February 16, 2011
Borders Group filed for bankruptcy in New York today after management changes, job cuts and debt restructuring failed to make up for sagging book sales in the face of competition from Amazon and Wal-Mart.
February 16, 2011
Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores received a bid from activist investor Nelson Peltz's firm to take the company private in a deal worth up to $7 billion. The Trian Fund is offering $55 to $60 per share for Family Dollar, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
February 15, 2011
Blockbuster plans to cash in on the DVD rental kiosk trend in 2011 by installing 3,000 more of its Express kiosks, even as the retailer closed stores and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September.
February 11, 2011
The California Supreme Court barred merchants from asking credit card shoppers for their ZIP Codes, in what could be a significant ruling for privacy rights.
February 11, 2011
Online retail giant Amazon.com is closing a suburban Dallas distribution center and scrapping plans to expand Texas operations after a dispute with the state over millions of dollars in sales taxes, an executive informed employees in an email obtained by The Associated Press.
February 10, 2011
To resolve a privacy lawsuit brought by Amazon and the ACLU, the state of North Carolina has agreed to stop asking all e-commerce sites for information about state residents who have made online purchases.
February 8, 2011
Illinois is dangerously close to making an already challenging economy even more difficult for thousands of small businesses with a new e-commerce tax. Lawmakers recently passed the measure without regard for the potential impact on Illinois' technology businesses.
February 7, 2011
Rugged Bear, which operates 32 children's clothing stores, joins fellow retailers Anchor Blue, Orchard Brands and Ultimate Electronics in the bankruptcy courts in 2011. The retailer has $10 million to $50 million in debt and assets in the same range, according to court documents.
February 7, 2011
San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard Kramer denied eBay's motion to dismiss a lawsuit filed by Craigslist in 2008, and rejected eBay's contention that the lawsuit was precluded by the findings of a Delaware court.
February 4, 2011
BJ's Wholesale Club said that it's decided "to explore and evaluate strategic alternatives, including a possible sale of the company." That only confirms what the market has known for months: there's an auction going on for the retailer.
