Mergers & Acquisitions

Kellwood announced its acquisition of Zobha, a high-performance yoga/fitness apparel and accessories company, according to Michael Kramer, president and CEO of Kellwood. Zobha is the first activewear business to join Kellwood's growing portfolio. Zobha, based out of Mill Valley, Calif., designs for individuals who lead active lifestyles and want clothing that is both functional and stylish.

Leslie's Poolmart announced its entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain business assets of Jasper's Clear Pool Wholesale. The acquisition is expected to significantly expand Jasper's and Leslie's commercial business segments in Arizona. Closing of the transaction, anticipated in August 2011, is subject to certain closing conditions.

Aaron’s Inc. has acquired all 30 of the stores owned and operated by Crusader Rent to Own. Crusader Rent to Own has stores in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia. Aaron’s sells and offers rent-to-own programs for residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories. In the coming months, 29 of Crusader’s locations will be converted to HomeSmart stores. These stores offer weekly payment lease agreements for products similar to those Aaron’s sells.

Liz Claiborne is looking to sell its Mexx apparel brand to a private-equity firm. Leonard Green & Partners, Sun Capital and Golden Gate Capital are among the firms that have shown an interest in Mexx, the report said.

Coming this summer to a Sephora near you: an XpresSpa station featuring Sephora Nail Studio Art + Lacquer services. You might recognize the XpresSpa brand from your latest vacation — the company owns and operates 27 massage/nail/skincare/waxing spas in airports all over the world.

Seven years after launching a third-party auction marketplace designed to rival eBay, Overstock.com is shutting it down. The company posted a message on its website, but gave no reason for the closure. Overstock.com Spokesperson Roger Johnson told EcommerceBytes the company preferred not to comment on the matter.

Yell, the company that produces Yellowbook directories, announced it's acquired Znode. Znode's technology will serve as Yell's e-commerce platform, an important element of Yell's new strategy to connect small businesses with consumers on a local level. Znode will be incorporated into Yell Group as part of its new consumer division, Yell Connect.

Columbia Sportswear announced a collaboration with Jeffrey Kalinsky, founder of Jeffrey New York and executive vice president of designer merchandising for Nordstrom, to create a line of impeccably appointed, outdoor-inspired pieces. The resulting line of five men's products — four outerwear pieces and one boot — will be available exclusively at Jeffrey New York in mid-September as well as at five Nordstrom locations.

Lucky is the latest magazine to jump on the social shopping bandwagon as it announced its partnership with ThisNext.com. The cobranded shopping site will be accessible through LuckyMag.com and ThisNext.com, allowing shoppers to create personalized "shopping guides" from all the products featured in the latest issue of Lucky.

eBay announced it's purchased Zong, a company that lets you pay for purchases with your mobile phone number, for $240 million in cash. The acquisition is meant to make PayPal an even greater force in the world of mobile payments.