Mergers & Acquisitions

Amazon.com announced it's reached an agreement to acquire The Book Depository International, an online bookseller offering over 6 million books for delivery worldwide. Terms of the transaction weren't disclosed.

Nokia shuttered its remaining U.K. retail stores earlier this month (with the exception of Heathrow Airport, which remains open), and also discontinued sales on its U.S. and U.K. online stores. A former Nokia employee cited poor marketing, high prices, slowing traffic and a high product return rate as a few of the reasons that the stores closed.

Wal-Mart plans to launch a new minority supplier program in Chicago that will subsequently be expanded nationally, according to published reports.

Sears plans to spin off its home improvement unit, Orchard Supply Hardware Stores, as a separate publicly traded company. Often called OSH, Orchard Supply is a San Jose, Calif.-based chain that operates 89 stores, all in California. Shares of OSH, which plans to be traded as OSHS on the Nasdaq once it becomes a standalone company, will be distributed to Sears Holdings shareholders.

American Express and Foursquare announced the national rollout of their partnership, which enables American Express card members who link their Foursquare profiles to their cards to "load" and seamlessly redeem merchant specials without the need for coupons, special codes or showing their mobile device to cashiers. This is the first time this technology has been used to allow card members nationwide to take advantage of merchant specials offered through Foursquare. The national launch kicks off with specials from H&M, Sports Authority and Union Square Hospitality Group, and is expected to expand rapidly in the coming weeks and months.

Wal-Mart Canada announced that it's entered into an agreement with Target Canada to assume the leasehold interests in up to 39 sites currently operated by Zellers Inc. Specific locations will be identified later this fall. Terms of this transaction weren't disclosed.

Genesco announced that it has acquired Schuh Group, a specialty retailer of casual and athletic footwear based in the United Kingdom. The purchase price was $159 million. Headquartered in Scotland, Schuh operates 59 stores in the U.K. and Ireland, 16 concessions in Republic apparel stores and one of the U.K.'s largest online shoe websites.

Oprah Winfrey's flagship Oprah Store has closed its doors. The shop had been open since 2008, across from Harpo Studios where Oprah's show filmed for years. The store dished out goods featured on Oprah's show including her illustrious "favorite things," as well as T-shirts, trinkets and more. Before closing last week, everything in the store except for items from "Oprah's Closet" was marked down to $1.

Jim Hagedorn, Scotts Miracle-Gro's CEO, said that he's exploring the medical marijuana industry as well as other niche markets to help increase sales at his lawn-and-garden company. Hagedorn said he wants to “target the pot market."

VF Corporation said on Monday that it would acquire Timberland in a $2 billion deal that will add to the apparel company’s extensive collection of brands like The North Face, Jansport, Nautica and Vans. The deal, at $43 a share, represents a more than 40 percent premium to Timberland’s closing price on Friday.