Mergers & Acquisitions

eBay has reached a definitive agreement to acquire WHERE. Based in Boston, WHERE develops a range of location-based services, including mobile advertising and search and recommendation services.

Groupon’s purchase of Pelago, the parent company of Whrrl, offers an interesting glimpse into what the local daily-deals powerhouse might be up to next. With the acquisition, which was for an undisclosed amount, Groupon gets a team that’s been focused on consumer check-ins at local businesses and offering relevant suggestions — similar to the area that players like Foursquare and Gowalla are focused on.

Sony Electronics closed 11 stores in 11 states in March as the company opened a new store prototype in Los Angeles. The store closings bring Sony's store count to 45, including 29 standard locations and 16 outlet stores.

Just days before its $320 million purchase of Blockbuster is expected to close, Dish Network has assumed leases for as many as 600 retail locations of the video rental giant, leaving more than 1,000 stores possibly headed for the chopping block.

Wal-Mart announced it's signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kosmix, underscoring its commitment to social and mobile commerce. Kosmix has developed a social media technology platform that filters and organizes content in social networks to connect people with real-time information that matters to them.

Vitamin Shoppe, a leading specialty retailer and direct marketer of nutritional products, announced that it's reached a milestone with the opening of its 500th store. This store, which opened on April 18 in Missouri, is the company's first store in this market and third in the state.

London-based Burberry Group launched the brand's first Burberry Brit concept in the United Kingdom in Covent Garden on April 15. Much like the Bleecker Street location, which recently opened in New York, the store design was developed exclusively by Christopher Bailey and represents a move to capture its increasingly younger, media-savvy consumers.

Blyth, Inc., a leading multichannel designer and marketer, announced that it's closed on the second phase of its acquisition of ViSalus Sciences and now owns 57.5 percent of the company. Blyth made its initial investment in ViSalus in August 2008.

Best Buy said it will boost its web presence, shrink some larger stores and open more of its smaller U.S. stores to try to win back market share from the likes of Amazon and Wal-Mart.

J.Crew said it plans a $20 million expansion of its Lynchburg, Va., distribution center to facilitate the retailer’s goal of selling more clothes overseas. J.Crew is slated to open its first store outside the tates and start shipping orders to Europe by the end of 2011.