Mergers & Acquisitions

BJ’s Wholesale Club shareholder Leonard Green & Partners said it’s considering making an offer for the U.S. membership warehouse chain, reviving its overtures after BJ’s began looking for suitors.

VF Corp. plans to open 400 U.S. stores across its various brands during the next years. The company, whose stable of banners include Vans and The North Face, discussed its plans at an investor conference held recently in New York City. In addition to the U.S. expansion, VF is looking to open some 225 stores in Europe and 80 in Asia. The expansion is expected to bring the company’s global store count to 1,500 units.

Internet-based photo-sharing and printing company Shutterfly Inc. said it's buying personalized card and stationery seller Tiny Prints Inc. for $141 million in cash and 3.9 million shares. The transaction initially valued Tiny Prints at $333 million, Shutterfly said.

It appears that talks between the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Apple have broken down, resulting in Apple deciding not to open a new 16,000 square-foot retail store in one of New York’s most popular landmarks. Apple was in talks to secure retail space in New York’s Grand Central Terminal, opening a new Apple Store that would have been its biggest in terms of retail space.

Shareholders of Jo-Ann Stores approved a $1.6 billion merger with an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners. Of all the shares that were voted, more than 99 percent were in favor of the agreement. Those in favor of the pact represented 82 of outstanding shares. The company expects the deal to close Friday.

E-commerce in Canada generally sucks. The selection is crappier on the Canadian equivalent of U.S.-based stores, shipping is more expensive and the overall experience is much worse than in the U.S. And now, Zappos is shutting down completely in Canada.

Men's apparel retailer Casual Male reported lower-than-expected quarterly results, hurt by lower gross margins due to increased markdowns and weak traffic at their stores.

Lingerie company Frederick’s of Hollywood is expanding internationally with the signing of a licensing agreement covering six countries in the Middle East. The deal with Abu Dhabi-based Emirates Associated Business Group will lead to the opening of at least 10 Frederick’s of Hollywood stores in the next three years.

In a more overt piece of altruistic product design, Nelson Mandela's 46664 organization, a nonprofit that's focused on humanitarian efforts since 2002, has announced the release of its own fashion line, also named 46664. The line will launch this summer with a dedicated store in Johannesburg and then followed by “other retail stores around the country.”

Teen apparel retailer Rue21 said stronger revenue helped drive its fourth-quarter net income up 41 percent. The company reported that it earned $10.9 million, or 44 cents per share, for the quarter that ended Jan. 30, compared with $7.7 million, or 32 cents per share, a year earlier.