Content about The Wall Street Journal

April 23, 2013
J.C. Penney has been working with consulting firm AlixPartners, which specializes in turnarounds, for about a month, the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York -- J.C. Penney has been working with consulting firm AlixPartners, which specializes in turnarounds, for about a month, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Executives at AlixPartners are focused on cash flow management and finding ways for Penney to save money, according to the report.

April 18, 2013

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that J.C. Penney is now in talks with Wells Fargo and at least two other investment firms, seeking a $500 million loan to shore up the beleaguered retailer’s cash reserves.

New York -- The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that J.C. Penney is now in talks with Wells Fargo and at least two other investment firms, seeking a $500 million loan to shore up the beleaguered retailer’s cash reserves.

Citing unidentified sources, WSJ said that Penney is also in talks with private-equity firm TPG and with investment company Gordon Brothers, along with Wells Fargo, as Penney casts a wider net to stay afloat.

April 12, 2013

J.C. Penney Co. has hired the Blackstone Group explore how best to position the firm financially and help it raise cash, the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. has hired the Blackstone Group explore how best to position the firm financially and help it raise cash, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The company is reportedly seeking $1 billion in cash, according to the Wall Street Journal, which added that options could include selling a minority stake. Penney already has been in contact with several private equity firms about a potential investment, according to the report.  

April 12, 2013

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that hedge fund Barington Capital Group is pressing Jones Group Inc. to slim down by divesting parts of its portfolio.

New York -- A report by the Wall Street Journal on Friday said that hedge fund Barington Capital Group is pressing Jones Group Inc. to slim down by divesting parts of its portfolio.

Citing an unidentified source, WSJ said that Barington – in a meeting earlier this month – urged Jones to hire financial advisers to analyze many of the company’s 35-plus to pare down the portfolio and focus on its core and emerging brands.

March 5, 2013

J.C. Penney Co. last Tuesday dominated the retail news as its shares dropped 10.6% to a four-year low after reports that one of its largest shareholders had sold a chunk of the troubled company’s stock.

New York -- J.C. Penney Co. last Tuesday dominated the retail news as its shares dropped 10.6% to a four-year low after reports that one of its largest shareholders had sold a chunk of the troubled company’s stock. And in a late afternoon report, The Wall Street Journal said that a group of Penney directors is ready to get rid of CEO Ron Johnson, or push to sell the chain unless he can stop the company’s heavy bleeding this year.

February 28, 2013

Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday confirmed a report from the Wall Street Journal that its U.S. chief administrative officer, Tom Mars, will step down in March.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores on Thursday confirmed a report from the Wall Street Journal that its U.S. chief administrative officer, Tom Mars, will step down in March. The company did not give a reason for his departure.

February 19, 2013

Office Depot and OfficeMax are in talks to merge, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

New York -- Office Depot and OfficeMax are in talks to merge, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg.

The retailers are discussing as potential stock swap that would result in a single company with nearly $18 billion in revenue, reports said. The combined company would be better positioned to take on Staples, Walmart and other competitors.

February 12, 2013

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that Harris Teeter Supermarkets is considering putting itself up for sale.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that Harris Teeter Supermarkets is considering putting itself up for sale.

Citing unnamed sources, WSJ reported that the grocer is working with J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. to pursue strategic options.

No one from Harris Teeter has commented yet.

 

January 28, 2013

Barnes & Noble is planning to shutter approximately one-third of its stores during the next 10 years, CEO Mitchell Klipper said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

New York -- Barnes & Noble is planning to shutter approximately one-third of its stores during the next 10 years, CEO Mitchell Klipper said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. As of Jan. 23, the company operated 689 stores. (The company also operates a separate division of 674 college book stores.)

“In 10 years we'll have 450 to 500 stores,” said Klipper in the interview, who noted that, even with the reduced store count, “it’s a good business model.”

January 4, 2013

Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP and its partners are nearing an agreement to buy parts of Supervalu Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York -- Private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management LP and its partners are nearing an agreement to buy parts of Supervalu Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported.

Cerberus and its partners plan to buy some assets of the retail chain and take a stake in the remainder, which is expected to remain public, according to the report.

 

January 2, 2013

Two directors of Best Buy Co. have resigned from the board of the retailer, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York -- Two directors of Best Buy Co. have resigned from the board of the retailer, the company disclosed in a regulatory filing Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported.

G. "Mike" Mikan, who served as Best Buy's interim CEO in the wake of CEO Brian Dunn’s resignation last April, has left the board to become president of ESL Investments Inc., the hedge fund run by Sears’ Edward Lampert. Mikan, whose appointment is effective Jan. 1, will report to Lampert, the firm said today in a statement.

November 27, 2012

A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that activist hedge fund Starboard Value has added former Home Depot and Chrysler executive Robert Nardelli and ex-Staples vice chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo as advisors – part of Starboard’s plan to make sweeping changes at Office Depot Inc.

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that activist hedge fund Starboard Value has added former Home Depot and Chrysler executive Robert Nardelli and ex-Staples vice chairman Joseph Vassalluzzo as advisors – part of Starboard’s plan to make sweeping changes at Office Depot Inc.

According to a Monday filing, Nardelli and Vassalluzzo will provide counsel toward improving Office Depot’s operations and strategies.

October 30, 2012

New York -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that Home Depot and Lowe’s Cos. had deployed hundreds of truckloads of storm-recovery inventory Tuesday into areas impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

September 21, 2012

A report by the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. expects to open its first retail stores in India within the next 12 to 18 months.

New Delhi, India -- A Friday report by the Wall Street Journal disclosed that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. expects to open its first retail stores in India within the next 12 to 18 months.

In an interview with WSJ, Scott Price, Asia president and CEO of Wal-Mart, said that the retailer has not pinpointed where the first stores will be located or ultimately how many there will be. But the latest decision handed down by the Indian government allowing megastore retailers to enter the country via joint ventures paved the way for the impending openings.

August 17, 2012

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that Warburg Pincus and TPG, the private-equity owners of Neiman Marcus Group Inc., are looking for an exit.

Dallas -- A Thursday report by the Wall Street Journal said that Warburg Pincus and TPG, the private-equity owners of Neiman Marcus Group Inc., are looking for an exit.

The firms paid $5.1 billion for Neiman Marcus seven years ago; the company is currently valued, according to analysts, at about $4 billion.

August 15, 2012

A report by the Wall Street Journal said that big retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores, Target Corp. and 7-Eleven are planning to develop a mobile payment network much like the Starbucks Square initiative that was announced last week.

New York -- A Wednesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that big retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores, Target Corp. and 7-Eleven are planning to develop a mobile payment network much like the Starbucks Square initiative that was announced last week.

August 13, 2012

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal.

From J.C. Penney to Target to Selfridges, retailers across the spectrum are giving over valuable floor space to in-store shops. Here are some interesting observations on the phenomenon from Joanna Felder, VP intelligence and brand strategy at Chute Gerdeman, Columbus, Ohio.

Shop-in-shops offer retailers the magic formula of flexibility, brand-enhancing cachet and the ability to attract new customer segments. The opportunity has never been better for young, entrepreneurial hip brands to find a mainstream home.

August 13, 2012

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal.

From J.C. Penney to Target to Selfridges, retailers across the spectrum are giving over valuable floor space to in-store shops. Here are some interesting observations on the phenomenon from Joanna Felder, VP intelligence and brand strategy at Chute Gerdeman, Columbus, Ohio.

Shop-in-shops offer retailers the magic formula of flexibility, brand-enhancing cachet and the ability to attract new customer segments. The opportunity has never been better for young, entrepreneurial hip brands to find a mainstream home.

August 1, 2012

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal. The piece, written by United States Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), is about the Marketplace Fairness Act (the legislation would end special treatment for online-only retailers who currently exploit a decade’s old loophole to avoid collecting and remitting state sales tax, according to RILA).

August 1, 2012

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) has taken issue with an opinion piece that appears in the August 1, 2012, issue of the Wall Street Journal. The piece, written by United States Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC), is about the Marketplace Fairness Act (the legislation would end special treatment for online-only retailers who currently exploit a decade’s old loophole to avoid collecting and remitting state sales tax, according to RILA).

July 17, 2012

A report in the Wall Street Journal said that grocery supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers is said to be interested in buying the distribution business of Supervalu Inc.

Minneapolis -- A Monday report in the Wall Street Journal said that grocery supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers is said to be interested in buying the distribution business of Supervalu Inc.

On July 11, Supervalu – which owns such grocery banners as Albertson’s, Jewel-Osco and Save-A-Lot – revealed it would explore a sale of all or part of the company. It said it had hired Goldman Sachs and Greenhill & Co. to launch a review of strategic options, including asset sales.

June 26, 2012

A just-released report from the Wall Street Journal said that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze, who resigned his chairman of the board seat earlier this month, may be looking into buying out the company.

Minneapolis -- A just-released report from the Wall Street Journal said that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze, who resigned his chairman of the board seat earlier this month, may be looking into buying out the company.

Schulze is said to be working with bankers from Credit Suisse. At the time of his resignation as chairman, he owned approximately 20% of the company.
 

June 26, 2012

A just-released report from the Wall Street Journal said that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze, who resigned his chairman of the board seat earlier this month, may be looking into buying out the company.

Minneapolis -- A just-released report from the Wall Street Journal said that Best Buy founder Richard Schulze, who resigned his chairman of the board seat earlier this month, may be looking into buying out the company.

Schulze is said to be working with bankers from Credit Suisse. At the time of his resignation as chairman, he owned approximately 20% of the company.
 

June 15, 2012

Carrefour SA said it will sell its Greek supermarket business to its local partner and exit the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.

New York -- Carrefour SA said Friday it will sell its Greek supermarket business to its local partner and exit the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The French retailer said it would sell its 50% stake in the chain to its local partner, the Marinopoulos family, for an undisclosed amount and will take a mostly noncash charge of €220 million ($277.9 million), the report said.

Carrefour’s announcement comes two days before elections that could prove key as to whether Greece decides to stays in the euro zone.

May 11, 2012

By Matthew Talbot, Sybase 365

By Matthew Talbot, Matthew.Talbot@sybase.com