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MMA Warehouse sells majority stake to PAG

Wheeling-based MMA Warehouse LLC, an online retailer of mixed martial arts gear, clothing and accessories, has sold a majority stake to PAG Capital, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Get the full story »

Nuveen completes acquisition of FAF Advisors

Chicago-based Nuveen Investments, which serves the wealthy and institutions, has completed its acquisition of U.S. Bancorp’s FAF Advisors.

The deal, announced in July, called for U.S. Bancorp to get a 9.5 percent stake in Nuveen as well as an $80 million cash payment.

Nuveen is a portfolio company of Madison Dearborn Partners, a Chicago-based private equity firm. Get the full story »

SC Johnson buying Sara Lee’s Kiwi brand

SC Johnson said it is buying Sara Lee Corp.’s shoe care business, including the venerable Kiwi brand, for $328 million, as Sara Lee continues to shed nonfood segments.

The companies announced the deal, which also includes Sara Lee’s shoe accessory lines Bama International and Kiwi Kleen, on Friday. The deal is expected to close by mid-2011. Get the full story »

Groupon says it raised $500M in financing

Chicago-based Groupon Inc. has raised $500 million in equity financing of the $950 million it hopes to get.

The money came from 33 investors, Groupon said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company it is not disclosing their names, but DealBook reported Wednesday the start-up is negotiating financing commitments with Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price and Morgan Stanley. Get the full story »

Raymond James to buy brokerage Howe Barnes

Raymond James Financial Inc. said it has agreed to acquire brokerage firm Howe Barnes Hoefer & Arnett Inc., bolstering its booming private-client unit. Get the full story »

SXC Health buys pharmacy provider

SXC Health Solutions Corp, a provider of pharmacy-benefits management services, has acquired a specialty pharmacy provider for $100 million. Get the full story »

Sara Lee agrees to sell cleaning products unit

Sara Lee said it agreed to sell its White King and Janola cleaning products business to Australia-based detergent maker Symex Holdings for 37.9 million euros ($49.7 million).

The deal brings Sara Lee closer to its goal of focusing on selling food, coffee and tea.

Sara Lee, which has already spun off its body care, air care businesses and its stake in a joint venture with India’s Godrej, expects the deal with Symex to close during the first quarter of 2011. Get the full story »

Nokia Siemens deal for Motorola business delayed

Nokia Siemens Networks’ acquisition of Motorola Inc.’s network infrastructure business has been pushed to the first quarter of 2011 because the deal still needs regulatory approval in China.

The $1.2 billion transaction between Schaumburg-based Motorola and Nokia Siemens Networks was announced in July and expected to close by the end of 2010. However, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce’s Anti-Monopoly Bureau has yet to approve it. Regulators in the U.S., European Union, Brazil, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Taiwan and Turkey have given the green light. Get the full story »

FTC clears Icahn takeover of Dynegy

Carl Icahn’s $665 million cash takeover of power producer Dynegy Inc. received clearance from the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday.

The billionaire investor’s deal follows a failed bid by private equity firm Blackstone Group LP. Icahn, Dynegy’s largest shareholder, opposed the $5 per share deal arguing it undervalued the company. Get the full story »

FCC chief sets conditions for Comcast, NBC deal

The head of the Federal Communications Commission is laying out regulatory conditions to ensure that cable giant Comcast Corp. cannot stifle video competition once it takes control of NBC Universal.

The conditions are intended to guarantee that existing subscription television services and new online video services can still get access to NBC content. Get the full story »

Telephone and Data Systems buys Iowa company

From The Des Moines Register | Telephone and Data Systems Inc., the parent company of TDS Telecommunications Corp., has purchased the Iowa data center company TEAM Technologies, which has centers in Cedar Falls, the Des Moines metro area and Madison, Wis., for $47 million.

Dover buys Sound Solutions for $855M

Downers Grove-based Dover Corp. has reached an $855 million deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors NV’s Sound Solutions business, which makes speaker and receiver components for the mobile handset market. Get the full story »

Motorola Mobility scoops up California tech firm

Motorola Mobility, the soon-to-be-independent division of Motorola Inc. that makes mobile devices, has acquired a California technology start-up that specializes in delivering music and video on demand.

Terms of the deal with Burlingame, Calif.-based Zecter Inc. were not disclosed. Motorola Inc. is separating into two companies on Jan. 4, becoming Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions. Motorola Mobility encompasses mobile devices and cable TV set-top boxes, while Motorola Solutions comprises communications equipment for government, public safety and industrial users. Each company will be publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange. Get the full story »

Littelfuse buys Cole Hersee

Chicago-based Littelfuse Inc. has bought Cole Hersee Co. for $50 million. Get the full story »

Sears still a tough sell 5 years after Kmart deal

New York Times News Service | This holiday season, Sears and Kmart, which merged in 2005, are pushing a single message: Buy with layaway, buy with coupons, buy now and pay later, buy with loyalty rewards points — but please, just buy.

Five years after the merger, Sears Holdings is beleaguered, with sales markedly worse than its competitors’. The company’s revenue dropped more than 10 percent from 2005 through 2009, the most recent full fiscal year. In the same time period, Wal-Mart’s sales rose almost 31 percent, Target’s more than 24 percent and Macy’s about 5 percent. Sales at J.C. Penney declined by about 6 percent. Get the full story »