March 24 at 3:59 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Pharmaceuticals,
Retail,
Updated
By Bruce Japsen
Customers at a Walgreens in Vernon Hills, Ill. (Lane Christiansen/Chicago Tribune)
Expanding further into the fast-growing business of online retail, Walgreen Co. said Thursday it will buy Drugstore.com for more than $400 million.
The deal comes just weeks after the Deerfield-based drugstore giant said it would shed its pharmacy benefit management business for more than $500 million. That deal, Walgreens said, would help it better focus on its primary business of serving customers’ daily health and living needs. Get the full story »
By Reuters
Media veterans Steven Brill and Gordon Crovitz sold their company Journalism Online that helps publishers charge for content to printing services firm R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. R.R. Donnelley did not disclose terms of the acquisition Thursday. Get the full story »
March 23 at 5:43 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Manufacturing
By Reuters
Caterpillar Inc. will likely take a break from acquisitions after reaching three large deals in the past year, executives at the world’s largest maker of heavy equipment said.
The company will be focused on closing its $7.6 billion takeover of mining equipment maker Bucyrus International, and then on integrating that new operation into the rest of its business, Chief Executive Doug Oberhelman said. Get the full story »
March 22 at 4:27 p.m.
Filed under:
Exchanges,
M&A
By Reuters
CME Group Inc. would find it hard to counter Deutsche Boerse AG’s takeover bid for NYSE Euronext because of the steep breakup fee on the cross-Atlantic deal, CME’s executive chairman said. Get the full story »
March 21 at 9:55 a.m.
Filed under:
Exchanges,
Investing,
M&A,
Updated
By Julie Johnsson
Charles Schwab is acquiring Chicago-based online brokerage optionsXpress Holdings Inc. for about $1 billion, the companies announced Monday.
OptionsXpress stockholders will receive 1.02 shares of Schwab stock for each share of optionsXpress stock, under the terms of the deal, which is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011. Get the full story »
By Los Angeles Times
AT&T’s surprise $39-billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. could lead to more consolidation in the U.S wireless industry, leaving the market with just two dominant providers — and the prospect of higher rates and fewer choices for consumers.
If approved by regulators, the newly expanded AT&T Inc. would have 130 million subscribers, allowing it to leapfrog arch-rival Verizon Wireless and its 94 million customers to become by far the nation’s largest wireless carrier. Sprint Nextel Corp. would be a distant third.
March 18 at 6:18 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
M&A,
Packaged foods
By Associated Press
Yoplait yogurt at a grocery store. (AP/Dawn Villella)
General Mills said Friday that it has entered into exclusive negotiations to buy a majority stake in French yogurt company Yoplait. General Mills, based in Minneapolis, has licensed the Yoplait brand since 1977, and is Yoplait’s largest licensee. Get the full story »
March 16 at 4:57 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A
By Reuters
(Bill Hogan/Chicago Tribune/MCT)
Peet’s Coffee & Tea recently held talks with Starbucks about a potential sale to the large coffee shop chain, CNBC reported, citing a DealReporter report.
Peet’s has a market value of $589 million based on the stock’s closing price of $46 on Tuesday, when it rose 9.4 percent. Starbucks is valued at over $26 billion. Get the full story »
March 16 at 10:31 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
M&A,
Restaurants,
Updated
Christopher Artinian, CEO and president of Morton's . (Nancy Stone/Tribune)
By Robert Channick | Upscale Chicago-based steakhouse chain Morton’s Restaurant Group announced Wednesday that it is exploring a possible sale.
Morton’s is still struggling to recover from the recession that cut into its business. It said it is exploring “strategic alternatives” to enhance shareholder value. The board has retained Jefferies & Company as its financial advisor to assist in the process.
No timetable has been set for a possible sale, which is being pursued with the support of affiliates Castle Harlan and Laurel Crown Partners, the company’s largest shareholders. Get the full story »
March 15 at 12:51 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Government,
International,
M&A,
Packaged foods
By Dow Jones Newswires
Creme Eggs move down the line at the Bournville production plant. (Christopher Furlong/Getty)
Executives from Kraft Foods Inc. appeared at a parliamentary hearing Tuesday over the company’s 11.9 billion-pound acquisition of confectioner Cadbury a year ago, but the absence of Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld drew criticism from lawmakers.
U.K. lawmakers on the Business, Innovation & Skills committee are discussing with Kraft — maker of Oreo cookies, Philadelphia cream cheese and Maxwell House coffee — the commitments it made a year ago following the takeover, as well as seeking reassurances on jobs and investment into research.
Last April, lawmakers said in a report that Northfield-based Kraft acted “irresponsibly” and “unwisely” during its acquisition of Cadbury and damaged its reputation in the U.K. Get the full story »
March 15 at 7:58 a.m.
Filed under:
Cell phones,
M&A,
Technology
By Dow Jones Newswires
Network equipment vendor Nokia Siemens Networks is seeking to renegotiate its $1.2 billion acquisition of network equipment assets from Motorola Solutions Inc., Bloomberg news agency says Tuesday citing “two people close to the situation”. Get the full story »
March 14 at 5:25 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A
By Tribune staff report
Chicago-based metals distributor Ryerson Inc. said Monday that it has acquired Ohio-based steel processor Singer Steel Company, which provides steel slitting, sheet processing, and laser cutting services. The acquisition is the fourth one made by Ryerson in the past 14 months. Get the full story »
March 14 at 4:15 p.m.
Filed under:
Exchanges,
M&A
By Reuters
Nasdaq OMX Group Inc is preparing an offer for NYSE Euronext and the bid could come as early as this week, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.
March 14 at 3:28 p.m.
Filed under:
M&A,
Sports
By Reuters
(Tribune File Photo)
Fortune Brands Inc. expects its golf business to attract a special kind of bidder in addition to the usual suspects — rich people who like playing the game.
The company announced plans late last year to sell or spin off its golf business, which makes Titleist golf equipment, and spin off its home products business, which makes Simonton windows and Moen faucets, amid pressure from activist investor William Ackman. Get the full story »
March 14 at 2:26 p.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
M&A,
Technology
By Dow Jones Newswires
Interconnection-services provider Neutral Tandem Inc. misses fourth quarter estimates on higher expenses, delivering a blow to its stock Monday.
Shares were down 18 percent in late afternoon trading, to $13.86. Get the full story »
