J. Crew sera comprada por dos firmas (private equity) por $43.5 la accion en cash o mas o menos $3 billones.
J. Crew, Investors Near Deal
By GINA CHON And ANUPREETA DAS
A pair of private equity firms are close to deal to acquire clothing retailer J. Crew Group Inc. for $43.50 a share in cash, or about $3 billion, people familiar with the matter said.
Under the deal being considered, TPG Capital, a former owner of J. Crew, would have a 75% stake in the company and Los Angeles firm Leonard Green & Partners would own a 25% stake, these people added.
The private equity firms plan to work with J. Crew Chief Executive Millard Drexler, who has a more than 5% stake in the company according to the most recent regulatory filings, these people said.
.A deal could be announced as soon as Tuesday. The talks were reported earlier by the New York Times.
J. Crew, TPG and Leonard Green declined to comment. Mr. Drexler, who previously ran Gap Inc. before being forced out in 2002, couldn't be reached for comment.
The negotiations have faced some challenges in recent weeks, largely over valuation and the company's desire to allow rival bidders to make competing offers, people familiar with the matter said. The deal includes a go shop period that allows J. Crew to solicit other offers, they added.
Mr. Drexler has thrived at J. Crew, positioning the New York-based chain as a seller of high-end casual gear and expanding into new areas such as bridal wear. He is heavily involved in the day-to-day operations, and his intense focus on product and avowed disdain for markdowns have helped J. Crew emerge from the recession stronger than many of its casual apparel counterparts.
The brand also benefited from the trade-down phenomenon, where luxury consumers sought lower-price alternatives.
Recently, the retailer has begun to show signs of sales weakness amid a lack of fashion hits and customer resistance to J. Crew's higher prices, particularly in light of discounting by competitors.
This week, the company is offering 25% off all orders of $150 or more, an across-the-board discounting technique that J. Crew has largely avoided.
Although details of the deal were still being worked out Monday night, the two sides were close to agreeing to terms of the transaction, people familiar with the matter said. The talks could still fall apart, these people cautioned.
Given the involvement of current management and J. Crew's prior owners, the deal is likely to face tough scrutiny from shareholders, who want to be sure they receive the highest price for their shares.
TPG was a previous owner of J. Crew, buying an 88% stake for about $500 million in 1997. The company later went public in 2006 and became known for preppy clothing favored by First Lady Michelle Obama.
J. Crew shares closed at $37.65 on the New York Stock Exchange, up 3.2% on a day when the overall stock market was largely unchanged. Since its public offering, J. Crew shares have returned about 37%, outpacing the Standard & Poor's 500 index, which fell nearly 6% over the same period.
In August, J. Crew reported second quarter income of $34.9 million, compared to $18.6 million in the same period of 2009. Revenues increased by 14% to $407.5 million from a year ago.
Private equity firms are flush with cash and under pressure to spend it. That has made them some of the most aggressive bidders in recent deals, often for companies they previously owned. TPG, for instance, has been searching high and low for partners to join its bid to take Seagate Technology PLC private.
—Elizabeth Holmes
contributed to this article.
Write to Gina Chon at gina.chon@wsj.com and Anupreeta Das at anupreeta.das@wsj.com