Department Stores Agree to Merge: Midwest department...

Department Stores Agree to Merge: Midwest department store operators Carson Pirie Scott & Co. and P. A. Bergner said they have agreed to merge, with Bergner acquiring Carson for $454 million. The announcement ends a monthlong courtship of Chicago-based Carson that began when Bergner made a $282-million buyout offer. Carson Pirie Scott operates 33 stores under its own name, 391 County Seat specialty stores and 23 Arcadia shops. With the acquisition, Bergner’s--a Swiss-owned chain that has operated in the Midwest for 100 years and has 33 stores in Illinois and Wisconsin--will become one of the top 15 U.S. department store operations with consolidated revenue of about $1 billion.