Simon Cowell expecting first child with close friend's wife Lauren Silverman

The 'X-factor' judge is reportedly starting a family with the 36-years-old New York socialite, she is '10 weeks along'.

Lauren Silverman is said to be carrying Cowell's child. The pair, pictured here in August 2012 vacationed together on several different occasions while Silverman's husband was on board.

The 53-year-old "X Factor" judge is reportedly expecting a baby with New York socialite Lauren Silverman, according to an Us Weekly report.

At one point during their vacation in Saint-Tropez, Cowell and Silverman looks as though they snuck in a kiss.

"She's around 10 weeks along," the insider dished to the mag, however, there is a little more to the story than that.

Simon Cowell soaking up the sun with a Lauren Silverman in St. Barths on his yacht in January 2012, Andrew Silverman, Lauren's husband was present on the trip. 

The 36-year-old brunette is still married to one of Cowell's close pals, Andrew Silverman, who is a real estate mogul in New York City.

"Lauren and Andrew have been unhappy in their marriage for some time, and their divorce has been in the works for a while," a source told Us of the estranged spouses.

Cowell pictured with married New York socialite Lauren Silverman in January 2012. 

"As their marriage deteriorated, she and Simon became close."

"As their marriage deteriorated, she and Simon became close."

Silverman and Cowell were photographed on several different occasions soaking up the sun on the music mogul's yacht — but her husband, who she allegedly plans to leave to be with the father of her child, was only a few feet away as he was on board during these luxurious vacations.

Cowell certainly appears to have a type as he has a bevy of brown-haired beauties as ex-girlfriends.

Silverman has a striking resemblance to his past lovers like Jackie St.Clair, Terri Seymour and former fiancee Mezhgan Hussainy.

Cowell's last public relationship was with TV personality Carmen Electra, the couple opened up about their union in December 2012 but shortly after Cowell confirmed their split in February 2013.

"I'm now a single man. We spent time together and she is so much fun," he told the Sunday People at the time.

Priorto Electra, 40, he was engaged to makeup artist Hussainy before news first broke in September 2011 that the pair had called off their 18-month engagement.

Despite having many serious girlfriends, entering parenthood with any of his past loves is something Cowell has said he was not exactly cut out for.

"God, no. I couldn't have children. If I had them here drawing on the walls I'd go nuts," he said in an interview in 2009.

"With kids, you've got a routine you can't escape from. You've got to be up at a certain time. Got to listen. When all you want to do is sit in a corner thinking."

As years have passed it appeared the outspoken Cowell had softened up a bit on the idea of having kids.

"Well ... yes," he said when asked by AOL in March 2012 if he'd had a change of heart on the topic.

"And, no. I do really, really like kids, because I can talk to them and listen to them. The problem has always been how much time you need to devote to bringing up kids. I've always dedicated all my life to work, and at 52, I've probably missed the opportunity."

Source: nytimes

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Princess Diana was 'madly in love' with heart sergeon Hasnat Khan

Diana wanted to marry the doctor, with whom she had a two-year relationship, and secretly met his family in Pakistan to discuss the possibility of a union, according to Jemima.

She is understood to have told two other friends that she wanted a daughter with the eminent surgeon.

"Diana was madly in love with Hasnat Khan and wanted to marry him," Jemima told Vanity Fair. "Even if that meant living in Pakistan, and that’s one of the reasons why we became friends.”

Jemima disclosed that Diana visited her twice in Pakistan to help fund-raise for the hospital where her former husband Imran Khan – a distant cousin of Diana's lover – worked.

"Both times she also went to meet his family secretly to discuss the possibility of marriage to Hasnat," she said.

Source: telegraph

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Anthony Weiner's spokeswoman trashes intern Olivia Nuzzi in profanity-lanced rant

BarbaraMorgan, mayoral candidate Anthony Weiner's communications director, said Wednesday she thought she was 'off the record' when she called Olivia Nuzzi, former intern for the campaign, a 'slutbag,' 't--t' and 'little c---.' Now she has a swear jar.

AnthonyWeiner's communications director trashed a former campaign intern Tuesday in a shocking, profane rant published by a news blog.

Barbara Morgan said Tuesday night that she thought she was “off the record” when she repeatedly called Olivia Nuzzi a “slutbag,” “t--t” and “little c---.”

In an attempt to downplay her outrageous tirade, Morgan tweeted an image of a swear jar brimming with cash and a credit card early Wednesday afternoon, admitting, “Not my best day yesterday. Should've known better, been better. Gotta pay up.”

Morgan was reacting to a column Nuzzi wrote Tuesday exclusively for the Daily News. The college student wrote that some Weiner staffers signed on to the sexting scandal-starred Democrat’s campaign because they thought it might help them land future work with Hillary Clinton.

Nuzzi wrote that there were “a lot of short résumés” among campaign staffers and said Weiner mistakenly called her and several other interns “Monica.”

It was the particular jab on staffers’ job credentials that particularly riled Morgan up.

“You know what? F--- you, you little c--t. I’m not joking, I am going to sue her,” Morgan ripped back to Talking Points Memo Tuesday while calling Nuzzi a “f---ing slutbag" who repeatedly didn't show up during her four weeks as an intern.

"Of those twenty days, she missed probably five because she would just like not show up and not tell me she wasn’t going to be there," she told the blog. "She sucked. She like wasn't good at setting up events. She was clearly there because she wanted to be seen."

Only adding fuel to the fire was seeing Nuzzi's front-page spread with the Daily News — one she sarcastically complimented as a "nice f---ing glamour shot."

“I’m dealing with like stupid f---ing interns who make it on to the cover of the Daily News even though they signed [non-disclosure agreements] and/or they proceeded to trash me,” Morgan told TPM. “And by the way, I tried to fire her, but she begged to come back and I gave her a second chance.”

This was all after Nuzzi originally begged to intern for her, wanting to "be your b---- all summer long," according to Morgan.

“Man, see if you ever get a job in this town again," she said.

Morgan apologized late Tuesday.

“In a moment of frustration, I used inappropriate language in what I thought was an off-the-record conversation,” she said in a statement. “It was wrong and I am very sorry, which is what I said tonight when I called and emailed Olivia to apologize.”

Nuzzi tweeted early Wednesday that she accepted Morgan's apology. The blog’s editor, Josh Marshall, insisted Morgan was on the record.

Source: nydaily

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Justin Bieber did not spit on fans over balcony in Toronto , says rep

A rep for the 19-year-old singer has denied that Bieber was spitting on his fans below his hotel room last week, says the photos were 'superimposed.'

Justin Bieber reportedly kept his saliva far away from his fans.

The 19-year-old pop star quickly came under fire last week when pictures emerged on TMZ of the Biebs spitting over a balcony in Toronto along with a set of pics of a group of Belieibers supposedly standing right below him.

The photos speculated that the "Beauty and the Beat" singer had let a loogie fly on his sidewalk admirers, however, a rep for the star told Us Weekly the accusations are completely false.

"Justin didn't spit on anyone. No fans were below the balcony," his rep said.

"TMZ  superimposed photos of the fans next to Justin on a completely different balcony to make it appear like he was spitting on fans when he wasn't. In fact, earlier in the day, Justin bought his fans hot chocolate and played them some of his new music. Justin loves his fans."

Bieber did indeed post an Instagram video that same morning showing respect for his fans, captioning the clip, "I wake up this morning to this. :) best fans in the world. #beliebers #sexyfans."

Controversy is continuing to follow the young superstar as U.S. border agents just found marijuana Sunday on one of his tour buses as it crossed into Detroit from Windsor, Canada — but Bieber wasn't on it.

This incident occurred just one day after the singer was spotted out in Malibu, Calif. stopping by his on-again, off-again girlfriend Selena Gomez's 21st birthday party with a rose in hand.

"Selena invited him," a source told Us.

"It was sweet that he came. They are just friends, but it goes back and forth. They are so young, so it's not one thing. They are always friends but still have strong feelings for each other. It's not a black and white, on or off thing."

The two reportedly got in the same car and left the party together.

Source: nydailynews

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Three British men have been sentenced to a total of 43 years in prison in the United States for their part in one of the UK's biggest investment frauds.

Richard Pope, Simon Odoni and Paul Gunter conned British investors out of £80m.

This was then funnelled off into US bank accounts for them to enjoy a lavish lifestyle.

The men were the backbone of an international criminal crime gang which swindled at least 2,300 UK citizens.

The City of London police believe it's the UK's biggest boiler room scam.

"These men are amongst the most arrogant, ruthless and destructive criminals the City of London police have ever dealt with and deserve every day they will spend behind bars," said Detective Inspector KerrieGower, who led the investigation.

'Sheer greed'

The men co-ordinated what police described as a network of Spanish boiler rooms, employing hundreds of people to cold call investors, using high pressure and misleading sales tactics to con them into buying worthless shares.

Most of the victims were retired professionals whose losses ranged from a few hundred pounds to £1m.

Andrea Goswami, from Yorkshire, still can't find the words to describe her loss. Her husband Mark committed suicide after losing around £200,000.

"How could they be so arrogant to think they could get away with it, and have no conscience about it, and just to destroy people's lives in this way, just for money and just for sheer greed, and is it greed that's all that it's about - they say money's the root of all evil and they are evil for what they've done, " she said.

"I'm never going to get my life back - the life I had with my husband, my chances of a happy married life with my daughter - we were trying for another child at the time, those hopes have been destroyed. Financially it's been devastating and it's a struggle, it will continue to be a struggle because of what they did."

Mark Goswami's money, and all the other stolen savings, were used to expand the criminal network and pay for the gang's extravagant purchases.

Fake stock

They included a £350,000 private jet, 26 properties and a number of luxury cars and speed boats.

The sentencing marks a major milestone in a seven year transatlantic investigation involving an array of law enforcement agencies, from Spain to Florida.

John Joyce, special agent in charge in Tampa, Florida, said the case was a great example of how law enforcement partnerships worked on an international scale.

"The United States Attorney's Office, HSI [Homeland Security Investigations] and the US Secret Service worked this case with their law enforcement partners from London to investigate, prosecute and convict Mr Gunter, Mr Odoni and Mr Pope.

"Their sentences should send a clear message to other fraudsters."

The fraud began in 2004 when Pope, 55, Gunter, 64 and Odoni, 56 acquired the identity of several fraudulent US-based companies. Call centres based in Spain were then used to try to sell fake stock to unsuspecting investors.

Websites and glossy brochures were used to give credibility to the gang's bogus investment opportunities.

The enormity of the case first came to light in 2006 when the City of London police linked a number of inquiries in the UK to activities under investigation by federal agencies in the US.

'Utterly destroyed'

"The devastation and the impact that victims have suffered has been huge and it's had drastic consequences to individuals lives - marriages breaking down, selling of properties, individuals losing their businesses, having to work again when they were about to go in to retirement," said Detective Inspector Gower.

"The enormity and scale of the devastation, I can't even say in words what has happened in relation to this case."

Andrea Goswami travelled half way round the world to tell her story in a Tampa courtroom.

"Going into the courtroom was the hardest thing I have ever had to do", she said.

But Andrea was determined to get justice for her husband.

She said he was utterly destroyed by the realisation he'd been conned and the shame of losing everything he had invested in. Andrea only discovered the true scale of the losses after he died.

"He didn't want me to worry about it. My husband's a very proud man and he would never have told me the truth, he would have soldiered on. If he hadn't been so desperate at that time, if he'd only been able to talk to me about it - we could've got through it.

"He must have been so desperate about the situation and obviously didn't know what to do for the best - he'd feel like he failed us. It wasn't his fault but he wouldn't have seen it that way because that's the sort of person he was - very loving, kind and caring and very intelligent and wanted to do the best."

Richard Pope, originally from St Albans in Hertfordshire, was arrested in Spain and extradited to the US. He pleaded guilty in March 2011 of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud between 2004 and 2008.

UK background

In March 2013, the trials of Paul Gunter and Simon Odoni took place with Pope testifying against them. Both men were found guilty of three counts of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, wire fraud, as well as 19 counts of mail and wire fraud and 19 counts of money laundering.

Pope and Gunter had originally worked together in insurance in the UK.

Gunter had lived in London but later emigrated to the US.

Odoni, also originally from St Albans, tried to avoid his bail in the UK by relocating to the Dominican Republic, living in one of the beachside properties purchased through the scam.

He was later arrested in Florida while travelling through Miami Airport.

Paul Gunter was sentenced to 25 years, Simon Odoni got 13 years and 4 months while Richard Pope received a far shorter sentence in return for his co-operation of 4 years and 9 months.

All three men are spending years behind bars. But no sentence will be long enough for Andrea Goswami and her family.

"They've got families of their own. Would they do that to their own families? It doesn't even bear thinking about what sort of a mind they must have. To me it's incomprehensible and it makes me so, so angry that when I see what they bought with all the victims money - they bought houses and boats and cars and property and left us with nothing. No amount of money can ever ever replace my husband."

Source: bbc

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Bradley Manning acquitted of aiding the enemy for giving secrets to Wikileaks

Bradley Manning, the 25-year-old Army private who gave thousands of classified U.S. military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks, was acquitted of aiding the enemy in a military court-martial, but was convicted on multiple other counts.

As CBS News correspondent David Martin reported, Manning had chosen to have his fate decided by a judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, rather than a military jury. Col. Lind gave no explanation for her verdict or why she was not convinced by the government's contention that manning knew the material he provided to WikiLeaks would make its way to the enemy.

The charge of aiding the enemy was the most serious of 21 counts. It carried a possible life sentence without parole.

Manning was convicted of six espionage counts, five theft charges, a computer fraud charge and other military infractions. Manning's sentencing hearing is set to begin Wednesday.

Manning pleaded guilty earlier this year to reduced versions of some charges. He faces up to 20 years in prison for those offenses, but prosecutors pressed ahead with the original eight federal Espionage Actviolations, five federal theft counts, and two federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act violations, each punishable by up to 10 years; and five military counts of violating a lawful general regulation, punishable by up to two years each. All told, Manning faces a maximum of up to 136 years in prison for his various convictions. There is, however, no minimum sentencing requirements for Judge Lind to follow.

Accordingto the Associated Press, Manning did not appear to react to the verdict, although his attorney, David Coombs, smiled faintly when he heard not guilty on aiding the enemy.

"We won the battle, now we need to go win the war," Coombs said outside the courtroom after the verdict Wednesday. "Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire."

Source: cbsnews

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Leathers a bathing “booty”

Anthony Weiner’s online paramour took time out from her “15 Minutes ofFame” tour to cool off on a Santa Monica beach — looking more like a frumpy schoolmarm than sultry sext kitten.

SydneyLeathers — who sent Weiner a racy, bun-baring shot of herself in a pink thong during their 6-month dalliance — sported this unflattering two-piece halter bathing suit with high-waisted, cover-it-all-up bottoms late last week.

The $90 “Bathing Beauty” suit, from a line by late swimming star and actress Esther Williams, was clearly meant to evoke vintage 1940s glamour.

Instead, Leathers looked like she was wearing the swimwear equivalent of “momjeans” as she frolicked and posed in the California surf.

After spilling the dirty details of her affair with the serial sexting Weiner on television last week, Leathers is headed back to the chat-show grind tomorrow.

She’ll do a stint on Howard Stern’s radio show Tuesday with Myla Sinanaj, the sex-tape-hawking New York hotel maid who bedded Kris Humphries after his marriage to Kim Kardashian blew up.

After scrubbing her Twitter feed of references to pill-popping and pot smoking, Leathers

wrote,“Howard is going to have his hands full with both of us.”

Source: nypost

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Eileen Brennan , who starred in 'Private Benjamin' and other films , dies

EileenBrennan, who earned an Oscar nomination for her hilarious turn as the exasperated drill captain in 1980's "Private Benjamin," has died, CNN has confirmed. She was 80.

Brennan died Sunday at her Burbank, California, home after a battle with bladder cancer, her management company said.

"Our family is so grateful for the outpouring of love and respect for Eileen," her family said in a statement. "She was funny and caring and truly one of a kind. Her strength and love will never be forgotten. She will be greatly missed by all of us."

Brennan was known for character roles as sassy, brassy women, the kind with a sandpaper surface but a light, pure heart.

She played a waitress in "The Last Picture Show" (1971), the companion of Paul Newman's conman in "The Sting" (1973), a wisecracking maid in "At Long Last Love" (1975) and Mrs. Peacock in "Clue" (1985). She also did a great deal of television, including a reprise of her "Private Benjamin" role in the TV series of the same name.

Other TV appearances included guest shots on "Taxi," "thirtysomething," "ER," "Murder, She Wrote," "Mad About You," "Touched by an Angel" and six episodes of "Will & Grace." The latter earned her an Emmy nomination, one of seven she earned in her career -- including one that resulted in a win, a supporting actress-comedy pick for "Private Benjamin."

Verla Eileen Regina Brennan was born in Los Angeles in 1932, the daughter of a doctor and a silent-film actress. After several small stage roles, she finally earned notice for her 1959 off-Broadway turn as "Little Mary Sunshine," for which she won an Obie. Five years later, she gained fame for her performance as Irene Molloy, one of the woman who falls victim to Dolly Levi's matchmaking skills, in the 1960s hit musical "Hello, Dolly!"

In 1982, Brennan was involved in a horrific accident, struck by a car as she exited a restaurant with "Benjamin" co-star Goldie Hawn. She suffered broken bones in her face, an eyeball pulled from its socket and two broken legs. Even after recovering physically -- a process that took years -- she suffered from an addiction to painkillers and entered the Betty Ford Clinic in 1984.

"It was my only hope," Brennan told People magazine in 1985. "I had reached the stage where I was taking anything I could get my hands on."

Typical of her upbeat attitude, however, she told the magazine she took pride in her recovery.

"Everyone hits bottom their own way," she said. "Mine came through my accident, which led to my pill addiction, which led to my birth. I say birth rather than rebirth because I feel born new. I re-established a spiritual connection that is lost when you are taking any kind of drug. Strangely enough I wouldn't have missed my accident. It just knocks me out to say that, but I mean it."

Brennan also survived a bout with breast cancer in 1990.

Brennan was married to David John Lampson from 1968 to 1974. She is survived by two sons, Patrick Brennan and Sam Lampson.

People we've lost in 2013

Source: cnn

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Dodgers sign former Giants rival Brian Wilson

The Los Angeles Dodgers have reached an agreeement to sign reliever BrianWilson.

Wilson, who has not pitched since having Tommy John elbow surgery in April 2012, will be sent on a minor league rehab assignment before joining the Dodgers.

Wilson was the closer on the San Francisco Giants' 2010 World Serieschampionship team and saved 171 games for them over seven seasons.

From2008-11, Wilson was one of the top closers and led the majors with 163 saves.

But he was admittedly miffed when the club did not offer him a contract after his second Tommy John surgery ended his 2012 season, and now, he will pitch for their archrivals to the south.

Wilson is a three-time All-Star who led the National League with 48 saves in 2010.

Source: usatoday

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Mackenzie Rosman of “7th Heaven” shows her grown-up self in Maxim

TV's "7th Heaven" alum Mackenzie Rosman is baring quite a bit for Maxim, showing off that she isn't the spunky Camden family baby anymore. Alas, the former child star did not make the men's mag's annual Hot 100 list.

Rosman, 23, who also appeared in "The Secret Life of the AmericanTeenager," is stripping down to her bra, undies and occasionally sheer over-things for the September issue of the mag, following in former costar Jessica Biel's footsteps. 

In 2000, Biel, who played Ruthie's rebellious older sister on the 11-season drama, posed topless for Gear magazine. She was 17, and costar StephenCollins, who played dad Rev. Eric Camden in the family drama that ran from 1996 to 2007, equated the images to "child pornography."  Producers reportedly took legal action against the magazine and Biel's role on the show was cut down to guest appearances,according to Esquire.

"It was a big deal. The magazine was banned on set, I think by orders of [executive producer] Aaron Spelling," Rosman told Maxim (via Us Weekly). "I sneaked a peek at it, though. It was racy gossip amongst the women of '7th Heaven.'"

As for her own sassy spread, Rosman wasn't nonplussed about her state of undress, also not minding if people would be surprised by the images.

"They might be. But you know what? It's who I am," she told Maxim.

It isn't the first time racy images of the actress have surfaced. Photos of her posing in her underwear and kissing a girl leaked online in 2008, People reported.

Rosman most recently starred in the horror film "Beneath" and is set to appear in SyFy's upcoming film "Ghost Shark," which premieres on Aug. 22.

And just to put things in perspective (or make them even creepier), at age 23, the actress is two years ahead of modeldu jour Kate Upton, who is 21.

Source: latimes

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Former Birmingham striker Christian “Chucho” Benitez dies at 27

Ecuador striker Christian Benítez died on Monday morning after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest, less than a month after signing for Qatari club Al Jaish.

Benítez was admitted to hospital with severe stomach pain hours after making his debut against Qatar Sports Club in the Sheikh Jassem Cup but died shortly afterwards. He was 27.

Benítez joined Al Jaish earlier in July from Club America, after previous spells with El Nacional, Santos Laguna and Birmingham.

An Ecuador Football Federation (FEF) statement read: "The FEF regrets to inform you of the death of Christian Benítez, the striker of Qatar club Al Jaish and the Ecuador national team.

"Benítez, who was with his new club in Qatar, had a severe stomach pain, which was why he was rushed to a hospital, where after a few hours suffered he suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest, which ended his life.

"The Ecuadorian Football Federation extends its heartfelt sympathy to the family – parents, wife, children – and friends of our striker Christian Benítez.

"May he rest in peace."

Benitez was a regular for his country and made the Ecuador squad for the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany. Al Jaish were stunned at the player's death so soon after his arrival.

A statement read: "The club would like to offer its sincere condolences to the family of the player. Benítez had recently joined the club from Club America for three seasons. The player participated for the first time with the team during yesterday's match against Qatar Sports Club in the Sheikh Jassem Cup without complaining of any health problems.

"His sudden departure is a big shock for each member of the technical and administrative staff. He was a player that over the short period he was here was regarded for his high moral character."

Tributes were quick to arrive with the Manchester United winger, and Ecuador team-mate, Antonio Valencia tweeting a picture of the pair together.

The Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner, who played with Benítez at Birmingham, said on the social networking site: "Can't believe Christian Benítez aka chucho has died had the pleasure to play with him he was a top bloke. My thoughts go out to his family."

A tweet from Club America read: "You left as a champion, you will always be in our hearts. Rest in Peace Christian Benítez."

A Birmingham statement read: "BirminghamCity FootballClub is saddened to learn of the passing of former striker Christian'Chucho' Benítez. The thoughts of all associated with the football club are with Chucho's family and friends at this very sad time.

"Chucho's passing will now be marked at St Andrew's ahead of Saturday's fixture against Watford.

"The Ecuador international was an immensely-popular character during his time at the football club. During a season-long loan from Mexicanclub Santos Laguna in 2009-10, Chucho made 36 appearances scoring four goals."

Source: guardian

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Hunting for Luxeury , Retail Giant Buys Saks

When the real estate scion Richard A. Baker acquired the department store chain Lord & Taylor at the market peak in 2006, retail industry players laughed. Mr. Baker, they snickered, was just the latest money guy who would get clobbered trying to break into the fashion business.

No one is snickering anymore.

On Monday, Mr. Baker’s Hudson’s Bay Company announced that it had agreed to buy Saks Inc., one of the oldest and most revered names in luxury retailing, for $2.4 billion in cash, uniting it with Lord & Taylor and the Canadian chain Hudson’s Bay.

The acquisition would create a behemoth in the retail world and cap an extraordinary run of deal making by Mr. Baker. The combined company would own 320 locations, 179 of which are full department stores. It had combined revenues of about $7 billion in the 2012 fiscal year.

Mr. Baker is a dapper businessman who, once he bought Lord & Taylor, swore allegiance to that chain’s Black Brown 1826 private-label suits. Even with that interest in fashion, though, he has largely avoided the follies that have plagued other investors who have gotten into the retail business. He brought in experienced managers (including a handful formerly of Saks), invested in store makeovers and left most of the merchandising decisions to merchants.

“He is more interested in the financials,” said Walter Loeb, a longtime retail analyst.

Under the terms of the deal, the Hudson’s Bay Company will pay $16 a share in cash, about 4.5 percent higher than Saks’s closing price on Friday and about 30 percent higher than its closing price on May 20, the last day before reports about a possible sale surfaced. In New York Stock Exchange trading on Monday, Saks shares rose 4.18 percent to $15.95.

Mr. Baker prevailed over a number of other Saks suitors. Among those who explored a deal were Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, which had floated the idea of injecting money into the chain and then merging it with its rival Neiman Marcus. The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund of the Middle Eastern emirate, also took a serious look at the company.

Saks drew suitors because it continues to benefit from luxury shoppers who, after closing their wallets during the recession, have come back in force since. Its 2012 sales rose 4.4 percent, to $3.15 billion, and executives say it continues to benefit from foreign tourists, particularly from China, Russia and the Middle East.

While industry experts once questioned whether department stores would stay relevant given competition from the Internet, analysts said Saks’s prime locations, like Fifth Avenue in New York, had held up well.

“No tourist wakes up in New York and says: ‘You know what I’m going to do now? I’m going to log on to the Internet and shop,’ ” said Faye Landes, a retail analyst at Cowen.

Mr. Baker described the Fifth Avenue store as having tremendous financial results “in a neighborhood that has some of the highest rents in the world.”

But Saks also has a number of mall locations that are thought to be less profitable, and it is trying to build an outlet business with its Off Fifth concept.

Mr. Baker, 47, lives in Greenwich, Conn., where he grew up, the son of the shopping mall developer Robert C. Baker. In 2006, restless in the family business, Mr. Baker dove headlong into the retail trade. He teamed up with his father and two real estate investors, Bill Mack and Lee Neibart, to buy Lord & Taylor for $1.2 billion. A couple of years later, he acquired Hudson’s Bay and merged the two into a single business. Last year, he listed the combined company on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

Mr. Baker said there was no overlap between Saks and Lord & Taylor, even though their flagship Fifth Avenue locations are just 11 blocks apart.

“Where Lord & Taylor ends is where Saks begins,” he said.

That is not entirely true; both carry items from midprice clothing brands like Catherine Malandrino, but while those goods, which generally cost $300 to $500, represent the top of Lord & Taylor’s offerings, they are near the bottom of Saks’ price range.

The Lord & Taylor shopper might pick up a Marc Jacobs perfume to own a piece of that brand for less than $100, while the Saks shopper might preorder a $4,395 Marc Jacobs python bag instead.

And Lord & Taylor carries middle-America brands like Jessica Simpson shoes and Kim Kardashian perfume that Saks does not, lest its aura of luxury be sullied.

With the acquisition, Mr. Baker says he plans to push the Saks brand into Canada, where there is only one luxury department store chain, Holt Renfrew. “There’s certainly room for a little competition up there,” Mr. Baker said. Canadian Saks stores will be “on the luxurious side of the U.S. Saks stores,” he said.

As in his previous deals for Lord & Taylor and Hudson’s, real estate is an important component of the Saks acquisition.

Mr. Baker told analysts on Monday that he planned to pool the valuable property of the three separate chains and form a real-estate investment trust, or a REIT, which receives preferential tax treatment. Then, by selling shares of the REIT to the public, Hudson’s can also raise money to help pay down debt.

Other retailers, including the American department store chain Dillard’s and the Canadian food retailer Loblaw, have had recent success executing a similar strategy.

Hudson’s is just the latest owner of Saks, which was founded in 1867 as a privately held company operating as a division of Gimbel Brothers, the now-defunct department store. Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel opened the flagship Fifth Avenue store in 1924.

In 1973, British American Tobacco Industries acquired Saks Fifth Avenue when it purchased Gimbel Brothers, and then sold it in 1990 to Investcorp International, a Bahrain-based investment firm. Proffitt’s, the Southern department store chain, acquired the company for $2.1 billion in 1998, changed its name to Saks and jettisoned some of its lower-end divisions to focus on luxury. During the recession, though, as shoppers spent less, Saks expanded its cheaper private-label offerings and pushed designers to offer lower-priced options.

Mr.Baker did not specify whether the new company would continue to employ Stephen I. Sadove, who has been chief executive of Saks since 2006. “We don’t have a closed deal,” Mr. Baker said, “so we haven’t had those conversations yet.”

As for Mr. Baker, the acquisition also offers a chance for him to upgrade his wardrobe — Saks’s men’s labels include Armani, Gucci and Ralph Lauren Black Label.

“I’m very fond of our Black Brown,” he said. “But I definitely have more shopping options going forward.”

Source: nytimes

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