Shopping mall giant Simon Property Group has engaged Sard Verbinnen & Co. for PR support of its $16B hostile bid for rival Macerich.
Santa Monica, Calif.-based Macerich is working with Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher for its PR defense.
Simon went public with the $91-per-share cash and share offer March 9, valuing the deal at $22.4B when Macerich’s $6.4B debt is included.
Macerich confirmed the hostile bid and said its board will review the offer with its financial and legal advisors.
The New York Times said SPG is looking to consolidate its hold on the high-end mall business. The Wall Street Journal noted upscale malls are thriving while "down-in-the-heels" malls are struggling to survive.
Les Morris is managing director of corporate PR for Simon. Sard CEO George Sard, managing director and general counsel Hugh Burns and MD Brooke Gordon are among the PR firm’s staff advising Simon.
Joele Frank top brass Joele Frank, Andrew Siegel and Scott Bisang rep Macerich.
Simon chief David Simon released a March 9 letter to Macerich chairman and CEO Arthur Coppola, expressing disappointment that he had not heard from Macerich as promised after a meeting earlier in March.
Simon, which also posted an investor presentation touting the deal, also said it reached a deal with General Growth Properties to sell some Macerich assets if it closes the deal.
Teneo is handling the initial public offering of CVC Capital Partners, one of Europe’s largest private equity firms with nearly $200B in assets under management.
Brunswick Group represents Endeavor Group Holdings as it agrees to go private via its acquisition by Silver Lake technology investment firm, which is handled by Edelman Smithfield.
Tod Donhauser, a nine-year veteran of Edelman, has joined H/Advisors Abernathy as managing director and head of its San Francisco office.
Intelligent Group Ltd, a Hong Kong-based financial PR firm, has priced its initial public offering of 1.9M shares at $4, which is the low end of the $4 to $5 range.
Kekst CNC represents Grant Thornton as it sells a majority stake in its US arm to New Mountain Capital, which relies on Goldin Solutions, in what is billed as the largest PE investment in the accounting and advisory sector.
Have a comment? Send it to 
No comments have been submitted for this story yet.