Burkle

Ron Burkle is known for investing in supermarkets, but the Los Angeles magnate apparently is making a move to go more upscale. Burkle reportedly has made an offer to take a controlling stake in Barneys New York, the storied but troubled luxury retailer. A bid would suggest that the private equity investor is confident about a recovery in the luxury fashion market, which has struggled during the economic downturn. Burkle offered in December to inject $50 million into the chain in a deal that would give him 80% of the company's common stock, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Billionaire mogul Ron Burkle has invested in a new branded entertainment company, broadening his rapidly growing stable of Hollywood-related businesses. Burkle has partnered with publishing executive Richard Beckman and entertainment attorney Joel Katz of Greenberg Traurig to start Three Lions Entertainment, the company announced Monday. It will open headquarters in Midtown Manhattan in April, but is already operating out of temporary offices. Three Lions will produce network television programs that embed advertisers' products within the shows.

Singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell has put a Hollywood Hills home that she owns on the market at $829,000. The pop star marked her 55th birthday in November at an Atlanta concert with another Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, Bob Dylan. She also starred in the fall in her first TV special since 1980 and cut the album "Taming the Tiger."

NEW YORK - Finally, there's reason to believe the NHL and the players' association are listening to each other and might be inching toward a labor agreement that would salvage some semblance of a season. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, who has often accused the NHLPA of being unwilling to negotiate, was cordial toward the union after marathon meetings between selected owners and players at a New York hotel Tuesday. That was significant because Daly has been a loud and constant critic of the union's supposed reluctance to compromise.

In what may be the unlikeliest pairing of hosts on Oscar weekend, designer Giorgio Armani announced Thursday that he would present the couture collection he showed recently in Paris at billionaire Ron Burkle's Green Acre Estates in Beverly Hills the night before the Academy Awards. "This is a particularly meaningful Oscar year for me as many of my friends are nominated," Armani said in a statement.

Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle doubled his holding in China's Xinhua Finance Media to 12% with the purchase of $30 million in convertible stock. The new stake comes on top of the $27.5 million that Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. invested in September, Xinhua said. The conversion price is $6 per American depository share, a 31% premium above Xinhua's close Friday, the Beijing company said. Xinhua sells ads for financial publications and TV and radio stations.

One of Pathmark Stores Inc.'s largest shareholders said it opposed California billionaire Ron Burkle's $150-million purchase of a 40% stake in the money-losing supermarket chain. Lampe Conway & Co., which owns a 4.4% Pathmark stake, said in a regulatory filing that it would vote against the purchase by Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. at a June 9 shareholder meeting.

Ron Burkle, the great deal maker ["Burkle's Next Deal: Internet Start-Up?" Oct. 20]? When he and his followers were thrown out of Stater Bros., they bought Jurgensen's Grocery Co., sold the store leases and destroyed that famous Southern California company started in 1936. As a former employee of 25 years, I know he is overrated. How can you be rated upstanding when you succeed by destroying something that can never be replaced, along with the lives of others? SHIRLEY SCOTT Arcadia

Former Walt Disney Co. president and Hollywood agent Michael Ovitz won a legal victory over billionaire investor Ron Burkle in a Los Angeles courtroom Thursday. Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Soussan Bruguera granted motions for summary judgment, preventing Burkle's claims against Ovitz stemming from two failed Internet ventures from going forward.

Los Angeles billionaire Ron Burkle and his Yucaipa Cos. private-equity firm reported an 8.3% stake in Barnes & Noble Inc., the world's largest bookseller, and may seek talks with the company. Burkle intends to monitor Barnes & Noble's performance and consider the option to discuss strategic opportunities with the company's board or executives, according to a regulatory filing Friday.

After the coffee. Before figuring out if it is too late to become an Olympic swimmer. The Skinny: A lot going on for a Wednesday in August. Time Warner and Comcast both posted their quarterly results. Carl Icahn is selling out of MGM. NBC is finding friends for its Olympic coverage and the Games may even break even for the network. All that and more in this edition of the Morning Fix. Daily Dose: Cable subscribers in Ohio and Kentucky who were enjoying the NFL Network and NFL RedZone are losing the channels starting today (Wednesday)

Independent studio Relativity Media has received a much-needed infusion of cash thanks to its new billionaire patron, Ron Burkle. The supermarket magnate, who acquired a large minority share in the movie company behind"Immortals"and"Mirror Mirror"in January, anchored a new $350-million debt-financing round that Relativity has finalized. The money will allow Relativity and its chief executive, Ryan Kavanaugh, to get back into producing movies and start building out the company's 2013 slate.

Los Angeles supermarket magnate Ron Burkle went upscale with the latest addition to his portfolio: fashion retailer Barneys New York. Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. and Perry Capital took ownership of Barneys in a debt-restructuring deal, Barneys announced Monday. Perry Capital is the majority owner. The deal slashes Barneys' debt to $50 million from $590 million. "This agreement provides us with increased free cash flow that will be used to revitalize our stores, invest in Barneys.com and further enhance our customer experience at a time when our operational financial performance is very strong," Barneys Chief Executive Mark Lee said in a statement.

Los Angeles magnate Ron Burkle went upscale with the latest addition to his portfolio: fashion retailer Barneys New York. Burkle's The Yucaipa Companies and Perry Capital took ownership of Barneys in a debt-restructuring deal, Barneys announced Monday. The deal slashes Barneys debt from $590 million to $50 million. “This agreement provides us with increased free cash flow that will be used to revitalize our stores, invest in Barneys.com and further enhance our customer experience at a time when our operational financial performance is very strong,” Barneys chief executive officer Mark Lee said in a statement.

On the day after Frank McCourt agreed to sell the Dodgers, billionaire Ron Burkle issued a statement that indicated he would consider buying the team. "It is one of the best brands in all of sports," Burkle said. "And, like many people, I'd be very proud to be a part of its future. " Burkle did not bid on the Dodgers, but he might still play a part in the future of the team. With the opening round of bidding concluded, Burkle might consider backing groups led by Rick Caruso or Stanley Gold, according to a person familiar with the sale process but not authorized to discuss it. McCourt and his bankers cut the list of prospective owners Friday.

Billionaire Ron Burkle has added movie production and concert promotion to the arenas he wants to play in. The man who made his fortune bagging supermarket chains and selling them off for billions went into the live music business Thursday by purchasing Artist Group International, a New York agency that books concerts for Billy Joel, Metallica and others. He concurrently invested in the movie business by taking a stake in independent movie studio Relativity Media. Y Entertainment group, a newly formed subsidiary of Burkle's investment firm Yucaipa Cos., made the two deals separately for undisclosed sums of money.

In a changing of the guard that leaves three seats open on the J. Paul Getty Trust's governing board, trustee Ron Burkle has resigned, trustee Lloyd Cotsen has retired and trustee Agnes Gund has been termed out. In a Getty statement disclosing the moves Thursday, billionaire investor Burkle cited an "increasingly complex schedule." Cotsen, an art collector and philanthropist who joined the board in 2002 and became vice chairman in September, gave no reason for his decision.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's family has amassed enormous wealth this decade, pulling in more than $109 million through books, speaking fees and investments, according to tax returns released Friday by the Clinton campaign. The returns show that the family's annual income shot up after her husband left the White House, rising from $358,000 in 2000 to $16 million a year later, when Bill Clinton listed his occupation as "speaking and writing."

Did Jamie McCourt enlist billionaire Ron Burkle in her efforts to buy out her ex-husband Frank McCourt as owner of the Dodgers? As Frank McCourt launched an unusually personal attack on Commissioner Bud Selig, and as Jamie McCourt charged her ex-husband with waging "jihad" against Major League Baseball at her expense, the newest development in the Dodgers' long-running ownership saga revolved around the potential involvement of Burkle. Jamie McCourt has said for more than a year that she would line up investors in a bid for the Dodgers, but she never identified any potential partners.