Willkie advised Franchise Group and W.S. Badcock LLC, a leading home furnishings company in the southeastern U.S., in W.S. Badcock’s combination with Conn’s Inc., a specialty retailer of home goods.

On December 18, Conn’s announced that it consummated an all-stock deal that resulted in W.S. Badcock becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of the company. The transaction combines two complementary businesses, creating one of the country’s largest home goods retailers with 550+ stores across 15 states and approximately $1.85 billion in revenue.

Willkie previously advised Franchise Group, an owner and operator of franchised and franchisable businesses, in its acquisition of W.S. Badcock in 2021. The firm also recently represented Franchise Group CEO Brian Kahn in leading the successful take-private acquisition of the company by an investor consortium.

The Willkie team was led by partners Russell Leaf and Jared Fertman and counsel Jeffrey Daniel, and included partners Andres Mena, Charlotta Chung and Thomas French.