(Updates Swift Transportation, Anglo American, AT&T;, Rent-A-Center, Eskom and Bain Capital; adds Maersk, Whole Foods, Stefanel, Banco and Xcerra)

April 10 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 1940 GMT on Monday:

** Activist investor Jana Partners LLC disclosed an 8.3 percent stake in Whole Foods Market Inc as it looks to shake up the company’s board, while pushing it to explore strategic options, including a potential sale.

** Two private equity funds that have agreed to take over loss-making Italian clothing company Stefanel plan to relaunch the brand and sell it within five years, a source at one of the funds said.

** Spain’s struggling Banco Popular is looking at a another capital hike to clean up a balance sheet weighed down by billions of euros in toxic assets and would consider a merger deal, its new chairman said.

** A unit of a large China-based semiconductor investment fund has agreed to acquire U.S. semiconductor testing company Xcerra Corp for $580 million in cash, the companies said.

** World No. 1 shipping company Maersk Line gained EU antitrust approval for its acquisition of Hamburg Sud after agreeing to pull the German company out from five consortia on trade routes to address competition concerns.

** AT&T; Inc said it would buy Straight Path Communications Inc, a holder of licenses to wireless spectrum, for $1.25 billion in an all-stock deal as it aims to accumulate the airwaves it needs for a next generation network.

** German food company Frosta said it was talking to KitKat maker Nestle about buying its Italian frozen food business.

** Malaysia’s Petronas has pitched an estimated $1 billion stake in a prized upstream local gas project to potential bidders including Royal Dutch Shell, ExxonMobil Corp , Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production and Japanese firms, sources familiar with the matter said.

** Ski resorts operator Aspen Skiing Co LLC and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners LLC will buy Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc for about $1.5 billion, including debt, Intrawest said.

** The pressure on Rent-A-Center Inc to auction itself increased after Marcato Capital joined fellow activist investor Engaged Capital to force the rent-to-own furniture retailer to pursue a sale rather than a “risky” turnaround plan.

** Trucking and logistics operators Swift Transportation Co and Knight Transportation Inc are merging in a stock-swap deal, creating a company with a market value of more than $5 billion.

** Buyout groups Bain Capital and Cinven won an auction for German drugmaker Stada on after a surprisingly large increase on a previous bid valued the company at about 5.3 billion euros ($5.6 billion).

** Turkey’s Vestel is in talks to buy the television unit of Japan’s Toshiba Corp, a Vestel official said, a deal that could be worth a few hundred million dollars and could expand the Turkish firm’s global presence.

** Anglo American will sell its Eskom-linked thermal coal operations in South Africa for $166 million, it said, marking an important step in the mining giant’s strategic overhaul to sharpen its focus on three commodities.

** China’s HNA Holding Group Co. said it would make an offer to acquire Singapore-listed logistics firm CWT Ltd for $1 billion.

** A consortium of investors led by Indian private equity fund True North has agreed to acquire Religare Enterprises Ltd’s health insurance business in the country, the groups said in a joint statement on Sunday. (Compiled by Komal Khettry and Laharee Chatterjee in Bengaluru)</s>The company behind the Mont Tremblant and Blue Mountain ski resorts has signed an agreement to be acquired in a friendly deal valued at US$1.5 billion, including debt.

Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc. said Monday that U.S. ski resort company Aspen Skiing Co. and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners have agreed to pay US$23.75 per share in cash.

Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano says the offer is a 40 per cent premium over where the company’s shares were before a report in January speculating that it was exploring a potential sale. Intrawest shares closed at US$25.30 on Friday on the New York Stock Exchange.

In addition to Tremblant and Blue Mountain, Intrawest has Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado, Snowshoe in West Virginia and Stratton in Vermont.

It also has an adventure travel business including heli-skiing company Canadian Mountain Holidays and a real estate business.

Aspen Skiing Co. owns and operates four mountains: Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk. It also has hotels, retail and rental operations.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of this year and is subject to certain closing conditions including regulatory approvals.</s>Intrawest Resorts Holdings (NYSE:SNOW) to be acquired by a newly-formed entity controlled by affiliates of the Aspen Skiing Company, L.L.C. and KSL Capital Partners, LLC for $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5B including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of Q3 of calendar year 2017.

“This transaction creates significant opportunity for Intrawest and delivers tremendous value to our current shareholders,” said Thomas Marano, Intrawest’s chief executive officer. “The cash consideration of $23.75 per share represents a 40% premium over $16.97 per share, Intrawest’s closing stock price on January 12, 2017, the trading day prior to Reuters’ report speculating that the Company was exploring a potential sale. We are excited to work with Aspen and KSL. Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities. Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities.”

Deutsche Bank Securities Inc., Moelis & Company LLC and Houlihan Lokey are serving as financial advisors to Intrawest.</s>STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Steamboat Ski Resort has embarked on a new chapter in its 54-year history, with the news Monday morning that Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., has been acquired by ski resorts operator Aspen Skiing Co LLC and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners LLC for about $1.5 billion, including debt.

"This transaction creates significant opportunity for Intrawest and delivers tremendous value to our current shareholders," said Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano in a news release. "We are excited to work with Aspen and KSL. Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities. Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities."

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Intrawest stockholders will receive $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing.

The deal goes beyond the competitive advantages of bringing Steamboat, Aspen, Squaw/Alpine Meadows and Winter Park together under the same management, including the synergies that offers in multi-resort season passes. The new group also acquired Tremblant in Quebec, Blue Mountain Ontario, near Toronto, Stratton in Vermont and West Virginia's Snowshoe, with its proximity to the Washington, D.C. market.

As Vail Resorts has continued to gobble up large ski resorts and pursue dominance with its Epic Pass, other destination resorts have felt the pressure to compete or become marginalized. The eastern ski areas can be expected to be significant feeder markets for both the California and Colorado ski areas under the Steamboat/Aspen/KSL group.

"We are committed to honoring the deep traditions of each resort, while working with Intrawest's talented management team and employees to continue to serve both their guests and local communities," said KSL CEO Eric Resnick in a news release.

David Baldinger, Jr., a principal at Steamboat Sotheby's International Realty, who has been involved in public improvements at the base of Steamboat Ski Area, was encouraged by the announcement.

"I think this is fantastic news," Baldinger, Jr. said. Aspen and KSL "are both experienced operators and financiers and that is absolutely what most people hoped for if the sale happened, because they know the business they are buying (in Steamboat)."

He added he would have been concerned if a hotel chain or wealthy financier had purchased the ski area or the entirety of Intrawest, potentially leaving it on an island, in the midst of the ongoing consolidation in the ski resort industry. The advantages offered by KSL and Aspen Skiing Co. are that they are prepared to join with Intrawest in long-term business planning in the near term, Baldinger, Jr., said.

Realtor Jon Wade, principal in the Steamboat Group, expressed admiration for Aspen Skiing Co.'s corporate culture.

"I'm encouraged by how good of a community member Aspen Skiing Co. is considered to be for donations, affordable housing and environmental efforts," Wade said. "They’ve set a high bar."

Aspen Skiing Co. CEO and President Mike Kaplan said the acquisition will help Aspen Skiing Co. in ways such as recruiting and retaining employees, as part of a bigger effort, and in creating up-to-date technology that consumers demand. Some marketing initiatives will also be explored in the future, he said.

Even with a stable of sister resorts, Aspen Skiing Co. will maintain independence, Kaplan stressed.

“The independent spirit will be alive and well in Aspen,” he said.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2017.

Denver-based KSL Capital Partners is the owner of the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows in the Lake Tahoe region. Aspen Skiing Company owns and operates Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.

And there is a Steamboat/Squaw connection in the persona of former Intrawest and Steamboat Ski Area marketing executive Andy Wirth, who is intimately familiar with the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. business model.

Wirth left Steamboat Ski Area, where he had been senior vice president of sales and marketing, in late July 2010, to step up to the CEO role at Squaw. Technically, he had come to Steamboat in 2009, after two years as Intrawest's chief marketing officer and executive VP of sales and marketing for the parent company, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

KSL's corporate literature indicates it has a capacity to "unilaterally" invest several hundreds of millions of equity in a single transaction."

"While our typical targeted minimum equity requirement for the fund is $25 million, because of the nature of our portfolio companies, related entities and our desire to grow these businesses, no transaction is too small to execute. We have the ability to unilaterally commit up to $400 million of equity in any one transaction," the company reports.

According to KSL, the "firm's capital is generally funded by a combination of public state and corporate pension funds, private and university endowments, high net worth individuals, fund of funds and other financial institutions."

A sampling of KSL's portfolio of non-ski area properties includes: The Belfry conference and golf destination in England, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts with 6,500 rooms in Hawaii and the South Pacific, and East West Partners, with $3 billion of residential and commercial real estate, including Colorado ski country.

UPDATE: This story has been updated with additional information.</s>For the second time in less than two months, a Vermont ski resort is being acquired by a buyer from out west.

Intrawest, the parent company that owns Stratton Mountain Resort, announced Monday morning that it has entered into a “definitive agreement” to be acquired by Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Partners.

Stowe Mountain Resort announced in February that it’s being purchased by Vail.

Aspen Skiing Company and KSL will pay $1.5 billion for Intrawest, according to a release. Intrawest has a broad array of holdings, including Mont Tremblant in Quebec and Steamboat in Colorado. The deal is subject to regulatory approval; Intrawest says it expects to close the deal by the third quarter of this year.

Mike Kaplan, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company, said in a statement that the company is “excited to be part of the investment group that is going to work hard to help realize the collective potential of Intrawest’s portfolio of resorts.”

Eric Resnick, CEO of KSL, said the new ownership group is “committed to honoring the deep traditions of each resort, while working with Intrawest’s talented management team and employees to continue to serve both their guests and local communities.”

Rep. Oliver Olsen, a Vermont lawmaker whose district includes Stratton Mountain, said in an email Monday morning that the new ownership structure “brings new opportunities for Stratton, its employees, and local businesses in the area.”

“I look forward to learning more about future investments in Stratton, and stand ready to assist Aspen Skiing Company and KSL as they look to enhance the value of this important economic asset,” Olsen said.

This post will be updated.</s> Steamboat Ski Resort has embarked on a new chapter in its 54-year history, with the news Monday morning that Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., has been acquired by ski resorts operator Aspen Skiing Co LLC and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners LLC for about $1.5 billion, including debt.

“This transaction creates significant opportunity for Intrawest and delivers tremendous value to our current shareholders,” said Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano in a news release. “We are excited to work with Aspen and KSL. Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities. Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Intrawest stockholders will receive $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing.

“We are committed to honoring the deep traditions of each resort, while working with Intrawest’s talented management team and employees to continue to serve both their guests and local communities,” said KSL CEO Eric Resnick in a news release.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2017.

Denver-based KSL Capital Partners is the owner of the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows in the Lake Tahoe region. Aspen Skiing Company owns and operates Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.

And there is a Steamboat/Squaw connection in the persona of former Intrawest and Steamboat Ski Area marketing executive Andy Wirth, who is intimately familiar with the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. business model.

Wirth left Steamboat Ski Area, where he had been senior vice president of sales and marketing, in late July 2010, to step up to the CEO role at Squaw. Technically, he had come to Steamboat in 2009, after two years as Intrawest’s chief marketing officer and executive VP of sales and marketing for the parent company, in Vancouver, British Columbia.

KSL’s corporate literature indicates it has a capacity to “unilaterally” invest several hundreds of millions of equity in a single transaction.”

“While our typical targeted minimum equity requirement for the fund is $25 million, because of the nature of our portfolio companies, related entities and our desire to grow these businesses, no transaction is too small to execute. We have the ability to unilaterally commit up to $400 million of equity in any one transaction,” the company reports.

According to KSL, the “firm’s capital is generally funded by a combination of public state and corporate pension funds, private and university endowments, high net worth individuals, fund of funds and other financial institutions.”

A sampling of KSL’s portfolio of non-ski area properties includes: The Belfry conference and golf destination in England, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts with 6,500 rooms in Hawaii and the South Pacific, and East West Partners, with $3 billion of residential and commercial real estate, including Colorado ski country

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.</s>STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Steamboat Ski Resort has embarked on a new chapter in its 54-year history, with the news Monday morning that Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc., has been acquired by ski resorts operator Aspen Skiing Co. LLC and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners LLC for about $1.5 billion, including debt.

“This transaction creates significant opportunity for Intrawest and delivers tremendous value to our current shareholders,” said Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano in a news release. “We are excited to work with Aspen and KSL. Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities. Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Intrawest stockholders will receive $23.75 in cash for each share of Intrawest common stock, representing a total valuation of approximately $1.5 billion including debt obligations to be assumed or refinanced net of cash at closing.

“We are committed to honoring the deep traditions of each resort, while working with Intrawest’s talented management team and employees to continue to serve both their guests and local communities,” said KSL CEO Eric Resnick in a news release.

The transaction is expected to close by the end of the third quarter of 2017.

Denver-based KSL Capital Partners is the owner of the Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows in the Lake Tahoe region. Aspen Skiing Company owns and operates Snowmass, Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands and Buttermilk.

And there is a Steamboat/Squaw connection in the persona of former Intrawest and Steamboat Ski Area marketing executive Andy Wirth, who is intimately familiar with the Steamboat Ski and Resort Corp. business model.

Wirth left Steamboat Ski Area, where he had been senior vice president of sales and marketing, in late July 2010, to step up to the CEO role at Squaw. Technically, he had come to Steamboat in 2009, after two years as Intrawest’s chief marketing officer and executive VP of sales and marketing for the parent company, in Vancouver, British Columbia.</s>DENVER—The company behind the Mont Tremblant and Blue Mountain ski resorts has signed an agreement to be acquired in a friendly deal valued at $1.5 billion (U.S.), including debt.

Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc. said Monday that U.S. ski resort company Aspen Skiing Co. and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners have agreed to pay $23.75 per share in cash.

Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano said the offer is a 40-per-cent premium over where the company’s shares were before a report in January speculating that it was exploring a potential sale.

“Our new partners bring additional financial resources and a shared passion for the mountains and our mountain communities,” Marano said in a statement.

“Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities.”</s>Aspen Skiing Co, KSL Capital to buy Intrawest for US$1.5B

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Ski resorts operator Aspen Skiing Co LLC and private equity firm KSL Capital Partners LLC will buy Intrawest Resorts Holdings Inc for about US$1.5 billion, including debt, Intrawest said on Monday.

Intrawest's best known ski properties include Stratton Mountain in Vermont, Mont Tremblant in Quebec and Steamboat in Colorado.

It also owns mountain resorts, adventure retreats and real estate across the United States and Canada.

Citing sources, Reuters reported on Sunday that Intrawest would announce its sale on Monday to a ski resort operator backed by buyout firm KSL Capital.</s>DENVER — Aspen Skiing Co. and KSL Capital Partners announced Monday they had acquired Intrawest Resorts for $1.5 billion, giving them control of Winter Park and Steamboat ski areas.

Aspen Skiing Co. and KSL will take the company private and assume Intrawest’s debt.

“Both Aspen and KSL are committed to helping Intrawest accelerate our plans to bring more value to our guests, more opportunities for our employees and more investment into our local communities,” Intrawest CEO Thomas Marano said in a statement.

The move will add to Aspen Skiing’s four resorts: Snowmass, Buttermilk, Aspen Mountain and Aspen Highlands.
Aspen Skiing Company and KSL Capital Partners agree to acquire Intrawest for $1.5 billion.