Australian Firm Buys B. Altman

SYDNEY, Australia —  Australia’s biggest real estate company, Hooker Corporation Ltd., said today it bought a controlling 58% stake in New York’s elegant B. Altman and Co. chain of department stores for an undisclosed price.

The acquisition brings the number of American retailers controlled by the fast-growing Sydney-based group to four. Earlier this year, Hooker acquired Bonwit Teller, another chain of stores based in New York, and it has agreed to buy Birmingham, Ala.-based Parisian Inc. Last year it purchased 80% of the California-based Merksamer Jewellers chain.