Church’s Fried Chicken Inc., which fought a...

Church’s Fried Chicken Inc., which fought a hostile takeover attempt by rival Popeyes Famous Fried Chicken & Biscuits, agreed to merge with the New Orleans-based company that has offered up to $330 million for the deal. The merger agreement ends a four-month battle in which Popeyes, owned by entrepreneur Al Copeland, attempted to acquire the ailing Church’s, a publicly held company rocked by management and marketing problems the last few years. Popeyes previously offered $290 million to take over Church’s, whose sales have declined to $533 million in 1987 from $639 million in 1985.