Neiman Marcus

The Mall at Short Hills (New Jersey) will launch the holidays with its 13th annual “Santa Paws” promotion, as shoppers have pictures taken with Santa--pets in tow. On Nov. 9 and Nov. 16, shoppers will bring their canine companions--in costume, if desired--to the Ice Palace at Grand Court on the lower level of The Mall at Short Hills and have a holiday photo taken.

One retail category that’s been fascinating to watch evolve over the last several years is the women’s athletic apparel segment. Judging by the number of times reporters have asked me about women’s athletic apparel retailers in the last few months, I’m not the only one who thinks so.

Nordstrom is partnering with Curalate to launch Like2Buy, a platform that aims to offer consumers a more seamless shopping experience via Instagram.

Paying online got easier for Visa cardholders this week thanks to its launch of Visa Checkout. The service will allow users to register their card and then complete their purchases by entering their Checkout username and password.

New York -- Visa has entered into an agreement with Borderfree, a leading international cross-border e-commerce solutions provider, to offer customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan, special promotions from retailers in the United States.

Visa has entered into a partnership with Borderfree, a leading international cross-border e-commerce solutions provider, to offer customers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan special promotions from retailers in the United States.

By Mark McCurley, IDT911 Consulting

San Jose, Calif. – RetailNext Inc., a provider of Big Data analysis solutions for physical retail, has completed $30 million in growth financing. The company drew strategic investments from Qualcomm Inc. through its venture investment group Qualcomm Ventures, Tyco and American Express.

Nokia Growth Partners (NGP) led the round which included new investor Activant Capital Group and existing shareholders August Capital, StarVest Partners and Commerce Ventures. The financing brings the total capital raised by RetailNext to $59 million.

 

Los Angeles -- Drybar, the leading blowdry-only salon concept, has received a $20 million investment led by SPK Capital and existing investor, Castanea Partners.
 

New York -- Juicy Couture is closing its U.S. stores as it makes plans to debut a new retail store format in key high-traffic locations, including New York City, Los Angeles and Vancouver, in early 2015. The company expects to open 127 stores and in-store shops during the next five years in major cities across the globe.