Retail

New York –- Online footwear retailer Zappos is ranked the simplest brand in the U.S. And that’s a good thing. According to the new Brand Simplicity Index ranking of U.S. brands from brand advisory firm Siegel & Gale, the top 10 list is dominated by retailers. The list includes Amazon.com at number two, Subway (#3), Pizza Hut (#4), Netflix (#5), Trader Joe’s (#6), Kroger (#7), McDonald’s (#8), Chipotle (#9) and Dunkin’ Donuts (#10).

By Mike Kercheval, President and CEO, International Council of Shopping Centers  

Blue Nile, the original online jeweler, has added a couple of gems to its roster with Sloane Street and Lisa Jenks joining the ranks of the Blue Nile Designer Collective.

New York -- Nordstrom came out on top in a ranking of luxury retailers by the Luxury Institute.    According to the group's 2014 Luxury Multichannel Engagement Index, Nordstrom had the highest incidence of customers spending online (26%) and in-store (45%). It also led in its share of total fashion spend (17%).   

San Diego –- PriceSmart Inc. reported net income of $21.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, up 5% from $20.8 million in the same quarter the prior fiscal year. However, this was still beneath Wall Street expectations. However, PriceSmart beat Wall Street projections with total revenue of $622.6 million, a 5% hike from $585.4 million. The addition of two new warehouse stores, bringing the total to 33, helped boost revenues.

Ad targeting firm Cardlytics said its secured an additional $70 million in funding led by Discovery Capital.

Cardlytics, an advertising and technology company regarded as a leader in card-linked marketing, said the new $70 million funding round brings its total venture capital funding to more than $170 million. Cardlytics intends to use the funds to continue to extend and expand the breadth of the company’s capabilities to make all marketing more relevant and measurable. Morgan Stanley acted as adviser on the deal.

New York -- Stylinity, a new mobile app letting users share shoppable images and earn rewards for purchases they influence is now available for download on iTunes. Instead of hashtagging brands, users use their iPhones to scan price tags and attach product information to their photos, creating a shoppable link embedded in the image.    

With technology products at the top of many wish lists this Christmas, The NPD Group’s top analyst covering the product category weighed in with a dozen expectations for the holiday season.

“The tech industry faces even more intense pricing and promotion than last year’s holiday shopping season,” said Stephen Baker, vice president of industry analysis at NPD. “The challenge of surpassing the impressive start to last year’s holiday season will be addressed head-on by the market’s emphasis on competitive offerings.”