Retail

According to a report by digital measurement firm comScore, desktop-based e-commerce spending rose 12% year-over-year to $56.1 billion, marking the 18th consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and 14th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth.

M-commerce spending on smartphones and tablets added $7.3 billion for the quarter, up 23% compared to a year ago, for a digital commerce spending total of $63.4 billion in the first quarter.

New York – Kate Spade & Company earned net income of $46 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014. This marked a return to profitability after a net loss of $52 million in the prior year period.

Weis Markets has appointed David Gose as the company’s SVP of operations.

In that capacity Gose will oversee the day-to-day operation and management of the company’s stores. He reports to COO Kurt Schertle.

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. has named Anthony N. (“Tony”) Thompson, 47, as president and CEO, effective June 1. Thompson joins the company from Papa John’s International Inc., where he most recently served as president and COO.

The nation’s leading department store retailer overcame weak first quarter sales to muster a 3.2% profit improvement and expressed confidence in its performance the remainder of the year.

The company’s first quarter earnings per share of 60 cents was a penny better than analysts forecast and a 9% improvement from prior year earnings of 55 cents. However, sales declined 1.7% to nearly $6.3 billion while same store sales, excluding sales from departments licensed to third parties, fell 1.6%.

At a time when sluggish-to-modest industry numbers have seemingly become the norm, and a protracted economic recovery inches forward, the recent spate of seemingly good retail and economic news has industry analysts and observers like myself raising a collective eyebrow.

Austin, Texas - Compare Metrics, a provider of adaptive commerce navigation and discovery tools, has secured $3.8 million in follow-on financing. The financing is led by Austin Ventures with additional funding by existing investors Julie Allegro of Allegro Venture Partners, Bob Greene of Contour Ventures, Capital Factory, Mike Maples Jr. of Floodgate, Brett Hurt of Hurt Family Investments and independent investors Ralph Mack and Adam Ross.

Ottawa, Canada - Amazon.com was the predominant low-price leader in several product categories from January through early April 2014. 360pi compared the pricing strategies of the industry’s top retailers, such as Amazon, Walmart, Home Depot, Costco and others, all based off of Amazon’s own product assortment relative to other retailers in power drills, televisions and outdoor gear.