Retail

San Jose, Calif. -- Online auctioneer eBay said Monday it has launched a virtual outlet mall in the United States it is calling Fashion Outlet.

The virtual mall will allow users to access discounted apparel and accessories across brands and retailer banners. Featured brands and banners include BCBG, Neiman Marcus, Brooks Brothers, Last Call and Timberland.

According to eBay’s head of global fashion Miriam Lahage, the company is leveraging the burgeoning popularity of the outlet category as the fastest-growing retail channel.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Same-store sales growth and a number of new store opening helped Autozone deliver another impressive quarter, while helping the company maintain its position as a leading automotive parts retailer for both everyday consumers and professionals.

Autozone reported net sales of $2.6 billion for its fourth quarter ended Aug. 27, an increase of 8.1% from the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Domestic same-store sales increased 4.5% for the quarter.

New York City -- Holiday retail hiring is expected to be flat or even slightly lower compared with last year, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas’ annual holiday hiring forecast.

The outplacement consulting firm said 627,000 seasonal retail jobs were created from October through December in 2010. The total was up 27% from 2009, and nearly double the 26-year low that occurred in 2008.

Dallas -- Lucernex Technologies said Tuesday that Aaron’s has selected Lucernex’s Lx Retail to manage its over 1,800 stores in 48 states and Canada.

“After evaluating our operational requirements, we realized that we needed more than just a replacement for our legacy lease administration system.  We needed an integrated approach to managing our real estate. Lucernex offers a solution that will allow us to manage the entire store life cycle in one database and on one platform,” said senior VP real estate, Paul Doize.

Memphis -- AutoZone reported Tuesday that profit for the quarter ended Aug. 27 rose 12% to $301.5 million, compared with $268.9 million in the year-ago period.

Sales rose 8.1% to $2.64 billion from $2.45 billion, topping Wall Street expectations of $2.61 billion in sales. Same-store sales in the U.S. rose 4.5%.

During the quarter, AutoZone opened 68 new stores, replaced five stores, and closed one store in the United States and opened 18 new stores in Mexico.

New York City -- Duane Reade said Monday it has added Smith Electric Vehicles' Newton zero-emission, all-electric commercial trucks to its delivery fleet.

With the addition of these medium-duty trucks, Duane Reade is the first retail pharmacy in the United States to choose fleet electrification through a pilot program with Smith Electric Vehicles, a global supplier of zero-emission, all-electric commercial vehicles.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club announced the launch of Simply Right Baby Care, which will be part of its Simply Right health and wellness brand.

The Simply Right Baby Care line will include premium diapers, premium wipes and infant formula.

Westlake Village, Calif. -- In a survey released Tuesday by J.D. Power and Associates, which polled customers about their expectations of their pharmacists, Good Neighbor Pharmacy, Health Mart, Kaiser Permanente Pharmacy, Publix and Target rank highest in pharmacy customer satisfaction in their respective segments.