Consumer Electronics

RESTON, Va. — E-commerce sales grew 13% year-over-year to $50.2 billion, marking the fourteenth consecutive quarter of positive year-over-year growth and tenth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth, according to comScore. It was also just the second quarter on record to surpass $50 billion in spending.

The survey also revealed that nearly half (48%) of time spent in the retail category occurred on mobile devices, with smartphones (34%) outpacing tablets (14%).

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer is marking a special milestone Thursday, May 16, when it opens its 200th store in Swartz Creek, Mich. The store opening will create more than 200 jobs for the community. 

To celebrate the event, the family-owned retailer will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. at the store, located at 4141 Morrish Rd. Meijer officials will be on hand, and the retailer will make presentations to the Swartz Creek Food Bank and the Swartz Creek Civic Center enhancement project.

NEW YORK — The Buckle and Zumiez all reported better-than-expected same-store sales for April, even as concerns about the job market bit into other retailers’ results.

The Buckle, Inc. reported a 6.2% increase in same-store sales for April, well ahead of the 1.5% same-store revenue growth anticipated by Wall Street analysts. The teen apparel retailer also reported year-to-date same-store revenue growth of 1.2% and total sales of $269.7 million, a 2.3% increase. 

By Nicholas J. Percoco, Trustwave

Recently, National Security Agency Director Gen. Keith Alexander told Congress that he would be establishing teams for a new cyber command unit. Gen. Alexander said the DoD would use the cyber teams for offensive measures only. This is sure to be the start of a long and interesting hearings on Capitol Hill, but businesses do not, and should not, have to wait before they start to protect themselves from cyber criminals.

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — Declines in technology product category sales and decreased foot traffic at its stores affected OfficeMax’s results for its fiscal first quarter ended March 30, 2013. 

After a successful pilot, Best Buy Canada is expanding its use of fully integrated, enterprise mobile point (mPOS) solutions on its selling floor. The new, tablet-based technology has improved customer service, including reducing checkout times, and staff productivity.

I visited my first Von Maur store in 1999, a decade after I relocated from southern boomtown Atlanta to Lincoln, Neb., a sleepy college town that only really wakes up on Husker football Saturdays. Today I am back home in Baton Rouge, La., still no bustling metropolis, but the food and football trump.

Irvine Co.'s The Market Place is too big for one city. It sprawls across two. Split in two by Jamboree Road, the southern half of the 120-store, 165-acre center resides in Irvine, Calif. The northern half is in Tustin.

The huge regional destination center combines open-air lifestyle retail with big-box retail. Nationally known value- and quality-driven store names offer apparel, books, electronics, fitness, groceries, home furnishings and decor, movie theaters, restaurants, various services, sporting goods, toys, and on and on.