Department Store

Toronto -- A "Sears Hometown" store owner in Woodstock, Ontario (Canada), has launched a class action lawsuit on behalf of approximately 260 Sears Hometown dealers across Canada against Sears Canada and its American affiliate, Sears. Both are subsidiaries of Sears Holding Corp.

The lawsuit alleges that Sears lowered dealers' commissions, reduced advertising for local stores and bypassed the franchises by selling directly to customers who are located within their markets.

New York -- The co-founder of Target, Douglas Dayton, died Saturday after a long battle with cancer. He was 88.

With his four brothers, Dayton took over and reshaped the Dayton Co., which was founded by their grandfather, George Draper Dayton, as Dayton’s department store in Minneapolis.

Another 20 Target stores are set to open next week in Canada, bringing the retailer’s total to 68 units with another 66 units planned for the second half of the year.

The new stores opening between July 16 and July 30 include 11 units in Ontario, two each in British Columbia and Alberta, and three in Saskatchewan. The stores in Saskatchewan are the retailer’s first in that province.

Target Canada president Tony Fisher said the retailer was excited to bring its unique brand of shopping to the additional locations and a new province.

Santa Monica, Calif. -- Global e-commerce sales are expected to rise 17.5% this year to $963 billion, up from $820.5 billion last year, according to a study by Siemer & Associates.

Currently, online accounts for just 6.5% of all retail sales worldwide but is growing four times faster than traditional retail. E-commerce sales are expected to account for 9.3% of retail sales by 2016.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Office Depot has nominated former president and CEO of Collective Brands Michael J. Massey to its board. If elected, he would fill the vacancy created by current director Brenda Gaines, who has decided not to stand for re-election at this year’s annual meeting of stockholders. 

Corte Madera, Calif. -- Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc. said Friday that a group of stockholders will plan to sell up to 10 million shares of the company.

The company registered an offering of up to 10 million shares worth as much as $753.2 million. It did not specify who will sell the shares or when the offering is expected to close.

Restoration Hardware's biggest shareholders are the private equity firms Catterton Partners and Tower Three Partners, followed by Glenhill Capital.
 

Washington -- The retail industry added 28,000 jobs in June, according to the National Retail Federation. NRF said the industry had marked increases in every sector except furniture and home furnishings and health and personal care stores.


WHITE PLAINS — Burlington Coat Factory is joining the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night campaign for the 12th consecutive year. The retailer will be collecting donations at checkout to help support blood cancer research. 

Burlington Coat Factory also plans to enlist its more than 28,000 employees nationwide to participate in Light the Night walks across the country to commemorate lives touched by cancer and raise funds to help fight blood cancers.