Department Store

Cincinnati -- Macy's Inc. will start selling some of its private brand merchandise directly to shoppers in China through a deal with an online retailer there.

The chain said it will the goods through a Macy’s section on Omei.com, a newly established China-based online retailer of in-season luxury and fashion brands operated by VIPStore Co., a Chinese e-commerce firm and parent company of Omei.com

Hingham, Mass. -- Talbots Inc. said is extending its talks with Sycamore Partners about an acquisition offer. It is the second time the chain has extended the talks.

Talbots has extended the period of time during which it will talk solely with the private equity firm about its $211 million takeover offer until Thursday.

The first time Talbots extended the exclusivity period was a week ago, when it announced that the talks would continue until Wednesday.

CINCINNATI — Macy's is offering customers in China access to an assortment of its highly regarded private brand merchandise through a Macy's section on Omei.com, a newly established China-based online retailer of in-season luxury and fashion brands operated by VIPStore Co., Ltd.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Kmart announced it is launching an in-store bill pay program that will allow customers to pay bills from more than 3,000 companies—everything from electric, gas and cable bills to credit card statements and auto loans.

The program is being offered through the CheckFreePay walk-in bill payment service from Fiserv (FISV). Customers seeking an easy and convenient way to pay bills in person can now visit any Kmart store nationwide.

Seattle -- Retail companies are more able and willing to reinvest in their businesses, as evidenced by sharp increases in 2012 capital expenditure budgets, according to a new white paper released by Colliers International.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears is encouraging customer feedback for the products it sells by offering shoppers the chance to vote for their favorite participating charity every time they post a product review. Through its "Love/Hate: Share Your Thoughts, Send Some Love" project, Sears is offering customers the chance to share their opinion -- good or bad -- on products and in return vote for one of four charities to receive a grand prize of $100,000. The participating charities competing for the grand prize  include the American Cancer Society, St.

New York — Walmart topped the list retailers on the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands, according to a study commissioned by WPP Group and conducted by Millward Brown Optimor.

The BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Global Brands study identifies and ranks the world's most valuable 100 brands by their dollar value, an analysis based on financial data combined with consumer measures of brand equity.

Las Vegas -- Crystals at CityCenter, a 500,000-sq.-ft. retail and entertainment center in Las Vegas, was honored with the International Council of Shopping Centers' (ICSC) VIVA Best--of-the-Best Award in the category of sustainability. The award was announced on May 20, during the ICSC's annual global retail real estate convention, RECon, in Las Vegas.
 
Crystals, which is LEED Gold certified, is the largest retail destination to achieve the Gold level.