Direct To Consumer (DTC)

New York -- The world’s largest online retailer will soon be driving around and selling product out of a truck — a truck that looks like a giant Amazon package.

Bridgehampton, N.Y. -- Garnet Hill, the online and catalog retailer, is inching closer to brick-and-mortar.

The 39-year-old company is set to open its first physical store, a pop-up location in the tony Long Island town of Bridgehampton, New York. The store is designed to give customer a "touch and feel" experience for Garnet Hill’s merchandise.

London – U.K. retailers Harrods, Browns, Space NK Apothecary, The Dune Group, Aspinal of London, Trunki, Brand Outlet, Austin Reed, Viyella, CC and Soletrader have all signed up to Borderfree’s global e-commerce platform.

Franklin, Tenn. - Much of the retail industry’s $642.6 billion in annual returns worldwide ($246.3 billion in North America) can be prevented.

That’s according to a new research report from retail analyst firm IHL Group, commissioned by OrderDynamics, “Retailers and the Ghost Economy: The Haunting of Returns,” which finds that quality problems/product defects are the leading cause of retail returns.

Sunnyvale, Calif. – Retailers who target a consumer base of moms have some new competition. PatPat is a new, free-to-download app for iOS and Android that brings moms direct access to manufacturers of clothing, toys, electronics and home goods at a price that is up to 90% less than traditional retailers.  

Hangzhou, China – Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Holding Group Inc. will reportedly pull the plug on its 11Main U.S. specialty e-commerce site. According to TechCrunch, Alibaba plans to fold 11Main into New York-based social shopping platform OpenSky.

Seattle – Nordstrom Inc. plans to open Nordstrom Rack at Waikiki Trade Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. The approximately 34,000-sq.-ft., two-level store is scheduled to open in spring 2016.

The property was acquired by Coastwood Capital Group, LLC in late 2013.

New York -- The home and lifestyle company that domestic diva Martha Stewart launched in 1997 has been acquired in a cash-and-stock deal valued at approximately $353 million. It’s a big comedown for a company that was valued at $2 billion on the day of its initial public offering in 1999, but whose fortunes have been on the downslide for a while now.

Retail licensing group Sequential Brands, whose brands include Jessica Simpson, Ellen Tracy and Avia, is buying Martha Stewart's lifestyle collection, although the domestic diva will maintain creative control over product.

Wallingford, Conn. — Edible Arrangements International has named Tony DiPippa as CFO.

DiPippa replaces former CFO George Wilson, who moves over to support Edible Arrangements founder and CEO Tariq Farid in the expansion of Edible Brands and  his other ventures, including Netsolace, Broadpeak and Naranga.