Direct To Consumer (DTC)

Online powerhouse Zappos has opened its first-ever freestanding store, a 20,000-sq.ft. pop-up in the company’s  hometown of downtown Las Vegas. Powered by state-of-the-art technology, the shop blends online and offline retail. In keeping with the brand’s heritage, it will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from November 21 until December 31.    

The news that Zappos opened its first freestanding store caught by the industry by surprise. Here are two expert views:   

New Albany, Ohio - Abercrombie & Fitch Co. has entered into a franchise agreement with Grupo AXO to establish a retail store presence in Mexico. The franchise arrangement, the first in the company`s history, will encompass both the Abercrombie & Fitch and Hollister brands.  

San Francisco – Gap Inc. failed to meet Wall Street expectations for net income and revenue in its third quartet as its namesake brand continues to struggle. The retailer cut its annual forecast as sales at its namesake brand continue to fall, Gap’s net income rose 11% to $351 million from $337 million, helped by lower cost of goods sold and taxes.  

San Jose, Calif. - Cross-border shoppers (those for whom more than 10% of their online spend is cross-border), spend approximately twice as much as consumers who only shop domestically. New research from PayPal and Ipsos, which investigated the online and cross-border shopping habits of more than 17,500 consumers in 22 countries, shows 30% of U.S. online consumers shop across borders.  

The Children's Place has announced the appointment of Anurup Pruthi as senior vice president and chief financial officer effective Dec. 1.

Seattle - Colliers International released the highlights of its latest global retail report – examining 125 retail real estate markets in 50 countries – and found that luxury retail continues to show strong growth in the top global markets and prime cities in Asia.