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A new website from PayPal is looking to help businesses navigate global markets. PassPort, which is free and was launched earlier this week, provides insight into global markets by country, outlining gift-giving traditions and major holidays, as well as providing shipping tools for sellers.

Dodgeville, Wisconsin — Lands' End reported that profit for the first quarter surged 68% to $10.9 million, from $6.5 million in the year-ago period, as shoppers have responded to improved merchandise assortments and targeted promotions.

The company, which was recently spun off by Sears, also reported a revenue rise of 4% to $330.5 million. Same-store sales climbed 3.4%.
 

San Francisco — Lower gross profits and higher pretax losses helped drive The Gymboree Corp.’s net loss to $15 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2014, up from $2.85 million a year earlier. The retailer plans to open 50 new stores and close 25-30 existing stores during the fiscal year.

Net sales shrank 7% to $272 million from $292.78 million. Same-store sales dropped 10%. Gymboree plans to open new stores fairly evenly across its brands, and will spend $35-$40 million in capital expenditures during fiscal 2014.

Chine-based e-commerce company DHgate allows consumers and business to purchase goods directly from Chinese manufacturers and has big growth plans after hiring veterans of Amazon, Google, eBay and Alibaba.

With coupons for anywhere from J.C. Penney to Jos. A. Bank, instant savings are now in people’s pockets with the addition of Groupon Freebies to the coupon giant’s mobile app.

The feature, which was launched late in 2013 on Groupon’s website, was added to its mobile app on Tuesday. With Freebies now available to deal seekers on the go, some 30,000 coupons, discount codes and other deals that it features will be at customers’ fingertips.

Amy Heidersbach, who has spent the last four years at eBay overseeing various marketing efforts, including Pay Pal, has joined customer experience management company Needle as SVP, chief marketing officer.

Heidersbach led PayPal’s $12.5 billion enterprise and retail solutions unit while at eBay and also was also on the executive team that founded X.commerce, the online auction house’s ecommerce platform division. Heidersbach brought X.commerce together with ecommerce platform Magento after it was acquired by eBay in 2011.

Risk averse retailers were quick to shun Paula Deen after she displayed racial insensitivities last year, but now she is back with a new approach that appeals directly to fans of her brand.

Paula Deen Ventures plans to create an interactive digital experience called the Paula Deen Network that allows viewers to engage and access Deen and her Southern home cooking on a variety of digital platforms. The network will be a paid subscription model and is scheduled to launch this September.

San Mateo, Calif. – Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group is debuting its U.S. e-commerce site, 11Main.com, with a beta rollout on Wednesday, June 11. The home page of the invite-only website says “We’re opening soon — our shop owners are getting unpacked and unsettled,” and has an online invite request option. (Alibaba has filed for an initial public offering in the United States, in May.)