eCommerce

Seattle – Amazon.com is reportedly planning to pilot the sale of goods created by 3-D printers. According to the Cincinnati Business Journal, Amazon is partnering with Cincinnati area-based startup 3DLT and four other companies to launch a pilot where Amazon would directly sell 3-D printed products through its website.

The buzz and hype surrounding 3D printing can make it hard to separate fact from fiction, but one thing is for sure: 3D printing has the potential to transform shopper expectations and retail supply chains.

Birmingham, Ala. — Whole Foods Market has signed a lease for 40,000 sq. ft. at The Summit in Lexington, Ky. Currently under development by Bayer Properties LLC www.bayerproperties.com, The Summit Lexington is a mixed-use project with 450,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurants plus 306 multi-family residential units.

Phase I of the project will open during the spring of 2016 with 340,000 sq. ft. of retail and the full complement of the planned 306 residential units. Phase II will add 110,000 sq. ft. of retail.

San Jose, Calif. – EBay Inc. is reportedly urging shareholders to reject a slate of board members nominated by activist investor Carl Icahn and instead support nominees picked by the company. According to Reuters, EBay recommends shareholder vote to re-elect four existing directors: CEO John Donahoe, company co-founder and managing director Fred Anderson, Intuit co-founder Scott Cook and former Agilent Technologies CEO Edward Barnholt.

As other retailers make headlines for store closings, Ross Stores’ 2014 expansion plans remain on track. The off-price retailer has already opened 30 Ross Dress for Less and seven dd's Discounts stores in 14 different states, and there's more to come.

New Albany, Ohio – Abercrombie & Fitch Co. reportedly plans to shift its marketing and merchandising focus from teens to college students. According to Bloomberg, Abercrombie executives said they will shift marketing, assortments and pricing to appeal to the collegiate market.

The Wet Seal has appointed Deena Varshavskaya, Nancy Lublin and Adam Rothstein as independent members of the company’s board of directors, bringing the total number of members to nine.

Severe weather that persisted during the year’s shortest month affected Gap’s February sales results. 

The company reported net sales for the four-week period ended March 1 of $929 million, compared with net sales of $966 million for the four-week period ended March 2, 2013. Comparable-store sales for the month declained 7%, versus last year’s 3% increase.

“While February was clearly a difficult month, we remain focused on executing our global priorities,” said chairman and CEO Glenn Murphy.