eCommerce

A much-anticipated ruling on website accessibility has been issued out of the Southern District of Florida. The ruling in Juan Carlos Gil v. Winn-Dixie Stores (case no. 16-23020-civ-Scola; S.D. FL 2017) requires the attention of businesses across the country that host websites.    

Amazon is giving new meaning to the phrase "Christmas in July."  

Levi Straus is the second most patriotic brand in America. And Ralph Lauren isn't far behind.    That's according to the 15th annual Brand Keys survey of iconic American brands, which asked 4,860 consumers, balanced for age and political party affiliation, to evaluate which of 280 brands were most resonant as to ‘patriotism.’ Jeep took the top spot in the survey for the second consecutive year. (For complete listing of the 50 most patriotic brands, which includes several retailers, see end of article.)

Eddie Bauer LLC could be for sale.   The retailer has hired investment banks Guggenheim Partners LLC and Financo LLC to explore strategic alternatives, including a potential sale, Reuters reported. The debt-laden company is seeking relief from a $225 million term loan due in 2020 and $200 million revolving credit line that comes due in 2019, the report said.  

Noting that necessity-based have proven to resistant to the pressures of online retailers, Westwood Co-CEO Randy Banchik announced his company’s acquisition of The Arbors at Mallard Creek in Charlotte. Purchase price was $25.1 million.    “This asset boasts a variety of internet resistant tenants, insulating it from factors such as the rise of online shopping,” Blanchik said.  

German discount grocer is expanding its presence and investment in the U.S. — on two fronts.    On the heels of its first 10 stores opening in the U.S., Lidl is expanding with more locations. On July 13, the company will open two stores in Virginia (in Chesapeake and Culpeper) and two in North Carolina (Havelock and Wake Forest).  

Sears Canada is looking to reinvent itself.    The long-struggling department store retailer said it expects to close 59 of its 225 stores and cut 2,900 of its approximately 17,000 workers as part of its restructuring. Sears Canada filed for protection from its creditors under Canada's Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, the equivalent of Chapter 11 bankruptcy, on Thursday.    

The chief executive of a regional supermarket chain ranks among the nation's highest-rated CEOs.   Charles C. Butt, CEO of H-E-B, based in Austin, Texas, was the only retail chief executive to crack the top 20 of Glassdoor's annual Employee Choice Awards, which honor the 100 highest rated CEOs of large companies across the United States. Butt ranked #16. (The number one position was held by Benno Dorer, CEO of Clorox.)