eCommerce

New York -- Dov Charney, the embattled founder and ousted CEO of American Apparel, is suing the retailer’s controlling shareholder, Standard General, for damages of at least $30 million.
 
Charney accused the hedge fund of an array of misdeeds, including defamation, false light, intentional interference with actual and prospective economic relations, unfair business acts and false advertising, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mississauga, Ontario - Walmart Canada has reached agreements to acquire one distribution center, 12 store leases and one owned property formerly held by Target Canada, for an aggregate of approximately $165 million Canadian ($136.3 million).
 

Cedar Hill, Texas - Trademark Property Co., the operating partner for Uptown Village at Cedar Hill, has announced a new name for the 610,000-sq.-ft. shopping center: Hillside Village. The new name and corresponding new brand were selected to reflect the garden-like look and feel planned as part of a multi-million dollar property renovation.  

When Target pulled out of Canada, it was widely expected that Walmart would snap up some of Target's locations. But Walmart has decided to acquire only 13 stores, in a deal worth $136 million.

Walmart announced it has reached agreements to acquire one distribution center, 12 store leases and one owned property in Canada. The retailer says it expects to invest another $153 million to renovate the 13 stores and distribution center, bringing Walmart’s total investment to approximately $289 million.

Barnes & Noble is targeting train passengers by offering a curated collection of free eBooks and eMagazines to Amtrak customers.

During Amtrak Train Days, which runs from May 9 through November, Amtrak passengers with Nook e-readers will be able to access bestselling eBooks from HarperCollins, in addition to other classics and popular self-published titles from Nook Press that have been customized to appeal to every reading preference, including romance, mystery, thrillers, children’s and business titles.

Gap Inc. is teaming up with popular TV host Ellen DeGeneres and her lifestyle brand ED on a unique fashion range that is designed to empower girls.

The new collection, GapKids x ED, will be an apparel collection and social movement designed to help all girls realize they have the power to do extraordinary things, the company says. The collection will be available for purchase starting Aug. 17 through Gap.com, in all GapKids stores in the United States, and select stores in Canada, United Kingdom, China and Japan.

Loehmann's has added a new e-commerce chief to help build the next phase of the off-price retailer's online marketplace.

Loehmann's said that Jeffrey Cripe is joining the Loehmann's advisory board. Cripe, who manages e-commerce partnerships and business development at Christie's, has experience in e-commerce, branding, audience development, and strategic partnerships.

New York -- Online high-fashion retailer Net-A-Porter is launching a mobile-app-based social network that will allow users to buy luxury goods, interact, and do a host of other things as well.

The app, called “The Net Set allows consumers to recommend products to friends, check out the latest trends, upload and share images and shop from among 350 fashion collections. The brands will gain direct access to communicate with Net-a-Porter’s customers for the first time.

Phoenix -- Big Shopping Centers USA and Red Development have announced a joint venture partnership to maximize market presence and performance of select U.S. retail properties in the Midwest and West. The alliance seeks to acquire established, first-tier community, lifestyle and power centers with strong tenant line-ups and sales figures that are well positioned in markets throughout the United States.

New York -- Hip online eyewear retailer Warby Parker continues its brick-and-mortar expansion. The company has opened its 12th store to date, in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.  

The 2,200-sq.-ft. store is Warby Parker’s first permanent location in the Midwest. It joins locations in cities across the nation, including such as New York, Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles.