eCommerce

Putting aside all the challenges at Staples – weak demand, activist investor pressure to change its board and an uphill battle to acquire its largest competitor – one aspect of the company’s business is encouraging.

Although the company’s results for the fourth quarter were not good on either an as reported or adjusted basis, the commercial division achieve respectable sales growth and in the fourth quarter was the most profitable of Staples three business segments.

Seattle – If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Amazon.com is reportedly heeding that old saw with plans to open a store on the Tmall site of Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Holding Group.

Seattle -- Nordstrom on Friday opened the doors to its store at Rideau Centre in Ottawa, Ontario. The 157,000-sq.-ft. store is the retailer’s second location to date in Canada.

"We are thrilled to welcome Nordstrom to Rideau Centre, which is a major milestone and component in the shopping centre's $360 million multi-year redevelopment project," said John Sullivan, president and CEO, The Cadillac Fairview Corporation Limited.

Kansas City, Kan. -- Coach will permanently extend its temporary stay at Kansas City’s signature designer outlet shopping destination, Legends Outlets Kansas City. The permanent location, which will nearly double the existing pop-up footprint, is slated to open fall 2015.

The store is back, baby! That was the message I heard again and again at the National Retail Federation’s 2015 Annual Convention in New York City. It was sounded by retailers, consultants and tech suppliers alike as they rushed to explain the relevance of offline retail in an omnichannel world.

But the truth is the store never went away in the first place. Sure, some retailers are retrenching and reducing (or, in today’s PC lingo, “rightsizing”) their portfolios. It’s especially evident in the apparel sector, with some teen brands particularly hard hit.

McHenry, Ill. – Specialty toner retailer/franchisor Cartridge World has created a unified shopping experience across multiple devices, establishing an automated fulfillment workflow, as well as integrating e-commerce into the franchise business model. Working with Web development company Devbridge Group, Cartridge World launched a responsive design-based e-commerce site that offers the same intuitive shopping process across all platforms.

Brooklyn, N.Y. - Etsy Inc., the popular online bazaar where people sell artsy goods and handmade crafts and clothing, has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) in which it hopes to raise at least $100 million.

Petland has hired a former Walmart executive as vice president of corporate stores as the pet supply retailer looks to expand its national footprint. 

Although Tony Samples last worked at Walmart in 2006, Petland touted his Walmart experience in a news release. "Tony brings extensive retail experience to Petland at a time when Petland is expanding its retail footprint," said Petland President and CEO Joe Watson. Samples will lead Petland's retail store division and oversee the company's merchandising and marketing efforts.