eCommerce

Another pure online retailer has made the leap to brick-and-mortar. The Monocle Order, an online member’s club for sunglasses and optical frames, has opened a flagship in Brooklyn’s uber hip Williamsburg neighborhood.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Dick’s Sporting Goods is now open at Alliance Town Center in North Fort Worth, Texas. During the May 31 through June 2 grand opening ceremonies for the 50,000-sq.-ft. Phase II anchor, co-developer Trademark Property Co., announced plans to add 237,000-sq.-ft. of retail and restaurant space to the center.

“With Dick’s opening, we are well positioned to complete the current phase and proceed with our main-street lifestyle expansion,” said Trademark CEO Terry Montesi.

New York – Law firm Harwood Feffer LLP is launching an investigation into claims against the board of directors of rue21 Inc. regarding the proposed purchase of the company by Apax Partners. On May 23, rue21 announced a definitive agreement for Apax to buy it, with stockholders receiving $42 in cash per share.

Columbus, Ohio -- Value City Furniture and American Signature Furniture are launching a social media contest to promote their new e-commerce sites. Customers can win prizes for sharing favorite items from the retailers’ websites and sharing them on the Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus, Instagram and/or Pinterest accounts. Customers can enter through any or all of these social networks through July 1. The retailers, owned by American Signature Inc., are giving away up to $10,000 in free furniture as part of the contest.

New York -- Following a two-year search, Foot Locker has moved one of its Manhattan locations from 541 Broadway to 440 Broadway in SoHo one block north of Canal Street, according to ABS Partners Real Estate.

ABS Partners negotiated a 10-year net lease on behalf of Foot Locker for a 9,000-sq.-ft. two-story building plus a lower level.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot has reached an agreement to sell its 50% stake in Office Depot de Mexico S.A. de C.V. to its joint venture partner Grupo Gigante, S.A.B. de C.V. for roughly $690 million in cash.

Office Depot de Mexico, which was founded in 1994 as a joint partnership between Office Depot and Grupo Gigante, has more than 248 stores throughout Mexico and Central America and more than $1.1 billion in annual sales.

Indianpolis -- Simon Property Group and McArthurGlen Group announced an agreement to form a joint venture through which SPG will invest in McArthurGlen, the leader in upscale, European designer outlets. 

Under the agreement, SPG will acquire an ownership interest in six properties and will also become a partner in McArthurGlen's property management and development company.  Included assets are in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada.

Atlanta -- Results of research released Monday by comScore and UPS showed that the more options an online consumer has, the more loyal and dedicated she may be. In fact, integrating social and mobile media, as well as providing shipping options and flexible returns, can drive brand loyalty as consumers seek out more choices and convenience when shopping online.