eCommerce

There has been a great deal of discussion and analysis in recent years regarding the ongoing struggles of many traditional department store giants. Brands like Sears, J.C. Penney and Macy’s are scratching and clawing to continue to stay afloat, together with a number of big-box retailers that are also struggling to remain competitive in an evolving retail marketplace.

Another set of weak quarterly results from Staples and another round of store closures could give the Federal Trade Commission more evidence to support Staples long-running effort to acquire Office Depot.

Fort Lee, N.J. -- Tucker Development announced long-term leases for first phase of Hudson Lights in Fort Lee, New Jersey. CycleBar, Linwood Wine & Liquor and SeeSaw will join the roster of tenants already signed to nearly 75% leased, 1 million sq. ft. development, anchored by iPic Theaters. The first-phase of the project will comprise approximately 140,000 sq. ft. of retail and 276 luxury apartments.

As part of a leveling of its technology spending, Nordstrom Inc. has made a reduction in its technology personnel.

According to Geekwire, Nordstrom recently laid off 10 employees in its technology department.

Saks Fifth Avenue is offering personalized service from store associates to customers beyond the confines of the store.

Partnering with personalized e-commerce technology provider Salesfoor, Saks is letting online customers create customizable Saks.com boutique pages. The pages contain personally curated assortments of Saks merchandise, accessible through a dedicated URL.

Direct store delivery (DSD), which involves shipping products directly to stores from suppliers and bypassing the retailer’s warehouse or fulfillment center, is not a new idea.

However, several industry developments have made DSD a more attractive and feasible option in many instances. Here are three reasons for a retailer to consider launching a DSD program.

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Chicago -- CBRE recently completed the sale of two retail centers in the Chicago, Illinois suburbs for $14.8 million.

Regency Square, a 43,361 sq. ft. center, located in Huntley, Illinois is 97% leased. The center is anchored by Aldi and includes tenants Athletico, Jimmy John’s, Little Caesar’s and SportClips. CBRE represented the seller, Interstate Partners. Regency Square sold for $10.8 million. CBRE’s Derrick Almassy and Rich Frolik represented Interstate Partners in the sale to Hamilton Partners.

Amazon.com is continuing to expand its network of physical pickup points at colleges and universities across the U.S.

Amazon has recently announced agreements to open staffed pickup locations at the The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Akron.

Opening this summer, this 2,509-sq.-ft. space at the University of Texas will be located in Gregory Gymnasium. Additionally, Amazon Student and Prime members will receive free one-day pickup for orders placed by 10 p.m. on more than two million items.