eCommerce

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. -- Mid-America Asset Management said it has signed three furniture/home décor stores to retail locations in Chicago’s suburbs of Oak Brook and McHenry as well as downstate in Bloomington, Ill.

Ashley Furniture signed a lease for 31,573 sq. ft. at Colonial Plaza in Bloomington, Ill., with plans to open in spring 2013. Ashley Furniture will co-anchor the 236,460-sq.-ft. center along with Kmart and OfficeMax.

Minneapolis -- Shortly after abandoning buyout possibilities of his former company, Best Buy co-founder and former chairman Richard Schulze announced Monday that he is returning to the retailer as chairman emeritus.

Schulze, who is Best Buy’s largest shareholder, is nominating two former Best Buy executives to join him on the board: former CEO Brad Anderson and former COO Al Lenzmeier.

Bergen, N.J. -- Vitamin Shoppe said Monday it has opened its first international franchised Vitamin Shoppe store, located in Panama City. The store, which opened March 4, is owned and operated by franchisee Reprico.

"We're excited to partner with Reprico and bring the Vitamin Shoppe to Panama," said Musab Balbale, director of new business for the Vitamin Shoppe. "Our focus on delighting the customer with knowledge and great service will make us a trusted source for our customers in Panama."

New York -- Tiffany & Co.’s fourth-quarter net income inched up 0.7%, but its results still topped analysts’ predictions as strong demand in Asia helped to offset domestic weakness. The company also offered an annual sales outlook that topped analysts' estimates, citing its strong prospects in most Asian markets.
    
For the quarter ended Jan. 31, Tiffany earned $179.6 million, compared with $178.4 million in the year-ago period. Revenue increased 4% to $1.24 billion.
     

Bossier City, La. -- Covington, La.-based Stirling Properties said that it has been retained to provide comprehensive property and construction management and office leasing services for Louisiana Boardwalk, a 562,250-sq.-ft. retail/mixed-use development on the waterfront of Bossier City, La.

Garrison Investment Group of New York City recently acquired Louisiana Boardwalk and will re-launch the retail center as The Outlets at Louisiana Boardwalk.

Toronto -- Canadian Tire has opened a digital development lab in Communitech, a start-up incubator that is home to some 100 startups and small businesses along with such “strategics” partner companies as Google Inc. and Intel Corp.
 
Communitech supports tech companies at all stages of their growth and development in the commercialization of innovative technologies.

New York -- In another sign that British retail giant Tesco is reconsidering its U.S. Fresh & Easy division, the company sent an email sent to shoppers in which it acknowledged that the grocer doesn't know "if Tesco will continue to own the company," the Los Angeles Times reported.
 
Fresh & Easy spokesman Brendan Wonnacott said that Tesco is still reviewing its American chain, and will make an update in April as part of the company's full-year results, the report said.

Warrendale, Pa. -- Teen fashion retailer Rue21 opened its 900th store on March 21, in the Southern Hills Shopping Center of West Plains, Missouri. The company also reported that its fourth quarter income increased 16% on strong sales.