eCommerce

Barneys New York has opened flagship in downtown Manhattan on the same block that the upscale retailer was founded on in 1923 and maintained a presence through the late 1990's.

Traffic and conversion troubles led to a same store sales decrease for fashion retailer Bebe in the second quarter.

For the period ended Jan. 2, net sales decreased 5% to $122.4 million, as compared to $128.9 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. The net sales decrease was primarily driven by a comp decrease and store closures. Same store sales decreased 2.5% compared to an increase of 8% in the same period of the prior year. Traffic and conversion declined while average unit retail was flat.

Build-A-Bear Workshop on Tuesday said it will continue to diversify its store portfolio — including the opening of a branded experience on a cruise ship — as the chain announced disappointing results for its fourth quarter.

The retailer reported a better-than-expected profit of $20.6 million for the quarter, ended January 3, 2016, compared to net income of $11.8 million in the year ago period.

Offering a high-quality, seamless digital shopping experience is no longer a competitive differentiator, but a competitive necessity.

This is the main finding of a new study from Kibo (the new company created from the merger of MarketLive, Shopatron and Fiverun), “The Digitally Demanding Consumer.” The survey of 3,000 U.S. and U.K. consumers shows a high degree of omnichannel activity. Sixty-two percent of U.S. shoppers perform online research before visiting a store, and 80% of all respondents prefer to buy online and have products shipped home.

Nordstrom continues to expand north of the border.

The retailer announced that its Nordstrom Rack off-price division will open its first Canadian location, in Toronto, in 2018.

The 38,600-sq.-ft. store will be located at One Bloor in Yorkville, on the southeast corner of Yonge Street and Bloor Street, a well-known shopping district in Toronto. It will be approximately one mile north of the Nordstrom full-line store, which is scheduled to open in September 2016 at CF Eaton Centre.

Ezra Dabah is launching a curated box service for girls ages 3 to 12. Called Kidpik, the new concept will charge customers only for the items they decide to keep after the alloted trial period, Crain’s New York reported. [Crain’s New York]

Whole Foods Market’s 365 store concept is the first anchor to be announced for Butler Town Center, in Gainesville, Florida. It is also the first 365 location to be announced for the state of Florida.

Fashion and department stores, perhaps more than other retail segments, understand the benefits of visual merchandising. Consumers may set out to shop for a specific item, but seeing “that item” curated as part of an outfit with related garments and accessories is a surefire way to upsell complementary apparel.