eCommerce

New York -- CVS Caremark Corp. bought Drogaria Onofre, a 44-store drug store based in San Paulo, Brazil, last week, Reuters reported. It marks the first time CVS has expanded outside the United States.
 
"We view Brazil as an attractive market given that healthcare and pharmacy are expected to grow double digits for the next decade," CVS CEO Larry Merlo told Reuters. "It's still a highly-fragmented market, so we see nice opportunity to grow the business over time."

By Gary Glick, partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP

New York -- Social media isn’t likely to become an important retail channel anytime soon, according to a new report by PwC. The study, “Demystifying the Online Shopper: 10 Myths of Multichannel Retailing,” found that in-store shopping is still center to the shopping experience.

“Our report finds that the physical store remains the centerpiece of the purchase journey, while devices are used significantly for product research and deals,” said Susan McPartlin, PwC’s U.S. retail & consumer sector leader.

Deerfield, Ill. — Walgreens Tuesday morning reported January sales of $6.2 billion, an increase of 6.3% as compared to the same month in fiscal 2012.

Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased by 13.6% in January and increased 11.6% on a day-fall adjusted basis. This year's January had one additional Wednesday and Thursday and one fewer Sunday and Monday compared with January 2012, positively impacting prescriptions filled in comparable stores by 2 percentage points.

New York -- Fidelity, the Boston-based investment firm, has bought a 10% stake in C. Wonder, according to Women’s Wear Daily. Founded by Christopher Burch in 2011, the company has since expanded to 10 locations and also operates pop-up stores.

Burch has big plans for C.Wonder, which sells a mix of apparel, accessories and home goods, all under its own label. According to previous reports, he plans to expand it to 50 to 100 stores by the end of 2014, including locations abroad.

New York -- Douglas Elliman's Retail Group said Tuesday it has arranged the lease for Oro Gold Cosmetics' first New York flagship at 118 East 57th Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues.

The retailer currently operates 50 dedicated boutiques and spas in affluent markets worldwide, including London, Barcelona, Moscow, Dubai and Singapore, as well as in such U.S. cities as Chicago, Dallas, Las Vegas, Boston, Miami and throughout California, from San Diego to Sacramento.

Arlington, Va. -- The passage of comprehensive tax reform and a more level playing field between online retailers and Main Street retailers for sales tax collection top the Retail Industry Leaders Association’s public policy priorities for 2013.

According to RILA, the retail industry pays among the highest domestic effective tax rates at 36.4% more than 10 percentage points higher than the average for all other industries.

New York -- Winick Realty Group said Tuesday it has been appointed the exclusive broker for Desi Shack, a fast-casual South Asian restaurant concept with one current location in Midtown East.

Desi Shack plans to open two more locations within the next 12 months, seeking sites measuring 600 sq. ft. to 1,500 sq. ft. in the Financial District, Midtown East, Midtown West, Flatiron, Union Square, the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side of Manhattan.