eCommerce

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.

New York -- OfficeMax has become the latest retailer with a smaller-store, urban format either open or in the wings.
 
The retailer will unveil its smaller concept sometime in 2013, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. The new format will range between 5,000 sq. ft. and 15,000 sq. ft., the report said.

North Bergen, N.J. -- The Vitamin Shoppe said Monday it was notified by the FTC that it has been cleared to acquire Super Supplements, with a targeted closing date of Feb. 15.

In December, the vitamin retailer had announced it would purchase the assets of Super Supplements, a specialty retailer of vitamin, mineral and supplements, for $50 million.  

Super Supplements operates 31 stores in Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and expands Vitamin Shoppe's presence in the Pacific Northwest where it currently operates 17 stores.  

St. Louis -- Retail veteran Maxine Clark announced she is stepping down as CEO of Build-A-Bear Workshop, the chain she founded in 1997. Clark, 63, said she will remain as CEO until a successor is found. She will also remain on the company's board of directors.
 

The Hab brings new energy and excitement to one of retailing’s most staid categories: sewing machines and related accessories.
 
Click here to see how they do it.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Walgreens announced the promotion of Joseph Magnacca from SVP to EVP, effective Feb. 1. Magnacca also retains his title as president of daily living products and solutions.

Magnacca oversees Walgreens merchandising and inventory strategy, private brands, insights and analytics, and the New York-based Duane Reade drugstore chain, which Walgreens acquired in 2010.

New York -- Sears Canada is letting go of 700 workers as part of a plan to "right-size" the operation.

The lay-offs will include 360 department store associates and about 300 distribution center workers, as well as some head office personnel.

Sears Canada, majority-owned by Sears Holdings Corp., has falling sales. It is also facing major competition by Wal-Mart Stores and Target, which is set to make its Canadian debut this spring.

New York -- A report released Thursday by PwC found that U.S. retail and consumer merger & acquisition activity in 2012 drove both deal volume and value up from the prior year as the number of larger deals over $1 billion almost doubled.

According to PwC’s U.S. retail and consumer M&A insights “2012 Year in Review and 2013 Outlook” report, private equity activity in the retail sector comprised nearly 40% of deal volume and 55% of deal value, and IPO volume increased 38%.