eCommerce

Sears Hometown and Outlet stores narrowed its loss in the third quarter despite weak sales growth in the appliance and garden categories.

The retailer said same-store sales decreased 1.6% in the third quarter ended Oct. 31. Net sales fell 3.2% to $547.1 million as the company reported a loss of $3.8 million, or 17 cents a share, compared with a loss of $171.2 million, or $7.55 a share, a year earlier.

H-E-B is blazing another new trail in the online grocery market with a special holiday promotion.

The Texas-based grocery chain is hosting 12 Days of Deals, online only, Dec. 5 through Dec. 16. Each day, HEB says, it will feature a doorbuster deal with something for everyone, from TVs and toys, to crockpots and coolers.

Fast-growing teen retailer Five Below grew even faster in the third quarter, as the company reported an increase in same-store sales and raised its outlook.

For the period ended Oct. 31, same store sales increased 4.8%. Net sales increased by 23% to $169.7 million from $138 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2014. Net income was $4.3 million, compared to $3.3 million. Diluted income per common share was 8 cents, compared to 6 cents per share in the third quarter of fiscal 2014.

J.Crew Group didn’t get any relief in its third quarter. On the heels of another decrease in sales and a widening loss, the company is bringing in a former Ann Inc. executive to help turn things around.

J.Crew posted a net loss for the third quarter of $759.7 million, compared to a loss of $607.8 million in the year ago period. (The retailer noted that both this year and last year reflect the impact of pre-tax, non-cash impairment charges of $845.9 million and $684.0 million, respectively.)

Following its launch of delivery to the Empire State Building in October, Starbucks is offering one-hour delivery in a new, larger location.

Starbucks is partnering with on-demand delivery service Postmates for a pilot program where customers in Seattle can have food or beverages delivered to them within designated areas. The offering is an extension of the Starbucks mobile order and pay feature on its app.

Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th continues to expand north of the border.

The off-price retailer and Ivanhoé Cambridge announced an agreement to bring four new Saks Off 5th locations to Canada. The stores, the brand’s first in their respective markets, will open in four Ivanhoé Cambridge shopping centers: Tsawwassen Mills, Tsawwassen, B.C., Outlet Collection Winnipeg; Place Ste-Foy, Quebec City; and Montreal Eaton Centre, Montreal.

Here are the details on the four locations:

Ulta Beauty's formula of one-stop shopping for prestige, mass and salon beauty products continued to produce impressive sales growth in the third quarter.

U.S. retailers looking for a new source of revenue may be in luck.

The number of China-based consumers shopping U.S. brands online during the holiday season has increased seven times from 2014, which is a record level according to Ant Financial Services Group’s Alipay. Alipay also found that total sales from China-based consumers purchasing U.S. products with its Alipay ePass cross-border e-commerce solution increased 15 times from the prior year.