eCommerce

One of the retail industry’s true innovators, Staples co-founder Tom Stemberg, passed away on Friday at the age of 66.


Stemberg, who died at home after a two-year battle with gastric cancer, was considered the father of the office superstore format. With the backing of Bain Capital and its co-founder, Mitt Romney, he co-founded Staples in 1986, and went on to lead the company through a period of rapid growth to dominate the office products industry.

One of the retail industry’s true innovators, Staples co-founder Tom Stemberg, passed away on Friday at the age of 66.


Amazon surpassed analysts’ expectations on Thursday, posting a 23% increase in revenue and its second consecutive quarterly profit. But according to a report by The Street, Amazon’s fast-growing cloud services business was the biggest story, bringing in $2.1 billion in revenue for the quarter. [The Street]

A veteran retailer has taken the reins at Vince, a leading-edge contemporary fashion label and retailer.

The company named Brendan L. Hoffman as CEO, effective immediately, replacing interim chief. He is the former chief executive and president of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc, a position he held from February 2012 to August 2014. Prior to that, Hoffman was CEO and president of Lord & Taylor.

Many retailers are still on a quest to offer customers a seamless experience.

Cabela’s smaller stores are not as productive as the company would like so the outdoor retailer is tapping the brakes on growth while it focuses on productivity.
 
In conjunction with the release of disappointing third quarter results and a reduced full year profit forecast, Cabela’s said it was evaluating it store expansion schedule and currently expects to open seven stores next year and no more than that in 2017.

Five Below is looking to generate brand awareness and traffic after selecting a new advertising agency to handle creative and media duties.

The teen and pre-teen retailer known for selling products for $5 or less chose Zimmerman Advertising, a division of Omnicon, as its agency of record and Five Below CEO Joel Anderson couldn’t be happier.

Fresh & Easy, which opened its first store in 2007 and was U.K. giant Tesco’s first U.S. venture, is closing its stores, the Los Angeles Times reported. The chain, which was never able to gain a foothold in the competitive U.S. grocery market, filed Chapter 11 in 2013, and was acquired by grocery billionaire Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos. with a loan from Tesco. [Los Angeles Times]