eCommerce

New York - EBay and Sotheby’s are jointly launching live auctions on EBay. Part of EBay’s new live auctions platform, the service is now available for browsing and advance bidding on Sotheby’s items leading up to the launch of Sotheby’s first live auctions on eBay on April 1.

EBay and Sotheby’s originally announced plans to partner on live auctions in July 2014, and have since worked together to deliver a virtual experience. Sotheby’s first live auctions on eBay will be a themed New York sale and a photographs sale.

Foothill Rach, Calif. – A winning bidder has reportedly emerged for the assets of The Wet Seal Inc., which declared bankruptcy in January 2015. According to the Wall Street Journal, Versa Capital Management LLC will take over at least 140 store leases and invest $10 million in the specialty apparel chain.

On the heels of a very successful fiscal year, Foot Locker executives have announced a string of new and expanded strategic initiatives.

Richard Johnson, president and CEO of Foot Locker Inc. and other members of the company's senior management team announced an updated set of growth initiatives, and a revised strategic framework, intended to further elevate its long-term financial performance for the period 2015 through 2020.

New York – Foot Locker Inc. is significantly raising its long-term financial objectives for 2020, including achieving sales of $10 billion. The retailer also seeks to achieve sales per gross square foot of $600, net income margin of 8.5%, EBIT margin of 12.5%, return on invested capital of 17%, and inventory turnover of three or more times.

DSW Inc. says it plans to open as many as 35 new stores this year after reporting that its profits shot up 10% in the fourth quarter.

The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier. Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits.

Columbus, Ohio – DSW Inc. exceeded Wall Street expectations with profit in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014. The specialty footwear retailer reported net income of $30.8 million, up 10% from $28.1 million the same quarter a year earlier.

Cost of sales grew at a slower pace than actual sales, helping boost profits. DSW plans to open 35 stores in fiscal 2015, including eight to 10 small format stores. Sales rose 12$ to $640 million, from $572 million.

By Andrew Dark, CEO, Displaydata

As most retailers can attest, perceived inconsistencies between the online and offline worlds can lead to customer dissatisfaction and ultimately lost sales. Consumers believe it’s not possible to receive the same promotion or rebate in-store as online.

Mountain View, Calif. – Move over mom, baseball and apple pie. The new three things everyone loves are iPhone, Apple and retail.

According to a new survey of global English-speaking consumers in 84 countries, the “NetBase Brand Passion Report,” iPhone is the most-loved brand in the world. Apple comes in at number three. And retail and Apple dominate the rest of the top 10 brands, which are Etsy (4th), iPad (5th), MacBook Air (6th), Starbucks (7th), Chipotle (9th) and McDonald’s (10th).