eCommerce

New York -- Make Meaning is expanding its East Coast presence with the opening of its sixth U.S. location, at Bethesda Row in Bethesda, Maryland, on June 9. Make Meaning has five additional locations nationwide – two in New York City, as well as locations in Dedham, Massachusetts, Thousand Oaks, California, and Scottsdale, Arizona. The company plans to roll out additional locations nationwide and abroad.

Philadelphia – The board of directors of Urban Outfitters Inc. has authorized the repurchase of 10 million common shares under a share repurchase program. Pursuant to this program, the company, at its discretion, may repurchase its common shares from time to time, subject to market conditions and at prevailing market prices.

Urban Outfitters has repurchased all of the shares available under its previous share repurchase programs, including the 10 million common shares authorized by the board of directors in August 2013.

Spindle, a leading provider of mobile commerce solutions, has signed a strategic agreement with Moolah, an independent sales organization that serves thousands of merchants across the US.

Moolah will integrate Spindle's merchant aggregation and payment processing infrastructure into its e-commerce and mobile offerings, enabling Moolah to offer instant merchant onboarding, increase merchant approval rates and allow those customers to begin accepting credit card payments in approximately 10 minutes.

Target has formed a digital advisory council as part of its efforts to accelerate its digital transformation. The company will look to the panel of technology industry leaders to help guide its omnichannel strategies.

The council includes experts with varied tech backgrounds, and includes Ajay Agarwal, managing director of Bain Capital Ventures; Amy Chang, CEO/co-founder of Accompani, former head of Google Analytics; Roger Liew, chief technology officer of Orbitz Worldwide; and Sam Yagan, CEO of the Match Group and CEO/founder of OkCupid.

DSW may have had a challenging first quarter, driven by unseasonal weather and an aggressively promotional retail environment, but the company is looking to strengthen its competitive advantage by investing in omnichannel and assortment planning.

The company reported a sales decrease of 0.4% to $599 million for the first quarter ended May 3, compared to last year's first quarter sales of $601 million. Comparable sales decreased by 3.7%.

Target will test same-day delivery in three markets as the online shipping war among retailers continues to gain momentum. Target will launch a $10 rush delivery pilot in June in the Minneapolis, Boston and Miami markets, offering guests the ability to order as late as 1:30 p.m. in the afternoon and receive a delivery of qualifying items between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. the same day, the company stated in its recent quarterly call with analysts.

Foothills Ranch, Calif. -- Fashion retailer Wet Seal Inc. swung to a loss in its  first quarter amid declining sales. The company reported a loss of $21.8 million, compared with a year-earlier profit of $3.1 million.

Sales fell 17% to $116.7 million. Total same-store sales, including e-commerce, fell 16.9%.
 
Wet Seal said it was challenged by  weak mall traffic, higher promotional activity and disruptive weather as challenges for the quarter.

Leading U.S. toy manufacturer Jakks Pacific has entered into a long-term licensing agreement with Sketchers to manufacture, distribute and market a line of toys and products inspired by the lifestyle and entertainment brand, and the Twinkle Toes children’s footwear brand.

The agreement covers multiple product categories including collectibles, dress-up and role play, Jakks’ miWorld line of miniature play environments, and a line of Skechers Twinkle Toes themed Cabbage Patch Kids, which will launch in June.