eCommerce

Toys“R”Us is launching an innovative social media campaign to raise money for one of the retailer’s most popular causes.

The retailer is hosting its fifth consecutive fundraising campaign to benefit Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to finding a cure for childhood cancer.

By Jeff Trachsel

Showrooming has plagued brick-and-mortar retailers for years, with e-commerce quickly chipping away at in-store sales. Recently however, experts report the rising trend is actually the reverse - shoppers are now exploring options online before buying in-store. According to a 2014 report from BI Intelligence, reverse showrooming, or webrooming, is actually more common among U.S. consumers, with 69% of consumers researching online before transacting in-store.

Nashville, Tenn. – Genesco Inc. reported profit beneath Wall Street expectations in the first quarter of fiscal 2016, with planned inventory reductions and e-commerce-related expenses hindering growth. The retailer reported net earnings of $9.88 million, a 29% decrease from $13.97 million the same period the previous year.

Net sales rose 5% to $661 million from $629 million. Same-store sales grew 4%. Genesco said that West Coast port-related delivery delays impeded same-store sales growth.

Canton, Mass. – Destination XL Group Inc. shrunk its net loss to $574,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015, compared to $3.5 million the same quarter a year earlier. A shift to operating income from operating loss helped reduce total net loss.

During the current fiscal year, Destination XL intends to open approximately 32 DXL retail and eight DXL outlet stores. It also plans to close approximately 42 Casual Male XL and three Rochester Clothing stores.

Boston -- Online home furnishings and décor retailer Wayfair announced that Jeremy Delinsky has joined the company’s leadership team as chief technology officer.

Delinsky joins Wayfair with more than a decade of leadership experience, formerly serving as CTO and, most recently, chief product officer at athenahealth. Delinsky will report directly to Steve Conine, Wayfair’s co-founder and co-chairman.

Destination XL Group's reinvention seems to be appeaing to more customers as the retailer reported a boost in same store sales in the first quarter.

Fairfax, Va. – Geeknet Inc. has determined that an acquisition offer from an unnamed strategic bidder of $20 per share, or about $134.6 million, is superior to a previous offer from Hot Topic of $17.50 per share, or about $117.3 million.

True Religion Apparel's first-ever global flagship is also the brand’s largest and most digitally-savvy space to date, starting with storefront windows that display a continuous stream of video content—and also showcase style statements from shoppers themselves. The 3,000-sq.-ft. store is located in downtown Manhattan.

The interior pays homage to the vibrancy and edginess of New York City, starting with a dynamic entrance mural designed and painted by local street artist RAE.