eCommerce

Hoffman Estates, Ill. – Sears is launching Now + Here, a fast fashion shop available in Sears stores across the country, on Sears.com and Shopyourway.com, in the second week of April. The Now + Here shops offer a new shop environment with monthly deliveries.

The fully integrated retail experience extends online with access to exclusive content, including behind the scenes videos and fashion tips.

New York -- Wal-Mart Stores is testing a new convenience-store concept called “Walmart To Go,” with the initial location in the chain’s hometown of Bentonville, Ark.

The new store offers convenience store products, prepared foods and gasoline. At approximately 2,500 sq. ft., Walmart To Go is much smaller than the company’s other small-format concept, Walmart Express, which averages about 15,000 sq. ft.

Walmart also has a grocery delivery service with a similar name, WalmartToGo.com, in two markets.

New York -- Swedish fast-fashion retailer H&M said on Thursday it will debut two of its newer retail formats, COS and & Other Stories, in the United States this year.

H&M will open its first COS U.S. location this April in New York City’s SoHo area. A second U.S. store will open later this year, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

The retailer’s & Other Stories banner will make its U.S. debut this fall, opening a store in downtown Manhattan.

Woodbridge, Va. — Potomac Mills, the largest outlet and value retail shopping destination in the Washington, D.C., area has appointed Sam Hosn as its new general manager. Paul Fickinger, executive VP of property management for The Mills, a Simon Company, made the announcement.

As general manager, Hosn will manage the day-to-day operations of Potomac Mills including leasing, contract negotiations, staff supervision, office management, budgeting, tenant relations and marketing.

New York -- Robert Graham has signed a new lease agreement to open a branded retail store featuring the full Robert Graham collection in NorthPark Center in Dallas. The store will carry the complete range of Robert Graham, including men's sportswear, premium denim, furnishings, accessories, outerwear, newly launched footwear collection and women's sportswear.

NorthPark Center features a unique backdrop of art, architecture and landscaping for the enjoyment of its discerning customers. The Robert Graham store will open in late Spring 2014.

A week after it divested Lands’ End, Sears announced plans to launch Now + Here, a fast fashion shop available in Sears stores across the country, on Sears.com and Shopyourway.com, the second week of April. The Now + Here shops offer a new shop environment with monthly deliveries.

The move comes as the company continues to transform into a member-centric retailer leveraging Shop Your Way and integrated retail.

The Woodlands, Texas – Conn’s Inc. reported net income of $27.73 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2014, up 57% from $17.66 million in the same quarter the prior fiscal year. The retailer intends to open 15 to 20 new stores during fiscal 2015.

Net sales grew 45% to $301.63 million from $250.34 million, and same-store sales increase 33.4%. Conn’s said significant sales growth was reported across all major product categories during the quarter, and the company opened six new stores in that time.

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp announced that its retail services business, which manages more than 130 private label and co-brand credit programs, has signed a new multi-year agreement to provide private label credit card services for women’s fashion online and catalog retailer Venus.

Predominantly an online soft-goods retailer, Venus is experiencing double-digit growth by focusing on fashion-forward merchandising trends, expanding into new fashion categories, and appealing to a customer demographic with whom digital channels resonate.