eCommerce

Longmont, Colo. — NewMark Merrill Mountain States has taken possession of the Dillard’s building at the former Twin Peaks Mall, a key step in the redevelopment of the center as the Village at the Peaks shopping center.

Demolition of the old Twin Peaks Mall is set to begin early in the summer of 2014, paving the way for the new shopping destination, Village at the Peaks, to open in 2015.

Austin, Texas — CBRE has announced three more Austin-area locations for local fast casual restaurant VERTS, bringing its store count to 10. In 2014, VERTS plans to open 13 new locations, including expansions into Dallas and Houston.

The newest locations are in North Austin. Locations in Round Rock and Cedar Park will open in the next two months.

Chicago — Two new Whole Foods Market grocery stores will be coming to Shops on Main and Hinsdale Lake Commons, according to Regency Centers, the owner of both centers.

If you can’t beat them …. Four major mall owners – Westfield, Simon, GGP and Macerich – have pitched in $4.5 million to help fund a delivery start-up business that promises same-day purchases delivery to mall shoppers.

According to a recent article in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, Palo Alto-based Deliv will use the funding garnered from the mall owners and others to improve its software and expand into additional shopping centers.

Mexico City – Wal-Mart de Mexico reportedly plans to increase business investment 7% during fiscal 2014 as it shifts focus from opening new stores to remodeling existing stores. According to Reuters, Wal-Mart de Mexico will spend about $1.1 billion in fiscal 2014, while increasing total floor space by about 5%.

London -- Interbrand announced that it has acquired one of the United Kingdom’s leading international retail design consultancies, HMKM. The move, which recognizes the importance of brand experience in an increasing digital and omnichannel retail environment, brings together two highly complementary companies, uniquely prepared to meet the challenges of the current retail landscape, Interbrand said.

Roam, an Ingenico company and a leading mobile commerce platform provider, has expanded its mPOS solutions to include chip and PIN acceptance with the RP750x mobile card reader.

The new cloud-based solution is fully compatible with Roam’s mobile commerce platform, which supports new mPOS players with all mobile card acceptance types: magnetic stripe, NFC, chip and sign and chip and PIN.

Features of the RP750x include:

Since Office Depot completed its merger transaction with OfficeMax Nov. 5, 2013, the company has been aggressively executing its integration plan. The company’s fourth quarter results for the period ended Dec. 28, 2013 include OfficeMax’s operations, which generated $939 million of sales.

Amazon customers in the U.S., U.K. and Germany can now buy, spend and earn Amazon Coins on their Android phones and tablets. Previously available for use exclusively on Kindle Fire tablets, Amazon Coins can now be used to buy the latest apps, purchase extra lives within Candy Crush or unlock Red’s amazing Super Roaster in Angry Birds GO directly from their Android devices.

New York -- MasterCard has unveiled MasterPass in-app payments, designed to enable consumers to make secure purchases within a mobile app. The solution eliminates the need to store payment card credentials across numerous mobile apps, providing consumers with a fast and simple payment experience.  

MasterPass in-app payments will be made available to developers and merchants beginning in the second quarter of this year.