eCommerce

Bebe has taken significant steps to refocus on the Bebe brand, to preserve cash and to gain operating efficiencies across the organization. The retailer put these measures into effect by making changes in leadership, closing its 2b division and restructuring its corporate office, including retail management.

But the discontinuation of its 2b business, which was shut down July 5, took a bite out of the company’s second quarter, prompting the retailer to issue preliminary results.

Casual apparel brand U.S. Polo Assn. has opened its first location in Brooklyn, in the vicinity of the Barclays Arena.

Designed by Montroy Andersen DeMarco (MADGI), New York, the 2,800-sq.-ft. space has a clean, modern feel and includes  the brand’s signature ‘flag wall’ fashioned out of folded T-shirts,  a jeans island and a T-shirt island, and a 12-ft.-long cash wrap counter

Brisbane, Calif. – Bebe Stores Inc. reported a preliminary net loss of $24.2 million for the second quarter of fiscal 2014, up from $20.8 million the second quarter of the prior fiscal year. The loss includes costs related to the discontinuation of Bebe’s 2b business, which was shut down July 5.

Net sales were $103.6 million, a decrease of 9% from $113.5 million. Same-store sales dropped 1.9%.

Jim Wiggett, CEO, remained optimistic in his comments about Bebe’s future:

Dollar Tree and Family Dollar have amended their merger agreement to include a commitment by Dollar Tree to divest as many stores as necessary or advisable to obtain antitrust clearance for the previously announced cash and stock transaction.

All other terms and conditions of the merger agreement remain the same as announced on July 28, 2014. The two companies also said that their expectations for a closing date for the transaction have accelerated to as early as the end of November 2014.

By Sanford Stein, founder, Stein LLC

With the point-of-sale tucked away in one’s backpack, pocket or purse, how does the store-based retailer expect to survive in an e-everything world? And what is to become of the malls, the meccas of economic indulgence that were driven by the shop-till-you-drop dynamic we thought would last forever? We are currently in a period of just such a change wave, driven by a dramatic demographic shift, corporate downsizing, economic stagnation, and rising costs.

Costco said it plans to open nine new warehouse stores before the end of calendar year 2014, following a boost in net sales for August and the fourth quarter.

During the month of August, net sales were $8.8 billion, an increase of 10% from $8 billion during the similar period last year. Same-store sales in the United States increased 7%.

For the 16-week fourth quarter, the company reported net sales of $34.8 billion, an increase of 9% from $31.8 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales in the United States increased 6%.

New York – Shoppers spent $50.17 billion online during the 2014 back-to-school shopping season, which represents a 16% gain from $43.26 billion in the year-ago period, according to eMarketer. Online commerce during the months of July and August — the main months for back-to-school shopping — accounted for approximately one-sixth of retail ecommerce sales for the year, according to eMarketer estimates, as well as 70.5% of retail ecommerce sales in third quarter 2014.

Amazon has rolled out KDP Kids, a program designed to help children’s book authors prepare, publish and promote both illustrated and chapter books in Kindle Stores worldwide.

Children’s book authors can use Amazon’s new Kindle Kids’ Book Creator tool to create illustrated children’s books that take advantage of Kindle features like text popups. Once the book is ready, authors can upload it to KDP, and use KDP’s category, age and grade range filters to help Amazon customers choose the right books for their kids.