eCommerce

New York -- Nordstrom emerged as the top brand in an inaugural benchmark study ranking the digital performance of the world's top department stores by digital think tank L2. Among the 40 stores included in the study, Nordstrom was No. 1, followed Macy's, Saks, and the U.K.’s Marks & Spencer, all of which earned 'Genius' titles.

New York -- Foot Locker said that it has completed its previously announced acquisition of Runners Point Group, the specialty athletic store and online retailer based in Recklinghausen, Germany. The results of the two companies will be combined with an effective date of July 7, 2013.

Runners Point Group operates more than 200 athletic retail stores, principally in Germany under the Runners Point and Sidestep banners, as well as an online business. It had sales in 2012 of $254 million.

Washington, D.C. -- Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase a modest 1.1% in July over the same month last year, but a slow summer should be followed by significant increases as retailers head into the holiday season this fall, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released Wednesday by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.


By Greg Henry, DecisionPoint Systems Inc.

Boston – Rue La La is launching a shoppable "Sunday Supper" chef video series where products used by the chefs in the videos to prepare a dish will be available for sale on the site. Celebrity chefs featured in the videos will include Sam Talbot of Top Chef: Season 2 on July 14, followed by Top Chef: Season 3 winner Hung Huynh and Food Network's Chopped judge Amanda Freitag in future episodes. Each video will be accompanied by an online boutique featuring the kitchen and cookware used in the video, recipes and giveaways.

London -- Global online retail revenues will reach $4.3 trillion in 2025, accounting for nearly 20% of total retail, according to a new report from Frost & Sullivan. In leading markets such as the United States and the United Kingdom, nearly 25% of retail will be online, the study said.

Seattle -- Nordstrom plans to open a third Houston-area Nordstrom Rack location. The approximately 38,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open in fall 2014, at Willowbrook Mall is owned and managed by General Growth Properties  

"We've been looking for opportunities to better serve Houston customers as we continue to grow," said Geevy Thomas, president of Nordstrom Rack.

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th announced that it plans to open a new store in Atlanta, Georgia on July 18.

The 28,000-sq.-ft. store will be located in the Outlet Shoppes at Atlanta at Woodstock.

The store will be the third Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th in metropolitan Atlanta, but will be the first store to be modeled after the company’s “luxury-in-a-loft” store design, which highlights the merchandise and facilitates easy shopping.

Bella Vista, Australia -- Woolworths Supermarket, a division of Australian retail conglomerate Woolworths Ltd., is optimizing home delivery routes for its growing e-commerce business using solutions from Descartes Systems Group. Woolworths is employing the Descartes Route Planner and Mobile applications with assistance from Descartes development partner The Brisbane Group. Using the Descartes technology, Woolworths combines route planning, tracking and execution with mobile functionality.

Pittsburgh -- Dick’s Sporting Goods is opening a new store at the Chico Mall in Chico, Calif. on July 12. The Chico location will be the retailer's 29th store in the state of California and its 525th nationwide. The new store will feature more than 40 in-store services performed by expert associates.

"We look forward to becoming part of the Chico community and serving all athletes by providing the equipment they need to help them excel," said Lauren Hobart, Dick’s Sporting Goods chief marketing officer.