eCommerce

Sears and Amazon.com both recently came under fire for allowing rings decorated with the Nazi swastika symbol to be posted for sale on their third-party seller sites. While both retailers quickly pulled the items down and issued public apologies, they received a large amount of negative publicity and surely damaged their brand image with many offended customers, perhaps to the point of permanently losing some of them.  

New York -- Woolrich John Rich & Bros. announced the opening of its first Tokyo flagship, in the fashionable Omotesando neighborhood. Following the opening of the brand’s first U.S. flagship this September, Woolrich John Rich & Bros. continues its global expansion plan with the new addition in Japan.  

By Jeff Weidauer, Vestcom International There’s been a lot of discussion in recent months about store sizes, in particular the fact that stores are getting smaller, primarily because of the impact of e-commerce. For example, Walmart and Target are both committed to offering smaller format stores.

Sunrise, Fla. - The Sawgrass Mills outlet and value retail shopping center has begun construction on the next expansion of its open-air luxury promenade, The Colonnade Outlets at Sawgrass Mills. The planned project will include an additional 80,000 sq. ft. to comprise 30 additional luxury outlet stores and full-service restaurants, which will join a roster of existing brands like Prada, Gucci, Tory Burch, Burberry and more.  

Philadelphia -- Century 21 Department Store is opening an approximately 95,000-sq.-ft. anchor store at The Gallery shopping center in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Oct. 28. This will be New York-based Century 21’s first location outside the New York market.   

Toronto -- PayPal Canada is launching PassPort, a website designed to help small businesses sell internationally. On the PassPort website, entrepreneurs can find export market specific guidance on seasonal sales peaks including holidays and events; cultural customs, taboos and trends; shipping and distribution logistics; currency exchange and fees; and customs procedures and taxes.  

New York -- Ninety percent of mobile phone users and 80% of tablet users are still “purchase holdouts” and have not made a purchase on these respective devices in the past three months, according to a Forrester survey of more than 4,000 respondents.    Some 53% of holdouts cite that they avoid "checking out" on mobile devices simply because they are either used to buying, or find it easier to buy, on a PC. 

Corte Madera, Calif. -- RH (Restoration Hardware Holdings) announced today the opening of its store, RH The Gallery, in West Hollywood, Calif.       With nearly 40,000 total interior and exterior square feet, the space features artistic abstractions and never-seen-before collections of home furnishings in a gallery setting.