eCommerce

New York – Law firm Harwood Feffer LLP is launching an investigation into claims against the board of directors of rue21 Inc. regarding the proposed purchase of the company by Apax Partners. On May 23, rue21 announced a definitive agreement for Apax to buy it, with stockholders receiving $42 in cash per share.

Boca Raton, Fla. -- Office Depot has reached an agreement to sell its 50% stake in Office Depot de Mexico S.A. de C.V. to its joint venture partner Grupo Gigante, S.A.B. de C.V. for roughly $690 million in cash.

Office Depot de Mexico, which was founded in 1994 as a joint partnership between Office Depot and Grupo Gigante, has more than 248 stores throughout Mexico and Central America and more than $1.1 billion in annual sales.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. has appointed Sharon Price John, 49, as CEO, effective immediately. John, who previously served as president of Stride Rite Children’s Group, a division of Wolverine Worldwide, succeeds company founder Maxine Clark, who is retiring as CEO. Clark will remain on the board of directors.

Fort Worth, Texas -- Dick’s Sporting Goods is now open at Alliance Town Center in North Fort Worth, Texas. During the May 31 through June 2 grand opening ceremonies for the 50,000-sq.-ft. Phase II anchor, co-developer Trademark Property Co., announced plans to add 237,000-sq.-ft. of retail and restaurant space to the center.

“With Dick’s opening, we are well positioned to complete the current phase and proceed with our main-street lifestyle expansion,” said Trademark CEO Terry Montesi.

New York -- Following a two-year search, Foot Locker has moved one of its Manhattan locations from 541 Broadway to 440 Broadway in SoHo one block north of Canal Street, according to ABS Partners Real Estate.

ABS Partners negotiated a 10-year net lease on behalf of Foot Locker for a 9,000-sq.-ft. two-story building plus a lower level.

New York -- RKF said it has arranged the sale of an 18,850-sq.-ft. mixed-use building located at 138 Spring St. in Manhattan's SoHo district.

The building encompasses 2,000 sq. ft. on the ground floor and 2,600 sq. ft. on the lower level, all occupied by high-end eyewear retailer ILORI. The balance consists of 14,250 sq. ft. of full-floor commercial loft space.

Another pure online retailer has made the leap to brick-and-mortar. The Monocle Order, an online member’s club for sunglasses and optical frames, has opened a flagship in Brooklyn’s uber hip Williamsburg neighborhood.

FORT WORTH, Texas — RadioShack has promoted Marty Amschler to SVP of franchise. In his expanded role, Amschler will continue to lead RadioShack's dealer franchise operations while also now providing senior leadership to the company's commercial sales division and B2B sales team.

DALLAS — Neiman Marcus reported net earnings of $71 million for the third quarter ended April 27, a 13% increase from $63 million in the prior year. 

The company’s total revenues for the quarter were $1.1 billion, a 4% increase from $1.06 billion in the prior year. Comparable revenues increased 4%. 

NEW YORK — Former Macy’s executive Michelle Bogan is returning to management consulting firm Kurt Salmon, as a partner in its retail and consumer products group.

Bogan develops and implements transformational retail strategies, including omnichannel, consumer analytics and localization, and has provided numerous department stores and specialty retailers around the world with her insights and expertise. At Macy's, she led omnichannel strategy and process development for Macy's and Bloomingdale's.