eCommerce

Los Angeles -- Apparel retailer American Apparel Inc. has fired its controversial founder Dov Charney as chairman, effective immediately, and has moved to fire him as CEO and president. The actions come on the heels of an ongoing investigation into alleged misconduct by Charney, who has been targeted in sexual harassment lawsuits and charged with allegations of misconduct for years.

Scarborough, Maine -- Cole Haan is opening a flagship location in the Ginza, Tokyo's premier shopping district. The 2,000-sq.-ft. store debuts the company’s global format. Cole Haan also plans to use the store as a launching point for growth in the Asia-Pacific region.

Architecture firm Anderson Architects in New York led the design of the ground-floor store, in partnership with local architects Garde Co.

Chicago – Women represent $20 trillion in annual consumer spending, and that figure is expected to grow to $28 trillion in the next five years. According to a new report from email marketing solutions provider SimpleRelevance, women make or influence 85% of all purchase decisions.

Chicago -- Englewood Construction announced its retail group has recently completed an interior build-out for Chicago Cruise Lines and begun work on two new projects, including an American Girl Store in Orlando, Florida.

New York -- Coach plans to shutter about 70 underperforming stores in fiscal 2015, Crain’s New York reported. The retailer, which has been under heavy competitive pressure from Michael Kors and other upscale companies, also gave a disappointing revenue forecast for its current fiscal year.
   

Increasing strength in Pier 1 Imports’ e-commerce business translated into better-than-expected sales that fueled the company’s overall financial results for the first quarter.

Total sales for the quarter were $419.1 million, a 6.1% increase versus $394.9 million in the year-ago quarter. Comparable sales increased 6.3% during the quarter, driven by increases in total brand traffic, conversion and higher average ticket. E-commerce sales exceeded the company’s estimates, reaching 9% of sales for the quarter.

Secaucus, N.J. - Jimmy Jazz, a multichannel retailer of urban apparel and footwear with 170 physical stores in the eastern U.S., has implemented NetSuite OMX to support its e-commerce storefront. Jimmy Jazz is also taking advantage of the CRM and email marketing capabilities included in the solution for a single customer view that helps call center agents improve support effectiveness and deliver personalized email communication based on a customer’s order frequency, dollar value of purchases and products ordered.

New Albany, Ohio – Abercrombie & Fitch is reportedly rolling out charging stations for mobile phones and tablets in its stores. According to TheStreet, there are currently two Abercrombie & Fitch stores with mobile charging stations installed, and the retailer plans to roll out the stations at several more Abercrombie and Hollister stores by the end of the year.