eCommerce

Indianapolis — Lids Sports Group is acquiring Cardboard Heroes, a licensed sports apparel, headwear and novelty retailer headquartered in Dayton, Ohio. The acquisition consists of 19 Cardboard Heroes stores in Ohio and Kentucky, which include four Buckeye Room locations that specialize in Ohio State University sports merchandise, as well as the e-commerce websites cheroes.com and buckeyeroom.com.

Sears Hometown and Outlet Stores CEO and president Bruce Johnson cited weather and promotions as factors affecting the retailer’s first quarter results.

Net sales in the quarter decreased 1.9% to $589.9 million from $601.1 million in the first quarter of 2013, driven primarily by a 6.2% decrease in same-store sales. Lower initial franchise revenues and lower liquidation revenues on end-of-season mark-out apparel merchandise received from Sears Holdings also negatively impacted net sales.

Cincinnati, Ohio — Phillips Edison & Co. has appointed Robyn Capuano Hays senior leasing director for The Shoppes at Parma, a $70 million redevelopment of the former Parmatown Mall, currently underway in Parma, Ohio, not far from Cleveland. The project includes an enclosed shopping mall, power center, strip center, outparcels, restaurants, and office space.

Home furnishings retailer West Elm has rolled out a wedding and gift registry enables consumers to register in stores, online or via smartphone app.

The registry includes exclusive offers from West Elm partners Riley & Grey and Minted as well as shopping guides, registry tips and home decorating advice from bloggers and industry experts, including Bash Please, Brooklyn Bride, Snippet & Ink and Style Me Pretty.

Framingham, Mass. -- Staples announced the opening of its Development Center in downtown Seattle. One of two Staples’ west coast offices, the new center is made-up of e-commerce and engineering teams responsible for driving major initiatives to enhance areas including search, SEO and personalization.

New York -- Mobile shopping, same-day delivery, and growing volumes of data from online channels are forcing retailers to a tipping point to remain competitive and better respond to evolving customer needs and preferences, according to a new research report by Capgemini Group.
 

New York -- Women’s fashions and home décor retailer Soft Surroundings is planning to open six new stores, giving it a total of 18 locations, the St. Louis Business Journal reported.

New locations will include Richmond, Virginia; Lynnfield, Massachusetts; Alpharetta, Georgia; Madison, Wisconsin; Portland, Oregon; and Paramus, New Jersey.

Soft Surroundings launched in 1999 as a catalog.

New York -- Home furnishings retailer West Elm has launched a wedding and gift registry that allows shoppers to register in stores, online or via smartphone app.

“Our customers have great individual style and definitely know how to party,” said Vanessa Holden, creative director of West Elm. “Our new wedding and gift registry features tips and tricks from some of our favorite partners, and it's the perfect tool to help couples design a home to suit their new life together or plan for any type of celebration.”