eCommerce

Carlisle, Pa. -- Ahold USA announced Friday it has appointed Paul Scorza as chief information officer for the company, effective April 1.

Scorza, a 30-year veteran of IBM, will oversee Ahold USA information management functions, with a focus on systems and business processes to improve efficiency, effectiveness, controls and operations.

The U.S. subsidiary of Netherlands-based Royal Ahold, operates the Stop & Shop, Giant-Carlisle and Giant-Landover supermarket banners and the Peapod online grocery service.
 

New York -- Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open its doors in Chandler, Ariz., on Thursday, April 4, 2013.

The new 28,000-sq.-ft. store is located in Phoenix Premium Outlets, which is opening to the public that day. The new outlet center, owned and operated by Simon Property Group, is part of Wild Horse Pass, within the Gila River Indian Community, which includes hotels, a spa, casino, golf, an equestrian center, fine dining and more.

Palm Beach, Fla. -- Sloan’s, an upscale ice cream, candy and baked-goods emporium, has launched a national franchising program, targeting regions in Florida, the Carolinas, Georgia, New York and New England and throughout California.

New York -- British grocery giant Tesco is moving closer to selling off its U.S. Fresh & Easy division, with Tesco CEO Philip Clarke traveling to the United States next week to try and strike a deal, according to a report in the British newspaper, The Telegraph.

Tesco has held discussions with Trader Joe’s and others about selling Fresh & Easy, but a break-up of the business is considered the most likely option, the report said. Other options include closing the business and selling off assets.

GRAPEVINE, Texas — GameStop reported that total global sales for the fourth quarter of 2012 were $3.56 billion compared with $3.58 billion in the prior year quarter. Consolidated comparable-store sales decreased 4.6% compared with the prior year quarter. 

NEW YORK — Harris Interactive has revealed the brands that Americans rank highest in brand equity. Surveying more than 38,000 American consumers, it measures the level of quality, familiarity, and purchase consideration for each brand, and then awards "Brand of the Year" status to the top-ranked brand from each category.

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Ebay is projecting its revenue will grow by 50% over the next three years as it develops successful strategies to maintain itself as a commerce leader.

In a company-held meeting for the financial community, Ebay said it intends to drive strong continued growth in its core Marketplaces, PayPal and GSI Commerce businesses. At the same time, the company is focused on leveraging its global mobile commerce leadership and other commerce technologies to enable new experiences for consumers and retailers.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line said its fourth-quarter profit dropped 18% as gross margins fell and overall sales declined more than analysts expected. The chain’s adjusted earnings and same-store sales growth, however, were in-line with its expectations.

For the fourth quarter ended March 2, Finish Line reported net income of $34.3 million, down from $41.9 million a year earlier.

Philadelphia -- Destination Maternity Corp. on Thursday opened the first Destination Maternity superstore location in Canada. The 5,000-sq.-ft. store is in Langley, a suburb of Vancouver, B.C.

New York -- Kohl’s, Target, and Walgreens were named “Brand of the Year” in their respective categories in the 2013 Harris Poll EquiTrend survey.

The annual study, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals the brands that Americans rank highest in brand equity. Surveying more than 38,000 American consumers, it measures the level of quality, familiarity, and purchase consideration for each brand, and then awards "Brand of the Year" status to the top-ranked brand from each category.