eCommerce

ATLANTA — Home Depot has added Samsung to its portfolio of leading appliance brands, which already includes Whirlpool, LG, GE, GE Profile, Maytag, Frigidaire, Electrolux and Adora.

The home improvement retailer will carry Samsung appliances at its more than 2,000 stores nationwide and online beginning Sunday, December 9.

Abuse of liberal return policies and enterprising thieves will cost the retail industry $8.9 billion this year, including $2.9 billion during the holidays alone.

The National Retail Federation arrived at those massive numbers after surveying loss prevention executives at 60 member companies who estimated that 4.6% returns made during the holidays are fraudulent.

Stamford, Conn. -- Pitney Bowes Inc. said that leathergoods retailer Dooney & Bourke will use technology and shipping services from Pitney Bowes to help expand the global online reach of its handbags and accessories.

Dooney & Bourke will use Pitney Bowes’s e-commerce software and international shipping services to help offer a seamless and convenient cross-border purchasing and shipping experience to online shoppers to destinations in up to 90 countries worldwide.
 

Washington, D.C. --  Retailers will lose an estimated $8.9 billion to return fraud this year, and $2.9 billion during the holiday season alone, according to the National Retail Federation’s 2012 Return Fraud Survey. Overall, retailers estimate 4.6% of holiday returns are fraudulent.

New York -- AutoZone said it acquired online automotive retailer AutoAnything.com in conjunction with the release of first quarter earnings Tuesday morning.

Profit at the nation’s largest retailer of automotive products increased 6.4% to $203.5 million during the quarter ended Nov. 17, and sales rose 3.5% to $2 billion. Same-store sales edged up 0.2%.

St. Petersburg, Fla. -- HSN announced Tuesday it has appointed Karen Etzkorn to the newly created position of chief information officer of HSNi, effective Jan. 3.

Etzkorn is charged with overseeing all aspects of information technology for HSNi's two operating segments -- HSN and Cornerstone.

Etzkorn was most recently senior VP and CIO for Ascena Retail. Prior to that, she was senior VP and CIO at Tween Brands and has also held senior technology roles at The Home Depot, Williams-Sonoma, Gap and Limited.

Chicago -- Store opening plans for 2013 are at a four-year high even as positive retail trends tempered with uncertain fiscal policies signal a cautious start to the new year, according to a report released Monday by Jones Lang LaSalle.

According to Jones Lang LaSalle’s 2013 National Retail Real Estate Outlook, retailers will open as many as 78,325 stores in the next two years – up 11% from year-end plans in 2011. Construction will add 52 million sq. ft. of space in 2013, more than double the 20 million sq. ft. completed in 2012.

Through the first 30 days of the holiday season online sales have surpassed $20 billion with several days last week above the $1 billion mark.

From ultra-lux boutiques to fast-fashion emporiums, New York City saw an influx of new stores this past year. Here’s our list of the top new must-see stores in the city:

C. Wonder: The brand’s second Manhattan location is even more whimsical and colorful than the first. With decor that includes polka-dot horses, multicolored striped zebras and 6-ft. logo teddy bears, the 8,000-sq.-ft. store personifies C. Wonder’s fun, upbeat personality. (Shops at Columbus Circle, 18 Columbus Circle)

Huntington Beach, Calif. -- DJM Capital Partners announced that it has acquired about 11 acres from Crescent Heights for the retail and hotel portion of a planned mixed-use development Pacific City.

The company said it plans to develop on the original footprint and with almost 6.5 acres for 191,000 sq. ft. of open-air retail, restaurants and entertainment and four acres for an eight-story hotel.