eCommerce

WHITING, Ind. — An online consumer survey shows that nearly half of consumers go into brick-and-mortar stores with their smartphones to research items without buying them and then looked for the same item at a lower price online.

The 2,361-adult survey, conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of CouponCabin.com between Sept. 18 and 20, found that 43% of smartphone and tablet owners have engaged in the practice, known as "showrooming."

SEATTLE — Another day, another toy list, this time from Amazon.com. The company has launched its 2012 holiday toy list and corresponding web page, where customers can discover hundreds of this year’s most popular and top rated toys, books, video games, electronics, movies, sporting goods and more.

A funny thing happened on the way to the department store: luxury goods became accessible to consumers online and at increasingly deeply discounted prices. Thanks to a spate of discount websites offering “flash sales” or exclusive, limited-time offerings, the flash sale phenomenon has revolutionized the way consumers shop, offering an entry into the luxury market at a fraction of the price.  

NEW YORK -- Nordstrom has joined such other Washington-based retailers as Starbucks Coffee Company and Amazon.com in coming out in support of  approving Referendum 74, a Washington state ballot measure that seeks to affirm same-sex marriage with voters. (In July, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie, pledged $2.5 million in support of the measure.)
 

MINNEAPOLIS -- Target has announced plans to open a new store in Chicago.  The 190,000-sq.-ft. store, to be  located on West Division and North Larrabee Streets, is scheduled to open in October 2013.

To date, Target has announced plans to open 10 Target stores in 2013, including CityTargets in Los Angeles, Portland and San Francisco.

NEW YORK -- Consignment chain Second Time Around (STA) announced it is opening three more stores in Manhattan this October, all on the city’s Upper East Side.   

The new locations will bring the company to 36 stores nationwide, with the figure expected to grow to 40 by year end.

New York -- Hudson's Bay Co. announced that it has filed a preliminary prospectus with securities regulators in Canada for a proposed initial public offering of common shares. The company, which has been owned by NRDC Equity Partners since 2008, operates U.S. department store chain Lord & Taylor, along with The Bay and Home Outfitters chains in Canada.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Simon Property Group and Paragon Outlet Partners, Baltimore,  have signed a letter of intent to jointly develop Charlotte Premium Outlets, in Stallings, N.C.

Projected to open in 2014, the outlet center will be 400,000 sq. ft. and will house approximately 100 designer and name brand stores.
  
The project, which is expected to break ground during spring 2013, is a 50/50 joint venture between Simon Property Group and Paragon Outlet Partners.

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys “R” Us announced that it is extending its free layaway program through Dec. 16, due to significant positive response by consumers. The free offer was originally slated to end on Oct. 31. The chain was the first retailer to offer free layaway, starting in September. Since then, other companies have also stepped up with enhanced layaway programs, including Walmart and Kmart.

New York -- Uniqlo, a division of Japan's Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, will launch its U.S. e-commerce site next week, a crucial part of its drive to earn $10 billion in overall North American sales by 2020, Bloomberg reported.

"By opening this e-commerce site now, we are able to cater to customers across the United States," said Uniqlo USA CEO Shin Odake in the Bloomberg report.

Uniqlo currently has five U.S. locations, including new sites in San Francisco and New Jersey, along with its other three in Manhattan.