eCommerce

New York -- The Men’s Wearhouse will make its outlet center debut in the fourth quarter, opening five stores under the Men’s Wearhouse Outlet banner, management said during the company’s recent earnings call with investors. The stores will be located in outlet centers across the United States.

New York -- Michael Francis, who was ousted as president of J.C. Penney Co. in June, is going to Gap Inc., according to Ad Age.

Francis will serve as a marketing creative advisor for Gap, and join the chain in the advisory role on Sept. 16, the report said.

Westborough, Mass. -- Apparel retailer Charlotte Russe has selected Micros Retail, a division of Micros Systems Inc., to develop and build a robust omnichannel solution as part of a revamp of its retail systems.

Philadelphia -- Tween discounter Five Below Inc. reported Tuesday a loss in the second quarter of $64.2 million due to one-time costs that were attributed mainly to dividend payments made to preferred shareholders, among others. That compares with a loss of $1.7 million in the year-ago period. However, adjusted profit of $1.2 million beat expectations and the company’s third-quarter and full-year estimates are in line with Wall Street’s forecast.

Bangladesh, India -- A Tuesday report by Reuters said that the Indian joint venture of Wal-Mart Stores and Bharti Enterprises has announced plans to open three to five cash-and-carry/wholesale stores in India by the end of the year.

The partnership currently operates 17 wholesale stores in India. 

Foreign ownership regulations in India do not allow global hypermarket and supermarket chains to open retail stores in the country, but they are allowed to operate wholesale operations.

New York -- A report released Tuesday by e-commerce marketplace technology provider Merchantry found that marketplace customer experience compares unfavorably to that of e-commerce sites, particularly in regard to comprehensiveness of product information and logistics transparency.

The State of Online Marketplaces report, conducted by Merchantry in concert with the e-tailing group, found that online marketplaces need a lot of improvement before their full potential is realized.

WAYNE, N.J. — Toys“R”Us has introduced a new Wi-Fi tablet for kids called Tabeo that is both fun and safe.

This 7-inch, multi-touch tablet features 50 free, preinstalled apps that were carefully selected to entertain and educate children, while helping them explore the Internet, the company said. The tablet also features safety controls so taht parents can dictate the level of Internet access for each member of their family.

INDIANAPOLIS — The Finish Line has named Scott Hoffman as EVP, chief merchandising officer.

Woodland Hills, Calif. -- Casual Male Retail Group is taking a new approach with merchandising and store set-ups for the nationwide roll-out of its DestinationXL (DXL) format, which brings together its value, mid-range and luxury men's apparel under one roof. The chain has outsourced the store set-up function to Great American Group, Woodland Hills, Calif.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced it has begun selling the trendy British fashion brand Topshop and Topman at 14 select Nordstrom stores across the country and on its website. Merchandise deliveries will be made on a weekly basis, with an expanded collection available online.

In addition, the Topshop make-up collection will launch in select stores and online in late 2012.