eCommerce

Peterborough, N.H. -- Eastern Mountain Sports said Tuesday it has launched its first customer rewards program; effective Sept. 1, the outdoor retailer debuted the EMS Rewards which allows customers to earn points on purchases.

By Kathy Gersch, [email protected]

Topeka, Kan. -- Collective Brands Inc. reported Friday that net income for the second quarter was $9.7 million, compared with a loss of  $35 million last year when it booked nearly $84 million in one-time charges.

Sales for the owner of Payless ShoeSource and Stride Rite grew 6% to $886 million and same-store sales rose 2.9%.
 

Austin, Texas -- A survey released Friday by coupon site RetailMeNot found that coupon use for back-to-school shopping surged this year, particularly for retailers selling books, school supplies and apparel.

According to RetailMeNot, which measured coupon usage during the July 1 to Aug. 20 selling period, as compared with the prior three months, the average daily coupon clicks increased more than 130% for book retailers, more than 40% for merchants selling back-to-school supplies and more than 30% for stores selling apparel and shoes.

Conshohocken, Pa. -- Pet Supplies Plus has signed leases for three new stores in the Delaware Valley, totaling more than 26,000 sq. ft.

An 8,700-sq.-ft. store will open at Greentree Square Shopping Center in Marlton, N.J.; a 9,800-sq.-ft. store will open at Doylestown Pointe in Doylestown, Pa.; and a7,650-sq.-ft. location will open at The Shops at Blue Bell in Blue Bell, Pa.

All three stores are slated to open prior to year’s end.

Lynnwood, Wash. -- Zumiez Inc. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended July 28 slipped to $2.1 million, from $2.6 million in the year-ago period, largely due to costs associated with its acquisition of Blue Tomato.

Revenue surged 20.4% to $135.1 million from $112.2 million, which includes contributions from Blue Tomato. Same-store sales increased 9.5%.

The company said it is on track to open 50 new stores in fiscal 2012, including up to 10 stores in Canada.
 

Boston -- CBRE/Grossman Retail Advisors said that Nordstrom will open a new Nordstrom Rack at The Newbry in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood, further expanding its presence in the Boston market to four full-line stores and four Nordstrom Racks.

The approximately 38,000-sq.-ft., two-level store is scheduled to open spring 2013.
 

Dallas -- SRS Real Estate Partners said that Scott Tiernan has joined the company as VP in the Atlanta office.

Tiernan is charged with helping single-tenant building retailers and restaurateurs expand through leveraging the capabilities of SRS and Cypress Equities. Tiernan previously worked for O'Leary Partners in Atlanta.


 

Ross Stores and The TJX companies both reported a better-than-expected 8% same store sales increase during August. Shoppers continued to beat a path to Ross and TJX stores during August where exceptionally strong sales suggest consumers are unrelenting in their search for value amid protracted economic weakness.

NEW YORK — Macy's, Limited Brands and Gap Inc. all posted August same-store sales that topped analysts' estimates as retailers across the board generally posted strong sales, boosted by back-to-school shopping and aggressive promotions. The strong showing comes shortly after the news that consumer confidence for August slumped to its lowest level of the year.