eCommerce

By Nancy Chisholm, [email protected]

BOCA RATON, Fla. — The storage solutions category at Office Depot got some new brand muscle this week as the company added Rubbermaid to the mix.

Rubbermaid products are now available nationwide at Office Depot stores and online at the retailer’s website. The announcement comes as promotional activity heats up around the back-to-college season which tends to start earlier and feature different product categories than K-through-12 back-to-school efforts.

Online measurement firm comScore is out with its top 50 web properties report and Walmart.com must be doing something right judging from a surge in traffic.

Walmart.com was ranked 24th on the top 50 list for May with 42.4 million unique visitors, a 9% increase from the prior month when comScore showed Walmart.com had 38.8 million unique visitors in April. The gain in web traffic over the same month the prior year is even more substantial as Walmart.com registered a 26.2% increase from a May 2011 unique visitor total of 33.6 million.

SECAUCUS, N.J. — The Children's Place Retail Stores is expanding its presence in the Middle East with franchise agreements to open stores in the Arab Gulf States of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman as well as Saudi Arabia. The first stores are scheduled to open in the UAE in September 2012 in Dubai and Sharjah. The first two stores in Saudi Arabia are scheduled to open during the second quarter of 2012.

Former Hewlett-Packard executive Shelley Perry was named SVP and chief technology officer at online electronics retailer Newegg, the company announced Monday. The company also name Merle McIntosh as SVP product management.

“Newegg is dedicated to attracting top industry talent as we prepare to propel the company through our next stage of growth,” said Bob Bellack, CEO of Newegg North America. “Both Shelley and Merle are tremendous additions to our leadership team and we’re all thrilled to have them on board.”

Seattle -- Nordstrom said it will open a Nordstrom Rack at The Fountains at Farah, a new power and lifestyle shopping center in El Paso, Texas. The store will be approximately 35,000-sq. ft. and is scheduled to open in the fall 2013.

The Fountains at Farah, with over 600,000 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space, is being developed and managed by Centergy Retail LLC, Dallas.

Secaucus, N.J. -- The Children’s Place announced that it has signed a 10-year franchise agreement with Apparel Group to open stores in the Arab Gulf States of United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The first stores are scheduled to open in the UAE in September in Dubai and Sharjah.

This new concept makes its retail debut with a unusual store design that has created lots of buzz. The central element of the 1,800-sq.-ft. boutique is a continuous surface made from 25,000 stacked paper bags‹that arches from floor to ceiling. Creating a warm atmosphere, the honeycomb-like structure contrasts with the existing industrial brick and concrete space. All clothing, accessories and jewelry are displayed on quartz slab tables, blackened steel hang bars and steel and glass vitrines.

New York -- Microsoft Corp. will open its first retail location in Canada at the Yorkdale Mall, the Star reported.

Apple has 23 stores across Canada, including a location at Yorkdale.

The report cited building permit notices which revealed Microsoft has been approved to build a store in Yorkdale center.
 

New York -- Large emerging markets with an active online user base and solid infrastructure offer retailers the greatest e-commerce potential in the near-term, according to a new study by A.T. Kearney’s Global Consumer Institute. The study ranks the 10 countries with the greatest potential for e-commerce growth, and China tops the list, followed by Brazil (#2), Russia (#3), Chile (#4) and Mexico (#5).