eCommerce

New York -- As part of minority eBay shareholder Carl Icahn’s ongoing battle to separate eBay from sister company PayPal, the activist investor on Wednesday urged fellow eBay shareholders in an open letter to sell 20% of its PayPal unit in an IPO.

The latest move, which Icahn said would prompt a stand-alone PayPal while preserving the synergies between the pair of companies, is softer than Icahn’s January announcement that he wanted a full spinoff of PayPal from eBay.  

By Dustin Watson, partner and director of sustainability, DDG

Place-making has become perhaps the essential element in creating value in today’s competitive retail environment.

Anaheim, Calif. – Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. reported a net loss of $22.5 million during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, up from a net loss of $19.8 million in the same period a year earlier. Net sales dropped 2% to $218.6 million $222.8 million, while same-store sales rose 2%.

Pacific Sunwear cited the 53rd week in fiscal 2012 as negatively affecting its comparative fiscal 2013 results. Looking ahead, the retailer expects a same-store sales increase of 1 to 4% and revenues of $169 million to $174 million during fiscal 2014.

Dallas — CBRE’s Private Capital Group has announced the sale of Josey Rosemeade Shopping Center, an unanchored strip center in Carrollton, Texas.

Located just northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area in an affluent, densely populated area, the 14,500-sq.-ft. center received more than 20 offers.

Google has tapped Payoneer, a leading global payments company, as a payments provider for Google Trusted Stores. Payoneer will power the program’s customer payouts, providing bank transfer services that enable Google Trusted Stores to send payments to people in the countries where it currently operates.

The Google Trusted Stores program identifies online merchants that Google deems trustworthy for consumers. Google stands behind the merchants that have earned the Trusted Store badge with a $1,000 lifetime purchase protection for shoppers.

Philadelphia – A new $500 million retail/residential development is reportedly planned for downtown Philadelphia. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a block of stores located on Market Street between 11th and 12th Street in Philadelphia will be razed or moved to make way for a new complex that will be known as East Market.

New York — Choza Taqueria, a Manhattan-based Mexican restaurant, has signed a lease for its third location at 100 Park Avenue, between 40th and 41st Streets. The new location will reach a lunchtime crowd from the area’s many Class A offices and the business commuters and visitors passing through Grand Central Station.

Winick Realty Group represented Choza, which currently operates storefronts on Madison Avenue and 27th Street and Macdougal Street and Bleecker Street.

A study of 10,000 U.S. consumers’ attitudes about retail customer service saw Sam’s Club best Amazon.com and dozens of other retailers among a field of 268 companies.