eCommerce

New York -- After over 25 years in business, Dots, an Ohio-based women’s fashion discount retailer, is closing its doors.  Store-closing sales will begin on Friday, March 1, with discounts on all merchandise, as well as store furniture, fixtures and equipment. Dots filed for Chapter 11 protection on January 20, 2014.

Jos. A. Bank has officially rejected Men’s Wearhouse’s latest $1.78 billion buyout offer. But in yet another twist to the long-running saga between the two companies, in open letter to Men’s Wearhouse president and CEO Douglas S. Ewert, Jos. A. Bank said it is willing to meet with its rival.

Zaandam, The Netherlands -- Ahold plans to significantly expand its Peapod presence in the U.S. market.

"Peapod is expected to double its capacity in the U.S. in 2014," Dick Boer, Ahold CEO, told analysts during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call.

A little more than a week after Signet Jewelers said it plans to acquire all of the issued and outstanding stock of Zale for $21 per share in cash consideration, Zale reported net earnings of $51 million in the second quarter, a 10% increase from $41 million in the prior-year period.

Same-store sales increased 1.9%, but revenues slipped 2% to $656 million from $671 million.

WalmartLabs, Walmart’s online and digital development division, has acquired Seattle-based recipe technology startup Yumprint to expand its online grocery delivery services.

Yumprint has a website and mobile app to search and discover new recipes from thousands of food blogs, plan meals and calculate nutritional information.

In a blog post, WalmartLabs credited Yumprint founders Chris Crittenden and Wes Dyer for their vision on how technology can improve how “all of consumers discover and prepare our meals.”

Hampstead, Md. – Goldman-Sachs Group, sole underwriter of a $400 million bridge loan supporting Jos. A. Bank’s tentative acquisition of Eddie Bauer, is reportedly postponing the loan. According to the Wall Street Journal, Goldman Sachs had previously set a Feb. 27, 2014 deadline for investors to commit to purchasing portions of the loan, and has not yet set a new deadline.

eBay Enterprise, a leading global provider of commerce technologies, retail order management, fulfillment and customer care services and marketing services for retailers and brands, has extended its partnership with Karmaloop to provide marketing solutions that increase conversion.

Dublin, Calif. -- Ross Stores’ said its Ross Dress for Less  will open three new locations in Texas on March 8, for a total of over 160 stores in the chain’s second largest state. The new Texas stores will be located in the Katy Mills shopping center in Katy, Rayzor Ranch Marketplace in Denton, and The Pavillions in El Paso.  

Ross is also expanding its dd’s Discounts brand, opening two new locations in Northern California on March 1. The new stores are in White Road Plaza in San Jose and Hatch Road Center in Ceres.