eCommerce

New York -- Retailers making headlines with store expansion plans include new players as well as global powerhouses. Just in the starting gate is Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, a new specialty grocery format featuring value-priced healthy and organic offerings. The company plans to open over 60 stores throughout the Midwest during the next five years.

New York – Barnes & Noble swung from a net loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 to a net profit in the third quarter of fiscal 2014, even as revenues dropped.

Net earnings in the third quarter totaled $63.2 million, compared to a $3.7 million net loss in the same period a year earlier. Total revenues dropped 10.3% to $1.99 billion from $2.22 billion. A 50% revenue drop in the company’s Nook segment helped drive the overall decline, although all the company’s retail and college verticals also reported revenue drops.

New York -- Bed Bath & Beyond has appointed Eugene A. Castagna, previously CFO and treasurer, to the role of COO. Susan E. Lattmann, formerly VP of finance, will fill the CFO and treasurer spot.
 
Castagna has been with the company since  1994 and has served as CFO and Treasurer since 2006. Previously, he served as assistant treasurer from 2002 to 2006 and as VP of finance from 2000 to 2006.

The TJX Companies CEO Carol Meyrowitz touted the company’s performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal 2014, calling it a successful year despite a competitive retail environment and generally unfavorable weather in many of its regions during the first and fourth quarters.

Hispanic consumers are outpacing non-Hispanics in their adoption of mobile, social and online sources for local shopping, according to BIA/Kelsey's Consumer Commerce Monitor study released this week. 

New Albany, Ohio – Abercrombie & Fitch Co.'s fourth-quarter net income plunged 58%, less than Wall Street expected, amid several one-time charges, including costs tied to the closure of its Gilly Hicks’ stores. The company’s board also approved a $150 million accelerated share repurchase plan, to be executed during the first quarter.

For the quarter ended Feb 1, Abercrombie’s income fell to $66.1 million from $157.2 in the year-ago period. For the full year, income declined 77% to $54.6 million from $237 million last year.

London -- Interbrand announced that it has acquired one of the United Kingdom’s leading international retail design consultancies, HMKM. The move, which recognizes the importance of brand experience in an increasing digital and omnichannel retail environment, brings together two highly complementary companies, uniquely prepared to meet the challenges of the current retail landscape, Interbrand said.

Chicago — Two new Whole Foods Market grocery stores will be coming to Shops on Main and Hinsdale Lake Commons, according to Regency Centers, the owner of both centers.