eCommerce

Urban Outfitters reported substantial gains in net sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014, driven primarily by the company’s Anthropologie and Free People brands.

Total company sales in the quarter increased 6% to $906 million from $856.8 million in the year-ago period — less than Wall Street expected.

Philadelphia – Urban Outfitters reported substantial gains in net sales for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2014. Total company sales in the quarter increased 6% to $906 million, less than Wall Street expected, from $856.8 million in the year-ago period.

Same-store retail segment net sales, which include the direct-to-consumer channel, increased 1%. Same-store retail segment net sales increased 20% at Free People and 10% at Anthropologie and decreased 9% at Urban Outfitters. Wholesale segment net sales rose 24%.

Residents of the Washington, D.C., metro area can now have products ordered from supermarket operator Harris Teeter delivered within the hour following Instacart’s entry into the market.

Instacart’s network of personal shoppers began delivering items ordered from Harris Teeter on Feb. 11. The service provider expects to add other retailers in the coming weeks which would allow shoppers to combine items from multiple stores in a single order and have them delivered in as little as one hour.

Toward the end of January, the Wall Street Journal reported that Wal-Mart has given itself two years to match the online service and delivery speed of Amazon.com.

In an interview at the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland, Neil Ashe, Wal-Mart’s global e-commerce CEO told Journal reporter Dennis Berman was building new warehouses across the country dedicated to handling online orders.

New York – Aeropostale Inc. is reportedly considering trying to raise private equity capital. According to Reuters, four anonymous sources said Aeropostale is working with the investment bank Barclays plc to consider options including private equity capital as well as a sale of the company.

Helen Bryan has become the second author in the Amazon Publishing stable of writers to surpass 1 million copies in combined print, audio and Kindle editions.

Bryan, author of historical novels "War Brides" (2012) and "The Sisterhood" (2013), follows Amazon Publishing author Oliver Pötzsch over the 1 million threshold.

Genius Brands International has a roster of new licensing partners to create merchandise based on Stan Lee’s Mighty 7 (SLAM 7), the animated film trilogy created together with Stan Lee’s POW! Entertainment and Archie Comics.

Factory Entertainment has secured a worldwide toy license for the franchise.

By David Weinberger, CBX