eCommerce

Chicago  — R.P. Wurster has acquired the 49,967-sq.-ft. Plainfield Commons in Plainfield, Ind., for $6.35 million. The 100% leased community shopping center features anchor tenants Dollar Tree and Shoe Carnival. Shadow anchors include Target, Kohl’s, Pier One Imports and PetSmart.

Mid-America Real Estate Corp. in cooperation with Mid-America Real Estate Corp. — Indiana brokered the transaction on behalf of the seller, RPD Catalyst.
 

New York -- eBay posted a profit of $850 million, compared with earnings of $751 million a year ago, for its fourth quarter, ended Dec. 31, 2013, while revenues rose 13% to $4.5 billion, fueled by strong mobile results. In reporting its results, the company also said it has received a proposal from activist investor Carl Icahn seeking to spin off PayPal as a separate company.

eBay performed strongly during the holiday. Mobile exceeded expectations for the year, allowing the global commerce platform and payments leader to finish the fourth quarter on a high note.

The company reported that revenue for the quarter ended Dec. 31 increased 13% to $4.5 billion, compared to the same period of 2012.

Both Marketplaces and PayPal achieved record mobile results in 2013, each exceeding $20 billion in mobile volume. Mobile users represented 40% of eBay’s 36 million new users and accounts in 2013.

Las Vegas – Zappos Couture is launching a redesigned web presence with artistic direction and editorial from new artistic director Andre Leon Talley. Talley and Zappos Couture created the imagery for the new editorial in New York City's Industria Studios in December 2013.

Staples is launching a new technology trade-in program. Staples already recycles electronic office products for free and now small businesses and consumers can trade-in a variety of used technology devices for Staples eCash Cards, which can be used in Staples stores or on Staples.com.

Bentonville, Ark. – Sam’s Club plans to open new stores on Thursday, Jan. 23, with a location in Warwick, R.I., and one will open in Mooresville, N.C.

Both stores will measure approximately 136,000 sq. ft. and feature a fresh bakery, a tire and battery center, and a café. A pharmacy and a hearing aid center are open to both members and the general public. The Mooresville store also offers the Click N Pull personal shopping service, as well as a fuel station.

Perhaps no single brand had a holiday season quite as rocky as Sears. When the retailer announced a string of bad news on Jan. 9, shares of Sears Holding Corp. (which includes both Sears and Kmart) went through the floor. Holiday sales at Sears stores were down 9.2% in the nine weeks prior to Jan. 6, a brutal figure when you consider that overall retail sales were up slightly over the holidays (which I’ll discuss more in my next column).

Virtual Piggy, the provider of safe youth payments technology Oink, has teamed up with WorldPay US to increase its strategic 2014 merchant acquisition plans within the teen market.

The WorldPay payment processing platform is used for in-person credit and debit transactions, online and mobile payments. According to Oink, its relationship with WorldPay will bring the safe youth payments technology to the WorldPay merchant network and facilitate integrations into teen-focused retail websites and shops.