eCommerce

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax announced that it has appointed Jim Barr as executive VP and chief digital officer, effective Nov. 14. Barr will be responsible for all aspects of the company's e-commerce business and for driving its multichannel digital strategy.

Barr has been working with the OfficeMax e-commerce business in an advisory capacity since July 2011. Prior to that, he served as president of Sears Holdings' online division.
 

New York City -- Consumer spending slowed in October, sending a note of caution as retailers head into the holiday season. Eleven retailers missed expectations for same-store sales, while three chains beat estimates, according to a preliminary tally by Thomson Reuters. However, while the October results were not as promising as some retailers had hoped, sales for the most part rose and most chains reported results that were only slightly off from analysts’ estimates. Some analysts blamed Wall Street for underestimating how much caution is still out there.

By Jay Samit, [email protected]

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores are debuting “mobile shopping walls” in high-traffic areas to reach customers who are traveling or on-the-go during the holiday season. The walls, which feature top toys from Sears and Kmart, provide Quick Response codes for each item so that customers can make purchases directly from their smartphones, giving customers an innovative and efficient way to accomplish their holiday shopping.

Columbus, Ohio -- Express said Thursday that its CEO, Michael Weiss, will also take over the role of board chairman, because of the current chairman's involvement in a rival company.

Weiss succeeds Stefan Kaluzny in the chairman's job. Kaluzny joined Express' board when the private equity firm where he worked, Golden Gate Capital, bought Limited Brands in 2007. Kaluzny has since joined another private equity firm, Sycamore Partners, which recently brought a controlling stake in Mast Global Fashions, which is Limited Brands' apparel sourcing division.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is giving customers the chance to preview its Black Friday specials early. The company announced that customers can sign up at Walmart.com or Facebook.com/Walmart to receive an early preview of its specials on the widest assortment of top electronics, toys, apparel and more. 

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club announced that it is making it easier for consumers to shop this holiday season with the launch of its holiday shopping site, SamsClub.com/gifts and an enhanced mobile app that together streamline on-the-go and at-home shopping.

NEW YORK —Totsy, a private sales site dedicated to offering exclusive deals to parents, babies and children, announced that it has named a new chief technology officer and a new creative director.

The company has appointed Richard Minns as chief technology officer. Minns brings 15 years of corporate experience in technology and e-commerce, most recently from 1800FLOWERS.com.

Seattle -- New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Seattle, top the list of the strongest retail real estate markets, according to Colliers International’s “Third Quarter 2011 North American Retail Highlights” report. The weakest markets include Phoenix, Detroit, Atlanta and Las Vegas, which continue to experience vacancy rates at or above 15%.

New York City -- Apple will spend $900 million on its stores in fiscal 2012, up from $614 million this year, according to Tech Observer, which cited a new research note from UBS analyst Maynard Um.

The report also said that that Apple plans to give shoppers the ability to complete their own in-store purchases via its iOS application for the iPhone. The new application will apply only to accessories and on-the-shelf items, and not more costly item like the iPhone, iPad, or Macs.