eCommerce

New York -- Swedish fast-fashion giant H&M will open its largest location to date, a 63,000-sq.-ft. flagship in New York City’s bustling Herald Square. Scheduled to open in fall 2014, the four-level store will be located in Herald Center, a JEMB Realty property. The landlord’s broker is CBRE.
 

SAN FRANCISCO — Specialty home products retailer Williams-Sonoma is reaping the rewards of a rebounding housing market this second quarter ended Aug. 4.

The company’s net revenues grew 12.3% to $982 million versus $874 million in the year-ago quarter with comparable brand revenue growth of 8.4%, on top of 7.4% in the year-ago quarter.

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Chico's FAS’s financial results for the second quarter ended Aug. 3 were affected by a lower transaction count and average dollar sales, primarily because of lower traffic and the cycling of strong comparable sales last year.

The company reported net income of $43.6 million for the quarter — a decrease of 18.4% compared to $53.4 million in the year-ago quarter, and earnings per diluted share of $0.27, a decrease of 15.6% compared to $0.32 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter.

Columbus, Ohio -- Express Inc. reported a profitable second quarter of fiscal 2013, with year-over-year increases in net income, net sales and same-store sales. Net income rose 7% to $16.8 million, in line with Wall Street expectations, from $15.9 million. The retailer raised its full-year guidance and also announced plans to launch its outlet business in the second quarter of next year.

Net sales for the quarter increased a better-than-expected 7% to $486.2 million, from $454.9 million.

Bayer Properties has announced that it will develop a third member of its signature Summit property brand: The Summit Lexington, a mixed-use shopping destination located in the Lexington, Kentucky’s retail hub. An outdoor fashion center, The Summit Lexington will offer specialty retail, restaurants and residences.

Seattle – Amazon.com has introduced the Mobile Associates API for Kindle Fire and other Android devices, enabling developers to sell physical and digital items from Amazon.com within their apps and games. Developers and members of the Amazon Associates program (the API is technically an extension of the program) can now sell a single item from within an app or game, showcase a category of goods, or bundle the purchase of physical goods with the purchase of digital goods.

Express delivered solid second quarter results, buoyed in part by e-commerce sales which once again experienced a double-digit increase.

Same-store sales increased 6%, up 1% from the year-ago quarter. Factoring into that same-store sales increase were the company’s e-commerce sales, which were$59.9 million, up 27% from last year’s $47.2 million.

Net sales for the quarter increased a better-than-expected 7% to $486.2 million, from $454.9 million. Net income rose 7% to $16.8 million from $15.9 million and was in line with Wall Street expectations. 

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax Inc. announced the opening of its first Chicago-area Business Solutions Center format, with a 3,900-sq.-ft. location in the Streeterville neighborhood.