eCommerce

Wayne, N.J. -- Toys "R" Us reported a loss of $111 million for the first quarter, compared with a year-earlier loss of $60 million. It was the struggling chain’s worst quarter in a decade.

Net sales for the quarter, ended May 4, declined 7.8% to $2.4 billion. Same-store sales were down 8.4% domestically and fell 5.8% internationally.

Overall economic growth in Europe is slower than in the U.S., but the opposite is true when it comes to e-commerce sales, according to figures published by Internet Retailer.
 
U.S. e-commerce sales grew 15.9% to $225.54 billion in 2012 from $194.61 billion the prior year, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce while the Centre for Retail Research in the U.K. said European e-commerce sales increased 16.6% to $302.2 billion from 260.4 billion.

Chicago -- Eli’s Cheesecake, which sells cheesecakes and other baked goods from a retail store in Chicago as well as an e-commerce site, uses emerging social media tools to meet traditional marketing goals. At the recent Internet Retailer conference in Chicago, Debbie Marchok, VP of marketing for Eli’s Cheesecake, reviewed how the retailer meets the four traditional marketing goals of attention, interest, desire and action with social media.

Calabasas, Calif. -- Broader regional economic growth and improved consumer and retailer finances bode well for retail real estate investments in well-located properties, according to “The Retail Outlook” from Marcus & Millichap Research Services’ second quarter 2013 mid-year outlook for the national retail market and U.S. economy.

MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — Kohl’s plans to open a new customer service operations center in Dallas in late spring 2014. The two-building, three-story, 240,000-sq.-ft. facility will support the company’s growing Kohl’s Charge program as well as Kohls.com.

The company's e-commerce site reached $1.4 billion in sales last year following three consecutive years of more than 40% annual growth.

Menomonee Falls, Wis. -- Kohl’s Department Stores has announced plans to open a new customer service operations center in Dallas.

Expected to open in late spring 2014, the two-building, three-story, 240,000-sq.-ft. facility will support the continued growth of the company’s Kohl’s Charge program, as well as its online business, which reached $1.4 billion in sales last year following three consecutive years of more than 40%  annual growth.

CORTE MADERA, Calif. — Restoration Hardware Holdings has appointed former Williams-Sonoma brand president Richard Harvey as the company's CMO for RH Kitchen and Tableware.

Harvey spent 30 years at Williams-Sonoma, Inc., most recently as president of the Williams-Sonoma brand. In his new role, Harvey will develop a curated collection of kitchen furniture, appliances, lighting, cookware, tools and food.

Framingham, Mass. -- Dawn Lepore, who has previously served as interim CEO of Prosper Marketplace and also held executive positions at drugstore.com and The Charles Schwab Company, has been named to the board of directors of The TJX Companies.

TJX is expanding the size of its board with this appointment and Lepore joins 10 sitting board members.