eCommerce

SEATTLE — Nordstrom plans to open another new Rack store this spring in Maine as the number of off price locations now exceeds the company’s full price stores.

The approximately 30,000-sq.-ft. store at Maine Crossing Shopping Center will be its first location in the state, and is scheduled to open this spring.

SEATTLE — Amazon contends that 2012 was a record-breaking holiday season for businesses selling on its popular online Webstore platform.

Amazon reports that more than two million third-party sellers worldwide experienced record holiday growth, and unit growth solely from sellers in the U.S. increased more than 40% year-over-year. For the year, sellers on Amazon sold hundreds of millions of units worth tens of billions of dollars worldwide, according to the company, which did not provide an actual sales figure.

SEATTLE -- Starbucks Coffee Company announced that it has completed its acquisition of Teavana Holdings has formally closed, making Teavana a wholly-owned subsidiary of Starbucks. Teavana has some 300 locations, primarily in 300 shopping malls across the nation.  

The acquisition is the the latest addition to Starbucks emerging brands portfolio, which also includes Evolution Fresh, La Boulange, Seattle’s Best Coffee and Tazo.

An annual holiday e-retail satisfaction report produced by analytic's firm ForeSee showed considerable improvement at Target this year following a challenging 2011.

Amazon.com, LLBean.com and QVC.com were the top three retailers on ForeSee’s Annual Holiday E-Retail Satisfaction survey while Target was in the upper one third of companies analyzed.

Long Beach, Calif. -- Epson America announced that Barry Wise, a long-time Epson consultant and retail industry leader, passed away on December 28, 2012.

"Barry was a one-of-a kind visionary who made an indelible mark in the retail technology industry," said Mike Helm, director of sales for Epson's business systems division and long time colleague of Wise. "Barry was passionate and insightful about how technology could make a difference to retailers. Epson has lost a dear friend and a valuable partner.

After year of record online sales it’s not surprising that returns are also forecast to hit new highs, especially this week.

SALT LAKE CITY — Former KPMG technology consultant Bhargav Shah is Overstock.com’s new SVP of technology. Shah replaces Sam Peterson, who will remain with the company for a transition period.

Shah will spearhead development as well as the implementation of information technology initiatives within the organization. He will also influence business strategy through innovative use of technology.

Seattle -- Nordstrom announced plans to open a Nordstrom Rack in South Portland, Maine.

The approximately 30,000-sq.-ft. store is scheduled to open this spring at Maine Crossing Shopping Center and will be the retailer's first location in the state. It will occupy the former Old Navy space.