eCommerce

Hingham, Mass. -- Talbots said Friday that Sycamore Partners had walked away from negotiations over a proposed $215 million buyout of the retailer. The company, which also reported first quarter results, said it was exploring other strategic alternatives.

New York -- Consumer confidence in May rose to the highest level since October 2007, according to the Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan final index of consumer sentiment. The index rose increased to 79.3 from 76.4 the prior month. 

Industry analysts said a decline in gas prices and an improving housing market is helping offset slower job growth and volatile stock prices.

Estimates for the confidence measure ranged from 76 to 79, according to a Bloomberg survey of 60 economists.
 

New York -- PayPal has confirmed partnership with 15 national retailers, including J.C. Penney, American Eagle Outfitters, Toys “R” Us and Foot Locker, for its mobile wallet service.

The other new retailers accepting PayPay’s payment service are Barnes & Noble, Office Depot, American Eagle Outfitters, Abercrombie & Fitch, Rooms To Go, Jos. A. Bank , Aeropostale , Foot Locker , Nine West, Jamba Juice , Guitar Center, TigerDirect and Advance Auto Parts .

DALLAS — Neiman Marcus is rebranding its contemporary departments within each of the 42 Neiman Marcus stores as Cusp shop-in-shops. 

Neiman Marcus first launched the Cusp brand in 2006 with two freestanding stores that offered customers a contemporary assortment including apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories in a boutique environment. The brand has grown over time and now includes a total of six Cusp stores and Cusp.com.

Chicago -- A new report by Jones Lang LaSalle found that with 92% of retailers selling online, 68% maintaining brick-and-mortar stores, and 64% utilizing catalogs, retailers are embracing a multichannel approach to meet buyer expectations and battle for market share.

Issaquah, Wash. -- Costco Wholesale Corp. reported Thursday that net income for the quarter ended May 6 surged 19% to $386 million, from $324 million in the same period last year.

Revenue rose 8% to $22.3 billion from $20.6 billion, beating Wall Street’s expected $22.1 billion in revenue. Same-store sales increased 5%.

The company said it plans to open six additional warehouse clubs before the end of fiscal 2012.
 

Walmart U.S. CEO Bill Simon delivered an optimistic message about Walmart U.S.’s performance during the first quarter and its potential for the coming year during a presentation at a Morgan Stanley conference in Boston Wednesday. Ahead of the Walmart’s upcoming shareholders’ meeting, Simon talked about leveraging a more efficient supply chain to drive costs down, lower prices and improve traffic and shared insights on the company’s plans for growth in the second quarter and beyond.

I’m just back from the retail real estate industry’s annual confab, the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon, in Las Vegas. As part of the event, Faith Hope Consolo, chairman, Prudential Douglas Elliman, hosted a panel discussion of retailers at the Women’s Special Industry Group meeting. Here are some of the more notable quotes from the discussion:

Brenda Godfrey, VP global store development, Starbucks Coffee Co.