eCommerce

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Duncan Hines has introduced limited-edition flavors under its Frosting Creations line.

Evoking traditional, nostalgic holiday flavors and aromas, Duncan Hines already has introduced apple pie and pumpkin spice flavors to the market, followed by the debut of peppermint stick and gingerbread flavor mixes on Nov. 1.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears Holdings Corp., which in February announced it would spin off its Hometown and Outlet businesses as a separate publicly traded entity, said Tuesday it expects to receive about $446.5 million in gross proceeds from an offering tied to the spinoffs.

The offering of rights to purchase shares of the spinoff debuted on the Nasdaq under the "SHOSR" ticker symbol in September. According to Sears, the rights offering expired on Monday; preliminary results show that more than 95% of the options were exercised.

Seattle -- Nordstrom Inc. said Tuesday that it has opened a second Cleveland Nordstrom Rack store – at the Promenade in Crocker Park, owned and managed by Stark Enterprises.

The 34,000-sq.-ft. store is slated to open fall 2013 in a former Border’s space at the lifestyle shopping center located in Westlake, Ohio, and tenanted by Bed Bath & Beyond, H&M, Trader Joe’s, Victoria’s Secret and The Cheesecake Factory.

COMMERCE, Calif. — Rodeo Drive is the place where Julia Roberts got the last laugh in "Pretty Woman" and the home to some of the most sought-after fashions in the world. But perhaps there is room on the iconic street for a more inclusive retail destination.

In that vain, 99 Cents Only Stores has issued a press release announcing its search for retail property on Rodeo Drive and is encouraging anyone with information on available retail space on Rodeo Drive is to contact its real estate department.

NEW YORK — H&M will cement its place in New York City with the opening of its 13th store in Times Square.

The retailer has announced the lease signing for a 42,500 sq. ft. space that will become part of the NYC skyline, complete with 70 ft. by 70 ft. signage at the top of the store.

The store will feature three floors housing collections for ladies, men and children.

New York -- Inditex’s home-décor concept Zara Home said Tuesday it is unveiling Zarahome.com in the U.S. on Tuesday.

The new e-commerce site will feature home textiles as well as select furniture, tableware, cutlery and decorative accessories.

Zara Home currently operates in 32 countries with more than 325 stores and offers e-commerce in 18 countries.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person in the industry to raise an eyebrow when the S&P Retail Index notched an all-time high last month. Closing at $669.26 on September 14th to reach that milestone, the index has continued to creep up even further the last couple of weeks. A closer look at the stock market performance of the retail sector shows that both REITs and many individual retailers are continuing a strong positive trend—which makes sense, of course, because REITs will perform better in a strong retail environment when retailers are doing well.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores said Tuesday it is testing same-day delivery service in four markets over the holiday shopping season.

The service is being tested in northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Minneapolis and San Francisco/San Jose, Calif. Geared toward customers who buy popular items online during the holidays, the test includes about 5,000 items and builds on a same-day grocery delivery service the retailer launched in San Jose in April 2010 and tested in San Francisco in 2011.