eCommerce

New York -- Kate Spade New York has chosen ConcretePlatform to enhance its international and domestic trading capabilities. Offered as a subscription-based cloud service, ConcretePlatform contains a number of flexible applications – accessed via a browser - that allow brands to trade with their partners across the wholesale, franchise and wholly owned markets, as well as the vast supply network that supports today’s retail community, the company said.

Davenport, Iowa -- Von Maur Inc. will expand its women's specialty store concept, Dry Goods, with the opening of a 4,500-sq.-ft. location this fall at Orland Square Mall in Orland Park, Ill. The store will be the specialty store chain's third location in the Greater Chicagoland area and the seventh Dry Goods store overall.

The new Dry Goods will feature leading brands such as Free People, Hudson, Jessica Simpson, Joe's Jeans and Silver, among others. The store's decor will reflect the chain's vintage, turn-of-the-century aesthetic.

New York -- Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) will enter Latin America this fall, opening a flagship in Centro Santa Fé, Mexico City.

“We look very much forward to opening the first H&M flagship store in Mexico. It will be the perfect first step for H&M into this fashion conscious region,” said Karl-Johan Persson, CEO, H&M.
 

New York -- London has reclaimed the number one position as the most targeted market for international retailers, according to a survey by global property adviser CBRE. It was followed by Dubai, New York City, Moscow and Paris.

Igloo Products Corp., named Terri Brooks VP strategic accounts as part of a larger sales reorganization and said she would be based in Bentonville.

Katy, Texas-based Igloo said the addition of Brooks to her newly created position and the addition of David D’Auteuil as VP new business development would accelerate the momentum the company has achieved from new product introductions and aggressive marketing.

Corpus Christi, Texas -- Trademark Property Group announced that its La Palmera property in Corpus Christi, Texas, has five new stores planning to open by late spring.

Construction is underway on White House | Black Market (3,453 sq. ft.), Soma Intimates (2,313 sq. ft); Bebe (4,885 sq. ft.); Traffic Shoes (1,105 sq. ft.); and Papaya (6,350 sq. ft.).

The Children’s Place has opened a 3,467-sq.-ft new location by Champs, and construction is underway on a Payless ShoeSource location (3,360 sq. ft.), adjacent to the new Papaya.

Landfill operators got some bad news this week when Walmart said it prevented 81% of waste generated by U.S. stores from going to landfills. That nugget is just one example of the progress Walmart has made on its broad sustainability agenda and was among numerous others contained in the company’s 5th annual Global Responsibility Report released this week.

IBM’s decision to sell its Retail Store Solutions (RSS) business to Toshiba TEC was the most significant announcement in the retail point-of-sale industry in the last 10 years, according to industry analyst Greg Buzek, president, IHL Group, Franklin, Tenn. The acquisition establishes a new company in which Toshiba will initially own 80.1% and IBM 19.9% for the next three years to aid transition and after which time IBM will relinquish its stake.