eCommerce

New York -- Women’s apparel retailer Maurices plans to open approximately 60 stores this year, according to the Duluth News Tribune. The total includes the chain’s first international location, in Canada.

Maurices currently has 803 stores in 44 states, with the count up 32 stores since June.
 

Walmart is guilty of greenwashing to enhance it corporate reputation, and it would take the company three centuries at the current pace to reach its goal of being supplied 100% by renewable energy, according to a group critical of Walmart sustainability efforts that others have lauded.

New York -- Washington state opened a public auction online Thursday of its state-run liquor stores, beginning the process of privatizing an industry the state has tightly controlled since the end of Prohibition, the Associated Press reported.

The minimum bid is $1,000, and within hours, more than 30 bidders had entered the fray, the report said. Some were looking to buy rights to all of the stores, while the majority bid on individual store locations.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Fresh & Easy Tuesday made its Sacramento, Calif. debut with the opening of two new stores in the region. The retailer plans to open five new stores in the Sacramento area this month.

Kearney, Neb. -- The Buckle Inc. said Thursday its fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose a better-than-expected 13% to $56.1 million amid higher same-store sales and growing online demand.

Revenue rose 11% to $337.1 million from $303.1 million. Same-store sales increased 8%. Online sales, which are not included in that total surged 31% to $27.6 million.

Buckle, which also sells tops, shoes and other clothing, caters to teens.

San Francisco -- Williams-Sonoma Inc.’s fiscal fourth-quarter net income rose 8%, boosted by strong performances from its Pottery Barn and West Elm brands. The company also announced that COO and CFO Sharon McCollam, 48, has retired.

Although the home-furnishings retailer’s results beat Wall Street estimates, it offered fiscal 2012 earnings guidance that was slightly below what analysts expect. Its revenue forecast for the year was above analysts' estimates.

YONKERS, N.Y. — After three consecutive months of improvement, the Consumer Reports Index for March slipped to 46.1, from 49.6 last month.

March's Consumer Reports Index measures overall consumer financial health and showed that the confidence of the American consumer is waning.

Further challenging consumer confidence, The Trouble Tracker Index increased slightly this month to 52.2 from 49.1 in February, and is now at its highest level since August 2011.

Arlington, Va. — E-commerce sales continue to grow and have a major impact on multichannel retailers, according to new report from The Retail Industry Leaders Association. RILA, in partnership with Auburn University and with sponsorship from Accenture, on Wednesday released the third annual State of The Retail Supply Chain report.