eCommerce

Everett, Wash. -- Zumiez Inc. will move its e-commerce fulfillment operations from its headquarters in Everett, Wash., to Edwardsville, Kansas, in May to accommodate their growing online business and to increase the speed of product deliveries to online customers.

CENTURY CITY, Calif. — Fans of the "Ice Age" film franchise will find everything they need at Toys"R"Us ahead of the July 13 release of "Ice Age 4: Continental Drift." The retailer is set as the film’s exclusive toy destination in North America, featuring movie-inspired products and promotions that will launch on July 1. Teaming with Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products, Toys“R”Us will offer an extensive merchandising program, including a toy line from Just Play and The Promotions Factory.

Ron Johnson isn’t afraid of making waves. Just as my page-neighbor Jeff Green suggested in his latest column, “A Penney for your Thoughts,” the Apple-CEO-turned-JCP-chief is keenly focused on reinventing a department store dinosaur into a sleek, well-oiled retail machine. And if that means reneging on prior deals, so be it.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — DSW is giving students at the Fashion Institure of Technology in New York City a chance to accelerate their careers. The retailer announced that is sponsoring "A Design Affair," a contest that will award one winner with a cash prize, intership and his or her shoes being sold at DSW.

Trenton, N.J. -- Amazon.com is contemplating opening two warehouses in New Jersey and is seeking a 22-month sales-tax holiday as part of the deal, according to reports by the Associated Press and the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Amazon is not required, as brick-and-mortar retailers are, to collect the 7% state sales tax for purchases. If it acquires a physical presence in New Jersey by opening warehouses, it would have to collect taxes.

Philadelphia -- Urban Outfitters reported Thursday that sales for the fourth quarter, ended Jan. 31, rose 9% to $731 million.

St. Louis -- Build-A-Bear Workshop will open a store in Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Md., on Feb. 27. This will be the chain’s second store located inside a hospital.

“When kids are sick or injured, making a new furry friend is a great way to take their mind off of their treatment and a teddy bear hug can help them feel better,” said Maxine Clark, company founder and chief executive. “We’re proud that Build-A-Bear Workshop can bring teddy bear hugs and a positive experience to the children of Sinai Hospital.”

New York City -- San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a proposal to expand the city’s bag on plastic bags from grocery stores and pharmacies to all retailers, including restaurants.

The expanded regulations also call for customers to pay a 10-cent surcharge for paper bags at the point of purchase. The businesses charging the fee will keep the money to use how they see fit.