eCommerce

Naperville, Ill. -- OfficeMax announced that it has appointed Jim Barr as executive VP and chief digital officer, effective Nov. 14. Barr will be responsible for all aspects of the company's e-commerce business and for driving its multichannel digital strategy.

Barr has been working with the OfficeMax e-commerce business in an advisory capacity since July 2011. Prior to that, he served as president of Sears Holdings' online division.
 

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.  — Sears Holdings has entered the future of staying connected to consumers introducing mobile shopping walls in high-traffic areas.

Hoffman Estates, Ill. -- Sears and Kmart stores are debuting “mobile shopping walls” in high-traffic areas to reach customers who are traveling or on-the-go during the holiday season. The walls, which feature top toys from Sears and Kmart, provide Quick Response codes for each item so that customers can make purchases directly from their smartphones, giving customers an innovative and efficient way to accomplish their holiday shopping.

MINNEAPOLIS — Target reported October sales growth that fell short of analysts expectations, while uncertainty remains following the recent departure of the company's CFO.

Target reported that its net retail sales for the four weeks ended Oct. 29 were $4.8 billion, an increase of 4.3% from $4.6 billion for the four weeks ended Oct. 30, 2010. On this same basis, comparable-store sales increased 3.3% in October and 4.3% in the third quarter.

New York City -- Consumer spending slowed in October, sending a note of caution as retailers head into the holiday season. Eleven retailers missed expectations for same-store sales, while three chains beat estimates, according to a preliminary tally by Thomson Reuters. However, while the October results were not as promising as some retailers had hoped, sales for the most part rose and most chains reported results that were only slightly off from analysts’ estimates. Some analysts blamed Wall Street for underestimating how much caution is still out there.

Wayne, N.J. — Toys"R"Us has named the leadership team for its retail business operations in Southeast Asia and Greater China, following the recent announcement of its new joint venture agreement with Li & Fung Retailing. With this agreement, the existing Toys “R” Us business operations in the region, which had previously been licensed, are now majority owned and controlled by Toys “R” Us.

Columbus, Ohio -- Express said Thursday that its CEO, Michael Weiss, will also take over the role of board chairman, because of the current chairman's involvement in a rival company.

Weiss succeeds Stefan Kaluzny in the chairman's job. Kaluzny joined Express' board when the private equity firm where he worked, Golden Gate Capital, bought Limited Brands in 2007. Kaluzny has since joined another private equity firm, Sycamore Partners, which recently brought a controlling stake in Mast Global Fashions, which is Limited Brands' apparel sourcing division.

NEW YORK — Consumer spending slowed in October, sending a note of caution as retailers head into the holiday season. Eleven retailers missed expectations for same-store sales, while three chains beat estimates, according to a preliminary tally by Thomson Reuters. However, while the October results were not as promising as some retailers had hoped, sales for the most part rose and most chains reported results that were only slightly off from analysts’ estimates. Some analysts blamed Wall Street for underestimating how much caution is still out there.