eCommerce

Armonk, N.Y. -- CSN Stores, the third largest online retailer of home goods in the United States, has selected IBM's Netezza TwinFin appliance to quickly mine and analyze terabytes of business data flowing through the company every day.

The new tool will power CSN's business analytics platform to monitor trends related to profitability, customer satisfaction, customer retention, order fulfillment and supply chain. The company will use the data to drive organic growth initiatives and discover new ways to better serve their customers.

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears Holdings released its year-end outlook for the fiscal year 2010 ending Jan. 29.

For the full year, the company expects a net income of $210 million, with a fourth-quarter income expectation of between $370 million and $450 million, offsetting the company’s past two quarterly losses.

The company also posted up-to-date comparable-store sales for both its Sears Domestic and Kmart stores.

For the quarter-to-date, comparable-store sales for its Sears Domestic stores were down 5.3%, with Kmart stores seeing an increase of 3.4%.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail sales rose for a sixth consecutive month in December, with big gains in sales of autos and furniture. The increases lifted sales activity for the year by the largest amount in more than a decade.

Sales rose 0.6% last month to a level of $381 billion, the Commerce Department said Friday, less than the 0.8% economists had expected. However, the increase pushed sales for all of 2010 up 6.7%, the largest annual increase since 1999. Excluding autos, retail sales rose 0.5% last month.

Lenexa, Kan. -- Seattle-based Nordstrom announced plans to open its first Nordstrom Rack in Kansas. The 34,925-sq.-ft. store will be located in Lenexa at the Orchard Corners shopping center and is expected to open in fall 2011.

Kansas City, Kan. -- Beachwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty Corp. said that Anthropologie will open an 11,202-sq.-ft. store at Town Center Plaza, a 626,000-sq.-ft. lifestyle center located in Leawood, Kan.

The new store is slated to open this summer.

In 2010 at Town Center Plaza, Victoria's Secret relocated and expanded to a new 7,200-sq.-ft. prototype store, Bath & Body Works expanded into a 3,267-sq.-ft. space, and The Limited executed an agreement to open a 4,595-sq.-ft. store in the spring.

At this year’s NRF show, Peter LaFond, Walmart’s marketing director for online media and smart network, showcased how his company utilizes its in-store video network to deliver targeted, relevant messages to its customers.

San Jose, Calif. -- SRS Real Estate Partners said it has opened the doors on its newest office in San Jose, Calif. The office, which specializes in project leasing and investment sales, includes the addition of five new senior VP’s -- Randol Y. Mackley, Bruce H. Frazer, Bob Quigley, Mark Thomas and Stephen Gazzera -- along with a new associate Peggy Owen.

They will be joined by Sarah Edwards, a senior associate from the company’s San Francisco office.   

New York City -- Robert K. Futterman & Associates said it has arranged a long-term, 10,700-sq.-ft. lease with Mulberry at 134 Spring St., between Greene and Wooster Streets in SoHo.

The store will serve as the British lifestyle brand’s flagship location in New York City and will be its third store in Manhattan. Scheduled to open in the summer, Mulberry will occupy 5,700 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail and 5,000 on the lower level and will sell ready-to-wear in addition to accessories.