eCommerce

Stratham, N.H. -- A Tuesday report by the Wall Street Journal said that outdoor gear retailer Timberland will expand its presence in mainland China from 110 stores currently to double that number.

According to the company’s president and CEO, Jeffrey Swartz, who was interviewed by WSJ, the retailer sees the potential to more than double its doors in the next three years.

Swartz said one way his company can connect with Chinese consumers is by highlighting its environmental credentials.

New York City -- A report released Monday by Advisor One said that while it’s still too early to know the final outcome of the Christmas shopping season, it’s already clear that it’s been a record season for online retail.

New York City -- Sunday’s east coast snowstorm disrupted sales throughout the entire area and disrupted one of the busiest shopping days of the year.

Sections of New York and New Jersey got as much as two feet of snow over the past few days, keeping many shoppers at home. Spending may shift into January, Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD Group, told Bloomberg on Monday.

“Look for sales to be repeated by retailers. They’re going to be more aggressive,” Cohen said.

Purchase, N.Y. -- A report released Tuesday by MasterCard Advisors said that increased spending in most categories produced a strong holiday season for retailers, with e-commerce and apparel faring the best. Retail sales from Nov. 5 through Dec. 24 rose 5.5% to $584.3 billion over the same period last year, according to MasterCard Advisors' SpendingPulse. The figures, which exclude auto sales, are ahead of industrywide projections for a 3.3% to 4% rise for the holiday selling season.

The age old question of what to get the person who has everything has finally been answered, and a Walmart gift card appears to be the ultimate solution for the perplexed gift-giver. That’s according to the gift card exchange website www.giftcardrescue.com and survey involving 6,000 people who created gift card wish lists on its site since the beginning of the year.

HUDSON, Ohio - Jo-Ann Stores announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of Leonard Green & Partners, L.P., for a total price of approximately $1.6 billion, or $61 per share in cash. The offer price represents a 34% premium to the closing price of Jo-Ann’s shares on Dec. 22.