eCommerce

Katy, Texas -- Houston-area sports retailer Academy Sports + Outdoors announced Tuesday that it will enter the Atlanta market with a new store opening on April 1.

The 70,000-sq.-ft. store is located in McDonough, and is the chain’s fourth store in Georgia.

City of Industry, Calif. -- Hot Topic said Monday that it is taking a series of steps it hopes will encourage growth, including closing its ShockHound.com music and merchandise website.

The teen retail chain said it will write down unproductive inventory and fixed assets that are not vital to the company's strategy. It also said it plans to stop reporting sales monthly in the third quarter.

NEW YORK — Royal Ahold’s Peapod online grocery service is expanding in New York, according to published reports.

According to the reports, the new service, Peapod by Stop & Shop, will fulfill orders using the existing warehouse presence of Ahold supermarket banner Stop & Shop, which operates several stores in the city. In addition to groceries, Peapod also offers numerous health and beauty products.

TOPEKA, Kan. and MIAMI -- Payless ShoeSource announced that it is now partnering with internationally acclaimed Colombian fashion designer, Silvia Tcherassi, to create the latest Payless designer label, Silvia Tcherassi for Payless, with an initial collection available in May.

Bensalem, Pa. -- Charming Shoppes said it would close 240 unprofitable stores in 2011, or nearly 12% of its total outlets, and that more than half of those would be Fashion Bug stores.
 
The locations were not disclosed.

The company said all 30 of its Catherines Plus Sizes stores in outlet locations would be shuttered over a two-year period.
 

Even though Target’s efforts in the electronics area have been overshadowed of late by all the action in food and consumables, the company has consistently positioned itself to become a more relevant player in the space. The most recent example involves expansion of a trade-in program that coincides with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS hand-held gaming system. The product is a big deal due to some new technology that lets users experience 3D without the annoying glasses, but the product is expensive ($249), and that doesn’t included the added cost of games.

SAN JOSE, Calif. & KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.  -- Ebay Inc. announced that it has agreed to acquire GSI Commerce, a leading provider of e-commerce and interactive marketing services, for $29.25 a share, or total consideration of approximately $2.4 billion. The acquisition, which will be financed with cash and debt, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2011.

Medford, Ore. -- Harry & David Holdings filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Monday, according to a filing.

The gift basket retailer will continue to operate the business as debtors under the jurisdiction of the bankruptcy court. The company has nearly $200 million in outstanding debt.

Harry & David sells its products through catalogs, its website and in stores, which are primarily in factory outlet malls across the nation.