eCommerce

Pittsburgh -- American Eagle Outfitters said Wednesday it has named Kitty Yung to the position of EVP/president of Asia Pacific, charged with supporting the chain’s global geographic and channel growth “while aligning with our strategic plan of fortifying core assets, growing North America and transforming to a global omni-channel competitor …,” said Robert Hanson, CEO.

New York -- A Wednesday report by Women’s Wear Daily quoted activist investor Bill Ackman, whose Pershing Square Capital Management is the largest shareholder of J.C. Penney Co., as saying that he won’t abandon the retailer following this week’s CEO shake-up.

"We are not going anywhere," Ackman told WWD in his first public comments since Ron Johnson was fired as CEO on Monday. "In fact, we're going the other direction. We're digging in."

Union, N.J. -- Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended March 2 increased 14% to $373.9 million, compared with $351 million in the year-ago period. But the retailer’s guidance for the current quarter came up short.

Sales leaped 24.5% to $3.401 billion, from $2.732 billion, and same-store sales rose 2.5%.

For the fiscal year, net earnings rose 12% to $1.038 billion), from $989.5 million. Full-year revenue rose 14.9% to $10.915 billion, and same-store sales for fiscal 2012 increased 2.7%.

By Mark Ledbetter, [email protected]

There's a season for everything, and that's no less true for retailers. Merchants have historically enjoyed a central position in the retail universe, driving everything from pricing to availability. How quickly things have changed. Today, try telling a 19-year-old that she can't get a discount on the slightly frayed jeans she found on the discount rack. She'll buy a similar pair online and Tweet about it so fast, it will make your head spin!

Dallas -- Alliance Data Systems Corp. announced its retail services business has signed a long-term agreement to provide private label credit card services for Barneys New York.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart said it will open two additional college campus locations, nearly two years after make its university debut at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

According to a Monday report by the Wall Street Journal, which cited Inside Higher Ed, the retailer will open a 5,000-sq.-ft. store at Arizona State University in Phoenix next month, and will open in Atlanta on the Georgia Tech campus later this year.

Arlington, Va. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association said Monday via a written letter to the House Ways and Means Committee that all corporate tax preferences need to be “put on the table” so that politics can be neutralized and progress can be made.

Seattle -- Nordstrom said Monday it will open a new namesake department store in Toronto in fall 2016, making its foray into the country a two-store debut.

The three-story, 188,000-sq.-ft. store planned for Toronto's Yorkdale Shopping Centre will join a previously announced, smaller store in the city's Sherway Gardens mall.