Omnichannel

New York -- Saks Inc. has selected Oracle's retail merchandising, planning and optimization applications and the Oracle e-business suite 12.1 to help integrate business operations and improve margins and profitability across all channels.

The implementation is part of a business-wide initiative by Saks to establish a modern, flexible and scalable IT platform that will provide finance, human resources, merchandising, commerce and store operations teams with real-time, mobile access to sales, inventory and performance data they require.

Toronto -- Well.ca, the largest health, baby and beauty e-commerce retailer in Canada, has opened the first QR-code “virtual store” in North America, in Toronto. The temporary space is open from April 2 to April 30.

“At Well.ca our mission is to break down barriers to online shopping. We've mashed together our love of smartphones, the convenience of e-commerce and free shipping to do something no other retailer delivers,” said Ali Asaria, founder and CEO of Well.ca.

Indianapolis -- The Finish Line announced that Gart Capital Partners will invest $10 million in Finish Line’s Running Specialty Group, with the goal of creating the largest operator of specialty running shoe business in the United States.

MINNEAPOLIS — In a move to tighten its footprint and reduce costs, Best Buy Co. said Thursday it will close 50 of its signature big-box stores and open 100 of its small mobile locations in the United States in fiscal 2013. The shift will help cut $250 million in costs by 2013 and $800 million by 2015, said the electronics retailer.

AMSTERDAM — Staples has named Willem Vos as director of e-commerce for Staples Europe. Vos will report to Peter Howard, SVP, head of Staples online and marketing for Staples Europe.

Hiring is set to get underway soon for new CityTarget stores slated to open this summer in Seattle, Chicago and Los Angles, according to published reports.

Waterloo, Ontario -- Descartes Systems Group announced that John Lewis Partnership has successfully deployed Descartes' Reservations and Route Planner solution to consolidate home deliveries for larger goods into one dynamic booking system.

NEW YORK — Charitybuzz (www.charitybuzz.com), an online charity auction house, announced that Peter Sachse, chief stores officer of Macy’s, has been appointed to the Charitybuzz board of directors. Sachse also serves as a member of the board of governors of the YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund and as a director of XO Group, Inc. Charitybuzz raises funds for nonprofits around the globe through exclusive online charity auctions with the world’s biggest celebrities and brands.