Store Systems

New York City -- Jesta I.S. said Wednesday it has partnered with Americaneagle.com to offer a pre-integrated front-end e-commerce solution designed to deliver an integrated and comprehensive merchandising suite that allows retailers to rapidly deploy a solid merchandising infrastructure and a comprehensive e-commerce solution.

“Increasingly, we are seeing a higher demand for a full end-to-end integrated e-commerce solution,” said Jerry Boduch, director of business development at Americaneagle.com.

San Jose, Calif. -- Orchard Supply Hardware Stores Corp. announced that its spin-off from Sears Holdings Corporation was completed at 11:59 p.m. EST on December 30, 2011. Trading of Orchard’s Class A Common Stock will begin Tuesday on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “OSH”.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings hired Ron Boire as EVP and chief merchandising officer. Boire, who previously was president and CEO of Brookstone, will lead merchandising and retail stores for both the Sears and Kmart brands.  

He will work with our leadership team to better serve our customers and Shop Your Way Rewards Members by integrating their experiences across our stores, online, services, and mobile capabilities, the company said.

New York City -- Sears has given store associates more than 5,000 Apple iPads and 11,000 iPod touches to track inventory and customer orders, Lou D’Ambrosio, CEO, Sears Holdings Corp., said in a Bloomberg report.

In the article, D’Ambrosio also took on critics who have complained that Sears has not invested enough in its stores. The chain is spending less than a quarter of the $8 a square foot that retailers typically invest to maintain stores, according to International Strategy & Investment Group, according to the report.

Colorado Springs, Col. -- PriceAdvantage, a division of Skyline Products, announced that Parker's Convenience Stores has successfully completed its rollout of PriceAdvantage Enterprise. The software offering from Skyline allows companies like Parker's to automate and streamline the process of changing fuel prices at their stores.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Sears Holdings last week announced that it will close between 100 and 120 underperforming Sears and Kmart stores, following dismal holiday sales results for the brands.

The company said it has not yet identified which stores will be shuttered, but said that the closures are part of an overall plan to shift its focus from shoring up underperformers to concentrating its efforts on stronger stores.

Chicago -- Thanks to a last-minute shopping rush, Christmas 2011 will likely outpace its prior-year counterpart. According to a report released Wednesday by ShopperTrak, consumers spent approximately $44 billion in GAFO retail sales for the week ending Dec. 24, a 37.8% increase over the previous week and a 14.8% gain over the same week last year.

Foot traffic was also high, increasing 32.4% from the previous week.

Philadelphia -- Forever 21 recently relocated and expanded to a two-story location in the newly developed wing at Willow Grove Park, located in eastern Montgomery County just north of Philadelphia. The mall is owned and operated by Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust.