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Neiman Marcus reported modest sales and a reduced loss for fourth quarter as it eyes an initial public stock offering and a bright omnichannel future.

Neiman Marcus posted a net loss of $32.9 million for the fourth quarter, compared to a net loss of $42.1 million in the year ago period.

Revenues at the company’s 43 full-line department stores and 42 Last Call off-price stores increased 4.9% to $1.17 billion. Same-store sales increased 1.9% for the fourth quarter ended Aug. 1.

Membership buying club DirectBuy is taking its direct sales model to a new level of directness. The retailer has launched the My DirectBuy mobile app.

The iOS and Android app allows DirectBuy to search for products, browse promotions, and place and track orders on the companion My DirectBuy website.

When it comes to selling products online, retailers want to go wherever their customers go. According to the 2015 E-Commerce Benchmark Survey from Boston Retail Partners, close to half (45%) of surveyed retailers indicated that mobile websites are their most important e-commerce capability.

Amazon is using its winning of five Emmys on Sunday at the 67th Annual Emmy Awards to throw its competitors yet another fastball.

The company is reducing the price of its Amazon Prime loyalty program, which includes unlimited free two-day shipping, from $99 per year to $67 for one year. The catch is the deal will only run for 24 hours, between midnight Sept. 25 and ending midnight Sept. 26.

When it comes to keeping supply chain and logistics operations as efficient as possible, retailers are getting smart. Using centralized cloud platforms and business intelligence solutions, merchants can achieve real-time inventory awareness and supply chain operational data that improves overall front- and back-end performance.

Here are three examples:

Gap

Holiday sales will increase between 3.5% and 4%, slower than last year’s 5.2% growth, as favorable economic tailwinds are offset by lingering negatives, according to an annual forecast by Deloitte’s Retail and Distribution Practice.

Neiman Marcus reported modest sales growth and a reduced loss for its recently ended fourth quarter as the operator of 85 stores eyes an initial public stock offering and a bright omnichannel future.
 

Smart & Final celebrated the one year anniversary of its public stock offering by telling investors a growth story about differentiation and new store expansion.
 
Smart & Final, a uniquely positioned operator of 266 warehouse style stores, has plans to open 100 new stores in the Western United States during the next four years. CEO Dave Hirz dropped that bombshell while he and other senior members of the company were at the New York Stock Exchange to ring the opening bell to commemorate the one year anniversary of the company’s listing.

New York -- Apple Pay will soon have a rival. Google Inc. is launching a successor to Google Wallet called Android Pay, for Android phones running KitKat and above, PC World reported. It will be available in over 700,000 stores, including Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, and McDonald’s locations.

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