News

Seattle -- Amazon said it will open a 1-milllion-sq-.ft. distribution center in Kent, Wash., which will be its fourth in Washington state. IDS Real Estate Group and Clarion Partners are building the site as part of a joint venture. Amazon’s other Washington fulfillment centers are located in Sumner and Bellevue, and a DuPont site is near completion.

After a 15% fourth-quarter same-store sales decline, Aeropostale is looking to accelerate the pace of previously announced store closures, further reduce an already limited store expansion program and has secured new financial flexibility from a private equity firm.

Atlanta – Close to half (45.1%) of brands reported that ‘measuring ROI and results’ is their greatest challenge when using the Twitter platform for marketing, followed by ‘building an audience’ (42.1%) and ‘engagement’ (36.8%). According to a new survey from Social Media Marketing University (SMU), 65% of brands say that Twitter is an effective marketing tool, while 30.6% are undecided. Other notable findings include: • 96.2% of brands using Twitter as a marketing tool report having challenges using the platform to achieve specific goals.

Amazon plans to open a nearly 1 million-sq.-ft. fulfillment center in Kent, Wash. This will be the company’s fourth fulfillment center in the state. Amazon’s other Washington fulfillment centers are located in Sumner and Bellevue, and a DuPont site is near completion.

Canton, Mass. – Destination XL Group Inc. reported a net loss of $55.1 million for its fourth quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. The chain cited a sluggish retail environment, a shorter holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions as contributing to the disappointing results.

By Tom Caporaso, CEO of Clarus Marketing Amazon Prime’s recent decision to raise its annual membership fee probably didn’t come as a surprise to anyone within the online retail or subscription e-commerce industries. The company had been talking about increasing its subscription fees by $20 to $40 since at least January, so the biggest news might have been the price point Amazon chose.

Destination XL Group was disappointed with its performance in the fourth quarter and said contributing factors were sluggish retail environment, a short holiday selling season and adverse weather conditions. The company reported a net loss of $55.1 million for the quarter, compared to net income of $4.2 million in the year-ago period. Fourth quarter net sales declined nearly 6% to $108.5 million, from $114.9 million in the prior-year period. However, same-store sales rose 13.6%.

New York -- Nordstrom is going to be a big success in Canada, according to Antony Karabus, president, Hilco Retail Consulting. (Nordstrom has plans for six stores in Canada, with the possibility of adding a few more over time.) “Every one of the six stores they (Nordstrom) picked in Canada is a home run in terms of the location. It’s the perfect time, perfect sector and the perfect time in the sector,” Karabus said during a recent presentation on “The State of the Canadian Retail Market.”