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An economic recovery that stubbornly refused to gain traction made 2011 a virtual repeat of 2010 when it came to the number of retail bankruptcies: 18 chains filed for Chapter 11 protection or its equivalent this year, compared to 19 in 2010.

Some retailers have the practical policy that if the price advertised on their website for a product, that price will be matched in a physical store. Not so with Gap, apparently, as Consumerist reader Cara says she tried to get a price adjustment recently and was denied.

French luxury brand Louis Vuitton has filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. over the use of a Louis Vuitton knockoff bag in "The Hangover: Part II." According to the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in New York on Thursday, an airport scene in the film makes use of a counterfeit bag made by a company named Diophy, which is currently being sued by Louis Vuitton for trademark infringement.

Macy’s is partnering with Earthworks System to create a recyclable gift card program for its customers. Once customers have used up the balance on their gift cards, the retailer will collect the empty cards to return to Earthworks System, where they will be reprocessed in printable sheets and resold to printers to make new cards.

The share of U.S. online retail dollars attributable to mobile devices has doubled in the last nine months, according to RichRelevance, which found more than 15 percent of shopping sessions occurred on mobile devices in December. In April of 2011, just under 9 percent of all shoppers were browsing using a mobile device. By December of 2011, the share had reached 18 percent of all consumers. Shoppers purchasing from their mobile devices represented 3.74 percent of total sales in December, up from 1.87 percent in April of 2011. iPad and iPhone shoppers accounted for 90% of all mobile purchases

Versace opened its first boutique in Milan dedicated to Young Versace, the company’s kid's line, which made its debut at international children’s wear exhibition Pitti Immagine Bimbo in Florence last June. The line includes clothes and accessories for both girls and boys from infancy to age 12.

RICHMOND, Va. — Amazon.com announced that it plans to open two fulfillment centers in Virginia, investing a total of $135 million. The company said it will invest $85 million and create more than 1,000 jobs in Chesterfield County, and invest $50 million in Dinwiddie County, creating more than 350 jobs. “We look forward to opening two new Amazon facilities in the Richmond area next year, bringing tens of millions of dollars and hundreds of new jobs to the state,” said Dave Clark, VP Amazon North American Operations. “We’re grateful to Governor McDonnell and other state, county and local officials

Holiday shoppers continued to make the retail cash registers ring last week, boosting sales 21.7 percent over the previous week and 1.3 percent over the same week last year. According to ShopperTrak, sales increases during the week ending Dec. 17 made this December on pace to have higher retail sales than last year.

Online shoe and apparel retailer Zappos has paired the ease of tablet publishing and the convenience of online purchasing by launching Zappos ZN, a new iPad app that showcases its products in the form of an editorial magazine. While most tablet magazines feature advertisements of different products and brands, most or all of them do not feature immediate access to on-the-spot purchasing within the first moment of contact.

As the clock counts down to Christmas Day, retailers have begun a big push to snare procrastinating shoppers searching frantically for last-minute gifts and hoping for final-weekend deals. Relishing the prospect of many all-day shoppers Saturday, stores across the nation are also extending hours, cutting prices and renewing bargain offers.