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Walmart announced it will close down all four of its Marketside pilot stores by the end of the month. The Martketside grocery stores are the everyday low price giant's first experiment with smaller-sized stores, including the Walmart Express concept that the retailer announced it will continue to expand.

Pittsburgh --- Dick’s Sporting Goods will open a store in Conway, Ark., on Oct. 19. It will be the retailer's second store in the state of Arkansas. On Oct. 20, Dick’s will open a store in Hattiesburg, Miss. It will be the retailer's fifth location in the state of Mississippi and its 469th nationwide.

York, Pa. -- The Bon-Ton Stores will celebrate the opening of its new Carson’s location on Nov. 9 at the Markland Mall in Kokomo, Ind. The store was previously located at the Kokomo Mall. Also on Nov. 9, the retailer will open a Herberger’s store at the Southdale Center in Edina, Minn., its sixth store in the Minneapolis market. The new, one-level 60,000 –sq.-ft. Carson’s store and 135,000-sq.-ft. Herberger’s have been designed to create a state-of-the-art shopping experience. It features a shopper-friendly environment with an open-floor plan, updated lighting with newest energy-saving technology, shopping carts and spacious fitting rooms,

E-commerce is exploding as more consumers choose to shop online — a trend that's bringing multichannel retailers record earnings. E-commerce accounted for 4.6 percent of total retail sales during the second quarter of 2011, up from 4.2 percent of total sales a year earlier.

According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), U.S. retail sales in September 2011 increased 0.4 percent from August 2011, and 5.7 percent compared to September 2010, as shoppers continued to show strength during a weak economic recovery. Total retail sales (which include non-general merchandise categories, such as automobiles, gasoline stations and restaurants) increased 1.1 percent month-to-month, and 8.6 percent compared to last year, partially due to strong automobile sales. Sales at clothing and clothing accessories stores increased 1.3 percent seasonally adjusted month-to-month and 8.3 percent unadjusted year-over-year. Electronics and appliance stores sales increased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted compared to

Gap claims the increase in shopping on its mobile site is one of the major reasons why it's tripled its online conversions in the last year. The retailer pointed to the important role that mobile plays for the company, saying that online conversion rate lifts can also be attributed to the company’s new mobile commerce platform.

FEED Projects' mission is to create good products that help feed the world. Men's apparel retailer Bonobos has teamed with FEED Projects to donate $40 to the World Food Programme for every pair of Bonobos FEED pants purchased.

How does a retailer become a cross-channel retailer? The first step is to change the cultural thinking in many organizations to a “market to me” experience, a singular view of the customer.

The 18th Annual Survey of Third-Party Logistics Providers revealed that logistics companies experienced improved economic conditions in 2010, with 88 percent of companies surveyed in North America meeting or exceeding their revenue projections, as compared with only 50 percent in 2009. 

Wal-Mart said Ed Chan, president of its China operations, quit as the company grapples with a pork labeling probe that shut all 13 of its stores in Chongqing and led to the detention of at least 27 people.