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GameStop Wins Bidding for More Than 160 RadioShack Stores
March 2, 2015

A unit of GameStop Corp. won an auction for the right to take over more than 160 stores that bankrupt consumer-electronics retailer RadioShack Corp. was planning to close. In court documents filed Wednesday in Wilmington, Delaware, RadioShack said GameStop's Spring Communications Holding — known as Spring Mobile — will pay $15,000 a store to take over leases at locations around the U.S. Spring has about two months to decide which of the stores it wants.

eBay Sets up $6.4 Million Fund to Settle Lawsuit
March 2, 2015

Two online sellers filed class-action lawsuits against eBay claiming it didn't make it clear that it charged recurring fees for "Good ’Til Canceled listings." On Friday, sellers began receiving notice of a settlement the parties reached in Noll et. al v. eBay Inc. et al. In January, eBay set up a $6.4 million settlement fund. The lawsuit claimed eBay deliberately tricked customers into paying recurring fees for its Good 'Til Canceled listings, which automatically renew every 30 days until the seller cancels the listing or the item is sold.

Lumber Liquidators’ Flooring Fails Safety Tests: ‘60 Minutes’
March 2, 2015

Trading was halted Monday in Lumber Liquidators after its shares dropped more than 20 percent following a CBS report that the company sold flooring with higher levels of formaldehyde than permitted under California's health and safety standards. The trading was halted for pending news. The stock had fallen 24.8 percent before the market opened Monday. The "60 Minutes" piece on Sunday said it tested Lumber Liquidators’ flooring in Virginia, Florida, Texas, Illinois and New York for levels of formaldehyde, a cancer-causing chemical.

Amazon, J.C. Penney Respond to ‘The Dress’ Color Debate on Twitter
March 2, 2015

Amazon.com and J.C. Penney are two of the top retailers that quickly responded to the worldwide social media buzz concerning a post about a dress that provoked a debate late last week over the color of the garment's stripes, underscoring how mobile moments can help brands connect with today's consumers. Late last week, Twitter and Facebook were barreled by posts from users trying to convince each other that the striped dress was black and blue or white and gold, prompting an intense debate that led to many memes, GIFs and jokes.

Visa Wins Costco’s Credit Card Business
March 2, 2015

Costco announced that its credit card network will be handled by Visa next year, an announcement that comes weeks after it sideswiped Visa rival American Express in a move that ended a 16-year relationship with the retailer. Costco said Citigroup would be the exclusive issuer of the retailer's co-branded credit cards, while Visa will be replacing American Express as the credit card network for Costco in the U.S. and Puerto Rico beginning April 1, 2016.

Barnes & Noble is Spinning Off its College Store Business
February 27, 2015

Barnes & Noble has unveiled plans to raise up to $775 million in a spinoff of the company's college bookstore assets in a move that will create a separate, publicly traded company. The plan will separate Barnes & Noble Education from the legacy Barnes & Noble retail and Nook digital businesses. Barnes & Noble last summer had disclosed plans to spin off the Nook Media business, though that business will still be owned by the parent company after the college business spin off. Barnes & Noble has faced challenges in both the physical and digital worlds. 

Amazon Hires Jay Carney, Former Obama Press Secretary
February 27, 2015

Amazon.com, a technology company obsessed with secrecy, is hiring a former press secretary for President Obama, whose administration has been widely criticized for its aggressive leak investigations. Jay Carney, who resigned as the president's chief spokesman last spring, is joining Amazon as senior vice president for global corporate affairs, a new position, the retailer said Thursday. It's an unusual hire for the Seattle-based company, which tends to groom its talent internally rather than bring in prominent outsiders. Mr. Carney, who begins his new job on Monday, will report to Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO.

U.S. Court Revives Macy's Claims vs J.C. Penney Over Martha Stewart
February 27, 2015

A New York state appeals court on Thursday revived most of Macy's lawsuit accusing J.C. Penney of interfering improperly with its exclusive merchandising contract with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. The 5-0 decision by the Appellate Division in Manhattan restored two claims by Macy's that a lower court judge had dismissed. It also upheld the validity of a third Macy's claim, but said Macy's didn't deserve punitive damages. Thursday's decision is the latest step in an unusual battle over the right to sell home goods from a company named for one of the most famous U.S. names in homemaking.

Calculated Chaos: Examining the Brilliant Strategy Behind Bed Bath & Beyond
February 27, 2015

Bed Bath & Beyond's (BB&B) merchandising concept — a massive space offering a plethora of products — is known in the retail world as "big box." It's the opposite approach of carefully curated home stores like Williams-Sonoma and Crate and Barrel, but was widely popular when BB&B first hit the market. Toys"R"Us was the first retailer to adopt this "category-killer strategy," explains retail analyst Warren Shoulberg. In the pre-e-commerce era, retailers wanted to keep shoppers in stores by offering them anything and everything.

Former Apple Retail Boss Ron Johnson Leads $16M Investment in Nasty Gal
February 27, 2015

Online retailer Nasty Gal is gearing up for its brick-and-mortar moment and has brought in former Apple retail boss Ron Johnson to help guide the way. Johnson is leading a $16 million investment in the Los Angeles-based company and joining the women retailer's board of directors, founder Sophia Amoruso told Re/code. Johnson was the mastermind of Apple's retail strategy and then held the CEO role at J.C. Penney in a tumultuous stint. He's now CEO of a yet-to-launch e-commerce startup called Enjoy.