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LONDON (Dow Jones)--Burberry Group PLC (BRBY.

Online crafts retailer Etsy has appointed Adam Freed as its chief operating officer after raising $20 million in new financing. Freed formerly served as Google's director of international product management, setting up online advertising operations in several countries and starting a multilingual operations center in Dublin.

Diamond giant De Beers is suing Kohls Corp. for patent infringement, according to Diamonds.net, an industry website. The story, posted Friday afternoon, said De Beers claims there is an uncanny resemblance between its Everlon Diamond Knot Collection, introduced in 2007, and the Love Knot Collection sold exclusively at Kohls Department Stores and produced by Brilliant Jewelers. De Beers is asking for compensation for damages, attorneys fees and expenses and other costs. The suit, filed Wednesday in Missouri Western District Court, said at least two of the Love Knot pieces, a ring and a bangle bracelet, appear to be direct

Target Corp., best known for its "cheap chic" clothing and furnishings, is adding a series of new services aimed at bolstering its electronics departments.

LONDON -- A consortium of U.S. and U.K. private equity companies is considering a $1.7 billion bid for retailer Saks Inc. , according to a report in the U.K.'s Daily Mail newspaper. The report, which cited rumours from an unnamed source, said the group has almost completed due diligence on Saks and could table a cash bid worth $11 a share soon. It added that one hurdle for the bidders is the fact that billionaires Carlos Slim and Diego Della Valle hold significant stakes in the firm and may want a big premium. Shares in Saks rose nearly 10%

WASHINGTON - Consumer spending outpaced income growth in July leading to a decline in the personal savings rate, the Commerce Department reported Monday. Consumer spending rose 0.4% in July. Personal income rose 0.2%. Wall Street economists had expected a 0.3% increase in incomes and a 0.3% gain in spending. The savings rate fell to 5.9% from 6.2% in June. Real disposable incomes fell 0.1% in July after rising 0.1% in June. The personal consumption expenditure price index rose 0.2% in July compared with June and is up 1.5% in the past year. Copyright © 2010 MarketWatch, Inc.

Stage Stores said Monday that it has named Robert Bernard as president and COO of its South Hill Division, which is headquartered in South Hill, Va.Bernard succeeds Richard Maloney, who was appointed chief merchandising officer of Stage Stores in February.Bernard, 55, was previously senior VP general merchandise manager for Ross Stores. He has also held senior executive merchandising positions at several Macy’s divisions.In his new position with Stage, Bernard will be responsible for all operations of the South Hill Division, including merchandising, planning and allocation, and store operations.Stage Stores operates 777 stores in 39 states under the Bealls, Goody’s,

E-commerce technology-provider Blueport Commerce said Monday that furniture retailer RoomStore.com has relaunched its website leveraging the Blueport e-commerce platform. The new site includes improvements to the online customer experience to drive results online and in stores, according to RoomStore.� � “The Blueport platform is specifically designed for big-ticket retailers that have complex delivery models and rely heavily on their websites to drive traffic to local stores,” said Ned Crosby, chief merchandising and marketing officer at RoomStore. “The company understands our unique business challenges and addresses them with a solution architected around the need for multichannel localization.”The re-launched RoomStore site

Clas Ohlson, a Swedish retail chain, plans to open 200 additional stores in the U.K. The retailer specializes in hardware, electrical, multimedia and home and leisure products. Seven stores have recently opened in the U.K. in former Woolworths and Zavvi locations. An eighth store is slated to open this year in Dudley, followed by nine more during the company's current financial year. Currently, Clas Ohlson operates 122 stores in Sweden, Norway, Finland and the U.K. The retailer also distributes 6.2 million mail order catalogs worldwide. It is the third largest retailer in Sweden, behing Ikea and H&M.

Gap announced the launch of its dedicated European e-commerce site for Gap and Banana Republic. Following the initial launch for U.K. consumers, the company plans to offer shipping to customers in an additional nine countries this fall, including Belgium; Denmark; France; Germany; Republic of Ireland; Italy; Netherlands; Spain; and Sweden.During second quarter 2010, Gap expanded its e-commerce reach from one country to 55 through international shipping. This is in addition to the dedicated e-commerce sites launched earlier this week in Canada and today in the United Kingdom.By the end of the year, the company expects to have stores in