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Austin Business Journal Austin tax lawyer Buck Wood has told the media that the recent deal between Texas and Amazon.com over sales tax may be illegal. But don't expect a reversal anytime soon — if ever. It may ultimately be considered by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, should lawmakers or local governments ask for his opinion. The Houston Chronicle posted more on its website late yesterday. See all your followed company news on your personalized dashboard. To access the full benefits of bizWatch and receive a weekly email with aggregated news on all the companies you are following, please

When done well, iPad-enabled shopping experiences have been paying off for retailers. Unfortunately, not all online retailers have yet to capitalize on this trend. Enter Shopmox. Launched on May 9, the app aims to create a personalized shopping experience, bringing the mall to the iPad by incorporating 26 stores from half-a-dozen or so retailers, including Anthropologie, Gap, Banana Republic, Urban Outfitters, Fossil, Old Navy, Gap Kids, to name a few.

Kevin Plank can't help himself. The Under Armour CEO might know, in his heart of hearts, that his horse is a long shot against the world's finest three-year-old thoroughbreds. His farm manager, Tom Mullikin, describes the dark bay colt as more "grinder" than star. But Plank's own rise, from blindly ambitious college kid to billionaire apparel mogul, is an underdog tale. So he can't help but play Joe Namath and talk big about his colt's chances in the 137th Preakness Stakes. "Tiger Walk will win."

U.K.-based Marks & Spencer has launched Shwopping, a new initiative that the retailer claims will revolutionize clothes shopping and help consumers to live more sustainable lifestyles. Marks & Spencer wants to put used clothing to good use. Instead of throwing it out, the retailer is asking customers to "shwop" it — give an unwanted piece of clothing every time they buy a new one.

At the direction of its board of directors, Robert P. Stiller no longer serves as Green Mountain Coffee Roaster's chairman of the board and William D. Davis no longer serves as lead director of the board, effective immediately. Additionally, Stiller and Davis will no longer serve on any board committees and will not receive future payment for their service on the board until the board determines otherwise. These changes are the result of the actions taken by the board to address stock sales by Stiller's and Davis' brokerage firm, which sales were inconsistent with the company's internal trading policies.

Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson announced the company has been certified a B Corporation, joining companies like Patagonia. B Corporations (for "benefit corporation") are a new kind of company that uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems, Dickerson explained. "It's like a LEED certification or Fair Trade certification, but for a business, not just a building or a bag of coffee."

Francesca's Holdings Corporation today announced that it has terminated for cause the employment of Chief Financial Officer Gene Morphis based on an investigation by its board of directors with the assistance of outside counsel, which has found that he improperly communicated company information through social media. The investigation was launched after the company discovered this activity on May 11. Cynthia Thomassee, Francesca's controller since 2007 and vice president of accounting since 2010, will serve as interim chief financial officer.

Indianapolis -- Simon Property Group announced that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th will open a total of seven new stores in the next two years in its Premium Outlets division, including new centers and existing centers. The new centers include: Merrimack Premium Oulets, Merrimack, N.H.; Phoenix Premium Outlets, Chandler, Arizona; St. Louis Premium Outlets, Chesterfield, Mo.; and Tampa Premium Oulets, Wesley Chapel, Fla. Expansions are planned for the following centers: Chicago Premium Outlets, Aurora, Ill.; Las Vegas Premium Outlets—North, Las Vegas; and Orlando Premium Outlets-Vineland Ave., Orlando, Fla. In addition, SPG said that Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th has

Source: RDM Marketing World Wide Winnipeg, Canada, May 13, 2012 --( PR.com )-- RDM Marketing World Wide, an Internet Marketing Company based out of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, has announced today that the company is launching a new website, Ramona's Online Shopping Store. The new website has numerous products and categories for every room in the home or office. The new website can be found at http://www.RamonasOnlineShoppingStore.ca “The main objective and goal for the new website, Ramona's Online Shopping Store, is placed on building an outstanding shopping experience that interested and potential customers will

SEATTLE — Nordstrom Inc's profit for the first quarter edged up just 2.7% to $149 million, compared with $145 million in the same period last year. Results, which were negatively impacted by free shipping offers and promotional initiatives, met internal expectations but missed Wall Street estimates. Sales soared 13.7% to $2.53 billion, but still missed analysts’ forecast of $2.55 billion. Same-store sales rose 8.5%. Nordstrom has seen strong performance of late, as the luxury category has continued to gain strength, but investments into customer experience initiatives such as free shipping on all online purchases with no minimum purchase requirement