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Completing a global search that began in February, Gap announced that Stefan Larsson, a veteran of nearly 15 years with the successful fashion retailer H&M, will become the first global brand president for Old Navy.  Larsson will join the company by October. The announcement comes as Gap prepares to open its first Old Navy store outside North America, in Japan, in July. 

Even as big-box stores and major retail chains scramble to polish up their app and mobile web strategies, the overwhelming majority of small and medium-sized specialty retailers appear to be off the mobile grid. E-commerce solutions provider Briteskies did its own survey of 75 online retailers in the small-to-medium specialty segment across multiple categories and found that only 17 percent, or 13 of the 75, have a mobile-optimized site.

Armonk, N.Y. -- A report released Tuesday by IBM found that the U.S. online retail sector grew more than 6% in March 2012. This upswing in March closes a quarter in which online sales were down slightly from the same period in 2011. IBM’s online economic indicator identified several trends of importance to chief marketing officers, e-commerce leaders and customer service professionals. The most notable development over this first quarter period was the continued growth of mobile commerce which resumed the momentum established in December by accounting for 13.3% of online retail sales, double the number seen in first

Burlington, Ontario -- Ikea Canada announced Tuesday that it is one of three pilot countries to bring store information via Android phones or iPhones. Effective May 2, the Ikea Mobile Shopping Application will enable customers to browse Ikea's product range, check product information and stock availability. The new application also allows the creation of shopping lists that include the product's location for pick up in the store. Customers can also access a store map on their phone to make navigating through the store easier. "We recognize that smartphones are changing consumer behavior and our customers are increasingly relying on

Best Buy is pulling the plug on a rent-to-own pilot program it launched last year with Rent-A-Center. Dow Jones reports that the Richfield, Minn.-based retailer pulled Rent-A-Center kiosks from a Chicago-area store and confirmed that Best Buy wouldn't pursue the program any further. Rent-A-Center executives said in March that the program was going well. Best Buy started the rent-to-own program last summer.

OMAHA, Neb. , May 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Omaha Steaks today announced that the company will sponsor a Salute Our Troops initiative throughout the month of May. Events and activities are planned to salute the members of the U.S. military, while raising funds to support the Armed Forces Foundation, a national organization that is dedicated to providing comfort and support to members of the military and their families. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111102/LA98677LOGO ) Highlights of the month-long Salute our Troops campaign include: Ten percent from the sale of specially created Omaha

Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart and Kohl’s are all celebrating a milestone 50th anniversary this year. It’s hard to believe that all four were founded in the same year, but combined these stores changed the way America shops. Happy birthday to modern retail!

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Express has named Theo Killion has been appointed to its board of directors as a Class III director. Killion is CEO and a director of Zale Corp. Michael Weiss, chairman of the board and the company's president and CEO commented: "I am delighted to welcome Theo to the board and look forward to working with him again. Theo's extensive retail experience in strategy and business development, talent development and risk management will be valuable to Express as we continue to deliver on our four pillars of growth." Killion has served as CEO of Zale Corp.

Even as consumers flock to buy products online--more than $900 billion worth last year--the e-commerce market is still largely dominated by clunky storefronts. But these four companies are finding smarter ways to create a more dynamic, social retail experience.