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Office Depot is boosting its capital expenditure budget for 2012 to approximately $160 million, with a heavy emphasis on e-commerce and other IT investments. The retailer's digital investments will be particularly important given its plans to shrink both the average size of its brick-and-mortar stores and its product assortments.

SEATTLE , March 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- REI ( Recreational Equipment, Inc .), a national retailer of quality outdoor gear and apparel, today announced 2011 sales of $1.80 billion , up 8.4 percent from $1.66 billion the previous year. Operating income was $116.2 million , down slightly from $116.6 million in 2010. Net income was $30.2 million , relatively flat to 2010. As the country's largest consumer cooperative with a significant membership base, REI welcomed nearly 842,000 new members in 2011, up 7 percent from 2010.  (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120306/SF65403LOGO ) "We experienced strong sales

Fans of Club Monaco's brand of relaxed chic will be able to shop the label's wares online for the first time starting March 26. Not only will shoppers be able to snap up Club Monaco's complete spring offerings, they'll also be able to shop some Web-exclusive items for both ladies and gents.

No related items were found. Warrendale, Pa. -- Rue21 reported Wednesday that net income for the quarter ended Jan. 28 rose 18.7% to $12.9 million, from $10.9 million in the year-ago period. Sales surged 15.7% to $219.9 million, but same-store sales dipped 2.2% following a 1.5% increase a year earlier. During the quarter, Rue21 opened 17 new stores and closed two.

Gap, which drew legions of young adults in the 1990s with classic khakis and swing-dancing ads, is again banking on young, hip customers to resuscitate its sales. Too bad they're broke now. Weighed down by higher-than-average unemployment, student loan debt and concerns that the economy will continue to struggle, Americans 18-years-old to 34-years-old are increasingly reluctant to shop, according to researcher WSL Strategic Retail.

Destination Maternity, the maternity apparel retailer, today announced the expansion of its business in South Korea with the launch of a dedicated South Korean e-commerce site. South Korean consumers will now be able to shop online for A Pea in the Pod, A Pea in the Pod Collection and Motherhood Maternity brand maternity clothing and accessories. The site will be operated by Destination Maternity's South Korean franchise partner, Agabang & Company, and will provide a fast, easy shopping experience for consumers with convenient local shipping.

Overstock.com isn't disclosing details about its new initiative in which it's launching products on other marketplaces, despite referencing it in a slide deck during its fourth-quarter earnings call with analysts. Stephen Chesnut, senior vice president of finance and risk management at Overstock.com, said during the post-earnings call on March 2 that Overstock.com had deployed a marketplace initiative during the fourth quarter in which it was bringing its assortment live on other marketplaces.

In the boom of social media, newcomer Pinterest has created a big bang explosion. Retailers such as Lowe's, Etsy, Williams-Sonoma, American Eagle, Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters and Gap are among the many that have jumped on the bandwagon.

Deft, Netherlands-based IKEA plans to open three Canada stores in 2012, as part of a sustainability-focused expansion. The new stores will be 40 percent more efficient than the last Canadian location, which was built in 2004. IKEA Richmond, the first of the three new stores, is set to open on April 25, and will feature a geothermal installation, rainwater harvesting, a solar-equipped navigation tower, as well as approximately one tree for every six parking spaces. Currently, IKEA operates 325 stores, 11 of which are located in Canada. SAVE | EMAIL | PRINT | MOST POPULAR | RSS DDI's

Beauty retailer Sephora is testing its iPad program in select stores this month, inspired by what it believes is a close relationship between its customers and Apple.