International Strategy

A new Alibaba subsidiary is close to launching a marketplace in the U.S. and has been onboarding third-party sellers since late last year, EcommerceBytes has learned. 11Main.com has hand-picked eBay sellers to participate in the pre-launch phase. The marketplace is called 11 Main to connote "Main Street" shopping from friendly mom-and-pop retailers. The plan is to charge charges sellers a 3.5 percent commission fee when an item sells with a $50 cap. There's no charge for selling printed books, DVDs and music.

Men's Wearhouse has introduced international shipping to online customers in more than 100 countries. The company is promising affordable shipping rates and order totals guaranteed at the time of purchase to the international community. "We have customers around the world that trust us as their menswear fashion expert, but the only way they could shop with us was if they were based in the USA," said Men's Wearhouse Executive Vice President Susan Neal. "With our international shipping option, our customers will be able to shop and ship to more than 100 countries anytime and anywhere that's convenient for them."

Retailers are moving quickly to open new markets, enticed by double-digit growth and the global scale of international e-commerce. The appetite for U.S. brands is strong around the world, and the desire to shop online is growing at a tremendous clip.

Hudson's Bay said on Monday that it will sell its flagship downtown Toronto store and neighboring office tower for $587.09 million to commercial real estate heavyweight Cadillac Fairview and open a full-line Saks store in the leased-back space. The historic Canadian retailer has long floated plans to unlock the value of its real estate but had previously given no time frame. 

Global retail giant Wal-Mart has registered a new company in India as it prepares to enter the country's lucrative multibrand retail market with a new partner. Wal-Mart and Bharti Enterprises decided to part ways in October last year, bringing an end to their six-year-long partnership. The retailer has registered a new company called Wal-Mart India Private Ltd in the country, according to the data available with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs.

With a global economy becoming more of a reality by the day, brands are setting their sights on expanding their operations beyond their borders to grow profitably. One such brand taking this approach is Claire's Stores, an apparel and accessories retailer for teen girls and young women. In a keynote session at the National Retail Federation's Big Show in New York City yesterday, Jim Fielding, CEO of Claire's Stores, discussed his brand's experiences going international, as well as some takeaway lessons for the retailers in attendance who may be following closely behind.

Apparel makers including Gap, H&M and Inditex urged Cambodia's government, its garment industry and unions to hold talks after a strike over workers’ pay led to deadly clashes. The government, the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia and labor unions should engage in negotiations and support a new wage-review mechanism to avoid future violence, the retailers said in an open letter yesterday. Adidas, Puma, Levi Strauss & Co., and Columbia Sportswear also signed the letter. At least three people were killed when police used live ammunition to crush a protest by striking garment workers in Phnom Penh, the Cambodia Daily reported. 

Japanese apparel retailer Fast Retailing remains deliberate in its approach to the growth of its Uniqlo brand in the U.S., with plans for five more stores by mid-year. There are currently 1,300 Uniqlo locations worldwide in 13 countries, but only 17 stores in the U.S. The five new stores the company is adding this spring and summer will be located in King of Prussia, Pa., Stamford, Conn., and Daly City, Concord, and Milpitas, Calif. The company's other existing stores are clustered in the Northeast and Northern California. 

eBay CEO John Donahoe will have the president's ear, so to speak, when it comes to international trade issues. President Obama appointed eBay CEO John Donahoe to the President's Export Council. Donahoe previously served as a member of the White House Council for Community Solutions from 2010 to 2012. According to eBay's announcement of the appointment, Donahoe will advise the president on policies and programs that affect U.S. trade, including opportunities to expand cross-border trade opportunities for businesses that use eBay products and services. 

Following on the heels of Wal-Mart, Target, Kohl's, Staples, QVC and others, Suning Commerce Group, China's largest electronics retailer, last month opened a retail tech lab in Silicon Valley. Already among China's top three e-commerce players, Suning said its research center in Palo Alto, Calif., will be the first in a series of planned R&D centers in cities throughout the U.S., with others already set for New York and Seattle. The objective is to advance Suning's offline-to-online business model and bolster its back-office capabilities, which include big data, internet search, shopper analytics, cloud capabilities and internet banking.