Retail Stores

Flash-sale website One Kings Lane has raised $40 million from venture capital and private equity firms led by Tiger Global Management, the latest sign of growth for an online shopping genre that's upending traditional fashion and home retailers.

Ascena Retail Group, owner of the Dressbarn, Maurices and Justice chains, reported that net income for the quarter ended July 30 fell to $28.2 million from $42 million in the year-ago period on one-time charges and a shorter quarter for the performance slide.

Toys"R"Us won’t open as many holiday pop-up stores this year as last, betting that offering more exclusive toys will do more to attract shoppers to its stores during the important holiday season.

Target's Missoni madness continues with a brand new mess. Many customers that placed orders online at Target.com for Missoni for Target are now receiving an email from the discount retailer saying their shipments are delayed or worse — they will be cancelled altogether.

Ikea has redesigned its medium-density fiberboard masterwork, the BILLY bookshelf, to sport deeper shelves and optional glass doors meant for decorative doodads. This has prompted a whole bunch of publications to declare the four-inch tweaking of BILLY as a clear signal of the demise of books in their non e-form.

Sears was one of the winners of the 2nd Annual Colloquy Loyalty Awards, an event that recognizes "transformative, customer-focused Enterprise Loyalty initiatives" around the world.

Pier 1 Imports reported that second-quarter profit rose to $16.6 million, from $14.4 million a year earlier, matching Wall Street expectations. Sales for the quarter increased 9.6 percent to $339.6 million, compared with $309.9 million in the year-ago quarter.

Coach opened its first European flagship in London's Mayfair district. The new flagship houses the brand’s full range of lifestyle offerings and an exclusive collection inspired by London. The store, in the former Mulberry space, spans 5,000 sq. ft. over two floors and stocks the women’s and men’s collections. It is the second Coach store to open in London.

Growth in U.S. retail sales stalled in August after a pitched battle over spending in Congress led consumer confidence to crumble, data shows. Sales were unchanged from a month earlier, a substantially weaker reading than the median forecast for a 0.2 percent rise in a Reuters poll. Sales growth during July was revised downward to 0.3 percent.

Bill Bass, president and CEO of Direct at women's apparel retailer Charming Shoppes, took a step back yesterday at the Shop.org Annual Summit in Boston to reflect on five lessons he's learned from the 15 years he's spent in the retail industry, including stints at Lands’ End and Fair Indigo.