Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation has agreed to acquire the Tommy Hilfiger brand from private equity firm Apax Partners for $3 billion. Funds advised by Apax have controlled the brand since May 2006. PVH will pay $2.2 billion in cash and $800 million in stock for the fashion brand. The deal is expected to close during this year's second quarter.

LL Bean launched a campaign using direct mail and social media on March 15 to promote its spring 2010 "signature" line. The retailer also introduced an e-commerce portal and catalog for the collection on the same day.

Staples launched a business-to-business e-commerce Web site, staplesadvantage.com, on March 11. The company's goal is to meet corporate demands for supplier consolidation and reduced procurement costs. Managed by the company's business-to-business division, Staples Advantage, the site also features the offerings of its five recently announced business-to-business segments.

Columbia Sportswear Company launched a mobile commerce site on March 2. The portal, created by e-commerce firm Demandware, is the brand's first foray into mobile.

Coldwater Creek ran a net loss of $9.7 million for 2009's fiscal fourth quarter, compared to a net loss of $18.6 million for the same period of 2008. The women's apparel retailer attributed the improved quarter, in part, to an increase in direct marketing revenue.

Slightly more than half of direct marketing professionals plan to increase their marketing spend this year, according to the Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) latest Quarterly Business Review.

Some travel brands are expanding their retail and e-commerce partnerships to sell consumers perks and products, and creating additional revenue in the process.

Google has hired eBay veteran Stephanie Tilenius to serve as VP of commerce, a newly created position.

E-commerce platform company Demandware has named Tom Ebling CEO. He previously worked in the same role at Lattice Engines, a business-to-business maker of sales and optimization technologies.

January retail sales improved slightly over the previous month, but declined year-over-year, according to the National Retail Federation. Excluding the sales of auto dealerships, gas stations and restaurants, retail sales increased 0.5% from December 2009, yet fell 0.2% year-over-year.