Top industry news from last week.  All sources can be found in the hyperlink after the headline:

Retailer + Brand News:

• Asos rises on Amazon bid talk. Link
• Walmart opens Click-and-Collect facility. Link
• Fab launches Hem, a new online furniture shop. Link
• eBay opens fine art live-auction sites for second time. Link
• HP is splitting into two publicly-traded companies. Link
• Selfridges’ new £40m site reviewed. Link  
• Smaller Bloomingdale’s sets tone for expansion. Link
• How Kate Spade Saturday is carving out its own identity online. Link
• Uniqlo opens first L. and Philly stores. Link and Link
• Zalando makes lackluster debut in Germany IPO. Link
• Into the Gloss launches its own line of beauty products.Link
• With new app, Groupon goes after grocery deals.Link
• Retailers predict holiday sales to grow 4% this year.Link
• Amazon lets you add items to your wish list by tweeting.Link
• Curbside powers same-day pickup at Target, raises $8M. Link
• Gap Inc’s social media: selling feminism and equality, not t-shirts. Link
• Alexander Wang unveils sport H&M ad campaign for his new collection.Link
• Delias puts itself up for sale.Link
• REI to embark on ambitious website makeover.Link
• Saks Fifth Avenue to open in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Link

Social Media + Marketing:

• Facebook agrees to ease policies on using real names for accounts. Link
• Yahoo reportedly looking into Snapchat investment. Link
• Facebook looks to the healthcare field as it eyes increasing engagement. Link
• Buzzfeed introduces Buy It button on sponsored posts. Link
• Facebook receives EU approval for $19B WhatsApp deal. Link
• Twitter teams up with MIT to create new research lab to analyze every tweet. Link
• Pinterest curates its own content with new weekly collections called “Pin Picks.” Link
• Facebook updates research strategy. Link

Start-ups:

• Houzz raises $165M for ecommerce push. Link
• MiniLuxe brings high-tech beauty salons nationwide with $23M in new funding. Link
• New e-delivery service sends groceries right to the trunk of your car. Link
• com is a new marketplace that gives customers cash back. Link
• AppBoy raises $15M. Link

International:

[APAC]

• Zara partly cedes China web control to Alibaba to aid growth. Link
• Chinese online shoppers favor U.S. e-retailers. Link
• South Korean mobile powerhouse buys Shopkick. Link
• India will top China in device sales growth next year, report finds. Link
• TopShop invests in mobile-social for China push. Link
• China’s fragrance market can reach its potential. Link

[AU/NZ]

• Lorna Jane dumps plan to sell. Link
• Williams Sonoma confirms November 18^th opening date in Melbourne. Link

[CA]

• Staples closes 15 stores in Canada. Link
• Spotify expands to Canada. Link
• Sears to sell down Canada stake. Link

[EU]

• Forever 21 cuts losses as it tries to crack UK. Link
• Launching marketplace, eBay aims to drive consolidation in Russia. Link

[LATAM]

• Williams Sonoma takes e-commerce operation to Mexico. Link

Mobile, Tablet, + Wearables:

• eBay to split off PayPal as mobile payments gain ground. Link
• Visa says Apple Pay will pave the way for more mobile wallets that people can actually use. Link
• Square raises $150M. Link
• What Rue La La is doing with iOS8. Link
• Burberry has a special group dedicate to wearable tech and innovation. Link
• Apple Pay promises big changes at the cash register. Link
• Apple confirms slower adoption rate of iOS8. Link
• Target ramps up mobile for personalized holiday experiences. Link
• Groupon launches standalone app for receipts-based offers. Link

Other:

• Consumers now expect everything to work on all devices. Link
• Google announces new Spain campus for entrepreneurs. Link
• Froont wants to make sharing responsive web design as easy as sharing code. Link