Beth Cox

Cashless commerce service provider Concord EFS Inc. in Memphis is acquiring Core Data Resources, a privately held electronic transaction processor based in Amarillo, Texas. Core Data provides ATM processing and related services to financial institutions, retailers, and independent sales organizations nationwide. The acquisition is expected to be neutral to earnings in 2002 and accretive to […]

IOS Brands Corp., the parent company of Florists’ Transworld Delivery Inc. (FTD as well as FTD.com Inc., has engineered a deal by which its two units will be once again combined into one company. Downers Grove, Ill.-based FTD.com is the online and telemarketing operation of old-economy company FTD, which has a network of 48,000 florists. […]

Not withstanding all those clever moo-cow ads, competition-hindered computer maker Gateway Inc. says it expects to post a first quarter pre-tax loss, excluding special charges, of between $100 million and $120 million. The special charges are expected to be $75 million to $100 million, associated with the restructuring actions (2,250 jobs cut from its current […]

Online privacy advocate Junkbusters.com has asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate auction giant eBay Inc.’s recent changes to its privacy policy for possible “unfair or deceptive trade practices.” Jason Catlett, president of Junkbusters, said in an open letter to Howard Beales, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, that eBay’s privacy policy “is […]

In a move to bolster its online retailing operation, consumer electronics retailer Best Buy Co. Inc. is signing on to use e-sourcing technology from FreeMarkets Inc. . Minneapolis-based Best Buy said it would leverage Pittsburgh-based FreeMarkets’ FullSource solution to source a variety of goods and services for its operations. Financial terms were not disclosed. The […]

They’ve tried site redesigns, low price guarantees, a variety of advertising campaigns, going public and going private. Now Buy.com, the so-called “Internet Superstore,” is trying the magazine route. The Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based company, bought back by its founder Scott Blum last, said it has launched the first edition of Buy.com Magazine, which will highlight merchandise […]

Moving to strengthen its position in the Asian market, auction operation eBay Inc. is acquiring NeoCom Technology Co. Ltd., a Taiwan-based operator of several auction sites, in a $9.5 million deal. At the same time, an eBay spokesman was quoted in published reports as saying that “we have decided to exit the Japanese market for […]

Shopping network operator ValueVision Media is acquiring Minneapolis-based FanBuzz, a provider of private labeled e-commerce technology to various sports, media, and entertainment brands. Eden Prairie, Minn.-based ValueVision, which owns and operates TV shopping network ShopNBC and Internet site ShopNBC.com, said FanBuzz will operate independently as a wholly owned subsidiary. Financial terms were not disclosed. Privately […]

A wave of consolidation is washing over the online travel sector, and when it recedes it seems likely that the business of selling airline tickets and hotel rooms over the Internet increasingly will be in the hands of a few big players. Of the name brands in online travel, Expedia, Travelocity and Cheap Tickets have […]

Things just keep getting worse at troubled online real estate play Homestore Inc., caught up in a scandal over inflated online advertising revenues. Now the company says it will have to reduce 2000 revenues by $39 million to $45 million. Homestore also said that the overstated revenues also included income from categories other than online […]

EBay Inc. is repurchasing Wells Fargo’s equity stake in Billpoint, the auction giant’s person-to-person payment subsidiary, for $43.5 million. However, Wells Fargo will continue to support eBay Payments by Billpoint through its payment processing and risk management services. San Jose, Calif.-based eBay and Wells Fargo formed a strategic relationship in March 2000 to provide eBay’s […]

USA Networks Inc., which just got through buying a controlling interest in online travel agency Expedia Inc. , now is buying another $47 million in shares. Bellevue, Wash.-based Expedia said it will use the money to retire the outstanding debt from its previously announced $52 million acquisition of Classic Custom Vacations. USA Networks will purchase […]