Walmart Adds Another eCommerce Purchase To The Pile

Walmart’s online shopping spree continues — now with a new domain name for recent acquisition ShoeBuy.com.

ShoeBuy has grabbed up the shoes.com domain name and all intellectual property related to it for a cool $9 million, according to documents filed with the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Bankruptcy and Insolvency.

Shoes.com shut down its online sites and brick-and-mortar operations in January. Reports indicated that going forward, shoppers heading to shoes.com will be sent to a new homepage on Shoe.com. Over the next few months, ShoeBuy plans to revamp and relaunch shoes.com in a style that is more similar to its new parent company.

Currently, ShoeBuy carries 800-plus footwear brands, as well as outerwear and handbags. Its most direct competitor is Amazon sub-business Zappos. Walmart’s purchase of ShoeBuy was considered a direct shoe shot across Walmart’s bow.

The latest acquisition is one of a string of digital commerce purchases Walmart’s digital end has made under new leader Marc Lore. Fashion has been a particular focus — outdoor gear online retailer Moosejaw was a recent acquisition, as was fashion retailer Modcloth.

And another big buy is rumored to be the the way. This week, rumors have been circulating that Walmart is in late-stage acquisition talks with Bonobos, an online men’s fashion retailer based in New York City.

Both sides have agreed on a price yet to be disclosed, according to Recode. After its $55 million Series D round in 2014 Bonobos was reportedly valued at $300 million. Its total venture funding is $125 million.

Founded in 2007, Bonobos sells dress pants, suits and outerwear via its website and later through Nordstrom. Bonobos also has over 30 physical showroom locations. Sources peg that the deal between Walmart and Bonobos is currently in its final due diligence stages.

If and when the deal goes through, Bonobos will be the fifth (counting shoes.com) eCommerce acquisition Walmart has made in less than a year under Lore’s leadership of digital sales.