eCommerce

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. -- Kraft Foods announced that its premium coffee brand, Gevalia, will be available for purchase in supermarkets, mass merchandisers and other retail outlets across the United States beginning in August.  

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- As Walmart embarks on its campaign to be the low-price leader and broaden product assortment, the company said it plans to reduce space for electronics in its U.S. stores, saying that sales in that category have declined.

The company will reduce floor space devoted to items such as flat-screen televisions and give some of that space to apparel, according to Rosalind Brewer, who runs the Wal-Mart East division and addressed the ISI Group Retail Summit in Atlanta on Tuesday.

New York City -- Fitch North America said it was awarded branding and retail work from Buffalo Wild Wings, one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the nation.

In addition, Sports Authority has also signed on Fitch. And H&M appointed Fitch as the lead architect for the Southwest region, managing up to nine large outlets per year.

PHILADELPHIA  -- Elaine Rubin, a retail industry vet who co-founded and chaired Shop.org, a division of the National Retail Federation, is taking her expertise in Internet retailing to Monetate, a leading independent provider of testing, targeting, and personalization for websites. Rubin joins Monetate as a member of the company's strategic advisory board.  

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Payless ShoeSource announced that Andrew Meyer has been named SVP and general merchandise manager for Payless' women's and accessories businesses, reporting to LuAnn Via, president and CEO of Payless.

Washington, D.C. -- Retail sales increased 0.4% last month, the Commerce Department said Wednesday, buoyed by rising gasoline revenue. The gain in March, the ninth consecutive monthly increase, was the smallest since the string began last summer.

The increase shrank to a 0.1% when sales at gasoline stations were excluded. However, the biggest decline in auto sales in more than a year also pulled down overall sales. When taking out sales at gas station and of autos, retail sales rose 0.6%.