eCommerce

New York City -- New York & Co. announced on Wednesday the appointment of David Witkewicz to executive VP design, effective this month.

Witkewicz will report to Greg Scott, president, and will serve on the company’s executive committee.

Witkewicz was previously VP design for Coach.

New York City -- Amazon.com said Thursday it is buying Lovefilm, a European movie rental service akin to Netflix, according to a report by the Associated Press.

Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Lovefilm operates in the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. Much like Netflix, it is a subscription-based service through which people can rent movies by mail or watch them on TV or any other device with a high-speed Internet connection. The company also offers TV shows and games.

Cincinnati -- A survey released Thursday by Cintas Corp. found that 99% of U.S. adults say poor cleanliness negatively impacts their perception of a retail store.

In the telephone survey conducted by Harris Interactive among more than 1,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, respondents said that dirty restrooms and unpleasant odors are more annoying than poor customer service.

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Fry, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Micros Systems, announced that Cabela’s has launched its newly designed website on Fry’s Open Commerce Platform.

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. — Fast on the heels of her departure from Ahold USA’s Giant Foods of Landover supermarket unit, Robin Michel has been tapped for an increasingly critical role at retail giant Sears Holdings. Michel, who left as president of Giant-Landover in December 2010, will serve as SVP and president of food and consumables, health and beauty and pharmacy at Sears and its Kmart subsidiary.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) announced that Bill Simon, president and CEO of Walmart stores, and Steven Preston, president and CEO of OakLeaf Waste Management were named to the RILA board of directors, following the board’s semi-annual board of directors meeting held Sunday in Sarasota, Fla.

Simon replaces Walmart vice chairman and president and CEO of global e-commerce and global sourcing Eduardo Castro-Wright.

Minneapolis -- Target Corp. said that it has promoted Tony Fisher to president of Target Canada as the retailer prepares to open its first stores in the country. He will be responsible for building the team, establishing the headquarters and leading the day-to-day operations of the corporation's recently announced expansion into Canada.

The chain tapped an 11-year employee to lead its Canadian business. Last week, Target announced it bought 220 Zeller's leaseholds and it plans to open between 100 and 150 Target stores in Canada beginning in 2013.

WEST CHESTER, Pa. -- QVC has announced the promotion of Claire Watts to the newly created position of CEO of U.S., reporting to QVC president and CEO Mike George.  Watts' new position, which is effective immediately, includes responsibility for the overall strategy and operations of QVC's U.S. business.