Former CEO of Walmart.com to Head NetShops

Omaha, Neb., NetShops Inc., a developer and operator of specialty niche e-commerce Web sites, announced Thursday the appointment of Carter Cast as CEO. He most recently served as president and CEO of Walmart.com, which he helped launch in 2000 and develop into one of the highest volume e-commerce sites in the world. Prior to Walmart.com, Cast was a member of the start-up team for Blue Nile.

"Online shopping is continuing to grow at a double-digit rate as consumers increasingly turn to the Internet to find both common and out-of-the-ordinary products,” Cast said. "NetShops' unique business model of creating hundreds of niche, specialty e-commerce stores offers consumers significantly more choice than any physical retailer can.”

Doug Nielsen, co-founder and president/CEO of NetShops, will assume the title of chairman.